ML19209C290

FOIA Request for Supplemental Records & Files Defined in FOIA-79-264 & Citizens Against Nuclear Power Petition for Suspension of Revocation Fo Facility License

ML19209C290
Person / Time
Site:	LaSalle
Issue date:	09/07/1979
From:	Kodner J CITIZENS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER
To:	NRC OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION (ADM)
References
FOIA-79-376 NUDOCS 7910120396
Download: ML19209C290 (1)

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CITIZENS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER P. O. Box 6625 Chicago, Illinois 6068C September 7, 1979 FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO4 ACT REQUEST Director, Office of Administration F0ZO'7 ' '? C's U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ggt / f.

Washington, D.C. 20555 RE: LaSalle County Nuclear Power Station Units 1 and 2; Docket Nos. 50-373 and 50-374 Gentlemen:

On July 6, 1979, Citizens Against Nuclear Power (CANP) filed a Freedom of Information Act request for certain records and files pertaining te the above cases. A copy of said request is attached to this supplementray request and is made a part hereof. In early or mid-August, your reponse was issued.

On August 21, 1979, on the basis of that response and other information available to us, CANP and eight other organizations filed a Petition to the NRC to Suspend, Modify or Revoke the Constraction Permit issued in the above cases. This letter is to request, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, copics of all supplemental records and files as defined in and relative to malters contained in our original request and in our Petition. By " supple-mental", it is meant all such records and files created, received or otherwise arising subsequent to our original request.

As per 10 CFR Section 9.8(c), we shall expect to hear from you within ten (10) working days.

'Ihank you.

Very truly yours,

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. j.,: , - d Jan L. Kodner Attorney for Citizens Against Nuclear Power 79h-

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l CITIZENS ACA11GT JiJCLEAR IOWER 6105 N. Winthrop '

Chicago, 1111nois 60660 Director, Office of Administration I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555, re: LaSalle County Nuclear Fower Station Unit Nos. 1 and 2 Docket No. 50-373 & 50-374 Gentlenen:

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Section 552 and 10 C.F.R. Section 9 8, this is a Freedom of Information Act rt iuest for certain records and files pertaining to the above cases.

In early June, Commonwealth Edison Co. announced that the con-struction and completion of its fac311 ties at LaSalle County would be delayed for about nine months. According to press relcases and telc-phone conversations our orCanisation has had with Steve Goldaan of Coranonwealth Edison and Jan Strasma, press officer for thc NRC Region III office in Glen Ellyn, Illir.ois, structural alterations were to be undertaken during this period. These alterations consist of instal-ling metg1 traces on the downcomers piping system, according toMessrs.

Strasma and Goldman. Citisens Against Nuclear Fcwer is concerned of the possibility that additional structural change r.casces are being contemplated by Commonwealth Edison Co. We therefore request copies of all documents in the possession of the Corumission bearing upon or relating to the delay in construction and completion of the LaSalle County fac511 tics and the planned and/or prospective conduct to be undertaken by Coraonwealth Edison Co. during this period of time. 'Diis should include, but not be limited to, recorded minutes, menoranda, reports and all other documents pertaining Lo desicn and construction nodifications and alterations now underway or intended to be inplement-ed in the future.

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I 1,etter to the U. 4 1:ucl ue e Regulatory Co:rmission

/ Page Two We are prepared to pay reasonable costs for reproduction of relevant portions of the requested documents. As per 10 C.F.R. Sec-tior. 9 8 (c), we shall er.pect to hea.r from you within 10 working days.

Thank you.

Very truly yours, Edward Gogol Director, Cit 3 zens Against 1;uc1c&r Power i

c.c. Dr. S.S. Kirslis 4 '

Environmental Project 1;ar.ager U.S. I?uclear Regulatory Cornission Office of 1;uc1 car Reactor Eegulation Washington, D.C. 20555

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR .(EGULATORY COMMISSION

• In the Matter of the License of Commonwealth Edison Company to Construct Docket #50373 and #50374 Units 1 and 2 of the LaSalle Co u n ty , Illinois Nuclear Power Station PETITION FOR NRC TO INSTITUTE PROCEEDING TO SUSPEND AND/0R REV0KE LICENSE (1) The Petitioners - Citizens Against Nuclear Power, Edward Gogol, Director; Illinois Valley Citizens Against Nuclear Power, Jim Jenkins, Director; Citizens United far Responsible Energy, Gary "aumann, President; Appleseed, Bridget Rorem, Spokesperson; DeKalb Area Alliance for Responsible Energy, Robert Felt, Spokesperson; Society Against A Nuclear Environment, Kevin Casey, Spokesperson; Sinnissippi Alliane for the Environment, Stanley E. Campbell, Spokesperson; Chiw skee Radioactivis ts , Jennifer Reams ,

Spokesperson; Safe Energy Now to Save the Environment, Lola Hill, Spokesperson - are organizations concerned with protecting the public and the individuals comprising the.

organizations from the environmental, economical and physi-cal safety hazards of nuclear energy.

(2) Commonwealth Edison Co. has previously applied for and has been granted a license to construct two nuclear power plants utili7ing the Mark II containment design at LaSalle4 County, Illinois, Construction of these units is nearly complete, with start up of Unit 1 originally planned for 1979 (3) According to a June 2, 1979 report in the Chicago Sun-Times daily newspaper, Commonweal th Edison Co. and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) anticipate a nine month delay in the start up of the Unit I reactor. The delay is because Commonwealth Edison Co. and the NRC have, according to the Sun-Times report, " decided to ' stiffen' the design of the reactor containment structures to simultaneously withstand an earthquake and loss-of-coolant accident."

Said report is attached to this petition and is made a part hereof as Exhibit A.

(4) According to Jan Strasma, the press officer for the NRC Region 1:1 office in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and Steven Goldman, a spokesman for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago, Illinois, the alterations to be performed at the reactor consist of installing metal braces on the "downcomers" piping system of the steam pressure suppression system of the containment.

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PETITION FOR NRC TO INSTITUTE PROCEEDING TO SUSPEND AND/OR REV0KE LICENSE - Page Two (5) The ' stiffening' of the design of the pressure suppression system and/or reactor containment structures mandate the institution of a proceeding by the NRC to sus-pend and/or revoke the construction license previously accorded Commonwealth Edison Co.

(a) The reactor pressure suppression system and reactor containment structure are essential safety features, int nded to prevent the release of radioactise material into the environment in the event of a reactor accident.

(b) NRC " con fi rma to ry" tests of the Mark I and Mark II designs have revealed that its earlier i judgment that pool swell hydrodynamics would <

be small is incorrect. These loads have never been considered in the Mark II design ~.

(c') Confirmatory review of specific pool dynamic l loads in Mark II designs will not be completed  ;

until October, 1980, according to NRC Status  !

Summary Report -- Generic Technical Activities, August 11, 1978, Draft.

(d) Construction of the Unit 1 reactor is scheduled for completion prior to the expected completion of the NRC confirmatory review.

(e) To allow construction of the reactors to continue prior to a determination as to exactly which

' Vital design specifications they are to be built to, may result in the nonimplementation of such vital design specifications. This has occurred before. On May 30,1978, the NRC waived certain safety requirements for already operating Boiler Water Reactors of the Mark I design when " con-fi rma to ry" tests disclosed that such operating reactors failed to meet those NRC safety regula- .

tions. (structural design margin of safety cut in half; less conservative calculation of force utilized in determining base for safety margin; less conservative calculation of material strength utilized in determining safety margin)

( f) There are presently no operative reactors utilizing the Mark II design in the United States. As such, there has been no indication whatsoever of the capabilities of the Mark II design as to pool swell hydrodynamics.

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%- PETITIO!1 FOR fiRC TO If4STITUTE  :

PROCEEDI!;G TO SUSPEliD AllD/0R REV0KE LICEllSE - Page Three i--

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Other major design changes in the Mark II con- .

tainment system may be presently contemplated by Commonwealth Edison Co. -

This conclusion is warranted by the apparent discrepancy between  ;

• he official ' stiffening' action represented (installation ofEdison Commonwealth metalCo.

brackets) and the time has said it will take to carr months)y out such ' stiffening' action (nine tion.

See paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Peti- g e

changes which may also be contemplated forThe exa g this nine month period is unknown. g (6)

For reasons stated above, the Petitioners hereby -

revoke to the1construction license of Commonwealth Edison 5Co both Units pursuant to 10 C.F.R. Section 2.202.and 2 of the LaSalle County nuclear power "

pursuant to This request is fi,ed  !

in an essen.10 tialC.F.R.

Section 2.206. As major design changes safety feature of the LaSalle reactors are now being made or contemplated, s

it is essential that and/or revocation proceedings be made publi , as the public the suspension  !

interest is so vitally concerned here. =

WHEREFORE, the Petitioners request that the Nuclear -

Regulatory Commission institute a proceeding, and hold public hearings, Edison Co. to suspend and /or revoke the license of Commonwealth Mark 11 tontainment design at LaSalle County,to Illinois.

construct the nuc Edward Gogol, Director _.

CITIZENS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER K

Jim Jenkins, Director  :

ILLIN0IS VALLEY CITIZENS AGAINST  !

NUCLEAR POWER Gary Naumann, President

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CITIZENS UNITED FOR RESP 0flSIBLE

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Bridget .-_.Rorem, Spokesperson -

APPLESFED

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NOTICE OF FILING On , 1979, I filed the attached Petition by mailing a copy of the same, with postage prepaid, to:

Dr. Joseph M. Hendrie. Chai rman U. S. Nuclear Regulatccy Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555

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