ML16340B162
| ML16340B162 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Diablo Canyon  |
| Issue date: | 09/19/1980 |
| From: | Miraglia F Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Gomez T AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML16340B163 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8009300295 | |
| Download: ML16340B162 (18) | |
Text
DISTRIBUTION:
Doc kets 50;275/323)
NRC PDR RPurple
'OELD Local PORE HDenton RTedesco LB¹3 Reading ECase NRR Reading HBer kow/WRussel 1
ASchwencer RDe Young FMiragl ia FSc hroed'er KJabbour SCavannaugh (NRR¹3788)
Dear Ms. Gomez:
JLee EHughes DEisenhut MFugde Your September 20, 1979 letter to President Carter regarding the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant has been referred to me for reply.
You expressed concern over the effects of low level radiation, storage and transportation of high level radioactive waste, the proximity of the Hosgri Fault to the Diablo Canyon site and the ability of the plant to withstand a severe. earthquake, and emergency preparedness and evacuation of the area surrounding Diablo Canyon in view of the accident at Three Mile Island.
I am pleased to provide the enclosed responses to these concerns.
In addition, your letter indicated that you believe operation of'he Diablo Canyon power generating station will have a negative impact on the economy of'he county.
'Hearings have been held on the environmental impact of'his plant.
Our Final Environmental Statement
{FES) submitted as evidence at the hearing, contained a Cost-Benefit Analysis which considered the societal costs and benefits.
These are discussed in Section 13 of the FES'e concluded that the benefits from operation of the station exceed the impact on the environment and on society.
A copy of the FES as well as other licensing documents and correspondence can be found in the Local Public Document Room (LPDR) maintained for Diablo Canyon.
This.LPDR is located at the California Polytechnic State University Library, Documents and Maps Department, San Luis Obispo, California 93407.
I trust this information is responsive to your request.
Sincerely,
Enclosure:
As Stated Frank Miraglia, Acting Chief Licensing Branch No.
3 Division of Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 80098oo g.Qg OFFICE P SURNAME OATEP
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DISTRIBUTION:
80 Dockets 5Q275/323)
NRC PDR RPurple OELD Local PDR HDenton RTedesco LB¹3 Reading ECase Ms. Tricia Gomez NRR Reading HBer kow/WRusse11 1682 Chorro Street ASchwencer RDeYoung TERA San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Fh/iraglia FSchroeder NSIC KJa bbour SCavannaugh (NRR¹3788)
Dear Ms. Gomez:
JLee EHughes DEisenhut MFugde Your September 20, 1979 letter to President Carter regarding the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant has been referred to me for reply.
You expressed concern over the effects of low level radiation, storage and transportation of high level radioactive waste, the proximity of-the Hosgri Fault to the Diablo Canyon site and the ability of the plant to withstand a severe;,earthquake, and emergency preparedness and evacuation of the area surrounding Diablo Canyon in view of the accident at Three Nile Island.
I am pleased to provide the enclosed responses to these concerns-In addition, your letter indicated that you believe operation of the Diablo Canyon power generating station will have a negative impact on the econottly of the county.
Hearings have been held on the environmental impact of this plant.
Our Final Environmental Statement
{FES) submitted as evidence at the. hearing; contained a Cost-Benefit Analy'sis which considered the societal costs and benefits.
These are discussed fn Section 13 of the FES.
Me concluded that the benefits from operation of the station exceed the impact on the environment and on society.
A.copy of the FES as well as other licensing documents and correspondence can be found in the Local Public Document Room {LPDR) maintained for Diabl'o Canyon.
This LPDR is located at the California Polytechnic State University Library, Documents and Maps Department, San Luis Obispo, California 93407' trust this information is responsive to your request.
Sincerely,
Enclosure:
As Stated Frank Hiraglia, Acting Chief Licensing Branch No.
3 Division of. Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGUI ATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 SEP
- 3. 0 1980 Hs. Tricia Gomez 1682 Chorro Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Dear Ns.
Gomez:
Your September 20, 1979 letter to President Carter regarding the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant has been referred to me for reply.
You expressed concern over the effects of low level radiation, storage and transportation of high level radioactive waste, the proximity of the Hosgri Fault to the Diablo 'Canyon site and the ability of the plant to withstand a severe earthquake, and emergency preparedness and evacuation of the area surrounding Diablo Canyon in view of the accident at Three Mile Island.
I am pleased to provide the enclosed responses to these concerns.
In addition, your letter indicated that you believe operation of the Diablo Canyon power generating station will have a negative impact on the economy of the county.
Hearings have been held on the environmental impact of this plant.
Our Final Environmental Statement (FES) submitted as evidence at the hearing, contained a Cost-Benefit Analysis which considered the societal costs and benefits.
These are discussed in Section 13 of the FES.
We concluded that the benefits from operation of the station exceed the impact on the environment and on society.
A copy of the FES as well as other licensing documents and correspondence can be found in the Local Public Document Room (LPDR) maintained for Diablo Canyon.
This LPDR is located at the California Polytechnic State University Library, Documents and Maps Department,,
San Luis Obispo, CaIifornia 93407.
I trust this information is responsive to your request.
I Sincerely, Frank fliraglia, cting Chief Licensing Branch No.
3 Division of Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
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ENCLOSURE 1
SEP 1e
>SBO Concern:
Response
The proximity of the Hosgri Fault to the Diablo Canyon site and the ability of the plant to withstand a severe earthquake.
The Hosgri fault, which is located 3 1/2 miles from the Diablo
- plants, was discovered in 1971 and has been the subject of intensive investigation by the Pacific Gas 8 Electric Company (PG8E), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
As a principal geologic advisor for the Commission, the USGS in 1975 suggested that a magnitude of 7.5 be assigned as a
potential seismic value for the Hosgri Fault. It is important to note that the USGS did not say that the Hosgri would experience a 7.5M earthquake but from a conservative standpoint that magnitude could not be ruled out.
Comprehensive public hearings on this matter were held by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) over about a two-month period (from December 1978 to early 1979).
Some of this nation's and the world's leading authorities testified and were subject to cross-examination.
The experts from the NRC staff and PG8E went on to say that the plant has been designed to withstand the greater seismic event of 7.5.
On September 26, 1979, the ASLB assigned to conduct the,,
licensing hearings issued its partial initial decision which found that a 7.5 magnitude earthquake is reasonable and meets regulatory requirements.
On June 23, 1980 the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Board for this matter issued a decision to reopen the hearing record to obtain testimony related to a major earthquake which occurred in 'California's Imperial Valley in October 1979 (shortly after the ASLB's favorable partial initial decision in September 1979).
The NRC staff testimony on this issue was submitted to the Appeal Board in August 1980.
Starting on October 20, 1980 the Appeal Board will hear this matter.
il lt I'
ENCLOSURE 2
Concern:
Respons'e:
Low Level Radioactivity Effects.
In the matter of low level radiation hazards, the Commission has always subscribed to the principle that radiation exposure of the public should be kept as low as is reasonable achievable.
This principle has been a central one in the field of radiation protection for many years.
Operating licenses of nuclear power plants include provisions to limit and control radioactive effluents from the plants.
The term "as low as is reasonably achievable" requires taking into account the state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to benefits to the public health and safety, other societal and socioeconomic considerations, and the relationship of these to the use of nuclear energy in the public interest.
The Commission has adopted numerical guidelines for design objectives and limiting conditions for operation of nuclear power plants to meet the criterion of "as low as reasonably achievable" for radioactive material in effluents from nuclear power plants.
Using these guidelines, the radiation resulting from radioactive release from nuclear power plants during normal plant operation is a small fraction of that received from natural background activity.
The NRC has expended substantial effort in studying the potential health effects of low-level radiation on humans.
Funding has been allocated for research on the effects of specific radioactive isotopes and of epidemiology studies, the analyses of current research in the field of radiobiology and epidemiology and the drawing up of preliminary plans to study the feasibility of a large-scale epidemiology investigation on low level radiation effects.
The NRC staff is also participating with international agencies on the control of long-lived radionuclide emissions from the nuclear fuel cycle.
In regard to Diablo Canyon, environmental matters including low level radiation effluents from the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plants were the subject of proceedings in a public hearing.
After extensive consideration, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board issued a Partial Initial Decision on June 12, 1978 and concluded that the effects of low level radiation from plant operation will be negligible and will result in no significant risk or increase of genetic defect incidence in the population of the San Luis Obispo area during the projected thirty years of operation.
ENCLOSURE 3 Concern:
Storage of High Level Radioactive Waste.
Response
A principal source of high level radioactive waste is in spent fuel.
The Pacific Gas 8 Electric Company may elect to submit, in the future, a proposal to increase the storage capacity of the spent fuel storage pool.
Increased spent fuel storage capacity proposals have been previously reviewed and approved for other licensed operating reactors.
The generic problem of interim spent fuel storage has been addressed in a report titled "Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Handling 8 Storage of Spent LWR Fuel,"
NUREG-0575 issued by the NRC staff in August 1979.
The staff found that commercial spent fuel generated through the year 2000 can be accommodated in a safe and environmen-tally sound manner either by modification of storage pools at the reactor sites or by providing independent spent fuel storage facilities located on the site of a parent facility such as a nuclear power station.
The Commission has licensing and regulatory authority with regard.to the disposal of commercial spent fuel.
While the Department of Energy has primary responsibility for developing, constructing and operating waste disposal facilities, the NRC has the responsibility to assure that these acti vities create no unreasonable risk to the health and safety of the public.
On December 6,
1979 the NRC published proposed procedures for the disposal of high-level waste, including spent fuel, in geologic repositories.
On t1ay 13, 1980 the NRC, published an advance notice of rulemaking on the technical criteria that would be applied in making the licensing findings prescribed in those procedures.
The NRC has established the Division of Waste Management to deal exclusively with nuclear waste issues.
In addition, the NRC has taken part in the activities of such organizations as the Interagency Review Group on Nuclear Waste management, the Radiation Policy Council, and the State Planning Council on Radioactive Waste Management.
Furthermore, the NRC is presently conducting a generic proceeding to reassess its degree of confidence that radioactive wastes produced by nuclear facilities wi 11 be safely disposed of, to determine when any such disposal will be available, and whether such wastes can be safely stored until they are safely disposed of.
At this time, the NRC has received statements of position from the Department of Energy and other interested parties.
These activities are indicative of the attention being given to the nuclear waste disposal problem at the NRC.
J II M
ENCLOSURE 4 Concern:
C
Response
Transportati on of Radi oacti ve llaste Material s.
Transportation of radioactive material is regulated at the Federal level outside of the nuclear power plant license principally by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Transportation.
In fiscal year 1978, there were 19 transportation events which licensees were required to report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
None of the resulting exposures exceeded 100 millirems which corresponds to the average annual dose from background activity.
Sixty-six other events were called to the attention of NRC, however, they were not reportable events.
Cf k'
ENCLOSURE 5
Concern:
Emergency Preparedness and Evacuation of the area surrounding Diablo Canyon in view of the accident at Three Mile Island (TMI).
Response
Following the TMI-2 accident, the NRC has been re-examining the design and operation of all nuclear power plants including emergency evacuation plans needed to cope with potential accidents.
The recommendations contained in the report by the President's Commission on the TMI-2 accident (the Kemeny Commission) as well as other actions recommended by various task forces within the NRC were considered and requirements have been established and published in NUREG-0694 for Near Term Operating Licenses.
The Pacific Gas 8 Electric Company(PG&E)
'as met our emergency planning requirements for fuel loading and low power testing.
For a full power license PG8E's plan must be upgraded to be in compliance with NRC criteria in NUREG-0654, "Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency'
Response
Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants" as modified by additional Commission guidance.
The NRC staff will verify that all the applicable requirements have been met by PG8E before a full power license is granted.
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FROM; Ms. Tricia Gomes
.San Lux.s Obispo, Calif.
DATEOF DOCUMENT t.
c' 20 M 79 MEMOS DATE RECEIVED REPORTT OTHER:
TO.'RIG A X
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OTHER:
Presidnnt Carter C LASS IF:
POST OFFICE REG. No.s ACTIONNECESSARY NO ACTION NECESSARY P
FILECODEI CONCURRENCE COMAIENT DATE ANSWERED<.
a,P/ll/So DESCRIPTIONI (MuR Bc Unctcssihcdl RE:
LICENSING OF DIABLO POWER PLANT REFERRED TO D. "Ross DATE 2/25 RECEIVED BY DATE ENCLOSURES>
Copies To:
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