ML19211A772
| ML19211A772 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crystal River  |
| Issue date: | 12/05/1979 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Putney L PUTNEY, L.W. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7912200634 | |
| Download: ML19211A772 (2) | |
Text
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3 NUCLEAR REGULA TORY COMMISSION
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WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 a
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DEC 5 1979 Docket No. 50-302
%y Louis W. Putney, Esquire l
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Flagship Bank Building, Suite 420 315 East Mcdison Street Tampa, Florida 33(02
Dear Mr. Putney:
I am taking this opportunity to respond, on behalf of J. M. Hendrie, Chairman of the fluclear Regulatory Commission, to your letter of November 6, 1979.
You expressed concern about the safety of the operational nuclear power plants and urged an irnaediate shutdown of all plants in populated areas in addition to those plants with a Nuclear Steam Supply System similar to that at the Three flile Island (TMI) Nuclear Facility.
You expressed a specific concern regarding the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Facility (CR-3).
I would like to point out that the nearest population center of 25,0M inlividuals or more to CR-3 is Ocala which is located 36 miles from the site.
Tampa is located at a distance of 75 miles frco the site, while St. Petersburg is approximately 83 niles from the site.
In a recent NRC stvly of population statistics within a radius of 50 niles from the plant site, CR-3 ranked as number seven at the bottom er.d of the population density scale of the 111 nuclear facilities reviewed.
The Commission's regulations regarding reactor site criteria are described in the Code of Fedu al Regulations Title 10, Part 100. As you are aware, actual radiation exposures in the event of an accident would diminish rapidly as distance f rom the facility increases, thus in the event of a postulated accident at CR-3 resulting in an inadvertent radioactive reicase, the distance end tir:o involved before the radioactive cloud would reach Tampa would mitioate the consequences significantly.
You may wish to ref er to the report NUREG-0558 Population Dose and Health Impact of the Accident at the TMI Nuclear Station which provides an assessment of the hulth impact on the approxirately 2 million offsite residents within 50 r iles of the TMI Huciear Station.
The NUREG sumary may help put the risks involved in perspective: "The projected number of excess fatal cancers due to the accit'ent tb.u c nla occur over the remainino lifetime of the population within 50 miles is approximately one.
Had the accident not occurred, the number of fatal cancers that would be nonaally expected in a population of this size over its remaining lifetime is estimated to be 325,000. The projected total number of excess health effects, including all cases of cancer (fatal and non-f atal) and genetic ill health to all future generations is approximately twn" (NUREG-0558 Page 2).
7 912200 0 1631 028
Louis W. Putney, Bq.
-T-The NRC staff is arrently involved in a major effort to upgrade the state of eneroency planning in and around all of our operating nuclear power facilities. Special teams have been established which will be visiting each site having an operating license to assure that this program will be carried out in an effective and timely manner.
In response to ycur concern regarding the s iety of operating facilities, it should be pointed out that following the accident experienced at TMI Unit 2 on March 28, 1979 the Comission responded by establishing task forces to investigate, review and suggest recomendations for the oper-ation and physical modifications of operating nuclear power facilities, with initial cephesis on facilities having Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Steam Supply Syster.s. As I am sure you are aware, prior to the author-ization to allev rP-3 to resume operation on July 6,1979 numerous actions Sad to be completed to the Comission's satisfaction by CR-3.
Modifications continue to be implemnted to further enhance the safety of operations in response to NRC Bulletin requests and to satisfy the recommendations outlined in NUREG-0578 "TMI-2 Lessons Learned Task Force Status Report and Short Tern Recomendations".
Based upon the nodifications and actions performed to date and those scheduled for irpin :entation in the future, we believe that there are adequat'e cafety mrgins available to allow operating nucli ar facilities to continue operation without undue risk to the public health and sa fety.
In the coming ncnths, we will continue to carefully review all the information obtair:cd and developed as a result of the TMI accident and will reevaluate our requirements in light of our findings.
Our review will incl *, but is not limited to, NUREG-0585 TMI-2 Lessons Learned Task Force Iinal Report, the Report of the President's Com-mission on The Accident at TMI a.J,d the reports by organized groups and individuals.
icur concerns, as well as the many others received, will be considered in this effort.
Si ncerely,
.i P 0 0 N @I @iun L D
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u Office of Nuclear Reactor Regul at ion 1631 029
Loris W. PUTNEY ATTORNE< AT LAW FrLAoswer DANK DL' LOING
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- w. =oew6 os,ea IA>Uts D. PUTNEY es=aa46 reactics November 6, 1979 Joseph M.
Hendrie Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Mr. Hendrie:
I wish to commend the action of the N.R.C.
in placing a freeze upon the licensing of any new nuclear plants.
However, in view of the magnitude of the risk to the public inherent in the nuclear power industry, the action the N.R.C.
has taken at this time is simply not enough, Rep. Toby Moffett came right to the point when he asked you, while you were testifying before the House subcommittee recently, "If we are really concerned about safety, why don't we shut down some existing plants?"
Ideally, all nuclear plants should be shut down until a thorough study can be made of the relative safety and potential risk of each individual plant.
If the N.R.C.
is not willing to take this action, there should at least be an immediate shut-down of all plants in populated areas and all plants constructed by contractorc who have built plants which have proven to be a hazard to the public.
In particular I am hereby requesting that the N. R.C.
take action to immediately shut down Florida Power Cor-poration's Crystal River Nuclear Plant located in Crystal River, Florida.
As you must know, the Crystal River Plant was built by the same contractor which built the Three-Mile Island Reactor.
In terms of a nuclear acci-dent, the Crystal River Plant is dangerously close to 1631 030 00 OO M E
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the heavily populated Tampa /St. Petersburg area.
As a resident of Tampa, Florida, I am obviously deeply concerned for the safety of my family and community.
Please don't let us down.
Sincerely, 7
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Louis D.
Putney Copies sent to:
President Jimmy Carter White House Capitol Hill Washington, D.C.
20510 Sen. Lawton M.
Chiles Room 2107 New Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
20510 Sen. Richard Stone 1327 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
20510 Rep. Sam Gibbons 2206 Rayburn Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
20515 1631 031 UI&[?\\((