ML19275G519
| ML19275G519 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/07/1980 |
| From: | Kammerer C NRC OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS (OCA) |
| To: | Railsback T HOUSE OF REP. |
| References | |
| FOIA-80-274 NUDOCS 8006120419 | |
| Download: ML19275G519 (2) | |
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION y ' 3 c. ( j'- p, W.
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%....+f MAY 0 71980 The Honorable Tom Railsback United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C.
20515
Dear Congressman Railsback:
Thank you for your letter of April 23, 1980 on behalf of your constit-uent Ms. Linda Nutter. Ms. Nutter is concerned that valuable farm land is being used to site nuclear power plants and asks if nuclear power is safe, why is there evacuation planning required around them.
Some of the matters raised by Ms. Nutter are beyond the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Congress and the President made the basic decision to utilize nuclear power for the generation of elec-tricity by enacting the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.
While there have been a number of legislative proposals to stop further nuclear power development, these have not yet been enacted.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was established in 1974 to assure that the nuclear powerplants built were designed and operated in such a way as to minimize risk to the public health and safety and the environment.
No technology is totally risk free. The Commission's regulations on the design and operation Sf nuclear powerplants aim to assure that the release of significant quantities of radioactive fission products is "an extremely low probability".
However, the accident at Three !iile Island Unit 2 last year, which was the result of equipment malfunctions and operator action in a combination that did not follow any scenario previously analysed, underscored the prudence in both on-site and off-site emergency preparedness.
As a result the Comission, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and State and local authorities have done substantial work over the past year particularly with respect to off-site planning for the aftermath of an accident.
Ms. Nutter should be aware that the primary responsibility for all emergency preparedness activities, including those related to a nuclear accident, is that of FEMA at the federal level.
FEMA works with State and local authorities to prepare for a wide variety of natural catas-trophes and industrial accidents, such as train derailments, in addition to planning for a nuclear accident.
For further information regarding evacuation planning in the event of other types of industrial accidents, I would suggest Ms. Nutter contact FEMA or Illinois State emergency planning officials directly.
Finally, with regard to the land acquisition plans of the Commonwealth Edison Company, the NRC has no control over a utility company's land 8 00612 OW9*
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acquisition policies or selection of a proposed site for a nuclear powerplant.
However, no utility may start to build a nuclear powerplant until it has been given a construction permit by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Before NRC issues such a permit it must do a thorough review of the environmental impact of the proposed plant including a review of the suitability of the site.
As part of the decisionmaking process, NRC must look at alternative sites proposed by the licensee and make determinations that the power from the proposed plant will be needed and that nuclear power generation is the best method for pro-ducing that power.
I hope that this information is helpful to Ms. Nutter.
Sincerely,
/4PAE Carlton Kammerer,. ector Office of Congressional Affairs O
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