ML18347A888

Furnishing Information Concerning Limited Fuel Rod Storage Capacity, & Advising NRC Consider This Problem on a National Level & Prepare EIS

ML18347A888
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	02/01/1977
From:	Tanner H State of MI, Dept of Natural Resources
To:	Rowden M Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML18347A888 (3)

Text

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STATE OF MICHIGAN e.

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llAL RESOURCES COMMISSION

'AL T. JOHNSON M. LAITALA WILLIAM G. MILLIKEN, Governor

AN PRIDGEON LARY F. SNELL DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

'ARY *H. WHITELEY STEVENS T. MASON BUILDING, LANSING, MICHIGAN 48926 IAN L. WOLFE

. HOWARD A. TANNER, Director

~LES G. YOUNGLOVE February 1 , 1977 DOCKET NUMBER P..ROD. & JJ1l1l. Wm .2:0-~S'~

Mr. Marcus A. Rowden, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555

Dear Mr. Rowden:

Recently your agency has pub 1i c noticed a proposed *amendment to the faci 1i ty operating license of the Consumers Power Company's Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. Our Department received this document on January 14, 1977, several days after the close of receipt of any requests for a publi.c hearing on this modification.

• At this point, our Department has not determined that an official intervention in these proceedings is necessary, however, what does concern me is the manner in which your agency is approaching this problem of li"mited fuel rod storage capacity at operating reactors. This problem as I see it is not unique to the Palisades facility nor indeed to other facilities in the State of Michigan.

The problem is national in scope in that all operating nuclear reactors are pre~ently or shortly will be approaching storage limits for spent fuel ele-ments. This problem has been brought about by lack of approval or development of a commercial reprocessing industry in this country. The solution to this problem that your agency proposes, (i.e., a site by si.te increase in capacity}

may not be the best course of action.

First -0f all, there are no assurances that*reprocessing will be available commercially by the 1985 target date. If this is the case, then the storage capacity will have to be expanded further or the fuel rods shipped to other areas. This latter probability concerns me greatly since the corrosion to the fuel rods after some 14 plus years of storage could seriously impact on safe transportation. .. ..:; ... *

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Because of the uncertainties in the waste storage and reproce~s~ng,-~t is**

my reconunendation that your agency consider this problem on *a national level and prepare an EIS which will outline alternative courses of action and-the consequences thereof. In this regard, it may be more desirable to transport these fuel rods to a federally operated storage faci 1ity for .interim stcfrage *.-. "'

and subsequent disposal or reprocessing. ... _ .. _. . . * ""*, *

.Sincerely,

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Howard A. Tanner ................. *-*-----

Director

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UNITED STATES OF A-:-!ERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY co~~*IISS IO!i In the *Hatter of

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CONSUMERS POWER CCY.*1PAt-.,"'Y ) Docket No.(s) 50-255

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(Palisades Plant) )

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that I have this day served the foregoing document(s) upon each person designated on the official service list compiled by the Office of the Secretary of the Cor.:::i.ission in this proceeding in accordance with the requirc:nents of Section 2.712 of 10 CTR Part 2 -

Rules of Practice, of the Nuclear. Regulatory Cor.~'1ission' s Rules and Regulations .

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UNITED STATE.S OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of )

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I CONSUMERS POWER COMPANY ) Docket No.s(s) 50-255 I

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(Palisades Plant) )

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SERVICE LIST Samuel W. Jensch, Esq., Chairman Mr. Jerry Sarno Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Township Supervisor U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Route 1, Box 10 Washington, D.C. 20555 Covert, Michigan 49043 Dr. David B. Hall Eric V. Brown, Sr., Esq.

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Brown, Colman & DeMent

• P.O *. Box 1663 125 West Walnut Street Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007 Office of the Executive Legal Director Mr. Ron McCandlis Co.unsel for NRC Staff 5619 Clato U.S.Nuclear Regulatory Commission Kalamazoo, Michigan 49004 Washington, D.C. 20555 Joseph T. Sobota, M.D.

George F. Trowbridge, Esq~ 2312 Glenwood Drive Shaw*, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001 1800 "M" Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036 Lewis D. Drain, Esq.

Miles, Mike, Meyers, Beckett Judd L. Bacon, Esq. and Jones Legal Department Waters Building, Suite 311 Consumers Power Company Grand Rapids, Michigan 49052 212 West Michigan Avenue Jackson, Michigan 43921 Myron M. Cherry, Esq.

One IBM Plaza Marvin F. Metge, Esq. Suite 4501 Gorham, Adams, White & DeYoung Chicago, Illinois 60602 One North LaSalle Street Chicago, Illinois 60602 Harold P. Graves, Esq.

Vice President and General Counsel Honorable Jerome Maslowski Consumers Power Company Assistant Attorney General 212 West Michigan Avenue State of Michigan Jackson, Michigan 49201 Lansing, Michigan 48902 O.K. Petersen, Esq.

Honorable Curtis G. Beck Senior Attorney Assistan.t Attorney General Consumers Power Company State of Michigan 212 West Michigan Avenue Lansing, Michigan 48913 Jackson, Michigan 49201