ML110030008

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Comment (21) E--mail Regarding NFS - Draft Env. Assesment
ML110030008
Person / Time
Site: Erwin
Issue date: 12/31/2010
From: Public Commenter
Public Commenter
To:
NRC/FSME/DWMEP
NRC/FSME/DWMEP
References
75FR63519
Download: ML110030008 (11)


Text

1 NFSDEACEm Resource From:

Trudylmw [trudylmw@aol.com]

Sent:

Friday, December 31, 2010 9:24 AM To:

NuclearFuel_DraftEA Resource

Subject:

Public Comments-Docket No.70-143 Attachments:

PublicCommentNRC.doc The attached document represents my public comments referencing the renewal of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License No. SNM-124 for Nuclear Fuel Services, Erwin, Tennessee. Docket No.70-143. These comments address the Draft Environmental Assessment of October 2010.

Trudy Wallack Greeneville, Tennessee

Federal Register Notice:

75FR63519 Comment Number:

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Subject:

Public Comments-Docket No.70-143 Sent Date:

12/31/2010 9:24:17 AM Received Date:

12/31/2010 9:24:47 AM From:

Trudylmw Created By:

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"NuclearFuel_DraftEA Resource" <NuclearFuel_DraftEA.Resource@nrc.gov>

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PublicComment DraftEnvironmentalAssessment ForTheRenewalOFU.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission LicenseNo.SNM124ForNuclearFuelServices,Inc.

DocketNo.70143 IhavereadthedraftoftheEnvironmentalAssessmentandchallengeits contentsbasedononesimplefact:

ThedraftEAiscomprisedprimarilyofinformationprovidedbythelicensee.In June2010,theSafetyCultureBoardofAdvisorsoutlinedanddocumented:

OnPage147Signingthatanactionwascompletewhenitwasnotare examplesofFALSIFICATIONAND/ORFRAUDULENTBEHAVIORTHATARE UNACCEPTABLEATNFS.

Withinthissamereport,anotherexampleoffalsificationisdocumented:Page 89:FIREDAMPERSHADNOTBEENINSPECTEDSINCE2003ANDINACCURATE INFORMATIONWASGIVENTONRC.

Issuchanactionnotconsideredthatofintensivefraudulentbehaviorona matterthatappearsintenselycritical?Doestheperformanceofsuch,fire dampers,notfallintoacategoryofcriticalconcern?DoestheNRCnotconsider firedampersasanareacriticaltosafety?Suchanitemreliedonforsafetyno longerrequiresinspectionbythelicenseeintheiropinionandthediscoveryof falsificationwashandledbytheNRCinwhatmanner?Doessuch documentationrepresentacriminalaction?Signingthatanactioniscomplete whenitisnotisconsideredsafeintheeyesoftheregulators?

ContinuingonPage414,4.11,oftheEA,Public&OccupationalHealth:NRCstaff concludesthattheimpacttooccupationalhealthfromnonradiological operationsatNFSwouldbesmall.Incontrast,theSCUBAreportreads,Page76, Theinjuryrateforthesitedoesnotcomparefavorablywiththeindustryand

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anyemphasistoimprovethesituationhasbeenlimitedandnotapriority.Does theNRCnotconsiderthisfindingtobesignificantandfallintothegoaloftheir mission?DoestheregulatornotdemandthelicenseetoensuresafetyAND production?HowdoestheNRCviewthisparticularconclusionprovidedby SCUBA?

These,alongwithothercontradictoryclaimsprefacethecontentsofthedraftEA inmyopinionandbasedonthisfinding,Ipersonallymustquestiontheintegrity andaccuraciesoftheDraftEA.IfthisEAcontainsdiscrepancieswhencompared tothetwoSCUBAreports,itrepresentsfurtherinvestigationiswarrantedbythe NRCandanyotheragenciesapplicabletoregulations.IftheSCUBAI&IIwere necessarybasedonthepastnoncomplianceandthepurposewastoassistin improvements,whyhasnoactionbeentakentoaddresseachandeveryfacetof thesereports?Basedonthesereports,howisitfeasibletheNRCcouldconsidera fortyyearlicenserenewal?

HowisthepublictotrusttheinformationprovidedtotheNRCbasedon documentedfalsificationofrecords?Sinceallthemonitoringreportsfor discharges/effluentsarereliedonbythelicensee,andtheissueoffalsificationof recordsbeingprevalent,howdoesanindividualfindtrustinthelicensees reportsinitsentirety?

ThisdraftEAisdesignedbythelicensee.Thisfact,coupledwiththeaboveproof offalsificationofrecords,wouldseemenoughfortheNRCtostepuptotheplate andquestiontheintegrityofthedraftEA.

TheNRCcannot,withoutguiltandshame,suggesttocurrentinterestedpartiesto refertopastenvironmentalreviewdocuments;tolimitredundancyonissuesthat havepreviouslybeenreviewedandcontainmoredetaileddescriptionsofthose aspectsofanalysisthatremainunchanged.Itisworthwhiletothoseinterested partiestohaveimmediatedisclosureofpastanalysisandsparethepublicthe frustrationforthosethatdonothaveaccesstosuchinformation.Iconsiderthis tobeanotheractionofburdenonthepublic.Thosedetailed descriptions/analysisshouldaccompanyand/orbepartoftheexistingDraftEAas

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theyareentirelyrelevant.Itistheunderstandingthatthereareguidelinesand regulationsthattheNRCnotwastepaperontheprocessofreprintingthese documentsbeingreferenced.This40yearlicenserenewalrequestis unprecedentedinthisparticularindustryandonewouldthinktheNRCwould makeexceptiontosucharegulationbasedonthesensitivityandcriticalnatureof sucharequest.Ifapproved,suchactionwouldcarrytheiroperationsforatotalof 93years.TheresnorestartingoftheclockastheNRCclaims.Suchanactionof omittingpastreviewdocumentssuggeststomethattheremightwellbe discrepancieswhencomparedwiththeexistingdraftEAandtheSCUBAfindings.

Thereasonfornotincludingthepertinentdocumentislabeled:redundancy.

Certainly,redundancyismostprevalentthroughoutthedraftEAandIdliketo addressonlyafew.

Planned,Estimates,Potential,Believesandofcourse,small,small,small impact.Sucharequestasthatpresentedbythelicenseeforfortymoreyearsis mostcriticalanditisaknownfactthatsuchconsiderationisunprecedentedin thisparticularindustryinthispartoftheworld.AnEAshouldbepreciseand specificandsuchtermsareused,inmyopinion,inarecklessandcareless manner.

Forexample:

ThedraftEAreferencesPlans/Planning:Anditissimplythat;itstalkingthetalk, yetthewalkremainstobeseen.Thisindustrialposturingandintentoffuture plansandpromisesishistoricallyaconsistentcharacteristicofNFS.

Next:Estimates,ie:Page415oftheEA:RoutineairmonitoringisNOT CURRENTLYPERFORMEDfornonradiologicalcriteriaandhazardousair POLLUTANTS.Table21IndicatesthatNFSESTIMATESOFPOLLUTANTSTOTHE AMBIENTAIRAREINCOMPLIANCE..ESTIMATESSincewhenisthepublic protectedandSINCEWHENisanESTIMATEconsideredsafe?Thisissignificantly unacceptabletotheSafetyofthePublic.

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Thelicensee,NFSpubliclyadmitsoneoftheeffluentsbeingdischargedintothe NolichuckyRiverishighenricheduranium.Whenitleavesthefacility,NRCclaims possessionandresponsibilityuntilitleavestheoutfallorpipe.IsittheNRCs positionthatoncethiscontaminantmarriesintotheriver,theynolongerhaveto thinkabouttheimpacts?Legally,doestheNRCnothaveamissionstatementthat addressesitsgoalandisitbeingmetasitrelatestothisdischarge?

TheNRChasoutlinedthatthelicensee,NFS,maydischargedailyandmayexceed theirlimitsonanygivenday,however,cannotexceedtheirannuallimits.Why wouldtheNRCnotregulatethelicenseetomonitor,recordandmeetdaily?

DoestheNRCleavethiscontaminanttobedealtwithbytheTennessee DepartmentofEnvironment&Conservation?

Whatistheprocesstoremovehighenricheduraniumfromthedrinkingwater?

WhatagencyiswillingtoanswerthisquestionforthecommunitiesofJonesboro andGreeneville?Iftheyblendthewater,whatisthatprocess?Iftheydont removethehighenricheduranium,isthepubliclefttodeterminewhatthehealth impactsarewhentheyvebeenconsumingthewaterforfiftyyears?

InareportdatedMay18,2007fromtheAgencyforToxicSubstancesandDisease Registry,itwasstatedonpage79,TheexchangeofinformationbetweenATSDR andtheEPAoperatessmoothlythroughtheworkoftheATSDRregional representativeswhoareheadquarteredintheEPAoffices.Thesharingof informationamongotherfederalorstateagencies;however,doesnotoccuras smoothly.

Whyarenttheresponsibleagenciesworkingtogethertoprovideadequateand scientificresponsestothepublicsconcernonthismatter?Whydoesoneagency merelypointtotheother?

Withinthissamereport,onpage80,Allradiationmonitoringisunderthe auspicesoftheStateofTennesseeandtheNuclearRegulatoryCommission.As discussedinthepublichealthassessment,ATSDRCANNOTCOMMENTONTHE

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RADIATIONISSUESUNLESSTHESITEISPLACEDONTHENATIONALPRIORITYLIST (SUPERFUND).

Iftheradiationmonitoringisundertheauspiceofyouragency,theNRC,whyisit thatthelicensee,NFS,isallowedtocollectanddocumenttheirown sampling/monitoringandthisinformationisreliedonbytheregulator?Whenis thelasttimetheNRCmadeitswaydowntotheoutfallpipeandcollecteditsown samplesofwaterformonitoring?

DothetermsESTIMATES(noun)&ESTIMATES(verb)equalaconvenientwayto notanswerthequestion?Tome,itindicatesuncertainty,whichinthiscase,is unacceptableandrequiresspecificamounts.Isthepublicrequiredtoaccept estimatesasfactual?

Believes:ie:Page25:NFSBELIEVESElevatedlevelsfornitrate/nitriteas nitrogenandtotalrecoverablemagnesiumlevelsinthestormwaterare consistentwithnaturallyoccurringbackgroundlevelsinsurfacewaterand groundwaterinthevicinityofthesite,whilethecontributorfortheelevatedtotal recoverablealuminumisnotknown(NFS,2003).NOFURTHER CORRESPONDENCEBETWEENNFS&TDECCONCERNINGRESOLUTIONOFTHIS ISSUEHASBEENIDENTIFIED.So,sinceNFSbelievesitisnaturallyoccurring backgroundlevelsanditisnotknownwell,again,hereweareintheworldof beliefsonamatterthatishighlysignificant.

Theindustrialneighbor,ImpactPlasticswasawardedasettlementforproperty contamination,right?

BELIEVES:ie:Page313:NFShasconductedpastsitedevelopmentactivities(e.g.,

enlargingaculvertthroughwhichMartinCreekpasses,reroutingand rechannelingMartinCreek)thatitBELIEVESHASSUFFICIENTLYALTEREDTHE TOPOGRAPHYSOTHATTHESITEWOULDBEPROTECTEDFROMA100YEAR FLOOD(NFS,2009b).Acriticalareaforbelievetobeapplied.

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Thetermbelievesappearstorelievethefacilityofanyfurtherresearch?Isthe termbelievesconsideredfactual?DOESTHETERMBELIEVESREPRESENTA FINALCONCLUSION?Unacceptable.

SMALLSMALLSMALLIMPACTSBASEDONTHECONVENIENTSYSTEMIN PLACEUSINGTHETERMBELIEVES,isthisindicativethatcriticalfindingshold thissamereasoning?

OnPage211:REPLACETHEMAINPROCESSVENTILATIONSTACK:Whatcurrent

&existingconditionsrequirethisstacktobereplaced?

HowmanyothernuclearfacilitiesintheUnitedStateshavetwoNRCresident inspectorsonsite?

Seismicity:Whosestandardswereusedandwhodetermined?Werethereany retrofitstothefacility?

Theappendixpage:FloraandFaunaInTheRegionAroundNuclearFieldServices:

Isthisatypographicalerror?Whatscientificconsultantsparticipatedinthese studiesapplicablespecificallytothelicenseesregionifnotaccuratelylistedto NuclearFuelvs.NuclearField?

PublicContamination:Theindustrialneighbor,ImpactPlasticswasawardeda settlementforpropertycontamination.Inregardstotheinfamousplume;does theNRChaveitsownfactsandscientificdatatoensurethisplumeisconfined?

WhatroledidtheNRCplayintheresponsibilityofpossession/regulatinginthis lawsuit?

Table/Chart:

Onpage28oftheDraftEA,Table25.RadionuclidesinEffluentsattheNFSSite.

Thewordatshouldbeclarifiedasthistermimpliestheseeffluentsare permanentresidentsofNFSandareconfined.Theseeffluentsdischargedbyand atshouldbeconsideredtoreplaceatforabetterinstrumentofclarification.

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AnothersignificantissueIfindquestionableisonpage15,1.5.3,Issues OutsidetheScopeoftheEA.Thereisgreatconfusionandsuchexclusionfinds metotallyperplexedastowhatthisactionisbasedonandisthisactionlegal?Is thisanexampleofsegmentation?Oneislefttoquestion,isitcoincidencethat thoseissuesdeterminedtobeoutsidethescopeoftheEAarerelatedto specificareasthatrevealnoncomplianceandlongstandingNFScultural deficiencies?

Inaddition,theexistingdraftEAisincompleteasonceagain,thereappearsa largedegreeofsegmentationastheSafetyEvaluationReportisnotincluded.

ThissegmentationtakesmebacktothemannerinwhichtheBLEUlicense requestwaspresentedassegmentationoflicensesappearedintheforefront.

Theabundanceofsafetyandperformanceviolations,manyyearsofnon compliance,anestimated250pluspagebinderwaspresentedtoMr.Habighorst attheNRChearingonOctober26,2010.Thishistoryisindeedrelevanttothis40 yearlicenserequestasitreflectsthehistoricalnoncompliance.Iwouldsuggest theNRCcomparethecontentsofthisbindertothetwoSCUBAreportsandsee therealityofthelackofimprovementovertheyears.Indoingso,theNRCmight discovertheinadequaciesofitsownperformanceinfulfillingitsmission statement.

Andonlyastonesthrowaway,theNolichuckyRiver,anancientriverthatisnow therecipientoftoxicandradiologicalcontaminants.ThedraftEAoutlinestwenty twodifferentradioactivetoxinsthatappearatlibertytoreachbothourairand water.

Overtheyears,IhavepersonallyobservedtheongoingprocessatNFSas positionsofthepresidentandotheruppermanagementpersonnelcomeandgo, frequently.Restructuringandreorganizingtranspires,butiftheinfrastructureof thefacilityisnotstableandintiptopshape,thereisnochange.Theinfamous bandaidapproachusedbytheprotectors,theNRC,remainsapplicableand acceptablebytheregulators.

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Eachnewleader/managerwillimplementhischange,hisimprovementsand hewillclaimvictoryasheaddresseshispublic;tocomfortandconvincethem thatitsanewdayandthereslittletobeconcernedabout,especiallythose contaminants,claimingtheyarewithinthelimitsoftheirpermits.Howdoesone measurecontamination?Ifitscontaminated,itscontaminated.Justasktheir neighbor.Iamnotcomfortablethatthecontaminationthatexistontheproperty ofanindustrialneighborremainsstableandisnotmigrating.Infact,whatdoes theNRCpresenttothepublicthatprovesthiscontaminationisnotfindingitsway intotheNolichuckyRiver?

Decommissioningnow,inayear,intenyearsorfortyhowcanthelicensee claimtherearemoniesreservedforsuchwhenthereisnodecommissioning plan?Itseemsasimplefactthataplanprovidesandoutlinesrequired equipment,labor,etcwhichequalabudget.Wherestheplan?Impactsof decommissioningarereferencedthroughoutthedraftEA;shouldntaplanbein place?ThroughouttheDraftEA,thealternativeofdecommissioningis referenced.Howcanthelicenseeand/ortheNRClegallyusesuchanalternative whensuchaplanisnoteveninplace?ThisareaofthedraftEAishighly questionable,andevensuggestslegalrepercussions.Fiftythreeyearsofnot havingsuchadecommissioningplaninplaceraisesenoughquestionsbutto proceedandpresenttothepublicaFONSI,withtheknowledgethereisnosuch planinplaceisunfathomable.

Inclosing,Iwouldliketostressthefactthat,pasthistoryisentirelyrelevantto thelicenserequestas:

Thefootstepsofthepastalwaysfallontheheelsofthepresent.

Pleaseprovideaqualityandaccurate,scientificallysupportedDraft EnvironmentalAssessmenttoincludeadecommissioningplanandSafety EvaluationReport,forpubliccomment.Atmost,onlyoneyearofrenewal shouldbeconsidereduntilallmattersareresolvedandthisfacilityprovesitself compliantwithoutviolations.

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