ML19274D872

Requests Shutdown of Plant Until Investigation of Safety Hazards Is Complete,Particularly Leak from Reactor Coolant Pump.W/Encl 781124 Ltrs to Governors of DE & Nj & Senator of DE

ML19274D872
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	11/24/1978
From:	Mabrey E DELAWARE SAFE ENERGY COALITION
To:	Public Service Enterprise Group
Shared Package
ML18078A873	List: ML19274D872
References
NUDOCS 7902260562
Download: ML19274D872 (6)

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November 24, 1978 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (JO'F11-Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Sirs:

The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition is shocked by the latest news release of the internal memorandum report of the Euclear Reg-ulatory Commission on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I nuclear power plant. The New Castle County area is the closest heavily populated 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 lives ;;ould be endangered. This memorandum, along with the report of the leak of 15,000 gallons of radioactive water from the reactor coolant pump at Salem I, requires us to request the Euclear Regulatory 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 pact 18 months, and these latest events seem to earrant 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-cary to insure the safety of Delaware citizens.

Thank You, Ernie OI?

Mabiey Delaware Safe Energy Coalition cc: Senator Joseph R. Biden Senator William V. Roth Rep. Thomas B. Evans Governor Pierre S. DuPont Rec 'd 0ff. ED0'*%

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November 24, 1978 Governor Brendan Byrne State Capitol Trenton, New J ersey

Dear Governor Byrne:

The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition along with other Delawareans, are surprised to hear of the news contained in the internal memorandum report of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I and Peach Botto= nuclear power plants.

The New Castle County area is the most heavily populated area near the Salem plant. Should a serious accident occur, hundreds o f thou-sands of lives in Delaware would be imperiled. This report, coupled with a report carried two weeks ago by the News Journal on the release o f 15,000 gallons of radioactive water at Salem I two weeks ago, makes it imperative that the Salem I power plant should be shut down pending a thorough and open investigation has been completed on the safety risks at Salem.

We have contacted Delaware newspapers and radio stations in calling upon Public Service Electric and Gas Company and Delmarva Power and Light Company, who share responsibility for the safety of these plants, to close down Salem I. We feel that you should use your . influence in this matter, and request that you and Commissioner of Energy Joel Jacobsen contact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, and request that they order Salem I shut down, and pursue an complete and publ.ic investigation o f the safety hazards at Salem. We also are contacting our two Senators and our congress-man to push for an investigation. Should the utilities not shut down the Salem plant, we will call upon Governor Pierre DuPont of Delaware to take legal action to protect the safety of the citizens of Delaware.

Sincerely yours, Ernie Mabrey

, Delaware Safe Energy Coalition cc: Governor Pierre DuPont

November 24, 1978 Governor Pierre S. DuPont Legislative Hall Dover, Delaware 19901

Dear Governor DuPont:

The Delaware Safe Ener6y Coalition is shocked by the latest news about the release of the internal memorandum report of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the serious safety hazards posed by the Salem I and Peach Bottom nuclear power plants. The New Castle County area is the closest heavily populated area to the Salem I power plant - in the event of a major accident, hundreds of thousands of lives in Delaware would be endan6ered. This report, coupled with a report carried two weeks ago by the News Journal citing the release of 15,000 gallons of radioactive water from the reactor coolant pump at Salem I, requires the Delaware Safe Energy Coalition to call for the shutdown of the Salem I power plant until a thorough and open investigation has been completed on the safety risks at Salem.

In our press releases to Delaware newspapers and radio stations, we have called upon Public Service Electric and Gas Company of New Jersey and Delmarva Power and Light Company, who share responsibility for the safety of these plants, to close down Salem I. We feel, since the sefety of Delaware citizens depends on the safe operation o f Salem I, that you should contact Governor Erendan Byrne of New Jersey to express our concerns and your concerns on this issue.

Should the utilities fail to take action in this matter, we call upon you to take legal action to shut down Salem I to protect the safety of the citizens of Delaware.

Yours sincerely, Ernie Mabrey Delaware Safe Ener6y Coalition cc: Governor Brendan Byrne

r November 24, 1978 Senator Joseph R. Biden 844. King: Street Wilmington, Del. 19801

Dear Senator Biden:

Enclosed is a copy of the Morning Nevis 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 Nucl ear Regulatory Commission calling on them to shut down the Salem plant untill a full and open investigation of these safety hazards has been completed.

The Delaware Safe Energy Coalition urges you to pontact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and push for this investigation. With hundreds of thousands of Delawareans livin5 in a 20-mile radius of the Salem I plant, it is urgent that the question of the safety of these plantt be resolved. We would deeply appreciate any action you take in this matter. My home phone number is 731-0675, and Mr. Bob Hallowell's is 737-7165 Yours sincerely ,

b/ZXb hbs Ernie Mabrey 0 Delaware Safe Energy Coalition

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y, - odds with that of his inspectors slow to responding to problems . gf. ,g- g ,j - 7e ; > : I-

% An NHC spokesman said. "It was operat,ing staff presently error- .cd,Jj ,mus. 1,. ], '* , ',,d a question of judgment, this is his In c'stigators critici7ed I the . Map pinpoints locations of three nuclear power plants in tSe area (ited in Salem plant's central control NRC staff inspectors' report. All three are within 30 miles of Wilmington, t n [a" "$N l-they had responded otherwise the room as, , a disaster waiting to responses probably wouldn't have happen.

Peach flottom II and iff are compiled anonymously and do not "It is our present evalua tion that been the sa me."

reflect the NHC's official views. In the facility l Peach Bottom l opera- "All the inspectors did was nn-about 30 miles nnrthwest of wil- fact, regional director Boyce 11. tors are competent and profes- swer honestly," said James M.

us i anna Iliver len Ii Grier took the position that steady sional and there d,oes appear to be Cubie, Washington representative, about 12 miles soutli of Wilming- improvements have been made at an improvement m employee atti- for the Union of Concerned Scien-ton on ArtificialIsland, N.J. About Peach HoHom. ludes, tists, a national organization of 7.5 percent of each plant is owned In a memorandum to the direc- Still, Grier felt that the manage- sc n s and propssi cal f nudcar power, g,nals ce by Delmarva Power & Light Co. tor of the Division of Heactor ment of Peach Hottom "still if the an-The investigators' opinions were Operation Inspection, Grier said ; appears disinclined to take disci- See PE ACII-Page 6, Col.1

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Tha Morning Nows, Wilmington, Del . Tuesday,.Nov. 21,1978 noticen capable of handling thit chtge." .

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least safe sitbs in Northeast' canau.e u.m p 'n o,.. Altogether ,10 m.spectors gave EM55 affe ted by the makeup of theindi-I," the report said, "and has the vid 11.'

swers weren't anonymous these their evaluation of the 1,090 mega- poorest management. Quality guys' jobs would be on thc line " watt plant. At least two of the m- Assurance Isafetyl and security theF~'oalition fida 11erryhill, chairman of for Nuclear Power The Union of Concerned Scien- spdors rakd h radiation con- are not upgraded to current stand- Pla t Postponement, said the in-safeg tists obtained the NRC's internal W ins an(u ns ,uaNs podio,n- of documents under the Freedom of a amptable orthe co ards.

m pli Alany repeat items of non- spe tors' evaluation doesn't sur-a'nce." pri her. t Y CHOU pUm Another comment was "l Thel " ve been keeping a chronology Information Cubic said the Act lateagency federal last week:

re Cnn nu pUa ng,a N general attitude of plant appear 5 of t e failures - all the leaks and l fused to release them for almost a ingi the study. to be compliance only as requir bre kdowns," she said. "I have A majority of the inspectors. ed." bec living in mortal fear since (

Cubic disparaged the NRC's - EW n3 Y One Peach Bottom inspectol the lay these plants went on line.

safety inspections as " biased ss tha,n amage,naluation. . complained that management o: Pe;:h Bottom is contaminating l against enforcement, undermined .spectors comments in- the Philadelphia Electric Co. the milk and checsc of the area.

by political conside cluded: The plant contr weak and ineffective.,r,ations and very poorlyIlus designed.

is a attemptedp,1 roo.m is which to " control" NRCowns most ih - fait res'" of the plant, b u Sal m is plagued with in relatively new plant with growing spectors' access to the plant by Ile cited a May 3,1976, m. ternal' pains. Il needs close inspection following them around. -~ ~

memorandum from the agency s attention to a$sure that appropri- Another plant inspector said office of mspection instructing ate improvements are made- " Plant radiation levels have beer gio,nal offices to submit msg c- llave had a number of problems in increasing with time. Design anc tor s reports to a regional board of start up phase, which were cor- staffing of plant appear to hav(

commissioners for review and rected by management. Problems approval based on general propri- with operator controls." '

ety, political considerations, etc." At ! cast one inspector criticized The inspectors' subjective opin. centrol room as being designed ions were part of a 700 page, four. "in house - it is a disaster wait-part study on the performance of ing to happen."

13 nuclear plants throunbout the Patrick J. Wnceler, a spokes-country. The anonymous opinions man for New Jersey's Public were compiled before April 1978. Service Electric & Gas Co., which In another portion of the study, owns a majority interest in Salem, completed in September, 1977, confirmed that the control room i Peach Bottom Ill received an did not follow Westinghouse Co.'s "above average" rating and design, but he added that the utili-Peach Bottom 11 an " average" ty has not received any indication rating for their record of safety from the NRC that it posed a safe-and compliance with NRC regula- ty hazard.

tions. Nineteen inspectors of the Peach Yet another study, completed at Bottom installations gave the Ia-the same time, gave Peach Bot- cilities a range of evaluations - i tom Il and Ill a high mark of "A" most of them unfavorable. In al- ,,

for their safety record and a "B" most every category, from emer- ~

for their deficiencies." The study gency planning to everall safety, did not elaborate. at least one inspector character-The Salem plant, which came on ized the plants as marginally safe line in June 1977, was included enough to continuc operating.

only in the anonymous opinion "This is the least safe site in Re-