ML092120301

G20090436/LTR-09-0382/EDATS: SECY-2009-0374 - Ltr. Sidney J. Goodman Unstable Ground for Nuclear Power Plants - Potassium Iodide

ML092120301
Person / Time
Site:	Salem, Hope Creek
Issue date:	07/18/2009
From:	Goodman S - No Known Affiliation
To:	Jaczko G NRC/Chairman
Ennis R, NRR/DORL, 415-1420
Shared Package
ML092170541	List: ML092120301 ML092170567
References
G20090436, LTR-09-0382, SECY-2009-0374
Download: ML092120301 (6)

Text

EDO Principal Correspondence Control FROM: DUE: 08/27/09 EDO CONTROL: G20090436 DOC DT: 07/18/09 FINAL REPLY:

Sidney J. Goodman Mahwah, New Jersey TO:

Chairman Jaczko FOR SIGNATURE OF ** GRN ** CRC NO: 09-0382 Leeds, NRR DESC: ROUTING:

Unstable Ground for Nuclear Power Plants - Borchardt Potassium Iodide (EDATS: SECY-2009-0374) Virgilio Mallett Ash Ordaz Burns/Gray DATE: 07/30/09 Collins, RI Orders, OEDO ASSIGNED TO: CONTACT:

NRR Leeds SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

1f~&c~o1-7 6-0b'ý,cSE6o /

EDATS Number: SECY-2009-0374 Source: SECY I eerlInfrato Assigned To: NRR OEDO Due Date: 8/27/2009 Other Assignees: SECY Due Date: NONE

Subject:

Unstable Ground for Nuclear Power Plants - Potassium Iodide

Description:

CC Routing: NONE ADAMS Accession Numbers - Incoming: NONE Response/Package: NONE IOte* Ifr atio Cross Reference Number: G20090436, LTR-09-0382 Staff Initiated: NO Related Task: Recurring Item: NO File Routing: EDATS Agency Lesson Learned: NO OEDO Monthly Report Item: NO Action Type: Letter Priority: Medium Sensitivity: None Signature Level: NRR Urgency: NO OEDO Concurrence: NO OCM Concurrence: NO OCA Concurrence: NO Special Instructions:

Originator Name: Sidney J. Goodman Date of Incoming: 7/18/2009 Originating Organization: Citizens Document Received by SECY Date: 7/30/2009 Addressee: Chairman Jaczko Date Response Requested by Originator: NONE Incoming Task Received: Letter Page 1 of l

.4 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET Date Printed. Jul29, 2009 11:49 PAPER NUMBER: LTR-09-0382 LOGGING DATE: 07/29/2009 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: Sidney Goodman AFFILIATION: NJ ADDRESSEE: Gregory Jaczko

SUBJECT:

Power plant construction ACTION: Appropriate DISTRIBUTION:

LETTER DATE: 07/18/2009 ACKNOWLEDGED No SPECIAL HANDLING:

NOTES:

FILE LOCATION: ADAMS DATE DUE: DATE SIGNED:

EDO -- G20090436

1

-f58 Grandview Lane Mahwah, NJ 07430 July 18, 2009 To:Gegory B Jaczko, PhD.

Do you care about building on soft ground that liquefies in an earthquake?

At around 5:30 AM on June 27, 2009 an unoccupied building, still under construction at Lianhuanan Road in the Mining district of Shanghai City toppled.

This is What can happen when you build on soft ground, on unstable land. The other buildings shown may also fall, some time in the future.

Just before the toppling, there were reports of cracks on the flood-prevention wall near the buildings and "special geological conditions" in the water bank area.

Toppled Building lying flat on the ground.

Pilings that were supposed to assure that the building was stable.

i

2 Three New Jersey nuclear power plants are built on soft ground. These are the Salem I, Salem II, and the Hope Creek plants.

They are on Artificial Island in the Delaware River. It was named "Artificial" because it was man-made with filled in land. There is a swamp on one side of the island with the river on the other side. There is no solid rock underneath. Borings were made up to 100 feet deep.

No rock was found. The reactors are built on pilings similar to the pilings shown in the collapsed Shanghai City building.

See the concrete pilings of the building that collapsed.

Like so many nuclear facilities, these three nukes are close to an earthquake fault. This fault rumbled on February 3, 2009. Building the plants on soft ground is a "bonus". The noise of geological shocks in February, terrified people in Morris County who thought the shocks were explosions as reported by The Star Ledger, The Morris County (NJ) quake had an intensity of 3.0. That was a small event according to the US Geological Survey. But much more intense earthquakes are due. Earthquakes may occur a few times a year in New Jersey. Some are so small that they are hardly noticed. A biggie can happen in a hundred years or tomorrow.

In Japan, seven reactors at the Kashiwazi-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Japan were shut down due to an earthquake, fire and nuclear leak. People were killed and injured by the 6.8 magnitude quake, which struck in July, 2007. A new fire at the still shut down plant occurred in March, 2009. 600,000 residents signed a petition opposing restart of the plant.

If you want to know where radioactive wastes are kept, look at a map which locates earthquake prone areas. Bingo!

An earthquake makes the ground unstable. The ground liquefies. With the sublime confidence of building on soft ground, near an earthquake fault, the managers of PSE&G want to put a fourth nuke on Artificial Island. The arrogance of it all is almost unbelievable.

Believe it!

Why did the NRC allow construction of nukes on Artificial Island in the first place?

Why is the NRC satisfied with a mere ten mile evacuation zone around a nuke when poisons from Three Mile Island were blown hundreds of miles. Poisons from Chernobyl were blown around the world?

3 Why does the NRC support the Price Anderson Act, which limits liability of a disaster to a microscopic fraction of the potential damage which will be incurred? This Act limits the concerns of operating utilities, a really risky effect.

Why does the NRC support the distribution of potassium iodide pills as an assurance that no one will be harmed from a disaster? These pills only protect against radioactive iodine.

The pills must be taken immediately and continue to be used for as long as radioactive iodine lingers in the environment. The pills do nothing to protect against all of the other radioactive poisons which are released. This is no real assurance to anyone who is informed.

The record of the NRC has earned it the reputation such that the initials NRC stands for Nobody Really Cares. The automatic relicensing of old and crumbling nuclear plants by the NRC emphasizes the truth of that reputation.

What are you going to do to inject some overdue reforms in NRC policy?

Very truly yours, Sidney J. Goodman, P.E., M.S.M.E.

Professional Engineer, NJ License 15326 (201) 327-5158 home phone