BRIAN SANDOVAL STATE OF NEVADA ROBERT J HALSTEAD Governor Executive Director
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AGENCY FOR NUCLEAR PROJECTS 1761 E. College Parkway, Suite 118 Carson City, NV 89706-7954 Telephone (775) 687-3744 Fax (775) 687-5277 E-mail: [email protected]
March 12, 2018
Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001
Dear Chairman Svinicki:
On behalf of the State of Nevada we want to express our concern regarding your private meeting on March 5, 2018 with representatives of Nye County, Nevada. As we are sure you know, Nye County is a party in the formal adjudicatory proceeding pending before the Commission on the Department of Energy’s application for a construction authorization for the proposed high-level waste repository in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The Commission’s rules (10 C.F.R. § 2.347) specifically prohibit you from entertaining any ex-parte communications from Nye County relevant to the merits of any disputed issue, and those rules are applicable even though the adjudicatory proceeding is currently suspended.
We are aware that you notified the State of Nevada and the other parties in the adjudicatory proceeding of the occurrence the meeting -- after it took place -- in the Memorandum to the Parties prepared by Mr. Maxwell C. Smith, your Senior Legal Counsel. It was represented in that Memorandum that you “did not engage in discussion during the visit about any of the adjudicatory challenges to the license application pending before the agency.” Nevertheless, reasonable persons would be justified in wondering why (1) the other parties in the adjudicatory proceeding could not have been notified in advance of the meeting and (2) why Nye County would want to meet with you for any reason other than to discuss the pending application (such a reason could have easily been identified in the memorandum).
Given the above, we would appreciate your responding to the following questions:
(1) Why, and when, did you agree to meet in private with Nye County; (2) Why were the other parties not notified in advance of the meeting; (3) What was the purpose of the meeting; (4) Who attended the meeting; (5) What was discussed at the meeting; (6) Were any promises or commitments made at the meeting; and (7) Were any materials distributed at the meeting or any meeting summaries or notes prepared after the meeting?
We would appreciate a response as soon as possible.
Respectfully,
Robert J. Halstead Executive Director
RJH/sjh cc: Mr. Maxwell C. Smith, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Governor Brian Sandoval, State of Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt, State of Nevada Chairman Richard Bryan, Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects Nevada Congressional Delegation Service Lists, Docket No. 63-001-HLW
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
In the Matter of ) ) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ) Docket No. 63-001-HLW ) (High Level Waste Repository) )
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that the foregoing The State of Nevada’s Letter to NRC Chair Kristine Svinicki Regarding Her Meeting with Nye County Representatives, has been served upon the following persons by email this 12th day of March, 2018:
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Office of Commission Appellate Mail Stop T-3F23 Adjudication Washington, DC 20555-0001 Mail Stop O-7H4M Construction Authorization Board 04 Washington, DC 20555-0001 (CAB04) OCAA Mail Center Thomas S. Moore, Chair [email protected] Administrative Judge [email protected] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Paul S. Ryerson Office of the Secretary of the Commission Administrative Judge Mail Stop O-4F00 [email protected] Washington, DC 20555-0001 Richard E. Wardwell Hearing Docket Administrative Judge [email protected] [email protected] U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of General Counsel Office of the General Counsel 1000 Independence Avenue S.W. Mail Stop O-14A44 Washington, DC 20585 Washington, DC 20555-0001 Martha S. Crosland, Esq. Carrie Safford, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Nicholas P. DiNunzio, Esq Jessica Bielecki, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] James Bennett McRae Adam Gendelman, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Cyrus Nezhad, Esq. OGC Mail Center [email protected] [email protected] Christina C. Pak, Esq. [email protected]
Office of Counsel, Naval Sea Systems Egan Fitzpatrick Malsch & Lawrence, PLLC Command 7500 Rialto Boulevard Nuclear Propulsion Program Building 1, Suite 250 1333 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE, Building 197 Austin, TX 78735 Washington, DC 20376 Charles J. Fitzpatrick, Esq. Frank A. Putzu, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] John W. Lawrence, Esq. [email protected] For U.S. Department of Energy Laurie Borski, Paralegal Talisman International, LLC [email protected] 1000 Potomac St., NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20007 Bureau of Government Affairs Patricia Larimore, Senior Paralegal Nevada Attorney General [email protected] 100 N. Carson Street Carson City, NV 89701 Counsel for U.S. Department of Energy Belinda Suwe, Deputy Attorney General Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP [email protected] 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Marta Adams, Special Deputy Attorney Washington, DC 20004 General Lewis M. Csedrik, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Thomas D. Poindexter, Esq. Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects [email protected] Nuclear Waste Project Office Alex S. Polonsky, Esq. 1761 East College Parkway, Suite 118 [email protected] Carson City, NV 89706 Thomas A. Schmutz, Esq. Robert J. Halstead, Executive Director [email protected] [email protected] Paul J. Zaffuts, Esq. Steve Frishman, Tech. Policy Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] Andrea Preate-Regni, Esq. Susan Lynch, Administrator of Technical [email protected] Programs Shannon Staton, Legal Secretary [email protected] [email protected] Elaine M. Hirsch, Legal Secretary Nye County Regulatory/Licensing Advisor [email protected] 18160 Cottonwood Rd. #265 Sunriver, OR 97707 Counsel for State of Nevada Malachy Murphy, Esq. Egan Fitzpatrick Malsch & Lawrence, PLLC [email protected] 1750 K Street, NW, Suite 350 Washington, DC 20006 Nye Co. Nuclear Waste Repository Project Martin G. Malsch, Esq. Office [email protected] 2101 E. Calvada Boulevard, Suite 100 Susan Montesi: Pahrump, NV 89048 [email protected] Celeste Sandoval, Quality Assurance Records Counsel for State of Nevada Spec. [email protected]
Counsel for Lincoln County, Nevada Counsel for Eureka County, Nevada Whipple Law Firm Harmon, Curran, Speilberg & Eisenberg, 1100 S. Tenth Street LLP Las Vegas, NV 89017 1726 M Street N.W., Suite 600 Annie Bailey, Legal Assistant Washington, DC 20036 [email protected] Diane Curran, Esq. Adam L. Gill, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Eric Hinckley, Law Clerk Eureka County, Nevada [email protected] Office of the District Attorney Bret Whipple, Esq. 701 S. Main Street, Box 190 [email protected] Eureka, NV 89316-0190 Theodore Beutel, District Attorney Lincoln County District Attorney [email protected] P. O. Box 60 Pioche, NV 89403 Nuclear Waste Advisory for Eureka Gregory Barlow, Esq. County, Nevada [email protected] 1983 Maison Way Carson City, NV 89703 Lincoln County Nuclear Oversight Program Abigail Johnson, Consultant P.O. Box 1068 [email protected] Caliente, NV 89008 Connie Simkins, Coordinator For White Pine County, Nevada [email protected] Intertech Services Corporation PO Box 2008 For Lincoln County, Nevada Carson City, NV 89702 Intertech Services Corporation Mike Baughman, Consultant PO Box 2008 [email protected] Carson City, NV 89702 Mike Baughman, Consultant For Eureka County, Nevada [email protected] NWOP Consulting, Inc. 1705 Wildcat Lane Counsel for Nye, County, Nevada Ogden, UT 84403 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Loreen Pitchford, Consultant North Building, Suite 1000 [email protected] Washington, DC 20004 Robert Andersen, Esq. Eureka County Public Works [email protected] PO Box 714 Christopher Clare, Esq. Eureka, NV 89316 [email protected] Ronald Damele, Director [email protected] Clark County, Nevada 500 S. Grand Central Parkway Las Vegas, NV 98155 Phil Klevorick, Sr. Mgmt Analyst [email protected] Elizabeth A. Vibert, Deputy District Attorney [email protected]
Counsel for Churchill, Esmeralda, Lander, Counsel for Inyo County, California and Mineral Counties, Nevada Gregory L. James, Attorney at Law Armstrong Teasdale, LLP 712 Owens Gorge Road 3770 Howard Hughes Parkway HC 79, Box Suite 200 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 Las Vegas, NV 89169 [email protected] Tara Baugh [email protected] Counsel for Inyo County, California Law Office of Michael Berger Kolesar & Leatham 479 El Sueno Road 400 S. Rampart Boulevard Santa Barbara, CA 93110 Suite 400 Michael Berger, Esq. Las Vegas, NV 89145 [email protected] Robert F. List, Esq. Robert Hanna, Esq. [email protected] [email protected]
Esmeralda County Repository Oversight Inyo Co Yucca Mountain Repository Program- Assessment Office Yucca Mountain Project P. O. Box 367 PO Box 490 Independence, CA 93526-0367 Goldfield, NV 89013 Cathreen Richards, Associate Planner Edwin Mueller, Director [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for State of Washington Mineral County Nuclear Projects Office Office of the Attorney General P.O. Box 1600 P. O. Box 40117 Hawthorne, NV 89415 Olympia, WA 98504-0117 Linda Mathias, Director Todd R. Bowers, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Andrew A. Fitz, Esq. For Lincoln and White Pine County, Nevada [email protected] Jason Pitts, LSN Administrator Michael L. Dunning, Esq. P.O. Box 126 [email protected] Caliente, NV 89008 H. Lee Overton, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Danielle French, Esq. For White Pine County, Nevada [email protected] Michael Wheable, District Attorney Teresa Trippel, Esq. 801 Clark Street, Suite 3 [email protected] Ely, NV 89301 [email protected] California Energy Commission 1516 Ninth Street White Pine Co. Nuclear Waste Project Ofc Sacramento, CA 95814 959 Campton Street Kirk C. Oliver, Esq. Ely, NV 89301 Senior Staff Counsel Mike Simon, Director [email protected] [email protected]
California Department of Justice Counsel for Native Community Action Office of the Attorney General Council 1515 Clay Street, 20th Fl, PO Box 70550 Alexander, Berkey, Williams & Weathers Oakland, CA 94612-0550 LLP Timothy E. Sullivan, Deputy Attorney 2030 Addison Street, Suite 410 General Berkeley, CA 94704 [email protected] Curtis G. Berkey, Esq. [email protected] California Department of Justice Rovianne A. Leigh, Esq. Office of the Attorney General [email protected] 300 S. Spring Street, Suite 1702 Scott W. Williams, Esq. Los Angeles, CA 90013 [email protected] Megan Hey, Esq. [email protected] Native Community Action Council P.O. Box 140 Counsel for State of South Carolina Baker, NV 89311 Davidson & Lindemann, P.A. Ian Zabarte, Member of Board of Directors 1611 Devonshire Drive [email protected] P.O. Box 8568 Columbia, SC 29202 Counsel for Prairie Island Indian Kenneth P. Woodington, Esq. Community [email protected] Public Law Resource Center PLLC 505 N. Capitol Avenue Counsel for Aiken County, SC Lansing, MI 48933 Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA Don L. Keskey, Esq. 1201 Main Street, Suite 2200 [email protected] P. O. Box 11889 Columbia, SC 29211-1889 Prairie Island Indian Community Legal Thomas R. Gottshall, Esq. Department [email protected] 5636 Sturgeon Lake Road Ross Shealy, Esq. Welch, MN 55089 [email protected] Philip R. Mahowald, Esq. [email protected] Florida Public Service Commission Office of the General Counsel Nuclear Energy Institute 2540 Shumard Oak Boulevard Office of the General Counsel Tallahassee, FL 32303 1776 I Street, NW Suite 400 Samantha M. Cibula, Esq. Washington, DC 20006-3708 [email protected] Jerry Bonanno, Esq. [email protected] Anne W. Cottingham, Esq. [email protected] Ellen C. Ginsberg, Esq. [email protected]
Counsel for Nuclear Energy Institute Counsel for Joint Timbisha Shoshone Tribal Group Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Fredericks, Peebles, & Morgan LLP 1200 Seventeenth Street NW 1001 Second St. Washington, DC 20036 Sacramento, CA 95814 Jay E. Silberg, Esq. Felicia M. Brooks, Data Administrator [email protected] [email protected] Timothy J.V. Walsh, Esq. Ross D. Colburn, Law Clerk [email protected] [email protected] Sally Eredia, Legal Secretary Counsel for Nuclear Energy Institute [email protected] Winston & Strawn LLP Darcie L. Houck, Esq. 1700 K Street, N.W. [email protected] Washington, DC 20006-3817 Brian Niegemann, Office Manager William A. Horin, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] John M. Peebles, Esq. David A. Repka, Esq. [email protected] [email protected] Robert Rhoan, Esq. Carlos L. Sisco, Senior Paralegal [email protected] [email protected]
Counsel for National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) 1101 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 James Ramsay, Esq. [email protected] Robin Lunt, Esq. [email protected]
Fredericks, Peebles, & Morgan LLP 3610 North 163rd Plaza Omaha, NE 68116 Shane Thin Elk, Esq. [email protected]
For Joint Timbisha Shoshone Tribal Group Indian Village Road, P.O. Box 206 Death Valley, CA 92328-0206 Joe Kennedy, Executive Director [email protected] Tameka Vazquez, Bookkeeper [email protected] (signed electronically) Shawnee J. Hughes, Executive Assistant
Dated at Carson City, Nevada this 12th day of March, 2018 Docket, Hearing
From: Shawnee J. Hughes
Dear Chairman Svinicki:
I have attached a letter from Executive Director, Robert J. Halstead. This letter is in response to the meeting with Nye County Representatives.
If any additional information is needed from our office, please feel free to contact us.
Best regards, 1 Shawnee J. Hughes, Executive Assistant Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects Office of the Governor 1761 E. College Parkway, Ste. 118 Carson City, Nevada 89706 Phone: (775) 687-3744 Fax: (775) 687-5277
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