ML19275G516
| ML19275G516 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/20/1980 |
| From: | Kammerer C NRC OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS (OCA) |
| To: | Badham R HOUSE OF REP. |
| References | |
| FOIA-80-274 NUDOCS 8006120402 | |
| Download: ML19275G516 (2) | |
Text
.
i 9
.9%q'o,$
3
/
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION g
E WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
%,...../
VAY 2 01980 The Honorable Robert Badham United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C.
20510
Dear Congressman Badham:
We are pleased to respond to your request of April 24, for coment on Mr. William A. Cosgrove's views on the Nuclear Regulatory Comission's delay in licensing new nuclear power plants.
The basic mission of the NRC is to regulate civilian nuclear activities so that the public health and safety, national security and environ-mental quality are protected and the antitrust laws obeyed.
One of the tools given the NRC is the ability to establish standards and criteria for equipment used for nuclear power generation and criteria for the qualifications of individuals who operate nuclear power plants.
The decision to license a nuclear power plant is based on the best technical information available to the NRC at the time a license is issued.
Since the TMI-2 accident, the NRC staff has been conducting an extensive review of the design and operational aspects of nuclear power plants and the emergency procedures for coping with potential accidents. The purpose of these efforts was to identify measures that should be taken in the short-term to reduce the likelihood of such accidents and to improve the emergency preparedness for responding to such events.
Many of our findings indicated the need to upgrade equipment, personnel training and qualifications, and off-site emergency planning.
We have decided that many of these changes should be necessary conditions for the operation of nuclear power plants. As a result, we have directed operating plants to implement these recommendations and we are requiring that other plants incorporate these changes prior to obtaining an operating license. At the moment, the bulk of our effort is directed at assuring that plants which are already in operation make the required improvements.
On September 27, 1979, letters were sent to all pending operating license applicants, setting forth further requirements established as a result of these efforts.
We indicated that ad.ditional requirements would likely be developed.
In order to expedite this process, our review of applicant responses has involved meetings with applicants and other discussions to clarify our concerns.
Since March we have authorized three plants, Sequoyah 1. North Anna-2, and Salem-2, to begin low-power operations and testing. At this time, we have not determined that any applicant for an operating license has completely satisfied our concerns to allow full-power operations.
8006120VO2
e In addition to the above requirements, Commission review of the results of other investigations, including the Presidential Commission and the NRC's Special Inquiry Group, can be expected to lead to additional re-quirements for use in licensing reviews of new plants.
We are in the final stages of development of an Action Plan for implementing recomend-ations of the President's Commission and other studies resulting from the TMI-2 accident.
This Action Plan will include new or improved safety objectives, the detailed criteria for their implementation and the various implementation deadlines.
With regard to Diablo Canyon Unit 1, our evaluation of the plant for the results of the " lessons learned" from Three Mile Island and for a license which would allow low-power testing is nearing completion and will be documented in a safety evaluation report.
When our safety evaluation report is issued, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board must rule on a motion before it which seeks to reopen the public hearings on the Three Mile Island issues. Appeals on seismic and security matters, matters which were previously reviewed and approved by the Licensing Board are still pending before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Board. A prehearing conference on the security matter and oral argument on the seismic matter were conducted during the first week of April.
The NRC staff has not changed its previous favorable conclusions regarding these matters.
San Onofre 2 is presently 90 percent complete.
The NRC Staff estimates that their review of the San Onofre application will be complete at completion of construction.
I want to assure you that we fully appreciate Mr. Cosgrove's coments and trust that the above information has been responsive tn his concerns.
Sincerely, Carlton Kamerer Dire tor y Office of Congress 1 Affairs
,