ML083150861

G20080745/LTR-08-0570/EDATS: SECY-2008-0617 - Ltr. Rep. Paul W. Hodes Vermont Yankee Incident

ML083150861
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	12/17/2008
From:	Mallett B NRC/EDO, NRC Region 1
To:	Hodes P US HR (House of Representatives)
Barkley R
Shared Package
ML083150812	List: ML083150861
References
G2008745, LTR-08-0570, SECY-2008-0617
Download: ML083150861 (3)

Text

December 17, 2008 The Honorable Paul W. Hodes United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Hodes:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter, dated October 29, 2008. You expressed concern about not being informed by the NRC concerning a low-level radioactive contamination incident that occurred on October 20, 2008, at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. You concluded your letter by stating that it is critical that I receive from you timely and detailed updates of any and all incidents at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant that have a potential impact on public health and safety, as well as the actions that the NRC is taking to ensure that problems are addressed.

The NRC is committed to keeping you and other key stakeholders informed of all incidents that have a potential impact on public health and safety. The incident on October 20, 2008, was a low-level radioactive contamination incident that was confined to the onsite radiologically controlled area of the plant and did not result in personnel contaminations beyond the workers involved with the incident. Because the incident had no potential impact on public health and safety, we did not feel it warranted informing your office.

As you and I discussed on October 23, 2008, the NRC will continue our practice of ensuring that your office is informed in a timely manner if safety-significant issues or issues of high media interest occur at the Vermont Yankee Station. As I indicated during our discussion, we did this once we noted the incident received some local media interest.

You and your office are key stakeholders in the Vermont Yankee Station and it is our goal to keep you informed. Should you have further questions, or desire to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Bruce S. Mallett Deputy Executive Director for Reactor and Preparedness Programs Office of the Executive Director for Operations

December 17, 2008 The Honorable Paul W. Hodes United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Hodes:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter, dated October 29, 2008. You expressed concern about not being informed by the NRC concerning a low-level radioactive contamination incident that occurred on October 20, 2008, at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. You concluded your letter by stating that it is critical that I receive from you timely and detailed updates if any and all incidents at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant that have a potential impact on public health and safety, as well as the actions that the NRC is taking to ensure that problems are addressed.

The NRC is committed to keeping you and other key stakeholders informed of all incidents that have a potential impact on public health and safety. The incident on October 20, 2008, was a low-level radioactive contamination incident that was confined to the onsite radiologically controlled area of the plant and did not result in personnel contaminations beyond the workers involved with the incident. Because the incident had no potential impact on public health and safety, we did not feel it warranted informing your office.

As you and I discussed on October 23, 2008, the NRC will continue our practice of ensuring that your office is informed in a timely manner if safety-significant issues or issues of high media interest occur at the Vermont Yankee Station. As I indicated during our discussion, we did this once we noted the incident received some local media interest.

You and your office are key stakeholders in the Vermont Yankee Station and it is our goal to keep you informed. Should you have further questions, or desire to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Bruce S. Mallett Deputy Executive Director for Reactor and Preparedness Programs Office of the Executive Director for Operations Distribution:

R. Borchardt, OEDO K. Cyr, OGC S. Williams, OEDO R. Barcley, ORA S. Burns, OGC S. Collins, RI G20080745/LTR-08-0570 M. Virgilio, DEDMRT E. Leeds, NRR M. Dapas, RI EDATS: SECY-2008-0617 D. Ash, DEDCM R. Schmidt, OCA D. Lew, RI, DRP V. Ordaz, AO U. Shoop, OEDO D. Jackson, RI, DPR SUNSI Review Complete: DEJ (Reviewers Initials)

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\DRP\BRANCH5\Letters\NRC response to Rep Hodes October 2008 letter - Rev 3.doc ADAMS Package Accession No.: ML083150812 ADAMS Document Accession No.: ML083150861 *see previous concurrence pages OFFICE RI/DRP RI/DRP RI/SLO RI/DRP RI/DRS NAME *RBarkley *D Jackson *M McLaughlin/NMc for *JClifford *D Roberts DATE 11/05/08 11/05/08 11/05/08 11/06/08 11/06/08 OFFICE RI/ORA OCA DEDR EDO NAME *S Collins (MLD for) E Dacus B Mallett/ R Borchardt (BMallett for)

RZimmerman for DATE 11/07/08 11/19/08 11/24/08 12/17/08 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY