ML19260C166
| ML19260C166 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 11/28/1979 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Kendall A MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF BERKS COUNTY |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7912180660 | |
| Download: ML19260C166 (2) | |
Text
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Mr. Albert B. Kendall Executive Director I4nufacturers Association of Berks County Abraham Lincoln Motor Inn Box 1178 Reading, Pennsylvania 19603
Dear Mr. Kendall:
Thank you for your recent letter expressing concern about the delay in placing TMI-1 back into service.
On July 2,1979, the Commission ordered that TMI-1 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 Comission believes that public participation is a vital ingredient dealing with those matters related to the TMI-1 restart.
On August 9, 1979, the Commission issued an additional Order on TMI-1 specifying the basis for the Shutdown Order and the procedures to govern the hearing regarding any TMI-1 restart. On the basis of this hearing, the Cornission will determine whether any further operation of TMI-1 will be pemitted and, if so, under what conditions.
I have enclosed a copy of the August 9,1979, Order for your infomation.
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 design pressurized water reactors similar to TMI Units 1 and 2.
Included in these additional items are items recommended by the Lessons Learned Task Force, which studied the TMI accident.
The Commission carefully considered the time required for completing all tasks related to the Order on TMI-1 and which must be completed prior to any restart of TMI-1. A Commission schedule calling for expeditious handling of the recessary NRC staff actions and procedural actions required for the hearing process is provided on the last page 1613
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Mr. Albert B. Kendall of the Commission's Order.
Based on that schedule, I do not believe that +.he restart of TMI-1 could occur before September 1980, approxi-mate'y one year from the date of issuance of the August 9,1979, Order.
I am pleased to provide you with this infonnation.
Sincerely,
.M-j'
.,. u :
- . s t A Harold R. Denton, Director a
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
NRC Order and Notice of Hearing, August 9, 1979 1613 357
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h u k-d MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF BERKS COUNTY n
si1 i [@YM Abraham Lincoln Motor inn. Box 1178 Reading, Penna.19603 Phone 375-6171 6
September 25, 1979 Dr. Harold R. Denton Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulations Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20555
Dear Dr. Denton:
The Manufacturers Association of Berks County is vitally concerned about the effect of the delay in placing Three Mile Island Unit I back into service. The Association has taken action to consolidate its views with those of other employer associations in Central Pennsylvania whose economic stability is affected by the closing of TMI-I.
The attached excerpt from the most recent newsletter to our members describes our actions and plans. We urge you to do whatever you can to speed the hearing process so that TMI Unit I can be placed back into service early.
SI.ncerely,
.~ (
.l W&
1613 358 Albert B. Kendall Executive Director ABK:mkn Enc.
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Fep 2 Met Ed faces on uncertcin financial future,primarily because TMI-1 will.ct
- MET ED'S PROBLEMS be allowed to go back into service early. (TMl-1 is the reactor not involved ARE CURS in the March 28 accident.) At the current monthly rate at which it is purchesing make-up power, Met Ed will reach its borrowing limit in 1980.
MABC and its member companies must be concerned about the financial stability of ther only utility company which serves them. Financial collapse, bankruptcy, reorgani:ction--whatever the eventuality, it can only be harmful to companies which depend upon reasonably-priced energy now and in the future. Financial collapse will not produce more power; it will, in fact, increase the cost of available electric power. Our concern, therefore, is for our companies and for the economic stability and growth of Reading and Berks County.
MABC has therefore taken steps to attack the immediate problem--the delay in ellowing TMI-1 to function. The Association believes that Unit I will be permitted to resume operation ultimately. Why, then, should it not be placed into service early so that the growing operating loss and debt can be halted?
In this position the Association is not necessarily taking a stand on nuclear energy. It is simply saying that the only source of electric power generation in our area not being used (other than TMI-2, of course) is TMI-1, which happens to be a nuclear plant. The Association believes that Unit l's record of effi-ciency and safety warrants its early start-up.
The Association asked the State Chamber of Commerce to call a meeting of other employer Associations in the Met Ed area for the purpose of discussing how the startup of TMI-1 might be expedited. The meeting was held in Harrisburg on September 5 with Messrs. Beaver, Palmer, Stoudt, Kendall and Constein representing MABC, and Joe Welch and Bill McIlvoin representing the Chamber.
The conclusion the group come to was that the Atomic Industrial Forum be asked to recommend a PR firm which might propose how the goal can be accomplished. Meanwhile, other ideas are being studied.
MABC, through the Mid-Atlantic Legal Foundation, has filed a petition with the NRC as a neutral interested party to intervene in its pending hearing on the issues of property and financial effects on its membership as a result of the continued shutdown of TMI-1. It is expected that the NRC heering will begin in January and may continue for 12-18 months.
Among the points made in the petition are these.
1.
Met Ed supplies Berks County with 90 percent of its industrial electrical enert;y and 80 percent of its residential electrical energy.
2.
The present shut down of TMI-1 has resulted in and is expected to continue to result in greatly increaseo energy costs to MABC me mbers. Petitioner believes that if these disproportiencte increcsed costi become permanent, some of its members will be forced to curtail operations or relocate manufacturing facilities outside of Berks Cauary. Petitioner believes that under these conditions no new manufacturing businesses will locate in Berks County.
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Page 3 MET ED'S 3.
One company headquartered in the sree has planned a meier exocn-PROBLEMS sien estimated to cost 550,000,000.00 annually over a fiv<. to eight ARE OURS year period. It hcs announced that a decision on whether to leccte (continued) the expension within Berks County er et a plant outside of the Commen-wealth will be based in part, en a study of evcilability and cests of energy now and in the future.
4.
Any order entered in this proceeding which does not permit +he return of energy ecsts in Berks County to the level estcblished prior to July 2,1979, exclusive of normel increases, will have c=ntinuing and detrimental effects on MABC membership.
COMMONHEALTH CommonHecith is on HMO with offices et 230 N. 5th Street, Reading. It hcs NOT FEDERALLY been providing hecith core services to medical assistence patients, the services CERTIFIED funded by the federal government. CommenHecith, however, is not HEW-approved HMO. Comeenies are therefere not required to offer emcloyes the option of joining CommonHecith as an citernative to the regulcr hecith plan.
OSHA HEARINGS MASC member-companies have voiced mere objections to the high cest, the IN SENATE ineffectuciness, and enereus reguictions of OSHA then to any other federal icw effecting them. The Senate Leber end Human Resources Committee is holding hearings en OSHA. We wrote to Congressmen Yetron, Senctor Hein:,
and Sencter Schweiker to esk that they insert into the hearing record the letters and documents from their constituents raising ebiections to certain OSHA regulations and implementations.
KEEP WC The Pennsylvanic Chamber of Commerce has endersed en eight-bill Legisictive COSTS UNDER pockege designed to centrol the rapidly-rising ccsts of Werkers' Ccmpensation CONTROL in Pennsylvanic. Contact with state legislaters c=ncerning your rising cests would essist pcssege of this legislation. The bills cre Senate Bills 712-719.
VISIT BERKS The Berks County Formers Associction and the Ceccerotive Extension Service FARMS have extended a special invitation to MA3C members, their families and friends to ettend en Open Hcuse Program en November 17 cnd 18. Ten er more ferms will cpen their getes for visiters. Finci details crd mecs to the ferms will be for*hc= ming.
Here's an epeertunity to centinue cur goed relcrienship with our agriculturci neighbors.
i 1613 360 ee ee am