ML13060A353

G20130155/LTR-13-0172 - Letter to Toni Atkins from Chairman Macfarlane Concerning the 2012 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 2012 Root Cause Analysis Report Regarding Southern California'S San Onofre Station, Release of Report

ML13060A353
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	03/27/2013
From:	Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman, NRC/OCM/AMM
To:	Atkins T State of CA, Legislature
Paige J, NRR/DORL 415-5888
Shared Package
ML13060A348	List: ML13060A353
References
CORR-13-0022, G20130155, LTR-13-0172, TAC MF0708, TAC MF0709
Download: ML13060A353 (2)

Text

March 27, 2013 The Honorable Toni Atkins California Assembly Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Ms. Atkins:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter of February 15, 2013, in which you reference a letter from Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Edward Markey that makes assertions regarding what Southern California Edison (SCE) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) may have known about the design of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) replacement steam generators. In addition, you referenced the MHI document entitled, "Root Cause Analysis Report for Tube Wear Identified in the Unit 2 and Unit 3 Steam Generators of San Onofre Generating Station," and the NRC staffs investigation of the document. Lastly, you requested that the NRC release an unredacted copy of the MHI document so that you, your constituents and those living and working in close proximity to SONGS can fully evaluate what happened and the impact of what happened on the present condition of the plant.

As stated in my letter to Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Edward Markey on February 8, 2012, the NRC's Office of Investigations initiated an investigation last fall of the completeness and accuracy of information that SCE provided to the NRC regarding the steam generators at SONGS. This NRC investigation is ongoing, and includes examination of the MHI document along with other evidence.

In addition to your request, the agency has received several other requests for the document to be released. The NRC makes every effort to conduct its regulatory oversight role in an open manner, and to make agency records of its decisions and deliberations available to the public through the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System. In accordance with the agencys policy concerning sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information, documents containing proprietary information are not made public in unredacted form. The staff will release documents containing proprietary information in a redacted form that ensures appropriate protection of the proprietary information. The NRC staff completed its proprietary determination review of the MHI report in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, and made the redacted, non-proprietary version of the MHI report publicly available on the NRC SONGS Web page at http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/songs/tube-degradation.html, on March 8, 2013.

Please be assured that the NRC is thoroughly examining all the safety issues that have arisen at SONGS. On behalf of the NRC, I want to thank you for your 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. If you need any additional information, please contact me or Rebecca Schmidt, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Allison M. Macfarlane