A three-judge panel for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board denied the requested hearing challenging plans to restart the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan.
In a 71-page ruling made on March 31, the NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board stated, “we conclude that Joint Petitioners and Petitioning Organizations have demonstrated standing to intervene, but their proposed contentions are not admissible.”
In an April 4 press release from Beyond Nuclear, the petitioning environmental groups said they intend to appeal the ruling.
The case is not closed as the administrative judges said the petitioning organizations moved to admit new and amended arguments, which are pending.
The two petitions were filed, one by the “joint petitioners” led by Alan Blind, retired nuclear engineering director at Palisades, based on a Linkedin profile. The other petition was filed by a group made up of Beyond Nuclear, Don’t Waste Michigan, Michigan Safe Energy Future, Three Mile Island Alert, based in Pennsylvania. and Nuclear Energy Information Service, based in Illinois.
The petitions challenged the license amendment requests and the exemption request for the Palisades restart. Several written filings were submitted in late 2024 and an oral argument was held on Feb. 12 regarding the restart’s license amendment requests.
