ML19271A871
| ML19271A871 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 07/31/1980 |
| From: | Snyder B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Russell D AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008110031 | |
| Download: ML19271A871 (2) | |
Text
A-f-
a sue.,
n.
4 u
n.
!hco kR RfC g
UNITED STATES y
)
('g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 1N k..V... #
391 3 Ms. Deborah L. Russell 414 West Orange Street, Apt. 2 Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603
Dear Ms. Russell:
Your letter to Commissioner Gilinsky expressing your views on the nuclear industry and the accident at Three Mile Island has been referred to me for response.
I regret that this answer has been delayed. The accident and its consequences have created a substantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented us from responding to you as promptly as we would have liked.
Information about the accident made available to the public was confusing for a number of reasons. Some problems were attributable to the sources of infor-mation, some to the way in which infomation was made available to the press, and some to how the press reported the infonnation it obtained, hRC's infor-mation was not always complete nor, in some instances, wholly accurate.
We recognize the importance of making complete and accurate information avail-able to the public. Consequently, we have made specific plans for providing information to the public for such potentially serious accidents as occurred at Three Mile Island. These plans include making the availability of public information part of NRC's and the utilities' emergency response planning.
Under this policy, the utilities must provide offsite locations for newscenters.
We also plan to appoint a senior NRC official responsible for coordinating NRC information activities during an emergency. By centralizing the gathering and dissemination of NRC's infonnation, we will provide the public with relevant and timely information.
In response to your concern about the health hazards of the accident, the small dose of radiation that people in the area received came from radioactive ga:;es that escaped from the auxiliary building. The average dose of radioactivity received by the population within 50 miles of Three Mile Island was app ~.'oxi-mately 4 millirems. The maximum exposure to any individual was less than 100 millitems, which is less than the yearly dose each person receives as a result of natural background radiation. Doses at these levels result in less than one health effect over the lifetime of all people in this area. Natural background radiation received by people in the Harrisburg area is approximately 125 milli-rems per year. To put these doses into perspective, it should be noted that a traveler flying round trip in a jet between New York City and Los Angeles re-ceives 5 millirems from cosmic rays in the natural background.
8008110o31
Ms. Deborah L. Russell JUL 311980 With respect to alternative methods of energy production, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, the Department of Energy is the federal agency responsible for their research and development. The NRC considers these alternative methods of energy production in its assessment of the environmental impact of each nuclear power plant as part of our overall review of each utility's applica-tion for a construction pemit or an operating license. To date, we have de-temined that alternative methods of energy production are neither technically nor economically feasible to provide the required amount of power at the time' it is needed.
We appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued protection of the health and safety of the public.
Sincerely, Bernard J. Snyder, P gram Director Three Mile Island P gram Office Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation