ML121500144
| ML121500144 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Seabrook  |
| Issue date: | 05/24/2012 |
| From: | Annette Vietti-Cook NRC/SECY |
| To: | Story J |
| SECY/RAS | |
| References | |
| ASLB-10-906-02-LR-BD01, Docket No. 50-443-LR | |
| Download: ML121500144 (5) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 May 24,2012 Joe Story Newbury Board of Selectmen Town Hall, 25 High Road Newbury, Massachusetts 01951
Dear Mr. Story and Board Members:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter of April 24,2012, to Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko in which you request that the NRC halt the review process of the Seabrook Station license renewal application based upon knowledge of new information that concerns the public safety of the citizens and businesses of the Town of Newberry.
To the extent that your letter requests that the Commission halt the relicensing of Seabrook, the Commission cannot respond. The relicensing of the Seabrook Station, Unit 1 is the subject of a current adjudication before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. I must advise that under agency regulations, the Commission has an appellate role in proceedings commenced before its Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards. Because of that role, I trust that you will understand that the Commissioners must remain impartial during the pendency of a case, whether it is before a Licensing Board or on appeal to the Commission. I am referring your concerns to the NRC staff.
A copy of your letter and this response, as well as a response of the NRC staff, when issued, will be served on the participants in the Seabrook License Renewal proceeding.
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Annette L. Vietti-Cook Secretary of the Commission cc: Seabrook Service List
Town Of Newbury Office of The Board of Selectmen Newbury, Mass. 01951-4799 978-465-0862 x 302 Fax: 978-465-3064 April 24, 2012 The Honorable Greg Jaczko, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 Re:
Seabrook Station
Dear Chairman Jaczko:
We are writing to express our deep concern for the public safety of the citizens and businesses of the Town of Newbury. Our concern is the result of the new information that has come to light about the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant through the re licensing process.
As a result of this new information, the Newbury Board of Selectmen request that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission take the following steps:
- 1. Conduct peer-reviewed engineering studies of the ability of below grade concrete structures with compromised structural concrete to withstand seismic activity and other safety requirements, and publicly report the results of these studies. If corrective actions are needed, such actions should be detailed and publicly disseminated.
- 2. Fully investigate the causes of the unabated groundwater infiltration and resulting concrete degradation, and develop a plan for abating groundwater infiltration at the Seabrook Station site and implement the plan as soon as possible, with frequent public communication during the planning, implementation and completion of such project.
- 3. Inspect and monitor the results of these corrective actions over a sustained (multiyear) period of time to ensure that corrective measures are effective.
- 4. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should review Seabrook Station audit and inspection policies and procedures and develop a list of improvements that will insure that the plant infrastructure remains safe for operations now and in the future.
- 5. As the Seabrook Station facility ages, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should take a more open and proactive stance in communicating to neighboring municipalities of Seabrook Station
- 6. Most importantly, the Newbury Board of Selectmen respectfully request that the facility re-licensing process not be completed if any short-term or long-term safety issues remain unresolved at Seabrook Station.
It is our hope that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Next Era Energy will make these areas of concern a top priority as the re-licensing process moves forward and will communicate about these issues with our board and the general public in an open and transparent manner.
More open and transparent lines of communication can only increase confidence in Seabrook Station policies, procedures and plant safety.
Sincerely, NEWBURY BOARD OF SELECTMEN f)~c h1~(_f~
AL;ttli-W~
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~~~
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of NEXTERA ENERGY SEABROOK, LLC DOCKET NO. 50-443-LR (Seabrook Station, Unit 1)
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that copies of the foregoing LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY TO JOE STORY, NEWBURY BOARD OF SELECTMEN IN RESPONSE TO HIS APRIL 24,2012, LETTER, have been served upon the following persons by Electronic Information Exchange.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Mail Stop: T-3F23 Washington, DC 20555-0001 Administrative Judge Paul S. Ryerson, Chair paul.rierson@nrc.qov Administrative Judge Michael F. Kennedy michael.kennedy@nrc.gov Administrative Judge Richard Wardwell Anthony C. Eitreim, Esq.
Chief Counsel Anne Siarnacki, Law Clerk anne. siarnacki@nrc.gov U.S. Nuclear RegUlatory Commission Office of the Secretary of the Commission Mail Stop: 0-16C1 Washington, DC 20555-0001 Hearing Docket U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of the General Counsel Mail Stop: 0-15021 Washington, DC 20555-0001 Catherine Kanatas catherine.kanatas@nrc.gov Brian Newell, Paralegal brian.newell@nrc.gov David Roth, Esq.
david. roth@nrc.gov Maxwell Smith, Esq.
maxwell.smith@nrc.gov Mary Spencer, Esq.
mary.baty@nrc.gov Edward Williamson, Esq.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication Mail Stop: 0-16C1 Washington, DC 20555-0001 ocaamail@nrc.gov
NEXTERA ENERGY SEABROOK, LLC (Seabrook Station Unit 1) - Docket No. 50-443-LR LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY TO JOE STORY, NEWBURY BOARD OF SELECTMEN IN RESPONSE TO HIS APRIL 24, 2012, LETTER NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., #220 Washington, DC 20004 Steven C. Hamrick, Esq.
steven.hamrick@fpl.com l\\JextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC 700 Universe Boulevard Juno Beach, FL 33408 William Blair, Esq.
wi!!lam.blair@fpLcom James Petro, Esq.
lames. petro@fpl.com Mitchell S. Ross, Esq, mitch,ross@fpLcom Kim Bartels, Sr. Paralegal kim. bartels@fpLcom Counsel for the Applicant Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1122 David R. Lewis, Esq, david. lewis@pillsburylaw,com Friends of the Coast and New England Coalition (NEG)
Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Raymond Shadis, Pro Se Representative Debbie Grinnell debbie@c-1Q,org Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 29th day of May 2012 Beyond l\\Juclear 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 400 Takoma Park, MD 20912 Paul Gunter, Director, Reactor Oversight Project paul@beyondnuclear.org New Hampshire Sierra Club 40 N. Main Street Concord, NH 03870 Kurt Ehrenberg, Field Organizer kurtehrenberg@9.0J.9il.cQ! Seacoast Anti-Pollution League P.O. Box 1136 Portsmouth, NH 03802 Doug Bogen, Executive Director d boge n@metrocast.net State of New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301 K. Allen Brooks, Assistant Attorney General k.ailen.brooks@doj.nh.gov Michael A Delaney, Attorney General michaeLa.delanev@doj.nh.gov Peter Roth, Assistant Attorney General peter.roth@doj,nh.gov State of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General Environmental Protection Division One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Matthew Brock, Assistant Attorney General matthew. brock@state.ma. us Jennifer Faiilace, Paralegal jennifer.faiiJace@state.ma,us [Original signed by Nancy GreatheadJ Office of the Secretary of the Commission 2}}