ML18078A872
| ML18078A872 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 02/05/1979 |
| From: | Jennifer Davis NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | Schneider F Public Service Enterprise Group |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18078A873 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7902260556 | |
| Download: ML18078A872 (7) | |
Text
FEB *5 1979 Public Service 'Electric and -
Gas Company Attn:
- Mr.-F. W. Schneider Vice President-Production 80 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07101 Gentlemen:
- Distribution:
LVGossick, EDO A
~EDO. W HRDenton-, MRR HShapar, ELD
.NHaller, MPA
.JGDavi s,. IE NCMoseley, IE HDThornburg, IE BHGrier,.Region I, IE
LPDR- (50-272)
SECY (3)
OGC OCA ( 3) r,, Ertter (ED0-5028)
L. Underwood, IE (H6-17~-9-H2)
IE Files Central Files IE Readin9 EDO Reading I enclose for your information a copy of a letter from Mr. Ernie. Mabrey of the Delaware Safe Energy Co~1ition requesting that the Corrrnission suspend_ the operating 1 icense_ i?sued for the Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit No. 1, Docket No~ 50-272, pending completion of an investigation of alleged safety hazards at the facility.
This request is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations.
I enclose, also for your information, a copy of the NRC response in which the request is denied.
Enclosures:
- l. Ltr fm E. Mabrey to NRC dtd 11/24/78:
- 2.
Ltr fm J. G. p~vis to E. Mabrey,.dtd 2/5/79
/
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cc w/encl s:,,-.
Senator Jqs~ph R. Biden Senator William V. Roth, Jr.
Representative Thomas B. Evans, Jr.
Governor Pierre.S. DuPont, Delaware.
Governor Brendon Byrne, New Jersey SEE PREVIOUS YELLOiJFOR C Sincerely,
/s/
John G. Davis Acting Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555
Dear Sirs:
November 24, 1978 The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition is shocked by the lat.est news release of the internal memorandum report of the Nuclear Reg-ulatory Commission on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I nuclear power plant.
The New Castle County area is the closest heavily populated area to the the plant, with about 450,000 people within *20 miles of the Salem I plant.
In the event of an accident at Salemi these lives would be endangered.
This memorandum, along with the report of the leak of 15,000 gallorts of ra_dioactive water from the reactor coolant pump at Salem I, requites us to request the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to shut down the Salem I plant until full and open investigation of the safety hazards has been completed.
Too many abnormal occurrences have taken place at Salem I in the past 18 months, and these latest events seem to warrant your fullest attention.
Should the plant not be shut down, we will call upon Governor DuPont of Delaware to take whatever legal action is neces-sary to insure the safety of Delaware citizens.
cc: Senator Joseph R. Biden Senator William V. Roth Rep. Thomas B. Evans Governor Pierre S ** DuPont Thank You,
~
ma>>-ut1/
Ernie M~ bf ~y- -d Delaware Safe Energy Coalition Rec'd Off'* :l!IDO ;:,.~I"'
Date /J_g, 7(~;.;,-,
_: i. *j: fl-** c>'~_._' tJ-,_d ___
, Gov~rnor Brendan Byrne State Capitol T_ren ton, New J ersi:::y
Dear Governor Byrne:
November 24, 1978 The Delaware Safe Energy*Coalition along with other Delawareans, are surprised to hear of the news contained in the internal memorandum.
report of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I and Peach Bottom nuclear power plants.
The New Castle County area is the most heavily populated area near the Salem plant.
Should a* serio~~ accident occur, hundreds of thou-sands of lives in Delaware would be imperiled.
This report, coupled with a report carried two weeks ago by the News Journal on the release of 15,000 gallons of radioactive water at Salem I two weeks ago, makes it imperative that the Salem I power plant sh*ould be shut down pending a thorough and open investig.ation has been completed on the sifety risks at Salem.
We have contacted Delaware newspapers and radio stations in calling upon Public Service Electric and Gas Company and Delmarva Power and Light_ Company, who share respons~bili ty for the safety of these plants, to close down Sal~m I.
We feel that you should use yourAhfluerit~:in this matter, and reque~t that you and Commissioner of Energy Joel Jacobsen contact tha Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, and ~equest that they order Salem I shut down, and pursue an complete and public investigation of. the safety hazards at Salem.* We also are contacting.our two Senators an.d our congress-man to push for* an investigation.
Should the utilities not shut down the Salem plant, we will call upon Governor Pierre DuPont of Delaware to take legal action to protect the safety of the citizens of Delaware.
cc: Governor Pierre DuPont Sincerely yours, f::!:!2, Delaware Safe Energy Coalition
Governor Pierre s. DuPont Legislative Hall Dover, Delaware 19901
Dear Governor DuPont:
November 24, 1978 The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition is shocked by the latest news about the release of the internal memorandum report of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I *and Peach Bottom nuclear power plants.
The NE;lW Castle County area is the closest heavily populated area to_ the Salem I power plant - in the event of a mqjor accident, of thousands of lives in Delaware would be endangered.
coupled with *a report carried two weeks ago by the News hundreds
'l'his report, Journal citing the release of 15,000 gallons of radioactive water from the reactor coolant pump at Salem I, requires the Delaware Safe Energy Coalition to call for the shutdown of the Salem I power plant until a thorough and open investigation has been completed on the safety risks at Salem.
In our press releases to Delaware newspapers and radio stations, we have called upon Public* Service Electric and Gas Company of New Jersey and Delmarva Power and Light Company, who share responsibility for the safety of these plants, to close down Salem I. We feel, since the Qafety of Delaware citi3ens depends on the safe operation of Salem I~ that you should contact Governor Brendan Byrne of New Jersey to express our conrierns and your concerns on this issue.
Should the utilities *fail *to ta~e-action in this matter, we call upon you to take legal action to shut down Salem I to protect the safety of the citizens of Delaware.
Yours sincerely,
~
?r7aiYtM~
Ernie Mab~-~y-("
__,.Delaware Safe
~ Energy*Coalition cc: Governor Brendan Byrne J
Senator Joseph R. Eiden 844.King;:Street Wilmingto~, Del. 1980r
Dear Senator Eiden:
November 24, 1978 Enclosed is a copy of the Morning News article of November 21 on the serious safety hazards pos~d by the Salem I nuclear pqwer plant Also enclosed is a copy of our lettei to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission calling on them* to shut down the Salem plant untiL_ a full and open investigation of these safety hazards has been completed.
The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition urges you to* fon*tact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and push for this investigation. With hundreds of thousands of Delawareans living in a 20-mile radius of the Salem I plant, ~tis urgent that the question of the safety_ of these plants be resolved.
We would deeply appreciat~ any action you take in this rp.atterr My home phone number is 731-0675, and Mr. Bob Hallowell's is 737-7165.
Yours sincerely,
~Mm~
Delaware Safe Energy Coalition J
/
. *m e
r I s
. A Gannett newspaper, Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, November 21, 1978 Ve. 196, Nq.. 97 -
- 20 cents 1
- 1*
I Area nu e Pl nts, ch'arg
- d rious'.Safet h z rlds
~ *....
with By ARTHUR HOWE plinar ac'tiort against employees" who ake mistakes.*
Nuclear Regulatory Com mis-
. Grie, how'ever, _acknowledged sion staff inspectors believe seri-
- that i the pa'st "frequent person-ous safety hazards exist at both nel er ors haa occurred at Peach the Salem I (N.J.) and the mas--
Botto, with little indication of ac-sive Peach Bottom (Pa.) nuclear lion b ing taken by the lfcensee power plants.
I Phila elphia\\ Electric Co. which In an internal memorandum oh.
owns ontrolling interest in the tained from NRC, safety irispec-plant l "
1 tors were most critical of the
- Grie said he did. not think the Peach Botfom II and III nuclear contro _room 1at the Salem gener-installations, which they
' ating !ant wa 1s "a potential safety characterized as the "*least safe" proble. " But he did say that the site in the northeast with the
- design of the room was different "poorest management."
from he type recommended by "Plant management," th.e re-the ma ufacturer of the nuclear fa.
port said, "has appeared incapa*
cility.
ble of correcting increased plant*
It is nclear;why Grier's official radiation levels. Man;igement is-
- viewp int of the two plants is at slow to responding to problems...
- odds ith tha't of his inspectors.
operating staff presently.error-Ap NRjC spokesman said, "It was prone."
a question of judgment, this is his Jnvestigators criticized
. the Map pinpoints l0cations of three nuclear power plants 'in the area cited in
.r Grier'~ l judgment: The insµec-Salem plant's central control - NRC staff inspectors' report. All three are within 30 miles of Wilmington--'. -.
, tors '.r~sponde~I anonymou:;Jy. If.
room as "a disaster waiting tp
- they had responded otherwise the
. happen."
' responses probably wouldn't have Peach Bottom 11 and III are compiled anony,f ou~l.¥ an~ do not
- "It is our present evaluation that been Ule s~ me)"
- about 30 miles nprthwest of Wil-
. reflect th~ NRC ~official views. In the facilitytPeachBi>_ttom ],opera~
'.'All 1the insi)ectors did.was an~
'mington on the banks of. the -'fac:t.
- reg10nal dir.e~tor Boyce H.
t<;irs are'_ c:ompetent*.. and**profes-. swe~ honestly/' said James M.
Susquehanna River. Salem I is 9rier took the pos1t10n that steady s10nal and there does appear* to be Cubie, 1Washington representative*
about 12 miles south of Wilming-improvements have been made at an im~,rovem~nfin *employ~e atti-f~_r ~h~l Unio~ of Concer~ed.Scien-1 7.5 percent of each plant is owned In a memorandum to the direc-Still, Grier felt that the ~an~ge-scienti ts and professi?,nals criti-
.ton on Ar.tificial Island, N.J. About Peach Bottom.
- tudes,_ ;
1.. * **.
tists~
.. -nat10nal orgamzat10n of by Delmarva Power & Light Co.
tor of the Division of Reaetor me1,1(. of Peach. Bottom. "still cal of* uclear power. If the an-L_ __ The investigators' opin.ions were_ Operation Inspecti?n, Grier said:
appears disinclined to fake"disci-
- Se PEACH-Page 6, Col.1 *
~*.. *
- \\
-.P
'tl ti re D
I..
. 6 *
- The Morning News, Wilmington, Del., Tuesday,.No~. 21, 1978 not een capable of handling thi!
1 ch ge."
Peach. ottofyl -plants cane p ch Bottom is beset w1tr "c eless operations and po01 ma tenance," one wrote...
A Philadelphia Electric.co.
pr I release cautioned against the inspe'.ctors' surve~, on thE gr d th:at they are. c~llected opi ons and as any opinion sur*
ve are :subjective and ma¥ b~
aff ted by the makeup of the ind1-
- 'least safe sites iri North asf I
Continued from Page One swers weren't anonymous these guys' jo,bs would be on the line. 'L*
- The Union of Concerned Scien-.
tists obtained the NRC's internal documents under the Freedom of
- Information Act late last week.
Cubie said the federal agency re-fused to release them for almost a year.
Cubie disparaged the NRC's safety inspections as "biased against enforcement, undermined.
by political considerations and weak and ineffective."
He cited a May 3, 1976, internal
- memorandum from the agency's office of inspection instructing re-*
gional offices to submit inspec-Altogether 10 inspectors* gave their evaluation of the.l,090 mega-.
watt plant. At least two bUhe in-spectors rated the radiation con-trol' and safeguards portion of the installations acceptable" -
or barely safe enough. to be permit-
. ted to continue operating, accord-ing to the study.
A. majority of. the inspectors,
. however, gave the plant a slightly less than average evaluation.
'The inspectors' comments in-cluded: "'The plant control room is very poorly designed. This is a relatively new plant with growing pains. It needs close inspection*
attention to assure that appropri-
. ate improvements an~ made.
Have had a number of problems in start-up phase,. which were cor-rected by management. Problems l " the report s;iid, and has the
- d l " '
p 1oorest management.
- Quality vi ida Berryhill, chairman of Assurance [safety] imp security the oalit'ion for Nuclear Power are not upgraded to current stand-Pl t Pos'tponement; said the in-.
.ards. Many repeat items of non-sp ors' 1evaluation.doesn't sur-compliance."
/
pri her. \\ * *
- I Another comment was "[The]
- 11 ve been keeping a chronology general attitude of plant appea_r~
of e failures -
all the leaks and I to be compliance only as reqmr*
.bre dow~s." she said. "I ~ave (
ed."
- bee living in mortal fear s1;ice One Peach Bottom
- inspect01 the ay tl\\ese plants went ~n lI;ie.
complained tha~ managei:nent o;
- Pe h Bdttom is contaminating the Philadelphia Electnc Co.
the ilk and cheese_ of ~he area.
- which owns mosf of the plant, ha!
Sal is 'p~agued \\'(Ith incurable
- attempted to "control" NRC il'l-. fail res." 1.*
spectors' access to the plant b) _ _ _.__.: l.. _______,
following them around.
- i Another plant inspector said "Plant radiation levels have beer increasing with time. Design anc staffing of plant appear to hav{. *:
.. 1
- tor's _reports to a regional board of commissioners "for review and approval based on general propri-ety, political considerations, etc.". withoperatorcontrols.'"
The inspectors' S1,lbjective opin-
- ions were part of a* 700-page, four-part study on the performance of 43 nuclear plants throughout the*
country. The anonymous opinions were compilecj before April 1978.
In another portion of the study, completed in September, 1977, Peach Bottom III received an
-"above average".
rating and Peach* Bottom II an "average"
. rating for their record of safety
_and compliance with NRC regula*
tions.
Yet another study, completed at "the same lime, gave Peach Bot-
, tom II and III a high mark of "A" for their s*afety record and a "B" for their deficiencies." The study *
.* did not elaborate.
l, The Salerri plant, which came on line in Juhne 1977, was-incl)l~ed only in t e anonymous opin10n nnrtinn nf thr> <;f11rlv At least one inspector criticized*
control.room as being designed "in-house -
it is a disaster wait-ing to happen."
Patrick J. Wheeler, a spokes-
. man for New Jersey's Public Service Electric & *Gas Co., which owns a majority interest in Salem,. 1
- confirmed that the control room I
did not follow Westinghouse Co. 's design, but he added that th*e utili-.
ty has n_ot received a*ny indication from the NRC that it posed a safe-..
ty hazard.
Nineteen inspectors of the Peach Bottom installations gave the. fa-cilities a range of evaluations -
- most of them unfavorable. In al-most. every category, from emer-gency planning to overall saf~ty, at least one inspector character-ized the plants as marginally. safe enougf> to continue operat~ng:
"Thi.> is the least safe site m Re-
-P'inn L'...northe..as.le.rrrllni.ied Stalc.S
~ '-.-.
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