ML100960206
| ML100960206 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Diablo Canyon  |
| Issue date: | 07/06/2010 |
| From: | Leeds E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Becker R Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility |
| Green Kimberly NRR/DLR/RPB2 415-1627 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML100960188 | List: |
| References | |
| G20100072, LTR-10-0042, SECY-2010-0085, SECY-2010-0314, TAC ME3301 | |
| Download: ML100960206 (6) | |
Text
July 6, 2010 Ms. Rochelle Becker Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility P.O. Box 1328 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
Dear Ms. Becker:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter of February 2, 2010. In the time since I received your letter, my staff has worked closely with staff in NRCs Region IV office to respond to your concerns. In order to better inform the local public about the NRCs continuing safety oversight, the staff plans to hold a public meeting in California in September to further discuss the NRCs role and actions regarding seismic issues.
In your letter, you requested that the NRC staff halt its review of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 (DCPP) license renewal application until State-requested seismic studies have been completed. The State, in this case, has separate requirements for seismic evaluations that stem from State laws and regulatory oversight for issues like electric grid reliability, electric ratemaking, and coastal land management. The NRC staff has coordinated with the State on issues related to its jurisdiction and will continue to do so.
At this time, it is not necessary for the NRC staff to delay the reviews it recently began of the license renewal application submitted by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) for DCPP. PG&E submitted its application for the license renewal of DCPP in November 2009, within the timeframe allowed under NRC rules. The NRC staff then evaluated the application and found that it met the standards necessary to begin a formal review of the application. The NRCs safety and environmental review processes take a minimum of 22 months to complete.
It is important to note that this license renewal review will not affect the ongoing safety oversight process within which the NRC staff will continue to address seismic issues. The NRC staff is involved on a daily basis in monitoring and inspecting the operations at DCPP. By addressing seismic issues within the agencys continuing safety oversight of the power plant, the NRC staff is able to quickly respond to new information, as the agency demonstrated when it monitored the response by PG&E to the discovery of the Shoreline Fault.
Should information at any time now or in the future, regardless of whether the NRC is performing a license renewal review, show that there is a basis to question the continued safe operation of DCPP, the NRC will take the appropriate actions as part of the agencys ongoing safety oversight. The NRC staff will continue to monitor assessments of the Shoreline Fault and other seismic issues around DCPP and ensure that the power plants safety systems remain capable of safely shutting the plant down in case of a seismic event.
R. Becker Finally, your letter raised concerns about the NRCs openness and transparency in terms of the staffs outreach efforts during the DCPP license renewal review and during the ongoing update of NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, also known as the GEIS. Regarding public outreach during the DCPP license renewal review, the NRC has held a total of four public meeting sessions on two different dates to answer the publics questions and to receive public comments about environmental issues.
During these public meetings, the NRC staff presented information about license renewal and supplemented this information with a variety of background materials. I understand that members of your organization were able to participate in the meetings, and I also understand that the NRC staff made special accommodations so that you could present your comments by video during one of the environmental scoping sessions. Regarding the update to NUREG-1437, the NRC staff held public meetings as part of an ongoing public rulemaking process to update existing NRC guidance. During this process, NRC staff scheduled one meeting in each of NRCs four regions, as well as a webinar meeting from NRC headquarters.
The NRC staff scheduled an additional public meeting in California to respond to stakeholder interest in the NUREG-1437 revision process.
I appreciate your time and interest in contacting the NRC. The NRC staff will contact you to ensure that your organization can be represented at the upcoming public meeting on seismic issues. The NRC staff will also contact representatives from the State of California regarding the upcoming meeting, to ensure that they are able to attend. Should you have additional questions about the DCPP license renewal review process or concerns about the oversight of the plants safe operation, I invite you to contact Mr. David Wrona, Chief of Renewal Projects Branch 2 in the Division of License Renewal, at 301-415-2292.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Eric J. Leeds, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: See next page
R. Becker Finally, your letter raised concerns about the NRCs openness and transparency in terms of the staffs outreach efforts during the DCPP license renewal review and during the ongoing update of NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, also known as the GEIS. Regarding public outreach during the DCPP license renewal review, the NRC has held a total of four public meeting sessions on two different dates to answer the publics questions and to receive public comments about environmental issues.
During these public meetings, the NRC staff presented information about license renewal and supplemented this information with a variety of background materials. I understand that members of your organization were able to participate in the meetings, and I also understand that the NRC staff made special accommodations so that you could present your comments by video during one of the environmental scoping sessions. Regarding the update to NUREG-1437, the NRC staff held public meetings as part of an ongoing public rulemaking process to update existing NRC guidance. During this process, NRC staff scheduled one meeting in each of NRCs four regions, as well as a webinar meeting from NRC headquarters.
The NRC staff scheduled an additional public meeting in California to respond to stakeholder interest in the NUREG-1437 revision process.
I appreciate your time and interest in contacting the NRC. The NRC staff will contact you to ensure that your organization can be represented at the upcoming public meeting on seismic issues. The NRC staff will also contact representatives from the State of California regarding the upcoming meeting, to ensure that they are able to attend. Should you have additional questions about the DCPP license renewal review process or concerns about the oversight of the plants safe operation, I invite you to contact Mr. David Wrona, Chief of Renewal Projects Branch 2 in the Division of License Renewal, at 301-415-2292.
Sincerely, Eric J. Leeds, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION: G20100072/LTR-10-0042/EDATS: SECY-2010-0314 See next page Accession Nos.: Pkg: ML100960188, Incoming ML100351177, Response: ML100960206 *via email OFFICE PM:RPB2:DLR LA:DLR OGC
- Tech Editor
- BC:RPB2:DLR DWrona NAME AStuyvenberg YEdmonds EWilliamson KAzariah-Kribbs (KGreen for)
DATE 04/07/10 04/07/10 04/06/10 04/06/10 06/17/10 OFFICE D:DLR D:NRR NAME BHolian ELeeds DATE 06/17/10 07/060 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Letter to R. Becker from E. Leeds dated July 6, 2010
SUBJECT:
DIABLO CANYON LICENSE RENEWAL DISTRIBUTION: G20100072/LTR-10-0042/EDATS: SECY-2010-0085 HARD COPY:
K. Green DLR RF EMAIL:
PUBLIC RidsEdoMailCenter Resource RidsOgcMailCenter Resource RidsRgn4MailCenter Resource RidsAslbpMailCenter Resource RidsNrrDlr Resource RidsNrrDlrRpb1 Resource RidsNrrDlrRpb2 Resource RidsNrrDlrRarb Resource RidsNrrDlrRapb Resource RidsNrrDlrRasb Resource RidsNrrDlrRerb Resource RidsNrrDlrRpob Resource
NFerrer AStuyvenberg DWrona AWang MPeck, RIV TBrown, RI GMiller, RIV NOKeefe, RIV ICouret, OPA VDricks, OPA WMaier, RIV JWeil, OCA EWilliamson, OGC SUttal, OGC RRihm, EDO
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 cc:
Chairman Regional Administrator, Region IV San Luis Obispo County Board of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Supervisors Texas Health Resources Tower 1055 Monterey Street, Suite D430 612 East Lamar Boulevard, Suite 400 Room 370, County Government Center Arlington, TX 76011-4125 San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 Mr. Terence L. Grebel Mr. James R. Becker, Site Vice President Manager, Regulatory Projects Pacific Gas & Electric Company Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant P.O. Box 56 P.O. Box 3, Mail Station 104/6/601 Avila Beach, CA 93424 Avila Beach, CA 93424 Mr. Truman Burns Ms. Jennifer Post, Esq. Mr. Robert Kinosian Pacific Gas & Electric Company California Public Utilities Commission 77 Beale Street, Room 2496 505 Van Ness, Room 4102 Mail Code B30A San Francisco, CA 94102 San Francisco, CA 94120 Mr. James D. Boyd, Commissioner Mr. Gary W. Butner, Chief California Energy Commission Radiological Health Branch 1516 Ninth Street (MS 31)
Division of Food, Drug & Radiation Sacramento, CA 95814 Safety California Department of Public Health Mr. Brian Hembacher Deputy Attorney General P.O. Box 997414, MS-7610 300 South Spring Street, Suite 1702 Sacramento, California 95899-7414 Los Angeles, CA 90013 Mr. Tony Brown Ms. Susan Durbin NRC Resident Inspector 1300 I Street Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant P.O. Box 944255 c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 P.O. Box 369 Avila Beach, CA 93424 Mr. Tom Luster CA Coastal Commission Mr. Michael Peck 45 Freemont Street, #2000 NRC Senior Resident Inspector San Francisco, CA 94105 Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mr. Mark Johnsson P.O. Box 369 CA Coastal Commission Avila Beach, CA 93424 45 Freemont Street, #2000 San Francisco, CA 94105
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 cc:
Mr. Eric Green Mr. John G. Parrish, PhD 505 Van Ness Avenue State Geologist San Francisco, CA 94102-3214 California Geological Survey 801 K Street, Suite 1200 Ms. Barbara Byron Sacramento, CA 95814 Senior Policy Advisor California Energy Commission Lieutenant Jim Epperson 1516 9th Street, MS 36 California Highway Patrol Sacramento, CA 95814 Commercial Vehicle Section 601B North 7th Street Mr. Kevin Bell Sacramento, CA 95811 General Council California Energy Commission Mr. Peter Von Lagen, PhD, PG 1516 9th Street, MS 36 895 Areovista Place, Suite 101 Sacramento, CA 95814 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Ms. Rachel MacDonald Mr. Burton Chadwick, PhD, PG Nuclear Policy Advisor Core Regulatory Permitting California Energy Commission Central Coast Water Board 1516 9th Street, MS 36 895 Areovista Place, Suite 101 Sacramento, CA 95814 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Mr. Bill Potter Ms. Jane Swanson Senior Emergency Services Coordinator San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace California Emergency Management Agency P.O. Box 3608 Radiological Preparedness Unit San Luis Obispo, CA 93403 3650 Schriever Avenue Mather, CA 95655 Ms. Rochelle Becker, Executive Director Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility Mr. Michael Warren P.O. Box 1328 California Emergency Management Agency San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-1328 Radiological Preparedness Unit 3650 Schriever Avenue Mr. John T. Conway, Senior Vice President, Mather, CA 95655 Generation and Chief Nuclear Officer Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Chris Wills Units 1 and 2 Supervising Geologist Pacific Gas & Electric Company California Geological Survey 77 Beale Street, MC B32 801 K Street, MS 12-32 San Francisco, CA 94105 Sacramento, CA 95814-3531