ML19305E488

Responds to Requesting That Future Meetings Re Facility Be Held in Lacrosse,Wi.Util Scheduled 800111 Meeting in Bethesda,Md;Nrc Had No Control Over Cancellation. Rescheduled Meeting Will Be Held in Lacrosse

ML19305E488
Person / Time
Site:	La Crosse File:Dairyland Power Cooperative icon.png
Issue date:	04/14/1980
From:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Morse A COULEE REGION ENERGY COALITION
References
NUDOCS 8005120529
Download: ML19305E488 (2)

Text

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UNITED STATES T

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 80 0512 058q 3

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WASHIP.GTON, D. C. 20555 s.s w,g 1.[d/

APR 141980

%:ket '.:. 50 ;09 A..e Forse 3cx 1533 Couiee Region Energy Coalition La Crosse, Wisconsin 5 601

Dear Ms. Morse:

This is in reply to your letter dated February 10, 1950 requesting that all meetings relating to Diaryland Power Cooperative's La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) be held in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

As was discussed with you on January 11, 1950, Dairyland, not the NRC ctaff, ir.itiated the meeting which was to have been held in Bethesda, Marylarid on January il,1980, to discuss the projected operating lifetime of LACEWR.

The NRC staff, therefore, had no control over its cancellation.

As you are aware, Mr. Richard Vollmer, or, my behalf, promised you during a telephone discussion on January 15, 1980 that if the meeting on the projected cperating lifetime of LAC 5WR was rescheduled, the NRC staff would hold such a T.se:ing in the La Crosse area.

Please be assured that if such a meeting is rescheduled it will be held ir. La Crosse and notice will be provided so that iraerested persons will be aware of the date, time and location.

We do recognize that it can be advantageous for the staff to meet with inter-venors and interested groups such as yours. Such informal meetings can be arrangtd on an ad hoc t' asis to allow these persons or groups to communicate their concerns so that the staff can consider them in its review process and keep interested person. aware of relevant staff activities involving the plant.

This also assists in tne public's understanding of the NRC's role in regulating nuclear power plants. Technical meetings involving the NRC staff and licensees are conducted routinely on nuclear plants and are a necessary and desirable means of ccmmunicating s'uring the course of a review or evaluation of a tech-nical problem.

Since th? cost associated with sending the NRC's review staff and its consultants to a location near a licensed facility for routine meetings could be excessive, these technical meetings are usually held in Bethesda, Maryland to maximize the efficient use of NRC staff resources. However, in the future when there is a routine meeting scheduled that will cover issues that have been raised by the Coulee Region Energy Coalition, the NRC will assess the feasibility of holding the meeting in the La Crosse area taking into con-sideration the impact of such a meeting location on NRC staff resources.

THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS POOR QUALITY PAGES l

Anne Forse

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'de co sincerely regret the inconveniences caused by Dairyland's cancellation of the January 11, 1980 meeting.

Sincerely, 410l Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l

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February 10, 1930

/.r. Marold Denton "hief, 7uclear Reactor Fegulation 7uclear Regulatory Commission lashington, D.C.

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Denten:

This letter is to inform you of some very disturbing events that have occurred in the past few weeks with regard to Dairyland Power Scoperative of La Crosse, WI and its activities relative to the operation of the 3enoa nuclear facility.

As concerned area citizens we feel that Dairyland Power, with vour coonero'i^n, was able once again to successfully preclude our legitimate participation in a i

matter that bears directly on our health and well-being.

1 As I am sure you are aware, a meeting scheduled for January 11, 1900 in Washington between the licensee NRC technical staff and i:urself to consider "a phase-cut of the lifetime of LAC 3WR" was cancelled at the last minute.

Consistent with the NRC policy ou i

lined over a fear ago as to the desirability of informing intervenors cf all meetings which relate to the concerned reactors, and not simply neetings regarding ex parte matters, staff counsel Colleen Woodhead informed us on Tuesday, January 6 of the abovementioned meeting scheduled for the following Friday.

After concluding that this meeting was of sufficient import to w=.rrant personal sttendance, the Ocules Region Snergy Coalition agreed to provide funds for the transportation of the intervenors to the January lith meeting.

Able only to afford automobile transportation,

/ ark Burmaster, George Nygaard and I left for Washington the following evening.

That our intended presence at the meeting was objecticable to

- Cairyland is all too clear, as evidenced by a Thursday a.m. call to 3

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'icodhead from Dairyland's counsel, O. 3. Hiestand.

i.~r. Hiestand was cbviously disturbed that staff counsel had informed the intervenors cf the scheduled meet.ng.

At no time during this conversation did l

.J Kr. Miestand suggest onat the meeting might be cancelled.

Not until Thursday p.m. did Dairyland inform Ji-c Shea of the NRC staff that

.Dairyland intended to cancel the meeging scheduled for the followinc afternoon.

As you can see by the accompanying article, Dairyland offered ~

two reasons fcr cancelling the meeting.

In looking back over the circumstances surrounding such cancellation, it is incomprehensible to us that the " official" reason given, i.e.

the issuance by the A3L3 Of the decisien on expansion of LA03WE's 3??, was in fact the most Icodhead had informed D?C's counsel as early as significant reascn.

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2 Tuesday that the ASL3 decision wculd be out before the meeting on Friday.

Clearly, the issuance of the decision caught no one by sur rise, and especially Dairyland.

Thus, we are left to inevitably c:nclude that Dairyland, in the high-handed fashion that so often has enaracterized its dealings with intervenors and other local citizens, believes that it can take lightly the much-touted " openness policy" that the NRC professes to follow.

In this instance citizen partici-pation was all too effectively thwarted.

At this time we feel that it is incumbent upon the NRC to take i

some action, if only to make clear to all that the NRC does, in fact regulate the utilities, rather than merely following their lead.

It is our position that henceforth any and all meetings between liryland and the NRC relating to LAC 3WR be held in La Crosse, where those most affected by the operation of LAC 3WR are afforded the opportunity to participate and inform themselves on the issue.

Both i

the local press and interested individuals have heretofore been singularly unable to obtain from Dairyland an unguarded and accurate assessment of the on-going status of the facility.

It is just this paucity of information that, leads directly to mistrust and suspicion en 'he part of those who attempt to inform themselves.

We look forward to your response on our recuest as to the location of future meetings.

1. ithin our organization sentinent is such that we i

could not be more frustrated with Dairyland and t';e way in which it his chosen to respond to local citizen participation.

Sincerely, e

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Anne K. Morse for the Coulee Region Energy Coalition AKy/akm Incl.

Oc Honorable William Proxmire, U.S. Senator Monorable Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senator Honorable Al Baldus, U.S. Representative Mr. Stanley York, Chairperson, Wisc. PSC I

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4-r.'.cr' day. F ebruary 25.1930 i

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a m mm An Independent Newspaper KEN'iETH 0. SLANCHARD, Pu:Es9er

. VENr ETH F TEACHCur. Ec for rMO AJAS s.tENMs. General Msne:ct _

R!CHA CD V'AL. Cm?cn Ps;e Ect?ct D A Vi: S OFFER. Mar's;?r'; Ecst:r viT Bu%ESS, %t9sm E e stus SWOF3 GOLTZ. E:::r Ea'ent::s Founced in 19M o

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E The need for open discussion and Atomic Energy Act cesignates the

' debate on nuclear power has never cublic adjucicatory hearing as '

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w been c' eater.

such a 'orum. Itprovides a unique

. And eiforts of anti-nuc! ear acti.-

vehicle /cr catarning answers en is s to get the Nuclear Regul: tori cubhc to controversial cuestions Commission to hold more of its Nuclear ;cv.et is sufficiently

' meetings and hea=gs m La Crosse con:rcversial that its problems cr could result m posit;ve benefits to all apparent problems must be citi: ens and consumers - no ma ter dea!!h with and resc/ved on the if they support or oppose nuclear merits in full view of the public.

~ power At issue. cf course, is the future of Last mon $ Dai vland efficials

"'"" Dairf and Power Cocperative's nu-planned to travel to' Washington to

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l clear plant at Genoa. The NRC's

.get some information from the NRC.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board The tr:p was cance!ed at the last last month approved Dairyland's re-minute. primarily because the NRC' a

quest to expand its spent fuel storage said the meetmg would probably not / /

facihties at Genoa. But Daire!and is produce the info =ation Dai yland still operating the plant on a provi-sought.

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sional license. Its request for a full But another facter in Dairvland's operating license is still pending.

cecisien not to go to Washinden was A frequent ecmplaint heard from

.the fact that mernbers of the Coulee the utilir, industry is the public's Re;ica E'nergv Coalition were driv-la_ ck of knowledge about nuclear ing to Washmston to attend the power. This source cf power deser-meeting. The presence of nuclear cp-ves the closest possible public scru-ponents at the meeting would have tiny, and hoicing mere hearegs in La reduced it to a " state of disarray,"

Crosse instead of Washington could accordine to one Daircland official.

Dairf and needs a'ecess to the help that end.

l When it made its decision on the NRC, and the public is nat entitled spent fuel expansion, the Atomic by law to sit in ever time a Dairf-Safety and Licensing Board had this land efficials seeks an answer to to say about the need for public some question from the NRC. But at awaren:ss-the same time. the pubile needs ac-cen to these NRC meetin:s and

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Fa:e:.. :n sucn strongly-held Har;ny that are open to the pubhc.

ci!!erences of epcion,it is ir"por-Holdm: m?re meetin:s and hear-tant tc rescl.e tne quest <cns in a ings in La Cresse wnu!d' ensure that cu:l!c torum, unles: c?estly cro-nudear power ;ets the full public de-her::ec o,e acc icat;e rules. Tre b:w. that a nceded.

-u C,sse Tr,twe. Tnurscay. mu-y w. e vu ii y tui iu iit:mi11 ig Q

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pOSICOnSQ c c.; e ss

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By D.WID STOEFFLER with the intervenors over the y 7[l W.

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P,3 DAVID STOEFFLER W ]' d D r4 E

Of the Tribune Staff plant.

4 Of the Tr;bune Staff W

lie said that hearings are b

A meatmg between Daigland demandmg in terms of staff time DaiOh.d Power Cooperatve is trymg ta Power Cooperante and the Nu-bat must be devoted to prepar-f md out :! :: 15 going to be ah!e to kreak even fi-o-Q clear Regulatory Ccmmission on ing for them and attendmg nant..a;1y en its Genos nue! ear power plant.

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the future of the Genoa ::ue: ear cem, and that past heanngs AM. ameng oder things. the c'J11ty hepes to y

power plant has been postponed. have been "ven discouraging,

c! car t'e a:r about the possibil:ty thr.t a damag.

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as far as public opinion tcwards in* carn:;uake cou>l nceur at the Genoa p!.mt.

The mecurc. which was !o be the plant

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D.::qi.:"d hr.s rer;utsted a meetmg Friday m Q

today n V.;.eangton. D C.. was w

postponed at the request of Dainland has until Tuesday to Wheon. D C., wah !breld Denton. the chief of "peranons for the Nuclear Regulatory 1.,

Dainbnd follow 1ng notification convince the NRC that there are Thursday that the plant had re. no prob: ems with seismic condi-Cum rJss:en, and other NRC offien!s about the (Q.E.y ceised perm:ssion to expand the tiens at the plant s'atus and future of the Genoa p: ant.

tp capaca of us " sed fuel s'orage

. Acccidmg to Ricnard Shtmshak piant super.

If Dainhnd's consultants and '

mtendent. Dairyland hopes to get answers to a

'["~d to a ss "-

that there is no danger of an can-experts cannet show the NRC number of questions regarding the plant and its

,D f,on s gect co, future as far as government regulatory require-p' p, ant earthquake causing d'amage to bat we have a safe plant."

eeti$g. But. o $$t ri-[i-] the plant. then the NRC wi'J e te c Sht.shak said Wednesday. but he added that Q

the decmon were dnubts bv IE'e on orde.... wi orce a

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.o pursue cosdy ea *.h

..e quesuon is..where do the regu. tory re-W-

Dairylan<'* ofhe ale fhr' thev j.a..

quirements fina!!y price the p! ant ntht oIat of w m m m a ecugh !ra gake p e-&n mam

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meat:nr thu ~+ " -~W

".. au issues ttat orde.,.

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.2..' '5 'ac.i3' a.~'..%..r o' exp*. nsn' 'e c DV IE* *I* U 2

• d U* ~'*~ H"'.rf 4 y.

,1 9 'mMic hean.; on th[a issue.

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clu:pmet and manpower add:uens m the h q

de c: !ait year's Three.'.!!:e Is:and accident h QJ U.'

a La Crosse-based an!:-

.f m Pennsyh ania - additions that NRC officials W

"2$*3f STCU?-

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' hrea memoers of the coab.-

4/.Mw K ;f naie eium:nad may cost each nuclear p'. ant r o C3 matter how small. 'between !!5 milben and !?5 E'%

!!cn phnned to attend the meet-vj p Q

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mg. leaveg Wednesday night to y

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~ Wan cos'.s dat large. Shimshak said the 46 drne to Washington. D.C.

e to 5,f. g megawstt Genoa plant wou!d have to run a long Qi].;,

s According to Richard Shim-1 1 ma m crcer to make up the expense shak. Genoa plant superia. tend-In D AC in ad' :n. Sh:~shak sa:d. the NRC is "un-ent. the presence of these peop!e M

and newsmen at the meeung

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may have obstructed t"e pur-C pose of the meeung. that being k

for Datrv!and to get some an-swers from the NRC about what C

financ:al demands are gemg to be placed on the plant.

"We would not have the meet-ine nreurnt ta a state e: caarrav 6 '" - mnce of the inte.a-i

' 'nct wvi Wa m reh na-t and F ror rt view" abou;_'.a condi-Q a

tion nf the Ge n1 a! ant.

But. 5h msnai said, oae NRC official had warned t*.at Dairy-

^

land would not fin:'she answers it was looking '.,r anyway, be-cause it wae act presenting any plans ~ ;ast seeking answers.

A* a resci Shimshak said Q,,

Dairy!and is considerm; cther VG methods of pursuing the infor-Qg mation.

At this poet. he sa,d Dairy-i land w;!! probab!y prepare a Ie't-C",")

ter prc<enur.:: <recific ideas on tha rt.mi's fut m :.nd add:nons i

th;.t m..st be reeded.

\\D The.n a meeung could be held r' p

'w:th the N RC ca the item.s in the Vy i< tter

%mWk sani that the !ctier h'g

,g wi41 be.v:re puh!!c. and.11-th ne' nat m ht rme mme pe ib'. m it woAl.svnni p tieng l'

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