ML11234A529

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Declaration of Standing of Tom Bailie
ML11234A529
Person / Time
Site: Columbia Energy Northwest icon.png
Issue date: 08/17/2011
From: Bailey T
Northwest Environmental Advocates
To:
NRC/SECY
SECY RAS
Shared Package
ML112334A525 List:
References
License Renewal, RAS 20821, 50-397-LR
Download: ML11234A529 (2)


Text

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORETBESECRETARY

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In the Matter of )

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ENERGY NORTHWEST ) Docket No. 50-397-LR

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(Columbia Generating Station) )

DECLARATION OF STANDING I declare under penalty of peljury:

1. My name is Tom Bailie. I am a member ofNorthwest Environmental Advocates.
2. Ilive at 4191 Russell Road, Mesa, Washington.
3. My home lies approximately 18 miles from the site of the Columbia Generating Station for which Energy Northwest is seeking a 20-year operating license renewal. I own a 320-acre farm.
4. I grew up on a farm just across the Columbia River and downwind from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. I, my family, and my neighbors have suffered the adverse health effects of living downwind from the radioactive and chemical discharges from Hanford. Those health effects include cancer and tumors, thyroid disease, sterility, birth defects, and miscarriages among other adverse impacts. I have been active in the Hanford Downwinders Coalition however, until recently, I have never opposed the operation of nuclear power reactors.
5. Energy Northwest submitted the application for an operating license renewal on January 20, 2010. On March 11, 2011 three of the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors in Japan suffered a full meltdOWft;- In the last--few-week:s-the-Nuclear RegulatoryCummissiOIYs-Near-Term Task Foree has issued its 90-day report entitled "Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century." Despite not having incorporated any of the lessons learned from that report, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to issue the draft supplemental environmental impact statement for the Columbia Generating Station license renewal some time this month, August 2011.
6. I have just visited Fukushima, Japan. The information I obtained during this visit has changed my views on nuclear power reactors. I am now convinced that the continued operation of the Columbia Generating Station for 20 additional years beyond its current license for 40 years of operation increases the risks to my health and safety, my family, and my land. In addition, the Fukushima accident demonstrates that the manner in which the NRC has evaluated the

environmental impacts of nuclear reactors, including the Columbia Generating Station, has been grossly inadequate.

7, Based on the accident at the Fukushin)a reactors, I no longer believe that nuclear reactors in the United States are safe nor that the emissions from them pose no environmental threat. For this reason it is extremely important that they be designed, maintained, and operated to the highest standards. I am concerned that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission may not take the steps to assure this outcome. The continued operation of an aged nuclear reactor so close to my home could pose a grave risk to my health and safety if it is not operated safely. In particular, I am concerned that if an accident involving atmospheric release of radiological material were to occur I could be killed or become very ill, all the more so because I have already been exposed to radioactive and chemical materials from Hanford. In addition, the property of my farm upon which I depend could become highly contaminated. Therefore I am greatly concerned that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission not grant an operating license renewal for the Columbia Generating Station unless it can be operated safely and without significant adverse environmental impacts.

8. Therefore, I have authorized Northwest Environmental Advocates to represent my interests in this operating license extension proceeding for Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station.

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(Signature)

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