ML19253C865
| ML19253C865 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 10/04/1979 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Hayes S PENNSYLVANIA, COMMONWEALTH OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7912120258 | |
| Download: ML19253C865 (2) | |
Text
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,e Docket No. 50-289 GCT 4 19/ 9 The Honorable Samuel E. Hayes, Jr.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Post Office Box 2 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Dear Mr. Hayes:
This letter is in response to your letter dated August 6,1979 to Chairman Hendrie regarding Mr. D. Smith's concerns for returning Three Mile Island, Unit 1 (TMI-1) to an operating status.
Chaiman Hendrie has asked me to respond to your letter in view of the fact that there is now adjudicatory proceedings for Three Mile Island, Unit 1, underway before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. Under the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rules of practice, Chairman Hendrie and the members of the Commission will be called upon to review orders and decisions of the Licensing Board and hence it would be inappropriate for him or other members of the Commission to comment on the matters raised in your letter.
On July 2,1979, the Commission ordered that TMI-l remain in a cold shutdown condition until further order by the Commission itself and stated that a public hearing would be held prior to restart of TMI-1.
The Commission believes that public participation is a vital ingredient dealing with those matters related to the TMI-l restart.
On August 9,1979, the Commission issued an additional Order on TMI-l specifying the basis for the Shutdown Order and the procedures to govern the hearing regarding TMI-l restart. On the basis of that hearing, the Commission will detemine whether any further operations will be pennitted, and if so, under what conditions.
I have enclosed a copy of the August 9, 1979, Order for your information.
The Commission's Order also identifies a number of items that must be resolved prior to restart. These items, which are listed on pages 5-7 of the Order, include but go beyond that required for restart of other Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) design pressurized water reactors similar to TMI 1/2.
Included in these additional items are items recommended by the Lessons Learned Task Force which studied the TMI accident.
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Y The Honorable Samuel E. Hayes, Jr. The Commission carefully considered the time required for completing a!i tasks related to the Order on TMI-l and which must be completed prior to any restart of TMI-1. A Commission schedule calling for expeditious handling of necessary NRC staff actions and procedural actions required for the hearing process is provided on the last page of the Commission's Order. Based on that schedule, I do not believe that the restart of TMI-l could occur before September 1980.
While the NRC is, of course, concerned about financial impacts on consumers, the primary objective of NRC regulation is in the assurance of public health and safety. The NRC's responsibility under financial qualification regulations is to detemine whether an applicant for a nuclear power plant has reasonable assurance of obtaining the necessary funds to pursue the activities for which a pemit or license is sought.
State public utilities commissions and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have primary responsibility regarding questions of reasonable cost.
I suggest you contact these agencies and inform them of your concerns regarding purchase power costs.
I trust this response addresses the questions raised in the Mr. Smith's letter.
In the meantime, if you have further comments, please feel free to direct them to R. Vollmer (301/492-7347) within the Commission's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Si ncerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY R.G. SMIT 11 Lee V. Gossick Executive Director for Operations
Enclosure:
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Commissior.'s Order, dated 8/9/79 2.
NUREG-0578 1535 023
COMMITTMs
a-JAM J EL E. H AYES. JR.. msmern P. C. SCE 2 MUbES NousE or REPRESENTATIVES H ARRISBURG. PLMNSYbVANI A 17120 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA HARRISBURG August 6,1979 Joseph Hendrie United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Mr. Hendrie:
The members of the Valley Rural Electric Co-op, its Board of Directors and their manager, D.W. Smith are hopeful that Unit I, Three Mile Island can be reinrned to operation.
Wi h warm personal regards, I remain Sincerely,wl I
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SAMUEL E. HAYES, JR.
SEH/pr Enclosure S/9..To EDO fer Appropriation Action.. Orig to Docket... 79-2313 1535 024 79 0 9 29 0M7 r) u r'IE
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..=l J % G D U w /1 CO-OP / July 31,1979 Fu presentative Som Hoyes House of Representatives horrisb;rg, Po.,17120
Dear Sam:
On behalf of the 14,000 members served by Valley Rural ElectrF.c Cooperative, I am writing concerning the Nuclear Regulatory Comrnission's proposed two year delay berring the continued operation of the Three Mile Island Unit One generating plane As you know the T.M.I. Unit One was off line for routine maintenance at the some time of the T.M.I. Unit Two incident, and has remained out of service.since that time in spite o: the feet that T.M.I. Unit One has provided essential electric power without evidence of hazard for 4$ years. Please note the differentiation between u,it orte and unit two, which is criti:al if the subject is to be evolucted o'ciectively and practicolly. The loss of economical electric power from T.M.I. has directly resulted in on additionci cost of 2,8 mills /kwh or nearly 10*4 of our total wholesale power cc:t. Obviously, the cost to our members of on cdditional two years delay is enormous. The members of Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, its Board of Directors and myself urge vou to. write or send a telegram to: Joseph Hendrie, U.S.N.R.C., We:shington, D.C., 20555 ~ for the purpose of encouraging the return to operation of Unit One of T.M.I. power station. Cooperatively yours, /r j !je .Q;-W. Smith Manager DWS cr VALLEY RURAL ELECTRIC CG.OP e BCX 477. HUNTINGCON. PENNSYLVANIA 16652 / 814 643 2550 1535 025 .}}