ML042110434
| ML042110434 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 08/06/2004 |
| From: | Holden C NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1 |
| To: | Matteau J Windham Regional Commission |
| Skay D, NRR/DLPM, 415-1322 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML042110493 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2005-0031, TAC MC3835, Y020040151 | |
| Download: ML042110434 (3) | |
Text
August 6, 2004 Mr. James P. Matteau Executive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301
Dear Mr. Matteau:
I am responding on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to your letter dated July 5, 2004, requesting that the NRC make public the list of risk-significant components and human actions to be reviewed during the engineering inspection at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. We greatly appreciate your insights and understand your concerns with the potential that public opinion may be affected by lack of information. We continuously strive to conduct our work in as open an environment as possible. As I am sure you can appreciate, public organizations such as ours continually balance openness with the challenges we face in accomplishing our mission.
As we stated at our June 28, 2004, briefing to the Public Service Board, the NRC will provide a full accounting of the samples selected for review in an inspection report which should be issued approximately 45 days after completion of the subject inspection. The report will be issued well in advance of the NRCs final determination regarding the acceptability of Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.s power uprate request. We feel this will meet your stated objective of informing the public of the full scope of our inspection and reduce the potential for misunderstanding that a preliminary list might create. A general description of the sample selection process and a summary of the samples chosen for review will also be discussed in a public exit meeting to be conducted within a few weeks after completion of the inspection. During that meeting, the NRC representatives will address questions regarding the inspection, including any questions the public might have regarding the teams sample selection process. We believe releasing information to the public sooner regarding the samples chosen for review would not be in the best interest of our stakeholders for the following reasons:
As described in Temporary Instruction 2515/158, the sample selection process for this inspection is an iterative process, that is continually modified as the inspection progresses using risk insights and reviews of existing margins.
A complete and accurate listing of the actual samples that will be reviewed during the inspection will not be known until completion of the inspection, as inspectors will be using their experience during the inspection to select new samples that represent the most vulnerable areas of the plant from a safety perspective.
Making available to the public the teams initial sample selections might inhibit the effectiveness of the inspection, as the team might then feel obligated to spend
Mr. J. Matteau inappropriate inspection time on the initial samples, when the conduct of the inspection procedure is predicated on inspecting more vulnerable components or human actions that are identified through the risk insights gained during the inspection.
For those members of the public with an interest in this inspection, including the sample selection process, a copy of the Temporary Instruction 2515/158 is available on the NRCs website at the following address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/insp-manual/temp-instructions/ti2515-158.pdf.
I appreciate your feedback regarding our briefing to the Vermont Public Service Board. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact me at 301-415-3036.
Sincerely,
/RA by JClifford for/
Cornelius F. Holden, Director Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Mr. J. Matteau inappropriate inspection time on the initial samples, when the conduct of the inspection procedure is predicated on inspecting more vulnerable components or human actions that are identified through the risk insights gained during the inspection.
For those members of the public with an interest in this inspection, including the sample selection process, a copy of the Temporary Instruction 2515/158 is available on the NRCs website at the following address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/insp-manual/temp-instructions/ti2515-158.pdf.
I appreciate your feedback regarding our briefing to the Vermont Public Service Board. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact me at 301-415-3036.
Sincerely,
/RA by JClifford for/
Cornelius F. Holden, Director Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC PDI-2 R/F B. Sheron D. Skay C. Holden A. Howe C. Raynor L. Cox NRR Mail Room (Y0020040151)
T. McMurtray C. Bixler, RG1 J. Dyer W. Borchardt M. Case Package No.: ML042110493 Incoming No.: ML042090218 Response No.: ML042110434 OFFICE PDI-1/PM PDI-2/LA VY/SC PDI/PD NAME DSkay CRaynor JClifford for AHowe JClifford for CHolden DATE 8/5/04 8/05/04 8/5/04 8/5/04 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY