Is it true that the main reason for the new regulations is to speed up hearings?
No. There are many reasons for changing the hearing procedures. In part, the process was changed to expand the opportunity for effective participation by using less formal and less expensive procedures. A trial-type process is neither required nor recommended for technical issues such as those at addressed in most NRC proceedings. The Commission is motivated by a desire to reduce the expense and burden on all parties in hearings and to focus the hearings on the substantive issues. Thus, many changes are designed to reduce the resources necessary to participate in hearings (e.g., mandatory disclosures and requirements for a hearing file rather than formal discovery). The Commission is also taking this opportunity to develop alternatives to the expensive and lengthy formal proceedings. Overall, the changes reflect the Commission’s efforts to better tailor the hearing procedures to the scope and purpose of the adjudication.
