§ 2.501 Notice of hearing on application under subpart F of 10 CFR part 52 for a license to manufacture nuclear power reactors.

(a) In the case of an application under subpart F of part 52 of this chapter for a license to manufacture nuclear power reactors of the type described in § 50.22 of this chapter to be operated at sites not identified in the license application, the Secretary will issue a notice of hearing to be published in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the date set for hearing in the notice.¹ The notice shall be issued as soon as practicable after the application has been docketed. The notice will state:

(1) The time, place, and nature of the hearing and/or the prehearing conference;

(2) The authority within which the hearing is to be held;

(3) The matters of fact and law to be considered; and

(4) The time within which answers to the notice shall be filed.

(b) The notice of hearing shall comply with the requirements of § 2.104(f) of this chapter.

(1) That, if the proceeding is a contested proceeding, the presiding officer will consider the following issues:²

(i) Whether the applicant has described the proposed design of, and the site parameters postulated for, the reactor(s), including, but not limited to, the principal architectural and engineering criteria for the design, and has identified the major features or components incorporated therein for the protection of the health and safety of the public;

(ii) Whether such further technical or design information as may be required to complete the design report and which can reasonably be left for later consideration, will be supplied in a supplement to the design report;

(iii) Whether safety features or components, if any, which require research and development have been described by the applicant and the applicant has identified, and there will be conducted a research and development program reasonably designed to resolve any safety questions associated with such features or components;

(iv) Whether on the basis of the foregoing, there is reasonable assurance that (A) such safety questions will be satisfactorily resolved before any of the proposed nuclear power reactors are removed from the manufacturing site, and (B) taking into consideration the site criteria contained in part 100 of this chapter, the proposed reactor(s) can be constructed and operated at sites having characteristics that fall within the site parameters postulated for the design of the reactor(s) without undue risk to the health and safety of the public;

(v) Whether the applicant is technically and financially qualified to design and manufacture the proposed reactor(s);

(vi) Whether the issuance of a license for manufacture of the reactor(s) will be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and

(vii) Whether, in accordance with the requirements of subpart A of part 51 and appendix M of part 52 of this chapter, the license should be issued as proposed.

(2) That, if the proceeding is not a contested proceeding, the presiding officer will determine (i) without conducting a de novo evaluation of the application, whether the application and the record of the proceeding contain sufficient information, and the review of the application by the Commission's staff has been adequate to support affirmative findings on paragraphs (b)(1) (i) through (v) of this section and a negative finding on paragraph (b)(1)(vi) of this section proposed to be made and the issuance of the license to manufacture proposed by the Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, and (ii) whether the review conducted by the Commission pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been adequate.

(3) That, regardless of whether the proceeding is contested or uncontested, the presiding officer will, in accordance with subpart A of part 51 and paragraph 3 of appendix M of part 52 of this chapter,

(i) Determine whether the requirements of section 102(2) (A), (C) and (E) of the National Environmental Policy Act and subpart A of part 51 of this chapter have been complied with in the proceeding;

(ii) Independently consider the final balance among conflicting factors contained in the record of the proceeding with a view to determining the appropriate action to be taken; and

(iii) Determine whether the manufacturing license should be issued, denied or appropriately conditioned to protect environmental values.

(c) The place of hearing on an application for a manufacturing license will be Washington, DC, or such other location as the Commission deems appropriate.

¹ The thirty-day (30) requirement of this paragraph is not applicable to a notice of the time and place of hearing published by the presiding officer after the notice of hearing described in this section has been published.

² Issues (i) and (vi) are the issues pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. Issue (vii) is the issue pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

[38 FR 30252, Nov. 2, 1973, as amended at 39 FR 26279, July 18, 1974; 39 FR 33202, Sept. 16, 1974; 49 FR 9401, Mar. 12, 1984; 54 FR 15398, Apr. 18, 1989; 54 FR 52342, Dec. 21, 1989; 72 FR 49478, Aug. 28, 2007]