ML040980557
| ML040980557 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 03/31/2004 |
| From: | Mahler R - No Known Affiliation |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| DLPM | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML041410225 | List: |
| References | |
| TAC MC2573, Y020040070 | |
| Download: ML040980557 (2) | |
Text
Original Due Date: 05/2812004 Ticket Number: 020040070 Document Date: 03/31/2004 NRR Received Date: 04/07/2004 From:
TACs:
MC2573 Robert Mahler To:
- YELLOW ***
Whom It May Concern For Signature of:
Dyer, NRR
==
Description:==
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Assigned To:
DLPM Routing: Dyer Borchardt Craig Sheron Case NRR Mailroom
Contact:
MARSH, LEDYARD (TAD) E Special Instructions:
GILL SCHOOL 48 BOYLE ROAD GILL, MASSACHUSETTS 01376 (413) 863-3255 (413) 863-3268 (FAX)
GILL-MONTAGUE REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ROBERT A. MAHLER PRINCIPAL 31 March 2004 To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this letter as the Principal of The Gill School, located within the ten mile limit of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. I have worked closely with officials of MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) to develop contingency plans in response to an accident at the power plant. These plans, although very well intentioned, underscore the basic disconnect between the people in the power production industry and those affected by any accident. The plans call for a series of actions to be undertaken by the staff of the school in response to any unusual event at the plant The ultimate response is to evacuate the school. The disconnect occurs when people assume that school staff will respond with the same single-mindedness as a military unit when faced with a crisis. No one has truly taken the time to look at the reality of a disaster.
The remarkable courage demonstrated in New York on September 11th by the firefighters and police is inspiring. They were at the scene to, among other responsibilities, control the panic. People were unsure of what was truly happening and were in relatively good control of themselves. In any type of unusual event at Vermont Yankee people WILL know what is happening. People will be informed via the media outlets and by listening in to local police and fire department radio communications. This will create panic among the general population. We may want to believe that people will respond responsibly, but I think that a nuclear accident is the ultimate nightmare, and the public will respond accordingly. So, going back to the school that is located within ten miles of the power plant..... how will staff respond? How will staff respond when their own families are in danger? How will school administrators deal with staff who are unwilling to abandon their cars at school? How will school staff ride buses to safety (if one considers fifteen miles from a power plant as a safe zone), while their own families are in harm's way? These are not idle questions, but the unsettling thoughts of a school administrator who sits within arm's length of his Radiological Emergency Response Plan and Implementing Procedures manual.
It is time for us to consider those who are living with this unseemly reality and not allow Vermont Yankee to increase it's power output. Let me ask finally, why would reasonable people take actions that could increase the chance of a horrible situation for our schools and children?
Thank you for your time.
Robert A. Mahler Principal