ML13326B086
| ML13326B086 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pilgrim |
| Issue date: | 11/21/2013 |
| From: | Brett J The New England Council |
| To: | Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman |
| Shared Package | |
| ML13326B087 | List: |
| References | |
| G20130754, G20130846, LTR-13-0911 | |
| Download: ML13326B086 (3) | |
Text
====THE.....
NEWENG~ND November 21, 2013 The Honorable Dr. Allison M. Macfarlane Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop 0-16G4 Washington, DC 20555-0001 RE: Power Plant Site Visits
Dear Chairman Macfarlane:
COUNCil:
This correspondence concerns the above referenced matter and your recent tour of the Pilgrim Nu-clear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 8, 2013. My colleagues and I regret that we were unable to meet with you during your visit. As President and Chief Executive Officer of The New England Council, I write to express our ongoing support for the power station and to em-phasize its importance to the region.
The New England Council (the "Council"), the country's oldest regional business organization, is a non-partisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organi-zations formed to promote economic growth and a high quality of life in New England. Formed by business and government leaders who recognized the importance of working together on solutions to common challenges, the Council is the leading voice on issues that shape the region's economy and quality of life.
Our members consist of large and small businesses and organizations throughout the six-states, rep-resenting the industry sectors responsible for economic growth and job creation in New England, including the energy, financial services, healthcare, higher education, technology, telecommunica-tions, and transportation sectors industries.
The Council supports nuclear energy as a reliable, affordable, and emission free energy source. New England's nuclear energy plants:
- 1. Provide an essential and reliable source of electricity that maintains grid stability.
The second largest source of supply, New England's nuclear energy plants generate more than a quarter of the region's electricity at capacity factors that far exceed other generating
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1'\\ovcrnhcr :2!, ?01) technologies. Nuclear units typically operate "round-the-dock" for more than 500 days be-fore refueling.
- 2.
Generate electricity at the lowest cost. Since 2001, nuclear power plants have achieved the lowest production costs between coal, natural gas and oil-at approximately two-thirds of the cost of natural gas-fired generation in 2012. Because nuclear plants refuel every 18 to 24 months, they are not subject to fuel price volatility like natural gas and oil power plants.
- 3. Produce no air emissions. In generating electricity, nuclear energy plants produce no ni-trogen oxide or sulfur dioxide that cause smog and acid rain, and no carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, or particulate matter which has been linked to public health effects.
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station ("PNPS") in particular has had a significant positive impact on the environment in helping the region meet the requirements of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initi-ative. Additionally, its economic impact both in the local community and the region cannot be un-derstated.
While the Council recognizes that PNPS has faced operational challenges this year, we trust Pil-grim's leadership to take the steps necessary to improve performance. We realize that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must enforce strict safety and operating standards that every plant must comply with, and we support both it and PNPS in working to ensure continued safe and reliable op-erations at the plant.
Should you or any of your fellow Commissioners visit PNPS in the future, we hope you consider including the Council in any public meetings or discussions connected with the visit. If you have any questions or if I can provide any additional information, please contact me in the Council's Boston office at (617) 723-4009.
Very truly yours, James T. Brett President & CEO
Joosten, Sandy From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Dear Chairman Macfarlane:
David O'Donnell <dodonnell@newenglandcouncil.com>
Thursday, November 21, 2013 4:34 PM CHAIRMAN Resource Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station NRC Letter.pdf Attached above is correspondence concerning The New England Council's support for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
Thanks you.
Very truly yours, David J. O'Donnell Vice President of Policy The New England Council 98 North Washington Street Boston, MA 02114 (617) 723-4009 (office)
(617) 309-8402 (mobile) dodonnell@newenglandcouncil.com 1