ML19253A936

Discusses Suffolk Times 790517 Article Re Documents Found in Southold,Ny Town Dump.Nrc Should Investigate Allegation of Noncompliance of Critical Safety Sys.Article Encl

ML19253A936
Person / Time
Site:	Shoreham File:Long Island Lighting Company icon.png
Issue date:	06/05/1979
From:	Holtzman E HOUSE OF REP.
To:	Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
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ML19253A935	List: ML19253A936
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NUDOCS 7909120549
Download: ML19253A936 (4)

Text

i

. Ek.lZABETH HOLTZMAN

. 16m Distact. Dacosa.TN. NEw YonE saOoKs.YN OmCE: J UDIC2 ARY CHAIRWOMAN. SusCOMM;TTEE ON I428 FLATsuSH AVENUE '

iM mig RATION. REFUGEE 1. AND DRCOKLYN. NEw YORK 11210 PHONE (212) 859 91 g g INTERNATIONA4 LAW Wouse of Representatibes BUDGET

,, WASHINGTON OmCEa  %

m8 n-R~ ou-a WAsniNGrow. D.C. 20515

. masMngton,D.C. 20515 . ,,;O J:'";'

c"* "*

• ": " "*'c PHONE (202)125 6616 s

June 5, 1979 pgp oa Joseph M. Hendrie T Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission d E _

j) _ k 3 Washington, D.C. 20009

Dear Chairman Hendrie:

The May 17, 1979 Suf folk Times carr ied an article about the discovery in the Southold Town C; ump of a box containing " engineering and design coordin ation reports' concerning the construction of the Long Is: land Lighting Company's nuclear power plant in Shoreham, New York.

According to the article, the repor-ts detail instances in which the construction of the plant does not meet the design specifications or conform .to engineering drawings. A copy of this article is enclo: sed.

Further, at a hearing I held yesterday, Robert Pollard, a former employee of the NRC, sai.d he had re-viewed the documents briefly and that they showed non-compliance with NRC-approved construction pums of critical safety systems such as the water cooling system.

From the articles and Mr. Pollard's testimony, it seems evident that the manner of construction of the Shoreham plant may pose a serious safety h azard. I urge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to condu ct a thorough investigation of this incident and of LILC O's evidently numerous decisions to build a plant that d oes not conform to that approved in its construction permi t. The Cor.is s ion should promptly determine whether any NRC regulations have been violated. In addition it must consider what e f fect the facts uncovered will have en th e issuance of an operating license for the plant.

J,w C D 7f**gi.

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THtS STATIONER Y PHINTED CN P A8'CR M ADE W6 TH P EC C CLED FIDERS 7 909120 WW

I look forward to hearing from you promptly as to what steps you plan to take iCEestigating[and resolving

, this matter.

Sin .re y /

/

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El.1zabe'h o tzm n - w Member o Congre s Enc. I cc: Commissioner Victory Gilinsky Commissioner Richard T. Kennedy Commissioner Peter A. Bradford Commissioner John F. Ahearne D**]O o o JU O g

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The Shoreham Papers  %" ,# a

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KAltf. Git 0SSM AN , 4 i

Special to The Times . 5 0, M.4 Q CUTCIIOGUE- A boxioad of "Engineera 1 0 )

Ing and Design Coordination Iteports"i concerning problems in the construction of g R MllM N the nuclear power plant being put up at ,

'D CQ Shoreham by the. Long Island Lighting h Q Company has been (ognq tin.@r Dimb, b b t

Southoll Town dump, .

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" Problems A110rer ne Place" company which made the reactor which is done on the Shoreham site."

Some 416 of the, detailed reports involve 4 *

' Mr. Morris, a plumber, said in reading supposed to be installed at Shoreham - but A full set of reports is being sent to Suffolk w' hatproblems.

related" is described , b* . in themy astthrough the nearly 10-luch high stack of as an act of conscience resigned from the Cotmty's special counsel in the Shoreham

" nuclear safety j, Upapers nuclear he was " amazed to see how this thing industry and have been serving as case, Irving Like, for detailed analysis.

They were 3.repared by1 the Stone &3 '

.ls being built as it goes along, doing the advisors on nuclear plant safety to munic- Following are some of the problems - all Webster Engineering Corporallon, which '

. plans as they go, with problems all over the Ipalities around the nation. Through their . described in the reports as "nuchar safety

. LILCO , describes , aa r partners with it,s i place, nuclear safety related problems as firm, MilB Technical Associates, they had related" - and the comments of Messrs.

executives as " construction managers" on; 'the reports say." ' been consultants to Suffolk County on its Bridenbaugh and Ilubbard on them:

the Shoreham projecti They are datedj , On Monday, Stone & Webster was advised intervention in the Shoreham licensing 'I'roblems" " Solutions"

. January and February, .1979p A .very few ; "'.of the find and asked for an explanation of proceedings. Ilowever, intense pressure by * " Prob!cm

Description:

Stiffeners can-date back to December,1978. *

.why the documents ended up in the dump.

. - '. LILCO led the Suffolk Legislature to drop not be installed due to conertte inter-The documents . tell

• repeatedly about j Af ter a day of looking into the matter, the them. They were also consultants on the ference" in the "lfanger Program Turbine construction on the. nuclear plant not being4 . company through Martin iteynolds, a public recent film, "The China Syndrome." Huihiing", declares one report. The " solu-up to specification and not. adhering lod . relations man attached to the Boston office 1

" Standard Kind of Screw-Ups" tion: OK to climinate stiffeners." M r.

engineering drawings,;with the consistent 1 ' of the multinational firm declared Tuesday Mr. Bridenbaugh declared af ter consider. Ilubbard was particularly concerned about

. remedy that theIspps -and; drawings. be l changed, u . ., i, ., W , . ., y . ; f, yq ;C' "are ruorning that executives of Stone & Webster ing the information in the Shoreham papers: what the report describes as " verbals" for stunned" by the reports having ended "The standard kind of screw-ups that this change, declaring that government The pattern that cornes through is one of a i up in a dump. As to what they detail, Mr. happen on nuclear plant construction pro. regulations require " documented basis for nuclear pfant being designed while being i quahty assurance."

built, with frequent r'eferences to items not,! , lleynolds said company officials "are re- jects are happening at Shoreham."

luctant to comment without the documents lie said the reports underlined to him "the * "I*roblem

Description:

Discrepancies conforming left ps [is - even .when in J ! in front of them,". Importance - the vital importance - of an exist between the S & W pressure test Violation. - . (7 p. 0 s 1, w y , r. . . g {j The box 'of reports':wasl passed on to'a' j. . Meanwhile, a firm of engineers regarded intense, inglependent investigation of that diagra ms, LDT's and the Dravo piping-newspaper photographer +and her husbande/) . . as the top experts in the nation on the type job. This is what the NltC says is supposed to be isometrics regarding d i

of nuclear plant being built at Shoreham' doing but they don't do very much of it." another report. Declares the " Problem who brought them to ihls reporter. W ; were consulted on the papers. "Is this the tip of the iceberg?" asked Mr. Solution: It shouhl be understood that The person who had bejn scavenging in '

press temp. conditions as stated on isomt t-( the dump for retrieyable' items when he]L A sampling of the documents reviewed by llubbard.

Dale Bridenbaugh and Richard llubbard at LILCO was informed of the papers on rit; dwgs. were established very early in

' came upon the box' reports that he saw ,. their office in San Jose, Calif. Messrs. Tuesday. June Bruce, head of media rela. design end ar e no longer valid." Said Mr.

additional 1978 reports-possibly from othem, W Bridenbaugh, llubbard and Gregory Minor tions for LILCO, said: "These things indi. Bridenhangh: "!! ave they gone up or gone

. boxes buried. - which were . '

in the process of being ,l / had been engineering supervisors in the cate what tremendously careful, meticulous d a n?"

"Why at the time of the Three Mlle Island',' E nuclear division of General Electric - the and painstaking quality control is being * "lleviation: Embethnent suppor ts" of Mcident did they get irid . of- all their -

perworkt" asked Bill Morris of Laurel,

..e husband of Judy Ahrens Morris, a photographer for. The Suffolk Times to

? whom the ba4 of reports - copics of originals

- were first given by the discoverer, who ,

asked to remain anonymous.

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\ e \.y 2,,Vec2"d2L.7 A-Plant Papers Found in Dump Dispmition: S & W engmeermg has approv- 1 (confinned from page 1) *

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ed and completed the foHowing modifica: ~ - . -

tions... Shim using N" PLT... Modify thev ~3.~of principally January and February,1979, be checked for " Nuclear Safety R and "Not Nuclear Safety Related" and remaining brackets." ~ Said Mr. Briden- documents. ,

spaces for sigratures from the " Project baugh: "It's a case of, if it's already cast in ' The reports are all stamped: "RECEIV- Design Engr." and " Equipment Specialist" i concrete, leave it" - ; ,s ED DC CUMENT CONTROL" and the date, and " Qual Sys. Dw.. or Eng. Assur. Div."

Myriad Problems Indicated' " CONT 2TRUCTION . OFFICE SHOREHAM and " Materials Engr." However, f r equently The reports go on like this, literally by the PROJECT" and then there are spaces for hundreds. They are signed ~or have boxes ' verification, a place for the " Responsible me same person, signs or mitials all four g Lead Engr." to sign and boxes to check as to sp ces. -

7 cl-acked off by many people.' Des,gn llas No Safety Record -

i Te first report cited here, for instance - whether the " Solution" ordered involves a -. ,

'ht one on stiffeners not being able to be " DRAWING CHANGE" or "SPECIFICA- PROVAL" Then mere is a kx for "CLIEST AP-and 32 separate boxes to be ms'alled "due to concrete interference" TION CHANGE" or "PROJEDURE checked by people in " HEADQUARTERS," , ,

with 'he solution to "el.:ninate stiffeners" - CHANGE" or "ENG. SERV. SCOPE OF " FIELD DISTRIBUTION," and "CONST.

a numbered F-1f491. On the top of each WORK CHANGE." Then come the boxes to SUPERVISORS" and a space for "hoject repor: is " STONE & WEBSTER ENGIN- --

EERING CORPORATION" and then in h Engineer Approval & Date."

The nuclear plant being built at Shoreham '

+ien larger pnnt: " ENGINEERING & involves a reactor of 19&s design.

DESIGN COORDINATION REPORT." " 'I t's a BW-R5 reactor in a Mark II Below that is pnr.ted " PROJECT / containtnent," said Mr. Bridenbaugh, add-11ENT: SHOREHAM NUCLEAR POWER ing that General Electric "neither offers the

" 1.T!ON-l'N!T l" and "LONG ISLAND rt. actor design or containment any longer." i LIGHTING COMPAST." The company, he said' went in 15770 to a ;

Mod of the reports are numbered from

-t to IEM, mdmatmg thousands of E W-R 6 reactor with a Mark III contain-ment rmr s of problems in Shoreham plant Mr. Bridenbaugh said 11 such boiling a ans' uction having gone before the boxioad water nuclear reacto s were built by G.E.,

(contu:ued on page 30) but none is in operation. "Shoreham would .

g be the first to go into service," he said. He .

said the design has no safety record" because it has never been in use.

The reactor was originally built in the M#s. said Mr. B-idenbaugh. fo- the upstate New York S: ate E:ectne and Gas C cmpany fcr use at Cayuga, but the project was " canceled out" and "LILCO picked up" the reactor. ~

The Shoreham project was origin 3Hy estimated to cost 5271 million, but now nas r:sen to $1.2 bilhcn-p:us. The state Public Service Cornmission recently announced a new investigation into the 51 billion cost -

overrun. Federal licensing hearings on the ;

project are supposed to begin in coming '

rnanths. LILCO hopes to have the plant in t ;eration by nut ,s ear

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