ML041750331
| ML041750331 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Catawba  |
| Issue date: | 05/21/2004 |
| From: | Curran D Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Harmon, Curran, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP |
| To: | Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel |
| Byrdsong A T | |
| References | |
| 50-413-OLA, 50-414-OLA, ASLBP 03-815-03-OLA, RAS 7983 | |
| Download: ML041750331 (4) | |
Text
RAS 7F63
'I May 21, 2004 UNITED STATES OF AME RICA RICA DOCKETED USNRC NUCLEAR REGULATORY CON1IMISSION May 25,2004 (4:06PM)
BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LIICENSING BOARD OFFICE OF SECRETARY RULEMAKINGS AND In the Matter of: ) ADJUDICATIONS STAFF
) Docket Nos. 50-413-OLA DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION ) 50-414-OLA
)
(Catawba Nuclear Station, )
Units I and 2) )
BLUE RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE LEAGUE'S COMMENTS ON WHETHER "SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY" OF PLUTONIUM CONSTITUTES PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION Pursuant to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board's ("ASLB's") oral order of May 14, 2004, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League ("BREDL") hereby comments on the question of whether the amount of plutonium that constitutes a significant quantity ("S.Q.") for purposes of making a nuclear weapon constitutes publicly available information.' The information is publicly available from International Atomic Energy Agency, ("IAEA") and the U.S.
Department of Energy ("DOE"), and has been publicly critiqued.
The IAEA Safeguards Glossary (2001), a publicly available document, defines an S.Q. as "the approximate quantity of nuclear material in respect of which, taking into account any conversion process involved, the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot During the meeting on May 14, BREDL understood that this information was due by May 21, 2004. It appears from the ASLB's written order of May 18, 2004, however, that the ASLB may have expected this information to be submitted by Thursday, May 20. BREDL apologizes if it misunderstood the Board's instruction, and respectfully requests leave to submit the requested information today.
.4rempJoate sc v- e 9 *Cc .Y- O;
be excluded." See IAEA Glossary, Section 3.14, wwvw -
pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/nvs-3-cd/PDF/NVS3 pm.pdf. The IAEA has publicly stated that 8 kilograms of plutonium constitutes an S.Q. Id., Table II at page 19.
Publicly available information from the U.S. DOE and the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC"), a respected environmental organization, indicate that the IAEA's S.Q.
criterion of 8 kilograms of plutonium is not conservative. The DOE has released the formerly classified information that hypothetically, a mass of 4 kilograms of plutonium is sufficient for one nuclear explosive device. U.S. DOE, Restricted Data Declassification Decisions, 1946 to the Present (RDD-46) at 28 (January 1, 2001). See wvvw.osti.gov/opennnet/rdd-6.pdf. According to NRDC, the IAEA's criterion for establishing the quantity of plutonium needed to form an S.Q.
is "outdated, technically erroneous, and even dangerous," resulting in international standards for material control and accounting that are far too lenient. Thomas B. Cochran and Christopher E.
Paine, The Amount oPlutonium andHighly-Enriched Uranium Neededfor PureFission Nuclear Weapons (Revised April 13, 1995). See http://\vww.nrdc.orzgnuclear/fissionw/fissionweapons.pdf. According to NRDC's technical analysis, a one kiloton nuclear bomb can be made with one to three kilograms of plutonium. Id.
at 6. Thus, NRDC has petitioned the IAEA to make an eight-fold reduction in the amount of plutonium considered necessary for an S.Q. Id. at 1.
7Dspect9 ly submitted, Dianetrran Harmon, Curran, Spielberg, & Eisenberg, L.L.P.
1726 M Street N.W., Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20036 202/328-3500 e-mail: dcurran(rharmoncurran.com May 21,2004 2
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on May 21, 2004, copies of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's Motion to Withdraw Contention II and Request to Change Hearing Schedule for Contention I and Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's Comments on Whether "Significant Quantity" of Plutonium Constitutes Publicly Available Information were served on the following by e-mail and/or first-class mail, as indicated below.
Ann Marshall Young, Chair Susan L. Uttal, Esq.
Administrative Judge Antonio Fernandez, Esq.
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Margaret J. Bupp, Esq.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of the General Counsel Mail Stop: T-3F23 Mail Stop 15 D21 Washington, D.C. 20555 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission E-mail: AMY@nrc. gov Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: s1u~nrc.gov axf2@nrc.gov, Anthony J. Baratta mjb5@nrc.gov Administrative Judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Mary Olson U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Southeast Office, Nuclear Information and Mail Stop: T-3F23 Resource Service Washington, D.C. 20555 P.O Box 7586 E-mail: AJB5@nrc. gov Asheville, NC 28802 E-mail: nirs. segrnindspring. com Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Lisa F. Vaughn, Esq.
Mail Stop: 0-16C1 Legal Dept. (PBO5E)
Washington, D.C. 20555 Duke Energy Corporation 526 South Church Street (ECI IX)
Thomas S. Elleman Charlotte, NC 28201-1006 Administrative Judge E-mail: lfVaughn@duke-energy. cor Atomic Safety and Licensing Board 4760 East Country Villa Drive Janet Marsh Zeller, Executive Director Tucson, AZ 85718 Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League E-mail: elleman@eos.ncsu.edu P.O. Box 88 Glendale Springs, NC 28629 David A. Repka, Esq. E-mail: BREDL@skybest. com Anne W. Cottingham, Esq.
Winston & Strawn, LLP 1400 L Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005-3502 E-mail: drepka~winston. com acotting~winston.com
2 Office of the Secretary (original and two copies)
ATTN: Docketing and Service U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop: 0-16C1 Washington, D.C. 20555 E-mail: HEARINGDOCKETenrc . gov k2X2 Diane Curran