ML19256A912
| ML19256A912 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 12/13/1978 |
| From: | Roth W SENATE |
| To: | NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7901170035 | |
| Download: ML19256A912 (5) | |
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oovEAMMENTAL AFFAIRS 3215 De==an= 5amars Omcs DueLoase JoiMT Ecomowic cowutTTEE 3CnilcD Mlales Menctic
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Nuclear Regulatory. Commission y gy \\
Washington, D. C.
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Dear Sir:
Could you provide me an evaluation of the NRC staff inspectors' report on the Salem (I), New Jersey nuclear power plant, as detailed in the enclosed Wilmington Mornino News article? The serious safety hazards alleged in the report have obvious implications for the citizens of my home state of Delaware.
Enclosed is a constituent's letter for inclusion in your record's on the Salem plant.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
/
William V. Ro r.
U. S. Senate WVR/jps Enclosure l
790'1700 M J L
De.(alw4re Saf64nergy Coah.t.
ion P.O. BoxI5[3 gM November 24, 1978
- Newark, Delaware 19711
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Dear Senator Roth:
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4 Enclosed is a copy of the Morning News article of November 21 on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I nuclear power plant.
Also enclosed is a copy of our letter to the Nuclear Regu-
.tatory Commission calling on them to shut down the Salem plant until a full and open investigation of these safety hazards has been com-pleted.
The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition urges you to contact thb N2 clear Regulatory Commission and push for this investigation. With hundreds of thousands of Delawareans living in a 20-mile radius of th e Salem I plant, it is urgent that the question of the safety of this plant be resolved.
We would deeply appreciate any action, a td e in this matter, and we would be more than happy to meet with yot or your representative.
Yours sincerely, S n 71 ErnieMabr)y s
e Delaviare Safe Energy Coalition P.S. My home phone number is 731-0675, and Mr. Bob Hallowell's numb (r is 737-7165 O
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The Morning News, Wilmington, Del., Tuosday,.Nov. 21,1978 not been capabic of handling thi:
ch a nge."
Peach Bottom is beset wilt Peach Bottorrs tantS called
- ME"E'r
'8 press release cautioned against the inspectors' survey on th(
d,08St S2fe Site: S 0n NOTtheaSt' 59M!i!"dE5 aifected by the makeup of the indi-c..na..ee,.
p.'..o..
Altogether,10 inspectors gave l," the report said, "and has the vidual."
their evaluation of the 1,090 mega-poorest management. Quality Freida Berryhill, chairman of i
swers weren't anonymous these watt plant. At least two of the m-Assurance Isafetyl and securdy the Coalition for Nuclear Power i
guys' jobs would be on the line "
spectors rated the radiation con-are not upgraded to current stand-Plant Postponemem, said the in-4 The Union of Concerned Scien-mtists obtained the NitC's internal trol and sakguards portwn of the ards. Many repeat items of non-spectors' evaluatio) doesn't sur-installations, acceptable - or complia~nce Erisc h" eun s "" der the F d
f t d to continue operat, be permit-barely safe enough to Another comment was "l Thel "Pve b en keeping a chronology g,
gn A mg, accord-general attitude of plant appears of the failures - all the leaks and l Cubie said the federal agency re; i
fused to release them for almost a d
I ha n ori of the inspectors.
d.
ng 'i r
ai en however, gave the plant a slightly One Peach Bottom inspecto' the day these plants went on line.
7 i ie dis > ara ed the NItC's Iq'ss than average evaluation..
complained that management o' Peach Bottom is contaminating {
safety inspectio s as "bia against cnforcerner.t. undermm. sedlhe mspectors comments in-the Philadelphia Electric Co.
If " ik d h of it ed cluded: "The plant control room is which owns most of the plant, had S[en la ued fith incu a is jy pohtical considerations :md very poorly designed. This is a e I i
- attempted to " control" NItC in
! Ile cited a May 3,1976, internal relatively new piant with growing spectors' access to the plant b',. faitures."
iweak and ineffective.
pains. It needs clese inspection following them araund s jmemorandum from, the agency s attention to ahure that Lppropri-Another plant inspector said i
pfhce of inspection mstructmg rc~ ate improvements are made- " Plant radiation levels have beer sional offices to submit inspec-flave had a number of problems in increasing with time. Design anc por,s reports to a regional board os start-up phase, which were cor-staffing of plant appear to have commissioners 'for review and rected by management. Problems japproval based on general propre-with opera tor controls."-
i yty, political considerations, etc."
At least one inspector criticized i The inspectors' subjective opin-control room as being designed ion's were part of a 700-page, four-
"in house - it is a disaster wait-part study on the performance of ing to happen."
43 nuclear plants throughout the-Patrick J. Wheeler, a spokes-Cc-:=>
- country. The anonymous opinions man for New Jersey's Public pere compiled before April 1978.
Service Electric & Gas Co., which In another portion of tbc study, owns a majority interest in Salem, ca kompleted in Sept ember, 1977, ' confirmed that the control room
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-Peach llottom 111 received an did not follow Westinghouse Co.'s-Q "above average" rating and design, but he added that the utili-
= Peach Bottom 11 an " average" ty has not received any indication irating for their record of safety from the NitC that it posed a safe.
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iand compliance with NltC regula-ty hazard.
!tions.
Nineteeninspectorsof the Peach Q
! Yet another study, completed at Bottom installations gave the fa-
!the same time, gave l'each !!ot-cihties a range of evaluations -
- tom ll and ill a high mark of "A" most of them unfavorable, in al-i_
i Jor their safety record and a "ll" most every category, from emer-U ifor their deficiencies." The study ' gency planning to overall safety.
- did nut elaborate, at least one inspector character-i The Salem plant, which came on iied the plants as marginally safe dine. in. lune !!i77, was included enough to continue operating.
ynly in t he a non ymou.s oninign_ _'."
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A Gannett newspaper,Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, flovember 21,1978 D Vol.196, No.97
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_ res oea n# plants cha'ged with se ioa safet hazards y ARTIIUR HOWE plinary action against employees"
- '&,3g.(g ' un.g@' o t
s.f. Y,;x.Phl@dflphia who make mistakes.
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3(.2:2.h'O' U.$y Jg. p.n 3,Yl. r.,9/;Ndi'wnd(gf.d ".
Grier, however, acknowledged 6p,k}. 3.' 3;iPe$.}
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QQ S VOilla I /i:'U Nuc! car Itegulatory Commis-on staff inspectors believe seri-ac y
- that in the past " frequent person-m as safety hazards exist at both l l le.1 k :p- /
.A, h y. rq had occurred at Peach nel errors,th little indic.ition of ac-
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4, ie Salem I (N.J.) and the mas-F
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Bottom wi
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Ml*,D -l;4--b M.[k ve Peach Bottom (Pa.) nuc! car lR);
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s tion being taken by the licensee t
awer plants.
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MUbl,7:.ygpl pM l Philadelphia Electric Co. _which h
(n'd'r said he did not think the "8
In an internal memorandum ob.
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- r4 control room at the Salem gener-Q
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...$ Q IOQ.l 'p sined from NltC, safety inspec-N Gric irs were most critical of the c.,
h{f Al'yfNI d
ating plant was "a potential safety M s a lation.
I ich th i
[cfg "[f tie roor vas di fer haracterized as the " leas,t safe" y ; ", pg.gU h. 'O e g,;;
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M from the type recommended by g-- --}
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t manufacturer of the nuclear fa.
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" Plant management," the re-g e
nu u:, '
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ort said, ' has appeared incapa-c 11 fs unclear why Cricr's official BinimoreW '
N M' g@ag e le of,correctmg increased plant-c y cwpo nt of the two plants is at 7
adiation levels. Management is
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o.lds with that of his inspectors.
p low to responding to problems...
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An NItC spokesman said,"It was {"
4 pera;i,ng staff presently error-1.,y.,.
l.Md a e,nestion of judgment, this is his a,
I vestigators criticized the Man pinpoints locations of three nuclear power plants in the area cited in r
spo I a on ou ly f alem plant s, central, control NRC staf f mspectors' report. All three are within 30 miles of Wilmington.
som as a disaster waiting to
, hey had responded otherwise the appen.
responses probably wouldn't have Peach Hottom !! and !!! ar compiled anonymously and do not "It is our present evaluation that been the sa me."
bout 30 miles nprthwest of Wil-reflect the NitC's official views. In the f acility l Peach Ilottom l opera.
"All the inspectors did was nn-ungton.on the banks of the f act. regional director lloyee 11.
tors are competent and profes. swer honestly " said James M.
Grier took the position that steady sional and there does appear to be Cubie, Washington representative tI i es s utl$ I ilm n. improvements have been made at an improvement in employee alli-for the Union of Concerned Scien '
,n on Artiheial Island, N.J. About Peach Holtoin.
t u d es.",
tists, ists and professionals criti-a national organization of
.5 perrent 6f each plant is owned
'In a memorandum to the direc.
Still, Grier fell that the manage-scient cal i nudear power. H the an-y Delmarva Power & l.ight Co.
t,or of _ the Division of_ Iteactor ment of Peach llottom "still
November 24, 1978
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'The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555
Dear Sirs:
The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition is shocked by the latest news release of the internal me=orandum report of the Nuclear Reg-ulatory Commission on the serjous safety hazards posed by the Salem I nuclear power plant.
The New Castle County area is the closest heavily popult.ted area to the the plant, with about 450,000 people within 20 miles of the Salem I plant.
In the event of an accident at Salem, these livas would be endangered.
This memorandum, along with the report of the leak of 15,000 gallons of radioactive water
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from the reactor coolant pump at Salem I, requires us to request the Nuclear Re6ulatory Commission to shut down the Salem I plant until full and open investigation of the safety hazards has been completed.
Too many abnormal occurrences have taken place at Salem I in the past 18 months, and these latest events seem to warrant your fullest attention.
Should the plant not be shut down, we will call upon Governor DuPont of Delaware to take whatever legal action is neces-sary to insure the safety of Delaware citizens.
Thank You, Ernie Mab ey Delaware Safe Energy Coalition M [.
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'k cc: Senator Joseph R. Biden
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Senator William V. Roth yCi Rep. Thomas B. Evans
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-M Governor Pierre S. DuPont j$
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