ML18172A219
| ML18172A219 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Seabrook  |
| Issue date: | 06/21/2018 |
| From: | Ray Lorson Division Reactor Projects I |
| To: | Pevear R - No Known Affiliation |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18143B746, ML18164A257 | List: |
| References | |
| 2018-SST-1462, 2018-SST-1475, LTR-18-0214-1, LTR-18-0237-1 | |
| Download: ML18172A219 (5) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I 2100 RENAISSANCE BLVD., Suite 100 KING OF PRUSSIA, PA 19406-2713 June 21, 2018 The Honorable Roberta Pevear 7 River Woods Drive, Apt. D125 Exeter, NH 03833 To the Honorable Roberta Pevear:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to the statement you read at the May 2, 2018, Annual Assessment Meeting for Seabrook Station (Seabrook),
which you subsequently sent to NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki. Additionally, along with your speech, you included an October 2, 2017, letter from you to Chairman Svinicki, which I responded to on November 8, 2017. This response can be accessed from the agencys Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML17289A0331. The May 2, 2018 Annual Assessment Meeting summary can also be found in ADAMS (ML18142A293). Additionally, this addresses your subsequent June 4, 2018, note to Chairman Svinicki in which you provided copies of newspaper opinion pages that printed your May 2, 2018, statement (ML18169A184).
Regarding emergency preparedness, the NRC works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that onsite and offsite emergency plans are adequate to ensure protection of public health and safety. NRC provides oversight of onsite emergency response, while the offsite oversight responsibility rests with FEMA. Per the December 2015 memorandum of understanding between NRC and FEMA (ML15344A371), the NRC relies on FEMA to provide a reasonable assurance finding on the adequacy of offsite emergency response programs.
The State of New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have the overall authority for making protective action decisions (sheltering, evacuation, etc.) for ensuring the safety of their citizens during a radiological event. The states radiological emergency plans are approved by FEMA. FEMA also evaluates the implementation of the States radiological emergency plan during biennial emergency exercises. The most recent Seabrook exercise was held on April 3, 2018. FEMAs evaluation is documented in a June 6 After-Action Report, which will be available to the public shortly and can be accessed at the NRC webpage at the exercise report link below. NRC staff has communicated with State and local officials from New Hampshire and Massachusetts on this subject, most recently in a May 31 letter to the Newburyport City Council (ML18151A867). A listing of recent correspondence with state and local officials in regards to Seabrook is attached.
1 Designation refers to an Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) accession number.
Documents referenced in this letter are publicly-available using the accession number in ADAMS at https://adams.nrc.gov/wba/ For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
R. C. Pevear 2
FEMA exercise reports from previous Seabrook exercises can be found on the NRC webpage at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/related-information/fema-after-action-reports.html. Additional information on emergency preparedness is available in a fact sheet https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/emerg-plan-prep-nuc-power.html and on the NRC webpage at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/respond-to-emergency.html.
Regarding your concern with concrete degradation and the alkali-silica reaction (ASR), the NRC staff is aware of the concerns of local citizens and representatives with regard to the ASR issue.
As a result, we have had numerous discussions and briefings with State and Congressional officials from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as with members of the public, over the past few years, most recently at the Annual Assessment Meeting. Furthermore, the NRC maintains a site-specific webpage that describes NRC oversight and licensing review activities along with a comprehensive list of documents related to NRC inspection and oversight of Seabrook and concrete structures affected by ASR: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/concrete-degradation.html.
The NRC continues to carefully and deliberately monitor, assess, and inspect the actions of NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC (NextEra), the plant operator, to resolve the ASR issue. The NRC continues to conduct semi-annual reviews of ASR issues at Seabrook. Our on-going inspections and reviews of NextEras monitoring activities and evaluations have determined that there are no immediate safety concerns, and that ASR-affected structures at Seabrook remain capable of performing their intended safety functions, as documented in the references at the website link above.
As part of our license renewal review process and our oversight of Seabrooks operations under its current license, the NRC will ensure that the Seabrook Structures Monitoring Program properly assesses the condition of structures affected by ASR to ensure they will continue to perform as intended. These efforts are directed toward ensuring that there is reasonable assurance of safety for continued operation and that aging effects of ASR on safety-related concrete structures at Seabrook will be adequately managed. No regulatory decision has been made on Seabrooks license renewal application. The original safety review schedule has been revised several times to allow a thorough review of the NextEras proposed plant-specific ASR monitoring program. The current review schedule and the most recent change letter dated March 31, 2016, can be found on the NRC website at:
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/seabrook.html.
Lastly, you requested that we investigate claims by Stephen B. Comley, founder of We the People, and, in particular, convene a public hearing regarding the effectiveness of the evacuation plan for the public surrounding the Seabrook, and his claim of issues of falsified welds during construction and fake parts. We have carefully evaluated and responded to all of Mr. Comleys requests. The most recent is a letter dated May 10, 2018 (ML18130A805) includes an enclosure of all related correspondence with Mr. Comley.
R. C. Pevear 3
Thank you for your interest in these issues. We will continue to provide regular opportunities to address any public concerns regarding Seabrook, including offsite emergency preparedness. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact Fred Bower, at fred.bower@nrc.gov or (610) 337-5200.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Raymond K. Lorson, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket No. 50-443 License No. NPF-86
[2018-SST-1462 & 2018-SST-1475]
[LTR-18-0214 and LTR-17-0391]
Enclosure:
Related Correspondence with Mr. Comley (May 1 to May 31, 2018) cc w/enclosure P. Ford, FEMA, Region I J. Giarusso, MEMA P. Plummer, NH HSEM
ML18172A219 SUNSI Review Non-Sensitive Sensitive Publicly Available Non-Publicly Available OFFICE RI/DRP RI/ORA R1/DRP R1/DRP NAME MDraxton DScrenci FBower RLorson DATE 06/15/18 06/18/18 06/18/18 06/21/18
Listing of Communications with State and Local Officials in Regards To Seabrook May 1, 2015 to May 31, 2018 Date ADAMS #
Addressee May 31, 2018 ML18151A867 Newburyport City Council February 21, 2018 ML18052A070 Merrimac Board of Selectmen January 3, 2018 ML17342A540 Amesbury City Council January 3, 2018 ML17348B154 Town of Salisbury Massachusetts November 7, 2017 ML17311A910 Town of Newbury Massachusetts October 10, 2017 ML17283A235 Town of Georgetown Massachusetts August 15, 2016 ML16187A274 State Senator Kathleen OConnor Ives et al April 12, 2016 ML16103A473 Amesbury City Council May 21, 2015 ML15141A200 Massachusetts Senate May 21, 2015 ML15141A187 Massachusetts House of Representatives