ML102020346
| ML102020346 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Diablo Canyon  |
| Issue date: | 07/23/2010 |
| From: | Brian Holian Division of License Renewal |
| To: | Layman E - No Known Affiliation |
| Wrona D J, NRR, 415-2292 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML102020405 | List: |
| References | |
| G20100067, LTR-10-0035, SECY-2010-0078 | |
| Download: ML102020346 (5) | |
Text
July 23, 2010 Mr. Erik Layman 1582 Cordova Drive San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Dear Mr. Layman:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter of January 22, 2010. In your letter, you requested that the NRC staff halt its review of the license renewal application for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 (DCPP), until State-requested seismic studies have been completed. In this case, the State has separate requirements for seismic evaluations that stem from State laws and regulatory oversight for issues such as 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.
It is not necessary, at this time, 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 renewal of the DCPP license in November 2009, within the time frame 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 PG&Es response 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.
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 the fall to further discuss the NRCs role and actions regarding seismic issues. The NRC staff will publish notices on its Web site and in the local newspaper about this meeting, and will also inform representatives from the State of California.
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 the ongoing update of NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, also known as the GEIS. The outreach activities you wrote about included meetings in which the NRC staff shared information with local and State-level governmental officials. The NRC staff presented the same informationand provided a wider variety of informational resourcesto the public in its subsequent public meetings. The NRC has held four public meeting sessions on two different dates to answer the publics questions and to receive public comments about environmental issues related to the license renewal review of DCPP.
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, the NRC staff scheduled one meeting in each of the 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. Should you have additional questions about the DCPP license renewal review process or concerns about NRC 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/
Brian E. Holian, Director Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: See next page
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 the ongoing update of NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, also known as the GEIS. The outreach activities you wrote about included meetings in which the NRC staff shared information with local and State-level governmental officials. The NRC staff presented the same informationand provided a wider variety of informational resourcesto the public in its subsequent public meetings. The NRC has held four public meeting sessions on two different dates to answer the publics questions and to receive public comments about environmental issues related to the license renewal review of DCPP.
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, the NRC staff scheduled one meeting in each of the 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. Should you have additional questions about the DCPP license renewal review process or concerns about NRC 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/
Brian E. Holian, Director Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION: G20100067/LTR-10-0035/EDATS: SECY-2010-0078 See next page Accession Nos.: Pkg: ML102020405, Incoming: ML100331833, Response: ML102020346 *via email OFFICE PM:RPB2:DLR LA:DLR OGC
- Tech Editor
- BC:RPB2:DLR NAME KGreen IKing SUttal KAzariah-Kribbs DWrona DATE 07/22/10 07/22/10 07/21/10 07/21/10 07/23/10 OFFICE D:DLR NAME BHolian DATE 07/23/10 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Letter to E. Layman from B. Holian dated July 23, 2010
SUBJECT:
DIABLO CANYON LICENSE RENEWAL DISTRIBUTION: G20100067/LTR-10-0035/EDATS: SECY-2010-0078 HARD COPY:
KGreen DLR RF EMAIL:
PUBLIC RidsEdoMailCenter Resource RidsOgcMailCenter Resource RidsRgn4MailCenter Resource RidsAslbpMailCenter Resource RidsSecyMailCenter Resource RidsNrrDlr Resource RidsNrrDlrRpb1 Resource RidsNrrDlrRpb2 Resource RidsNrrDlrRarb Resource RidsNrrDlrRapb Resource RidsNrrDlrRasb Resource RidsNrrDlrRerb Resource RidsNrrDlrRpob Resource NFerrer KGreen 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:
Mr. John T. Conway, Senior Vice President, Generation and Chief Nuclear Officer Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 Pacific Gas & Electric Company 77 Beale Street, MC B32 San Francisco, CA 94105