ML19225B063

Responds to Addressed to Jm Hendrie.Commission Issued Order Requiring Facility to Remain Shut Until NRC Determines Suitability & Acceptability of Proposed short-term Corrective Actions

ML19225B063
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	06/01/1979
From:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Mccormack T OHIO, STATE OF
References
NUDOCS 7907230464
Download: ML19225B063 (2)

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UNITED STATES 4U*W )

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555

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I 1979 Docket No. 50-346 The Honorable Tim McCormack Ohio Senate Statehouse Columbus, Ohio 43216

Dear Senator McCormack:

Your letter of May 3,1979, to Chairman Hendrie has been referred to me for reply.

I interpret the basic thrust of your letter to be a request that permission for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Generating Station, Unit No.1 (Davis-Besse 1) to resumc operation be withheld pending the conclusion of public hearings in Northern Ohio which demonstrate that Davis-Besse 1 can be safely operated in accordance with the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended.

In this regard, you have listed several topics ycu believe should be considered by such a hearing.

As you are undoubtedly aware, the nuclear portion of Davis-Besse 1 was designed by the Babcock and Wi'cox Company (B&W) - which also designed the same basic portion of the two un!ts at Three Mile Island. Because of this generic similarity (although there are some significant differences in the detailed designs of these units), the experience at Three Mile Island, Unit No. 2 has raised certain questions among our technical staff as to the ccpability of B&W-designed units to adequately respond to certain off-normal plant conditions. We have corrmunicated these concerns to the Toledo Edison Company and as a result they hwe agreed to complete certain short-term corrective actions prior to resuming operation following the present main-tenance outage, and to complete certain other corrective actions on a longer time scale.

In order that we may have an opportunity to detennine the suitability and acceptability of the proposed short-term corrective actions the Commission has issued the enclosed Order. This Order requires Davis-Besse 1 ^o remain shutdown until we have confirmed that the actions specified in t5 Order have been taken, that the specified analyses are acceptable and that the specified implementing procedures are appropriate.

In addition,Section V of the Order states that within twenty (20) days of the date of the Order, the licensee A

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(Toledo Edison Co.) or any person whose interest may be affected by the 0- iar may request a hearing with respect to the Order.

Hearings on orders of thi s type are not scheduled unless the licensee or a member of the publi whose interest may be affected by the Order requests a hearing. Such requests should be submitted to the Secretary df the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555 within twenty days of the date of issuance of the Order.

In the case of the Davis-Besse Order, that would be June 5,19'i9.

If I can be of furtner assistance, please contact me.

Sincerely yours, Ori;: si Signed b1 H. R. Denton ]

Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Davis-Besse 1 Order 4'<

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..,.3 Tim Mecermack

!!ay 3, 1979 Sist District 170 E. 209th St.

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Mr. Joseph M. Hendrie, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20555

Dear Mr. Hendrie:

I am writing to you in my capacity as an Ohio State Senator and as a resident of Northeast Ohio.

I respectfully request your assistance in answering our con-cerns about the Davis-Besse nuclear plant.

It is my belief that the Davis-Besse nuclear powered plant in Northern Ohio sho61d not be firt * -,ain by nuclear fuels until the public of Northern Ohio and be fully assured, through public hearings by your Nuclear surrounding areas (

1 Regulatory Commission in Northern Ohio, that:

1) There can be no foreseeable risk through nuclear accident to the safet) and health of the population residing within the several hundred square miles of the plant site.

2) That the basic operating and safety equipment of the Davis-Besse plant is fully certified to be inherently free of operational defect, so much so that tnere can be no likelihood of a nuclear

" accident" or incidence of " human error" where such " accident" or " error" would jeopardize the health and well-being of residents living in the affected area of Ohio.

3) That the level of training for those employees charged with the responsii

'*y of keeping the plant operating safely is complete and is,..,fically certified to meet the strictest NRC safety training requirements.

4) That there be a systematic, full, and truthful disclosure of the history of all incidents which have taken place at the Davit -Besse site since its first day of operation which could have, or in f act did constitute, an interruption in operations or a complicat*on in operations.

That there be a full disclosure of any incidents of the leaking 5) ofanyradioactivematerialsoutofthefuelcontainmentareaorf into the atmosphere as a result of the operation of the Davis-J Besse plant.

How much radioactive material, if any, has been Jeaked into the environment since the first day that radicactive materials were introduced into the Davis-Besse plant?

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Mr. Joseph M. Hendrie 2

May 3, 1979

6) Have any people living in the near vicinity of the Davis-Besse plant been subjected to any amounts. of radioactivity in their environments which exceed the normal amount of atmospheric radio-activity found in other areas of Ohio away from nuclear plant sites?

I would appreciate having your response to these concerns as soon as nossible.

I am certainly hopeful that no steps will be takea to again operate the Davis-Besse plant until such time as the NRC conducts fulM?A {ic hearings in Northern Ohio for the benefit of our resident populatior..

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Tim McCormack State Senator TM/kh 412 351