ML18016A960

Forwards Resolution Adopted by Carrboro Board of Aldermen at 990504 Meeting.Resolution Expresses Town Concern Re Util Plans to Double high-level Nuclear Waste Storage at Shnpp

ML18016A960
Person / Time
Site:	Harris
Issue date:	05/11/1999
From:	Nelson M AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Scarola J CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT CO.
References
NUDOCS 9905260089
Download: ML18016A960 (9)

Text

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ACCESSION NBR:9905260089 DOC.DATE: 99/05/11 NOTARIZED: NO DOCKET ¹ FACIL.:50.-400 Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1, Carolina 05000400 AUTH.NAPA 'UTHOR AFFILIATION NELSON,M.R. Affiliation Not Assigned RECIP.NAME RECIPIENT AFFILIATION SCAROLA,J. Carolina Power 6 Light Co.

SUBJECT:

Forwards resolution adopted by Carrboro Board of Aldermen at 990504 meeting. Resolution expresses town concern re util plans to double high-level nuclear waste storage at SHNPP.

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TOWN OF CARR BORO NORTH CAROLINA 50- Jog May 11, 1999 Mr. James Scarola CP&L P.O. Box 165 New Hill, N.C. 27562-0165

'ear Mr. Scarola:

Enclosed please find a resolution adopted by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen at its meeting on May 4, 1999. This resolution expresses the town's concern about CP&L's plans to double its high-level nuclear waste storage at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant and requests that CP&L:

> Withdraw its application to license waste pools C and D for expanded storage at the Shearon Harris plant; and

> Immediately begin to phase-out the import of HLW to the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant so as to minimize additional risks placed on the public by storage in high-density pools, and to revert to the safer option of dry-cask storage at the generating reactors.

Your immediate attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, A

Michael R. Ne son Mayor, Cc: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission N.C. WARN

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TOWN OF CARR BORO NORTH CAROLINA The following resolution was introduced by Alderman Hilliard Caldwell and seconded by Joal Hall Broun.

A RESOLUTION ON NUCLEAR SAFETY IN CENTRAL NC Resolution No. 33/98-99 Whereas, Carolina Power & Light (CP&L) seeks a federal license amendment to double its high-level nuclear waste storage at the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in central North Carolina, and admits the plant would become the nation's largest approved storage site for highly irradiated used nuclear fuel rods or high-level waste (HLW); and Whereas, used nuclear fuel is one of the deadliest materials on earth and therefore, under federal law, must be kept out of our environment for 10,000 years; and Whereas problems with storage of HLW in cooling pools can lead to meltdowns, fires and other accidents causing radiation releases into the atmosphere; and Whereas, nuclear generating and waste storage facilities rely on highly complex systems which are susceptible to technical and human error, as evidenced by the three accidental shutdowns of the Harris reactor during a six-week period ending mid March 1999; and Whereas, even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - an agency with a well-known history of bias toward the industry - acknowledged in a 1997 study that the probability of HLW pool accidents is higher than previously believed and could result in tens of thousands of cancer deaths within 50 miles around a plant, and where NRC information indicates the cumulative probability of one type of severe accident is 1 in 125; and Whereas, two of the world's top nuclear safety experts, Gordon Thompson and David Lochbaum, have raised numerous specific concerns with CP&L's proposal, including its unprecedented plan to eliminate the separate cooling and primary and emergency electrical systems originally designed for the new pools, in order to minimize costs, where such alteration places an additional burden on safety systems for the reactor; and Whereas, Thompson and Lochbaum agree - nor can the company deny that there are a number of initiating factors including earthquakes, equipment failures or loss of electrical power due to weather or other reasons, which could lead to full or partial loss of cooling water resulting in spontaneous combustion ofHLW or even meltdown-type accidents; and Whereas, Cesium 137 is a powerful gamma-emitter and the most damaging substance released from the 1986 accident at Chernobyl, and 301 WEST MAIN STREET. CARRBORO, NC 27510 ~ (QIQI 942 8541

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Page 2 Town of Canboro

'Resolution No. 33/98-99 1

Whereas, Thompson and Lochbaum conclude that an accident at Hams could release into the atmosphere ten times - or more - Cesium 137 than released at Chernobyl; and Whereas, CP&L's pool expansion would cause at least a doubling of crane loading and handling of multi-ton fuel rod assemblies and waste casks, therefore at least doubling the probability of handling accidents; and Whereas, due to ongoing uncertainty as to whether a permanent disposal option for HLW will be approved in the foreseeable future, there is a likelihood that HLW would be stored at Hams for a number of decades, or possibly longer, in cooling pools intended only for short-ter'm use, therefore increasing the risk of accidents; and Whereas, terrorism is increasingly seen as a legitimate threat in the U.S. and nuclear facilities are regarded as potential targets by the U.S. government; and Whereas, CP&L has rejected numerous requests to justify its proposal to the public or to address safety concerns identified by Thompson and Lochbaum, and additionally, CP&L has even moved legally to prevent a public hearing sought by Orange County to air some of these issues with the NRC; and Whereas, the current evacuation plan for the Harris facility was controversial when first developed in 1986, and has not been updated to account for the tremendous growth this region has experienced since that time, and thus cannot assure the safe removal of residents during potential accidents.

Whereas, communities near Harris - and the greater region - already bear an undeniable and significant risk from the existing reactor and waste storage, handling and transport systems, and whereas the expansion is sought to accommodate waste from CF&L's reactors in other areas; and Whereas, dry cask storage at the generating reactors is a safer storage option, as acknowledged by Thompson and Lochbaum, and is even deemed by the NRC to be less prone to failure than cooling pools; and

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Whereas CP&L states that dry casks are equally safe as pool storage and that its expansion is based on cost savings; and Whereas, dry storage at the generating reactors would cost CP&L only an estimated $ 31 million over a 15 year period, which is a small fraction of CP&L's net profit of $ 339 million for 1998 alone, and small compared to its budget for public relations, image advertising, and lobbying of elected officials (totaling many millions each year); and Whereas, all citizens at risk of exposure to radiation from accidental releases have the democratic right to have a genuine voice in such an important matter; and

v E Page 3 Town of Carrboro Resolution No. 33i98-99

,Whereas CPkL, by refusing and/or blocking efforts to justify its plan to local governments, has chosen an adversarial stan'ce toward the public, despite, the calls from nine local governments; citizen organization NC WARN, editorial boards from various regional media, and members of the public nearest the facility and throughout the region encouraging CF&L to engage in an open examination of the safety issues surrounding its proposal.

Therefore, the Board of Aldermen of the Town of Carrboro hereby resolve and call on CP8cL to meet its responsibilities'as a corporate citizen by:

1) Withdrawing its,application to license waste pools C and D for expanded storage at the Harris plant.

2) Immediately begin to phase-out the import of HLW to Hams so as to minimize additional risks placed on the public by storage in high-density pools, and to revert to the safer option of dry-cask storage at the generating reactors.

The foregoing resolution having been submitted to a vote, received the following vote and was duly adopted this 4 day ofMay, 1999:

Ayes: Joal Hall Broun, Hilliard Caldwell, Diana McDuffee, Jacquelyn Gist, Michael Nelson, Allen Spalt, Alex Zaffron Noes: None Absent or Excused: None I, Sarah C. Williamson, Town Clerk of the Town of Carrboro, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a resolution adopted by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on May 4, 1999.

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