ML18276A045
| ML18276A045 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Diablo Canyon  |
| Issue date: | 10/02/2018 |
| From: | Scott(Ois) Morris Region 4 Administrator |
| To: | Gloege W - No Known Affiliation |
| R Alexander, V Dricks | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18247A458 | List: |
| References | |
| LTR-18-0355-1 | |
| Download: ML18276A045 (2) | |
Text
From:
Morris, Scott To:
wpgloege@gmail.com
Subject:
Response to your email to the NRC Chairman Date:
Tuesday, October 02, 2018 6:07:40 PM Attachments:
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Dear Mr. Gloege:
Thank you for your participation at the August 28, 2018, public meeting in San Luis Obispo, in which we, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff, provided our current safety assessment of the Pacific Gas & Electric Diablo Canyon facility. As you noted in your September 2, 2018, e-mail to the NRC Chairman, we devoted most of the two hour meeting to answering questions and listening to comments from the members of the public in attendance, including yourself.
As I pointed out at the meeting, the NRCs mission is to be an independent regulator of the nation's civilian use of radioactive materials to assure public health and safety, promote the common defense and security and to protect the environment. In accomplishing our mission, the NRC staff strives to demonstrate the five Principles of Good Regulation in all of our interactions with our stakeholders. These governing principles are independence, clarity, openness, reliability and consistency. During the August 28 meeting, the NRC staff emphasized the principles of Independence and Openness in responding to the numerous public comments and questions. In that nuclear regulation is the publics business, we hold these meetings to ensure the public is informed of our regulatory activities, to solicit feedback on our work, and to respond to questions regarding our efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security in a clear and candid fashion.
Consistent with the Atomic Energy Act of 1974, Congress assigned the Department of Energy with the responsibility to promote the use of nuclear power. The NRC staff, in fulfilling its independent regulatory mission, does not offer opinions regarding the potential pros and/or cons relative to the uses of radioactive materials and nuclear power. Rather, our role is (in part) to assess in, an unbiased fashion, whether or not our licensees are using the radioactive materials safely and securely. The NRC staff does not attempt to influence a licensees decision to continue or terminate their licensed activities for financial, political, or other motivations, nor do we endeavor to influence political or societal motivations regarding the merits of nuclear power. Simply put, at the expiration of an operating license, or when a licensee elects to cease operations before the expiration of its license, our role is to ensure the facility is safely and securely decontaminated and decommissioned.
While the focus of the August 28 meeting was to discuss the current operational safety and security performance of Diablo Canyon, we openly sought questions and/or comments from all interested stakeholders, including individuals and organizations on both sides of the Diablo Canyon debate. Sometimes during our public meetings, views expressed by members of the public contain factual inaccuracies or are incomplete; the NRC staff tries to correct those mischaracterizations when they occur. We cannot, however, allow our public meetings to devolve into a forum for a debate over facts and/or the credibility of every remark made by every individual. In all cases during the August 28 meeting, my staff and I strived to provide a clear response to the individual concerns and/or questions raised, and made an effort to correct the most notable misconceptions or mischaracterizations.
Once again, I thank you for your participation in the August 28 meeting, and appreciate the feedback you provided in your September 2 e-mail to the NRC Chairman.
Should you have an additional questions, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Scott A. Morris Deputy Regional Administrator U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission / Region IV l+ E-mail: scott.morris@nrc.govl (Office: (817) 200-1226 l