ML13015A339
| ML13015A339 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | San Onofre  |
| Issue date: | 01/30/2013 |
| From: | Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Huizar J Los Angeles County, CA |
| Vincent L | |
| Shared Package | |
| ml130100337 | List: |
| References | |
| CORR-13-0004, LTR-12-0830 | |
| Download: ML13015A339 (3) | |
Text
January 30, 2013 Mr. Jose Huizar, Council Member City of Los Angeles 200 North Spring Street Room 465 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Mr. Huizar:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter dated December 21, 2012, asking the NRC to delay any decision authorizing a restart of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Units 2 and 3 until the Los Angeles City Council has had an opportunity to study the matter and provide its views. Similarly, your letter asks the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to make no decision on whether a Confirmatory Action Letter previously sent from the NRC to Southern California Edison (SCE) regarding restart constituted a de facto license amendment until the City of Los Angeles provides comments on that issue. At this time, the Commission cannot comment on your specific request that the NRC and the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board delay decisions on authorizing restart and whether the Confirmatory Action Letter constituted a de facto license amendment, since the Commission may have to review this matter in its adjudicatory capacity.
The NRC will not allow either unit at SONGS to restart unless the NRC has reasonable assurance that it can be operated safely. The NRC does not anticipate any decision regarding restart for Unit 2 before April of this year. Thus, there will be time and opportunity for the Los Angeles City Council to provide its views.
The NRC welcomes input from members of the public, public interest groups, and State and local governments in its decision making processes. Toward that end, the NRC has held several meetings with SCE and the public. On October 9, 2012, the NRC held a public meeting in Dana Point, California, to discuss the status of the issues at SONGS and to hear the views of interested local stakeholders. On November 30, 2012, the NRC held a technical meeting with SCE in Laguna Hills, California, which was open to the public, to discuss the Confirmatory Action Letter response SCE submitted for NRC review. The NRC will again hold a public meeting on February 12, 2013, in Capistrano Beach, to discuss the current status. All public meetings are announced on the NRC's website at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm.
Your letter also indicates that information from the NRC regarding the proposed restart plan could aid the Los Angeles City Council in developing its views. The NRC has a website dedicated to the oversight of SONGS where the public can access important documents related to the restart, including the Confirmatory Action Letter and Southern California Edisons response to that letter. The website also provides a summary of the issues and many additional relevant documents. The website can be found at http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/songs/tube-degradation.html. If you have any specific questions regarding the restart plan, please feel free to contact Mr. William A. Maier, the Regional State Liaison Officer for Region IV at (817) 200-1267 or Mr. Art Howell, the SONGS Special Project Team Manager at (817) 200-1464.
On behalf of the NRC, I want to thank you for your continued involvement in matters related to nuclear safety. You and your constituents' interest and feedback help us to fulfill our public health and safety mission in an open and transparent manner.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Allison M. Macfarlane
Identical letter sent to:
Mr. Jose Huizar, Council Member City of Los Angeles 200 North Spring Street Room 465 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Mr. Paul Koretz, Council Member City of Los Angeles 200 North Spring Street Room 440 Los Angeles, CA 90012