ML12326A779

LTR-12-0482 Ltr to Richard Bloom, Mayor of Santa Monica, California, from Chairman Macfarlane Re Concerns About Safety of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)

ML12326A779
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	12/18/2012
From:	Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman
To:	Bloom R City of Santa Monica, CA, Council
Vincent L
Shared Package
ML12268A228	List: ML12325A435 ML12326A779
References
CORR-12-0128, LTR-12-0482
Download: ML12326A779 (2)

Text

December 18, 2012 The Honorable Richard Bloom Mayor of Santa Monica 1685 Main Street P.O. Box 2200 Santa Monica, CA 90407

Dear Mayor Bloom:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter dated August 21, 2012, in which you requested a study, including a public licensing amendment process, of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) before Units 2 and 3 are returned to service.

On June 18, 2012, the NRC received a petition to intervene and request for hearing from Friends of the Earth. The petition requests a public hearing prior to the restart of SONGS Units 2 and 3, and argues that South California Edison Co. is required to obtain a license amendment from the NRC for the replacement of the SONGS steam generators. On November 8, 2012, the Commission issued an order1 referring portions of the petition to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel and to the NRC Executive Director for Operations for appropriate review.

As some of these issues are currently before the Board for adjudication and subject to possible review by the Commission, the Commission cannot further comment on these issues at this time. The Boards proceedings are conducted on the public record. Hearing schedule information and access to documents filed in individual proceedings is available through our public website at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory.html.

The NRC will continue our independent, in-depth oversight (e.g., inspections and detailed reviews) of the issues at SONGS. The NRC will not allow the plant to restart until we are satisfied that the licensee can operate the plant without undue risk to public health and safety. The NRC will take the time needed to determine the appropriate actions to ensure the safety of the public, and will continue to openly communicate our actions and findings throughout the process.

On behalf of the NRC, I want to thank you for your continued involvement in these important matters related to nuclear safety. Your interest and feedback enable the NRC continue working to protect people and the environment in an open and transparent manner.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Allison M. Macfarlane cc: Senator Barbara Boxer 1

The order can be accessed through the NRC website, www.nrc.gov, in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System using the Accession Number ML12313A118.