ML19305D225
| ML19305D225 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  |
| Issue date: | 01/31/1980 |
| From: | Stevenson A SENATE |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS (OCA) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19305D224 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8004140230 | |
| Download: ML19305D225 (5) | |
Text
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January 31, 1980 I
'ECnifeb Sfafes Senafe Office of Senator Adlai E.
i Stevenson 456 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C.
20510 Attention: Althia Harris Respectfully referred to:
Congressional Liaison Office Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
20555 Because of the desire of this office to be responsive to all inquirios and communications, your consideration of the attached is requested.
Your findings and views, in duplicate form, along with return of the enclosure, will be appreciated by W,
l g
U.S.S.
Fom #2 s
8004140 7
L AW 08 F sCES C#
EDWIN R. MCCULLOUGH
.
- Noss e L a s a L e s e sae r t CHIC AGO sLLINOis 50602 p+eose sie var son
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January 22, 1980 t
I Mr. Lawrence N. Hansen United States Senate Washington, D.C.
20510
Dear Larry:
Enclosed is a letter to Senator Stevenson and a press re-lease.
The decontamination of Dresden I is a catter of urgent concern which has occupied many hours of my time.
In addition to my Chicago practice, I have worked recently in the Illinois Valley area, including advising a citizens' en-vironmental and energy group concerned with this problem.
I would appreciate your personal attention to my letter.
Cordially,
/b l
Edwin R. McCullough ERM: met Enclosure
- ~. ~ -.
l.S.E.A.
JLLINOIS SAFE ENERGY ALLIANCE P.O. Box 469 January 23, 1979 Antioch, Illinois 60002 Meetings:
407 South
Dearborn,
Room 370 Chicago, Illinois 60605 Honorable Adlai E.
Stevenson United States Senate Washington, D.C.
205;0 Daar Senator Stevenson:
I am writing you in Lehalf of the Illinois Safe Energy Alliance (ISEA) about a most urgent hatter.
Enclosed is the ISEA press release on tl.e chemical clean-up of the Dresden I reactor.
This experimental procedure is the first of its kind in the world, and its purpose is to remove radioactive " crud" which eventually makes middle-age reactors inoperative.
Dow Chemical Company is the primary contractor.
Dres-den I is the nation's oldest commercial reactor, having operated 17 years.
The concern of the ISEA and others is that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has not conducted adequate studies of the evironmen-tal consequences of this prototype decontamination project.
The NRC, in response to citizens' questions, concludes, without adeq uate rea-cons, that the clean-up will be safe, leaving many questions unan-ccered.
To the best of our information, the NRC has not conducted any independent tests of the clean-up process, including waste transporta-tion and disposal.
The ISEA believes that the Dow Chemical NS-1 colidification process and durability and the resulting waste form has not been adequately tested.
As stewards of the environment, we can no longer ignore the en-vironmental consequences of technology.
The purpose of an Environmen-tcl Impact Statement is to force the decision-maker to consider the environment before starting a major action.
The ISEA asks you to in-oist on an EIS on the clean-up before it starts.
Kindly contact the undersigned for any fur ther information and d th your response.
Your concern is greatly appreciated.
Very truly yours, fa k / 2h L
Edwin R. McCullough 1 North LaSalle Strert Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 782-9831
1 r
"I.S.E.A.
ILLINOIS SAFE ENERGY ALLIANCE January 22, 1980 P.O. Box 469 FOR ImiEDIATE REl. EASE Anhoch. Illinois 60002 Meetings:
FROM:
ILLIN0IS SAFE ENERGY ALLIANCE 407 South Dearborn. Room 370 Chicago. Illinois 60605 The Illinois Safe Energy Alliance (ISEA), a state-wide coalition of energy groups, pub-licly asks the Illinois Congressional delegation to demand that a full Environmental Irpact Statement (EIS) be prepared before the experimental chemical clean-up of the cooling circuits of the Dresden I reactor starts.
It is now scheduled for mid "trch, 1980. An open letter to United States Senators Charles 11. Percy and Adlai E. Stevenson and to all of the Illinois members of the liouse of Representatives, from the 1 SEA, ex-plains the dangers of radioactive " crud" which has built up in the reactor over some 17 years of operation, the risks of this radioactivity being released into the environment during and after the cican-up operations, and the refusal of the Nuclear Regulatory Com-mission (NRC) to prepare an EIS.
The letter further calls for a congressional investi-gation of the problems of decontamination of nuclear reactors and, in particular, of bresden 1.
There is increasing support for the position that the NRC should follow the decision-making steps mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970, and is-cue an EIS.
For example, in September, 1979, the President's Council on Environmental Quality, which issues general guidelines on NEPA, has recommended that decontamination be subject to complete review under NEPA, because of probable significant effects on the environment.
On September 20, 1979, the ISEA sent a formal request to the NRC:
(1) to answer fully, previously unanswered questions on the clean-up and (2) to investigate new information regarding possibic environmental and health effects of reactor decontamination, The NRC has not yet taken action on this request.
In the meantime, on November 21, 1979, the NRC han decided to prepare a programmatic EIS on the decontamination and disposal of radioactive wastes at Three Mile Island, Clean-up will eventually be required for all nucicar reactors to continue operating, as they become corroded with radioactive buildup. Thus, the overall environmental impact of all of these clean-up operations will be greater than the Three Mlle Island clean-ups.
FOR FURTilER INF010!ATION, Pil0NE: Marilyn Shineflug; (312) 395-1353
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