ML19308B610

Forwards DOE s to Kemeny Commission,Civic Club of Suburban Harrisburg 790405 Questions Re Accident,Doe 790625 Response & DOE Newsletter.Requests Comment

ML19308B610
Person / Time
Site:	Crane
Issue date:	06/25/1979
From:	Hobson T ENERGY, DEPT. OF
To:	Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML19308B609	List: ML19308B608 ML19308B610
References
NUDOCS 8001160401
Download: ML19308B610 (48)

Text

{{#Wiki_filter:- - -. _ (- %J s k>, V g Department of Energy NVashington, D.C. 20585 June 25, 1979 Honorable Joseph M. Hendrie Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The Department of Energy's Office of Consumer Affairs publishes a newsletter, The Energy Consumer, which has tried to provide citizens with a variety of views on complex national energy issues. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has in the past contributed its views in response to citizen / consumer questions (see p. 18 of newsletter enclosed). The Civic Club of Suburban Harrisburg, an affiliate of the General Federation of Women's Clubs and primarily involved with local civic projects, has submitted the enclosed questions that concern their members about the Three Mile Island accident. We have also sent the same questions to the President's Commission on Three Mile Island for an official reply. We would appreciate receiving the best possible answers from NRC as soon as possible. We have agreed to print Q's and A's of general interest in a future edition of the newsletter. Interim replies are being sent by Commissioner Ahearne and DOE. As always, DOE's goal is to increasingly provide citizens with enough varied information on controversial energy topics for citizens to recognize difficult energy trade-offs and to think through these issues for themselves. If possible, we would appreciate receiving your views by mid-August. Of course, the final draf t of the newsletter would be cleared with you before it is published. Jerry Penno, Deputy Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, will be coordinating the material. She can be reached on 252-5871. Thank you for your cocperation. Sincerely, Tina C. Hobson Director Office of Consumer Affairs 3 Enclosures 8001160 4 84

f .3 'Q.%5 Department of Energy Washington, D.C. 20585 June 25, 1979[ Mrs. Janet Walker President Civic Club of Suburban Harrisburg 4858 Peterborough Road Harrisburg, PA 17109

Dear Mrs. Walker:

I wanted to send you and the Civic Club a personal note confirming how the Department of Energy (DOE) will coordinate answers to the questions whi ch your group submitted to us after the Three Mile Island accident. Commissioner John Ahearne, of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will contact you with interim answers he prepared immediately after we received your questions. We have asked John Deutch, Acting Under Secretary, to forward a separate reply to questions related to DOE responsibilities and actions. I have sent your questions to the Nuclear Regulatory Com-mission and to the President's Commission on Three Mile Island. When we receive answers from the appropriate Federal entities, we will print appropriate questions of general interest and the official answers in the Energy Consumer. We would like--since there is now more time--two items from the Civic Club for publication. First, we would like your club to write a description of yourselves, including the kind of projects which you have worked upon during the past year. Secondly, we would like some black and white glossy photographs--one could be of you and your officers, others could be of members during meetings or doing projects. If your members are interested in regularly receiving the Energy Consumer, we would be happy to add their names to our mailing list. I have enclosed several copies for your information. NO

2 I hope you will thank every member for me; through your personal experience you are helping all consumets to find the kind of information people need to enter an_' effective energy decision making process. ~ Sincerely, l us Ih *0~ Tina C. Hobson Director Office of Consumer Affairs 2 Enclosures 9

Department of Energy Washington, D.C. 20585 June 25, 1979 Mcnorable John Kemeny Chairman, President's Commission on Three Mile Island 2100 M Street, N.W., Room 714 Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The Department of Energy (DOE) joins all segments of American society in appreciating the difficult task that you and your fellow Commissioners face. In an effort to provide consumers with varied information on complex energy topics, my office publishes The Energy Consumer. Questions of general interest are submitted by citizen organizations and answered by the appropriate Federal agency. Following the Three Mile Island accident, the Civic Club of Suburban Harrisburg, an affiliate of the General Federation of Women's Clubs that had not previously been involved in energy projects, submitted questions that they felt should be publically answered. We invite the Three Mile Island Commission to prepare answers to the questions as you are preparing your independent report to the President. We have also asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and DOE to contribute their thoughts, so that when O's and A's of general interest are eventually published, consumer readers across the Nation will have the benefit of the best thinking available on the subject. Our goal is to provide citizens with enough information to encourage people to think through difficult energy trade-offs for themselves. If possible, we would appreciate receiving your views by mid-August. Of course, the final draft of the newsletter would be cleared with you before it is published. We would be happy to have a member of our staff work with you in developing the replies. Jerry Penno, Deputy Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, will be coordinating the material. She can be reached on 252-5871.

2 Since The Energy Consumer may be unfamiliar to some members of the commission, I am enclosing several copies,for your information. Thank you for your assistance. 1 Sincerely, 49f Tina C. Hobson Director Office of Consumer Affairs 3 Enclosures

-QUESTIONS ON THREE MILE ACCIDENT ., Submitt;d by Civic Club of Suburban Harrisburg, Member of Gsnaral Federation of Women's Clubs April 5, 1979 1. Will reactor 2 ever go back on line? Will the utility s be allowed to turn reactor 1 back on sitting next to the broken reactor? 2. News said GAO said each reactor should have an on-site NRC person; with 70 active and 100 being built, is the training and salary of both NRC and utilities good and high enough to have good safety people? 3. How did they determine in first place that Three Mile Island was safe because the Susquahanna frequently has bad floods? How high does flood water get? Wha-erosion protection is there? What about all the other 7. control buildings even if reactors themselves are strong enough to withstand floods and tree debris in bad floods? 4. Does groundwater level of the Island enhance changes of steam explosion if melt down happens? Heard that groundwater might effect explosions and seems an Island sure has groundwater. 5. P.R. man from utility talked to their ladies ' club in y-March. Showed slides and referred to storage area for '~ used fuel as a swimming pool type thing, on site. What I"", is radioactivity of the stored stuff, how much is there? How safe is it if there are further accidents? Will stuff coming out of number 2 be stored along with the other sturf? 6. Some guy said Feds were going to recycle that spent fuel to get it out of Harrisburg. What is status of that? When does that happen? How much does it cost? Who pays? g_. 7. What are they going to do with water in plant? ~ r p& p e 8. Can the buildings themselves be contaminated by the radioactivity? If so, how long will it stay radioactive? .b(.$ "X. 9. How can a Harrisburg residdnt ever have trust and faith UY ', in Met Ed again? ?l[:-

10. Did Met Ed lie to NRC and the people?

l:.

11. Is placing control of atomic energy in a profit-motivated

( utility company avoidable?

12. Why should Met Ed customers be saddled with costs of both building these reactors and now repairing?

Why shouldn't v shareholders pay everything? w e emm=- ..y.

%.: 'r:..

f.~ ~ m. c W '- 4 ~- i

.~ 2 .:~m

13. Will the taxpayer now have to pay for this accident?

Why? ,,)

14. Why are all the other reactors being licensed, when disposal of present waste problems has not been solved?

15. Do you trust Met Ed or any other profit-motivated utility that has reactors?

16. Why did it take so long for NRC to seemingly react?

'.{'$

17. What's total radioactivity we've been exposed to?

Should g.y, we avoid X-rays? c

18. Will a threat of off-site contamination exist after cold shut down?

- g, )

19. Did nuclear fission (not chain reaction) continue to fi3 take place after the original incidence?

If not where '*3 did the heat continue to come frcm?

20. Why on earth was a key valve (the one that could let gas out) designed so it could only be operated by a

,,~ human?

21. Can customers other than Met Ed be assessed costs of correcting the problem?

22. Why didn't they have warning lights to let workers know valves were shut off?

.md C

23. Are you sure that the manufacturer (B&W) of this reactor has not done same things to other reactors?

Why arn' t all the other reactors they designed shut down?

24. Does NRC have guidances about the number of plants that are allowed in a geographical area?

Aren't there an excessive number running and planned in Harrisburg?

25. Why isn' t more money given to alternative energy sources 2

including coal mine and coal air pollution safety? ~~"

26. Why was Met Ed allowed to make statement Friday morning, "the crisis is over," when it was only beginning?

27. Can you guarantee my children will not get cancer from the exposure they've had and the milk they'll be drinking?

28. Why is a nuclear plant near people?

It should never, vj never be allowed near people. um

29. Why were we not given choice to take drug, potassium iodine?

CONSUMER!% a yt \\ 2.2.;- emath - = ~ = :.:, x % ~~ .Ws.U hf Yh.,*3- '.e T - li I) %w-s ? wMWT~~~ if

• i-

.. I.. 6 ' r ,l d h, :T <~, f 66.vf a. w s.v ".y&: S A 2? e il hps. L l n ...:.;.>..;y g.. :;3.:..:g :::%..,. m ..g.... w ,m q ,wt -:y.n..::....z.....- r ? k g.rp, e. ? ~ e, .~. x ~ g j 'l ' ' I 'i- @. A :,'. t. spID. . x;. ^ .= i: ErN x. Public Meetings On: NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT SAN FRANCISCO DENVER e BOSTON e Nation 1 Energy Plan - Public Meetings - See Page 23 Office of Consumer Affairs U.S. Department of Energy Washington,D.C.

and local, ad hoc groups opposed to nuclear waste repositories in their areas. NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT A total of 205 people testified at the three meet-ings (62 in San Francisco; 40 in Denver; and 103 in On March 15, 1978, President Carter established an Boston). Interagency Review Group (IRG) on nuclear waste THE MEETINGS minagement to develop Federal goals for the manage-ent of nuclear wastes and to propose workplans for The Department of Energy requested participants to th7 achievement of those goals. The IRG is schedul-focus their testimony on the six issue areas for cd to submit its recommendations to the President which the IRG had established working groups: (1) in December, 1978, upon receipt and incorporation Alternative Technology Strategies; (2) Federal In-of public comments into its Draft Report. volvement (licensing / standards / criteria); (3) De-fense Wastes (special issues); (4) Spent Fuel Stor-The following 14 Federal agencies participated in age / Charges; (5) Transportation Issues; and (6) In-the IRG: the Departments of Energy Interior, ternational Issues. Commerce, State, and Transportation; the Environ-3:ntal Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics For the most part, witnesses addressed these and Space Administration, the Council on Environ-issues. However, it was difficult for most wit-m;ntal Quality, and the White House Offices of nesses in San Francisco and Denver -- most of Sscurity Affairs, Domestic Affairs, Budget and whom had less than a week -- to prepare detailed Science and Technology Policy. The Nuclear Regula-or technical testimony on such short notice. tory Commission was invited to participate as they Accordingly, their comments tended to be general dremed appropriate. and many devoted considerable time to criticism of the DOE for holding meetings and soliciting public In order to assist in the formulation of its recom-participation on important issues with only a few mindations, the IRG sponsored a series of three pub-days advance notics. Many of these witnesses did lic meetings in late July and early August to hear indicate that they would later submit detailed, the views of the public on nuclear waste management substantive comments in written form. issues. The meetings were held in San Francisco on July 21 and 22, in Denver on July 24, and in Boston on August 4 and 5.

SUMMARY

REPORT OF MEETINGS An official Summary Report of the Public and Small-FACILITATION OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Group Meetings sponsored by the IRG was prepared and has been distributed to those attending and Sicause of the short time between the official no-participating in the meetings. Copies of this re-tice of the public meetings in the Federal Register port may be obtained by writing to: and the scheduled meetings, and in order to assure Office of Consumer Affairs that a broad range of affected public interests U.S. Department of Energy had an opportunity to present their views to the Room 8G-082 Forrestal Building government, the DOE Office of Consumer Affairs con-1000 Independence Avenue, S.W. tracted with a private group to coordinate efforts Washington, D.C. 20585 to facilitate effective public participation in Complete sets of the transcripts of these public meetings are available for review in DOE's Chicago the meetings. Operations Office and in the DOE Freedom of Infor-mation Reading Room, Room 2107, Federal Building, Stringent time limitations, imposed by the need to 13th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washing-promptly complete the report to the President, de-ton, D.C. tcrmined the tight schedule of meetings to obtain public input. However, opportunities for citizen The following observations on the meetings were p:rticipation were not restricted to the public prepared by the public interest law firm of Eaton, meetings. Another major opportunity was provided Plesser and Stein, of Washington, D.C., which re-when the Draft Report of the IRG was issued for inforced the outreach effort described above, public comment on October 19, 1978. GENERAL OVERVIEW Over 400 people, representing the following broad Comments centered primarily on the safety risks rcnge of interests and constituencies, were direct-associated with nuclear power and nuclear waste ly contacted and invited to participate: management, and on the public's perception (or mis-tcademics; nuclear industry / utility executives and perception) of those risks. A few major points cngineers; State and local government officials; were discussed at all three meetings: cnti-nuclear citizens groups; labor; environmental groups; church groups; consumer reform groups; One attitude, expressed principally by representa-pro-nuclear citizens groups; Native Americans; tives of environmental and citizen groups and indi-

3_ vidual citizens, is that there is no safe way to dispose of nuclear waste. Many of these witnesses ing technologies with levels of risk acceptable demanded that all nuclear production be halted by enough to warrant their use, some geologists testi-the government until a safe and acceptable solution fied that geologic knowledge is limited and that to the waste problem is found. Few witnesses had hydraulic movement is poorly understood, any answer to the question of how to dispose of nu-The majority of witnesses who commented on specific clear wastes that are already accumulated. Those that addressed that issue felt that intermediate nuclear waste management technologies favored try-disposal methods should be tried, but that whatever ing a variety of parallel approaches, in the form method was used had to leave the waste retrievable of demonstration projects. However, the need to so that, in case the method was found to be unsafe

• make the waste recoverable, in case the disposal the waste could be recovered and re-disposed at method was found faulty, was frequently stressed.

another location. The method that received the most support was geo-logical burial. Salt-bed burial was the most favor-ed method, with deep rock burial the second most A contrasting attitude was expressed principally approved approach. However, an Ohio witness a. the by nuclear industry representatives, certain Boston meeting noted that the salt beds in Ohio academics, and State officials, who believe that the safety risks associated with nuclear wasta have been heavily mined, weakening them structural-have been exaggerated and that safe waste manage-ly, and that they are near major population centers. ment methods do exist. They said that ways must be found to allay the public's fear and mistrust Some objected to geological burial on the ground that of nuclear power, which they believe is far out of seismic disturbances would make it unsafe, while others exprensed specific objection to the proportion to the actual dangers nuclear power WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) project, demand-poses. They called for a major public relations / public information effort by the government to en-ing more research and/or Nuclear Regulatory courage public confidence in nuclear power and Commission licensing before this project goes further ahead. vaste management plans. Several said that, unless such an effort is undertaken, any nuclear waste management plan, no matter how scientifically K.. .g 5 safe and sound, will fail because of public , u k, 3 y y," q 3 mistrust and misunderstanding. Indeed, the meet-p factor. Many of the general citizens groups that -{ &3 1 ings revealed that public mistrust is a major e 6 Y ,d testified (senior citizens groups, migrant work-sp j g ers groups, consumer groups, et al) said they did f m g g g g g'.g not know whether there is a safe disposal method, p(, g gM but expressed a deep concern about nuclear safety Nd g;pQ,Q y and a tear that the government and the nuclear in-dustry were not celling them about all the risks. sg f l i e, 4 ga In fact, the government's own credibility emerged 9 [, ^/g {f%" g '[']

1. 7 y

5' as ene of the issues addressed most often at the I 'b.>, h m 1; h( meetings. d,N v]) 4 4 \\5Lh l 3 3 $h m A f [i Many witnesses, including industry representatives, _1 a emphasi:ed the need for public education so that p i T" y citi: ens could start having 0:fcmed views on nuc-lear questions. Several remarked that the public The disposal method that received the most opposi-is now so misinformed or inadequately informed that tion was seabed disposal. Persons who spoke out it may be impossible to hold useful public hearings against this method cited the poor retrievability on this subject. in case of failure, difficulties in monitoring and in transporting the waste ove to ses, and possible COMMENTS ON THE IRC'S SIX WORKING AREAS threats to humans through the radioactive contami-nation of sea-based food chains. Most witnesses attempted to address some aspect of one or more of the six working areas identified by Witnesses from citizen or ad hoc, grassroots groups the Interagency Review Group. frequently voiced concern about the siting of waste disporal projects. One migrant farm worker repre-2. Alemmies Taholom Sem!Mes sentative, for example, was worried that nuclear vaste proximity to farm land would endanger crops. The issue most widely addressed was the question of alternative technology strategies., The consensus Witnesses favoring nuclear power expressed criti-there is no risk-free approach. While cism of Office of Science and Technology Policy was that many witnesses (principally industry, State, and (OSTP) work questioning the safety of geological academic representatives) believe there are exist-

disposal,

and to the expense of reprocessing liquid military, Witnesses from New Mexico called attention to the high-level nuclear wastes. Other witnesses proposed s. solubility of salt and to the valuable potash de-that future military and commercial nuclear wastes posits surrounding the WIPP site there. be created identically. Other witnesses stressed that, whatever nuclear A few witnesses suggested that weapons production be waste management alternative is chosen, the non-stopped in order to prevent the production of any I defense nuclear waste costs of those alternatives further wastes. S^me noted that the sites of the must be charged to the utilities -- for only in present military nuclear waste repositories were this fashion will the true costs of nuclear gene-already hopelessly contaminated and would never be i rating stations become known. Nuclear industry habitable again, representatives asserted that, if spent nuclear i fuel is deemed by the government to be waste, those 4. Spent Storege costs should be carried by the government. If, I however, reprocessing is allowed, they felt that Most witnesses commenting on this issue suggested the industry would pay those costs. that no real strategies could be developed until there had been a decision on whether or not to re-process spent fuel. The reprocessing decision, in-Various witnesses stressed the importance of prompt cluding the decision en a breeder / plutonium economy, implementation of WIPP, to demonstrate to the pub-will have a major impact on nuclear waste manage-lic that nuclear waste isolation is technically ment. feasible. In this context, support for the John Deutch recommendations on WIPP were voiced (Mr. The pro-nuclear power witnesses favor reprocessing Deutch is Director of DOE's Office of Energy Re-as an essential aspect of continued use of LWR search). (light-water reactor) technology. They argue that reprocessing technology and facilities exist (at

. Edm! InvoZve ent (Zioensinc/ standards / criteria)

Barnwell, South Carolina), and that spent fuel rods are n0! waste. Furthermore, they maintain, repro-People who discussed this issue generally agreed cessing would reduce at least the physical volume that nuclear waste management is a national problem of high-level waste (but probably not transuranic and that the Federal government should assume major waste), and ease the problem of high-level waste i responsibility for it. Several felt that the NRC management. should license all disposal facilities. Cther witnesses opposed the reprocessing / breeder / However, mest witnesses also expressed the view plutonium fuel cycle, suppcrting President Carter's that the States should be closely involved in siting decision to halt breeder development. Anti-nuclear issues and in the development of standards and cri-witnesses stressed that spent fuel rods present the teria. Some felt the States should just monitor most i= mediate nuclear waste management proble=s. Federal activities; others felt that the States should be given veto power. A number of witnesses stressed that State involvement is important because the public can be more effectively involved at the TV. y g State level. -M. b hk. One witness, an attorney, felt that the IRG and the p.- Y . J.) *Q %w. % .,3. Q g/ w +0

• 'A*,k' hN. N'g* W, agencies comprising that group have too great an K!

interest in nuclear power development to be able to 6 Y. i*g,.i W make disinterested determinations on nuclear waste k " h -1 i ' D. y management. He suggested that a separate commission M ', QQ - ( $ 'e 7 yj S '*< 1 J

• 4 An *O '>(. h ('

. N.- of private citizens and scientists be established to My make those determinations. .s.g v q u.., e 4 % [(% }d h (h' % a$ U.Ty g %g Many witnesses in the Boston meeting called for N.j additional nuclear waste management public proceed-u 4~ ings in States where nuclear wastes are actually Mp being stored at the present time. D h JJA ,g C S

• t- + - % '..gg g ~

Qp i

• 1

~t%. 3, Wanse Vaate ' RJ%, y ',- N..'.N r ( This issue was not addressed to any significant ~ 5.'%.thi QV '* r% 3. c +.. j, g.9 'g'.i V.4 degree in either the San Francisco or Denver meet-f, P, '.7 ings. Witnesses in Boston pointed out that early e*. w6 decisions in nuclear waste management - e.g., li-4 1 quid storage, without partitioning in carbon steel op vhp 9 ir l - presented subsequent consequences that are quite <-W J ( l serious. Attention was called to the numerous leaks. Na

This fact presents a serious problem in New England where seven nuclear power stations now generate Other Points of Interest s electricity. Accc-rding to industry witnesses, each of those seven reactors has undergone "re-racking" Witnesses, primarily at the Boston session, made of spent fuel pools to hold additional fuel rods. the following points in addition to the ones already Reactor spent fuel pools which were designed to presented above: hold 1.5 core loadings of spent fuel now hold 4 core loadings. But, according to these witnesses

• The concept of " ethical stewardship" of the e

planet requires that safety from radiation con-sven these modifications will not prevent shortages of space which, in some reactors, could come as tamination be the prime goal of nuclear waste management. sarly as 1983. The Deutch Report (March, 1978), addresses this problem and also identifies actions e The IRG has no medical members. Doctors or by DOE to have interim storage facilities ha*; From-other health professionals should be added to Reactor (AFR), beginning in 1983. Therefore, a the IRG. noted by an executive of Boston Edison, if the a-s does not move quickly on this issue, per-vernment vate utilities will be forced to construct region.: Dr. Thomas Najarian, a graduate of Harvard's e waste storage f acilities (most likely air or water-Medical School who also holds a Master's Degree cooled, above-ground silo types) in order to con

• in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke of his work with tinue nuclear reactor operation. According to these witnesses AFR storage is essential if the naval shipyard workers involved in overhauling nuclear industry is to continue operation.

nuclear propulsion systems. His initial re-search reveals that low-level radiation (parti-5. Trensvor ation Issues cularly non-Gamma ray) presents far greater dan-ger than was previously believed. (Ese Dr. r Vary little substantive testimony was given on this lidcr *an 's remarics on Page J. -- Ed.) subject in the San Francisco or Denver meetings. However, several witnesses there did express concern Waste management research funds should be dis-e about the safety hazards in transporting nuclear persed to universities where opposition to wastes. nuclear power will cause tougher questions to be raised about the nuclear waste management pro-In the Boston meeting, a number of witnesses noted cess. that, although high-impact casks have been develop-cd for high-level wastes, low-level and certain Successful waste management is the key ingredient e transuranics are now trucked in plain metal contain-of continued use of nuclear power to generate ers (which themselves become vaste). Witnesses electricity. questioned the safety of such procedures. Regional Away-From-Reactor storage is a concept e A State public health official, from Massachusetts' which will allow the risks of nuclear waste Radiation Control Program, described that State's management to be shared by those who are benefic-voluntary system for monitoring radioactive ship-ing from nuclear technology. mints. Before radioactive material is shipped, ad-vance notica of the route and the contents are pro-The IRG should be composed of the highest-level e vided to the State's health authorities. In the staffs from the relevant agencies, to insure event of a mishap, State crews will know what pre-the absence of interagency squabbles. cautions to take and what decontamination procedures to implement. e The IRG should establish a seventh working group to consider the question of whether further Many witnesses voiced concerns about highway and nuclear waste should be generated until such rail transport of nuclear material. An air freight time as there is a solution to the present handler at Boston's Logan Airport spoke of the lack nuclear waste management problems. of radiation detection equipment at air terminals and the high incidence of worker exposure to radio-SAMPLE TESTIMONY active materials. Many, but not all, of the witnesses at all three 6. Intemational Issues-of the public meetings were opposed to the continu-ed development and use of nuclear power in the This was the least-discussed subject area, and only United States. The following testimony, taken from slightly behind Defense Nuclear Waste as a topic of the full transcripts of these proceedings, are ex-Isast interest at these public meetings. The vast amples of the kinds of views expressed. majority of witnesses were much more concerned with the domestic hazards of nuclear waste management. Dr. William 01kovski (speaking at the July 22 San There was strong opposition to President Carter's Francisco public meeting): plan to store, within the United States, nuclear vistes produced by reactors in foreign countries. "I am a professional biologist. I am a member of The Administration is proposing this as a method of the Association for the Advancement of Science, halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. ene Federation of American Scientists, the Union

-t-of Concerned Scientists, various fraternal scien- "The belief system that has organized this indus-tific organizations and professioral societies' try for us in this whole area of atomic develop-and a co-df rector of the Center for Integration of ment is an analytical process of thinking, and you Applied Sciences, which is fousing now on develop-can see it in the way people present their argu-ing alternative pest management strategies in city ments. They say waste management is a high-level, and urban artas. This Center is part of the John toxic waste problem, or they say that long-term Muir Institute, which is a private, nonprofit storage is the problem. They are trying to break educational research 1" titution devoted to de-this problem down into pieces, and then come up valoping the information base needed to solve with solutions to each of the pieces. And, of snvironmental problems. course, there are no solutions to many of these pieces. We hear this from people who a.e saying "I am here today because I feel I have been watch-there are knowledge gaps. The analytical, scien-ing the nuclear issue develop all my life. I was cific, physicist belief systems say that if we born in 1941, in the war period that gave birth t put money into this area we will come up with the this technology we are trying to manage today. Throughout my life, I have spent a great deal of that is tme. time on this issue. I gave up a career as a physicist to become a biologist, but I have kept nThe worldwide nuclear weapons management aspects in touch with the nuclear interest area. need to become part of the waste management consi- ~ derations. I think we need to, as a nation, come "What we see today in these public hearings, and in t grips with the idea that we need world communica-public political arenas, is a number of competing tion t ward peace if we are to limit this whole balief systems. I offer this analysis of the situ-problem. ation because belief systems, the way I define them, are self-reinforcing, social mechanisms. "The time scale is geologic. The error scale is What is a belief? It is a strongly-held concept geologic. The toxicity scales are geologic. The that excludes competing and contrary beliefs or in-lifetimes of the uclear products are geologic. I formation that challenges the key belief. These have before me a book called Foosys cm Saw.ac. Paul are thinking systems, and thinking systems relate Erichlich, Ann Erichlich, and J.P. Holderin are the to behavioral systems, and vice versa. There is a authors. I have read this book. It points out good psychological basis for understanding that be-that some of these nuclear waste products have havioral systems then come back and give us belief half-lives of 210,000 years to 900,000 years. Plu-systems. They maintain themselves. tonium has a half-life of 24,000 years. Plutonium is very toxic. It is more toxic than any pesticide "Now, my belief system says that humans are highly known today. It is very potent for 24,000 years. fallible. This has a bearing on the issues here This is 600 generations at 30 years a generation. today, because I feel we need to understand what 4e cannot pledge ourselves to safely store these long-tem storage is all about. The sabotage materials for that long a period of time. Hence, question, of course, is dependent on an assessment we should eliminate the production of the materials of where the current society is and where it's in the first place. There are no solutions to this going. I think that nuclear waste management fa-waste management problem. Cease new research and cilities will be open to sabotage, just the way development of nuclear energy. Commercial develop-nuclear energy production facilities are. ment should be discontinued. "Now, my belief system also says that the way out "I don't make any money out of nuclear energy. I of this if for people like myself and yourselves am fr m outside that world. I am looking in on to try to deal with these competing things, and to that world and I see idiocy. I sec real problems. come up with something in the middle that we can The Jssue of toxicity, with which I deal profes-live with for a certain period of time. The time sionally all the time, is astronomically beyond question here is incredibly difficult to deal with, anything we deal with in the pesticide management l The fact that we are starting to deal with geologi-field. Dioxin, the most toxic substance known to cal tire scales seems very illogical to me, because the pest management world, doesn t come near plu-they ar-outside our normal way of thinking about e nium. Plutonium is some number of orders of things. Temporary storage will provide time to magnitude greater in toxicity than any of these l switch 3 leq problematic energy sources. Hence, things. 4 hen I actually face the toxicity ques-etem ends by trying to say; well, this tion, the question of how we are going to store a belie r direct! > is the way to go to solve this problem. this material without error is always the first and most important question. I don't have an ans-j 4 Mu at h b tgW l storaga. with strict monitoring. I spend my life l workist in alternative energy development because og 3,n,t believe that we should deliberately mani-I feel ; hat the solution to the waste management pulate public opinion over this issue, and I think problem is not to have these wastes in the first this is what has been going on in terms of having place; and I feel that this needs to come out of a ideas presented to the public by professional nu-commission or an interagency group much like your-clear scientists. I would like to have a voice in selves.

that, since it is in fact going on. Hence I come to meetings like this one to try to interject what I think is a view from the biological sphere. which is probably closer to the political sphere, which will ultimately have to deal with these issues. r "In terms of strategies to deal with the problem, the only way I can offer a solution that would [. perhaps help you in the deliberations is to push /, j for storage of these materials, appoint public j/ / bodies to monitor those temporary storage facili-ties, have those public bodies issue reports on an // j annual basis about how much material is stored // there, and on the toxicity questions, and the l safety questions. In this way we can set in mo-i s tion a process whereby we will actually educate the f [ pecple as to what this technology means. " Hiding these wastes in salt deposits, or in the ocean, is taking the issue out of the public arena. l' It is hiding the problem. I can see reasons why / people would want to hide the problem, but it is not going to go away. I know this, because I have i seen so many pesticide issues that wouldn't go l away. You think it is solved, and it starts show-L ing up in the food chains. We didn't plan on any of this. We inherited these problems. We have to deal with them now." -' I r-e.,', ,j Mr. Roger LeGassie (Associate Director for Program " I f- [ ~~ Analysis, DOE Office of Energy Research): i l N y "A speaker before you spoke to the toxicity ques-

• gh.V h -

I toxicity indexes. (Mr. Gene Cramer, parc of :Mose gr.( tg. ~ i I tion, and he used some materials that represent 1 l - 7qc ~ testinony follwa tMe response by :r. Olkxski... f JR a Ed.) According to this speaker, he is making Y' - m comparisons with other materials in the earth's U b'N. Wdi' N ek h. crust, and other materials from energy production, SMb,Me W i-A such as the ash from coal consunption. I would like to provide you with the copy that I have of l this, and ask you to react to the toxicity focus "I bring up the toxicity question because I feel that he made, because you have made the same focus of toxicity." that humans will continue to lose little pieces of this stuff, much as they have already lost a great ( deal of plutonium in what was considered to be a foolproof process that was not supposed to lose any Dr. Olkowski: of those pieces. So, I am bringing up the subject of this immense toxicity because I feel that the l "I will do my best to deal with the toxicity ques-probability of losing little bits of this stuff all i tion. All I know now is that we are talking about over the world will come back to injure us as hu-something which is many orders of magnitude beyond mans. I feel that we shouldn't take the risk. We dioxin. I will give you an example of what dioxin have solar. We have wind, and we have all these can do. We, in the pesticide industry, deal with other less toxic technologies. Let's go that way. l lethal doses that kill 50 percent of the animals tested. "A strategic solution is what we need. It is not a s question of whether I am right, or Mr. So-and-so is ( " Dioxin is extremely toxic. It is known to cause right or wrong. We, as a people, have to come up birth defects, mutagenic effects, teratogenic ef-with a new direction, and say to our President and fects, and carcinogenic effects as well. The LD/50 to our Congress, 'Okay, get us out of this fix.' (lethal dose that kills 50% of the animals tested) for dioxin is 0.9 mg./kg. of body weight (for rats). We are a sane people trying to deal with insane nuclear issues." The toxicity of plutonium just goes far beyond that of dioxin. It makes the scale useless in consider-ing its toxicity. 6 l l l

• Mr. Gene Cramer (speaking at the July 22 San "Second, people do understand this, I believe.

Francisco public meeting): For about two years I have been presenting facts like this in seminars to people, through my com- "I am Gene Cramer -- I am listed as representing pany. These are teacher seminars from the high 'self.' While it is true that I am here under my school to the elementary school level. I also own power, I believe I come closer to representing speak to business groups; Kiwanis, Rotarians, and the silent majority than does any organization other such groups. In general, when it is properly that I may belong to. I don't hide the fact that presented, when the public has a chance to think I am a registered professional nuclear engineer, about it and to react to it, I think they under-in California, have worked in government research stand. I think they tolerate it. Recently I spent labs, and am presently employed at Southern a full morning at Cal State Long Beach with a group California Edison Company. I will be reacting of elementary school teachers. I think they under-here partly as an engineer and partly as a profes-stood all of this by the end of the day. They had eional student of management currently enrolled been previously sensitized by newspapers, but I in a Ph.D. management course at Claremont College, think they could understand the facts, and they I will try to make four points fairly quickly. maintained their perspective. These points are explained in the attached sheet. (W'itters statement foMous -- U.) "I will read you a very short KNBC-TV editorial of the 10th of this month. It simply says, ' Hey, " Number one; reacting to your July issues document, in several hundred years these waste m a rials will pages 9 to 11 on perspectives I believe there is, be no more radioactive than uranium ore is now. despite the fairness of the presentation, almost In the meantime they bother no one. The so-called total loss of perspective as to nuclear safety and atomic waste problem is about as close to a non-what has happened in the past. Problem as you could get. Let's get on with the show.' "The second point I will try to make is that, when pro;wely presented with these ' acts, people do "My third point deals with entanglement in siting understand the technology and the nontechnology selfishness. I believe a whole culture has problems, and I believe would tolerate these waste changed, in the last 20 or 30 years, from a disposal means. pioneering effort, from a let's-get-on-with-this, from the Christian work ethic, to our attitude of " Number three; I think that the technology has ' Hey, we've got it made; all we have to do is to become entangled in what is basically a siting divide up the accomplishments fairly; I want my problem; basically a problem of selfishness in a piece of the cction.' Busineeses, and in particu-culture, and selfishness in small groups. lar, energy utilities, notic" this quite well in the siting process. No one wants anything in their "And fourth; as near as I can interpret from the backyard except beauty. They want everything documents I have seen, I think you really need to cleaned up, consult a professional business management con- "I think I can characterize this by saying that sultant. you cannot buy off the people's concerns in siting with technology promises. Put very simply, if "First, if we compare the hazard index of nuclear an electric utility is putting a transmission line waste versus a couple of other substances, for through someone's backyard, you cannot buy off sxample, ores that are commonly mined, we see, to those people's concerns about the line by simply most people's surprise, that stainless steel is saying, 'I'll change the voltage a little bit.' about as hazardous to an individual, pound-for-It is a reaction to the whole thing, rather than pound, as 500-year-old nuclear reactor waste. any specific detail. We see also, that, il you do an analysis of coal ash and its radioactivity ccatent; surprise -- you "My fourth point was that I think you need a find out that coal ash is about as radioactive as professional business management consultant. I nuclear waste after the waste has been sitting think that, unconsciously, in the United States we around for 10,000 years, have switched over to a public participation, State agency, everybody-into-the-act sort of thing. "You will also note, by way of experience with I think this has been done willy-nilly, without that natural reactor in Africa, two billion years any thought. It is much closer to Japanese-style of successful waste disposal of cons of plutonium decision-making. I think you ought to consciously and other fission products. My concern is that look at this, if you are not already doing it. It l if we continue, as we seem to be doing, going into has been pointed out that high-technology this elaborate program of studies and decision-industry has, by and large, been unsuccessful when making, pretty soon somebody will realize that we they ventured into the market, simply because they-cannot even afford to bury a stainless steel cook-are so wrapped up with the technical needs, as ing pot anymore. Think about that a minute. If they perceive them, that they don't recognize the you bury a ton of nuclear waste and surround it by needs of the business -- or of people generally." a con of stainless steel, after about 500 years there is more danger-from the ton of protective stainless steel than the vaste you have buried.

. a WRITTEN STATEMENT SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY "To my mind, the data is available to find out how MR. CRAMER harmful these wastes are. but nothing at this point. -except for publicity and a few studies done by indi-Perspectives on Nuclear Waste Disposal viduals, is being done to initiate the large scale studies needed to make the decisions as to how "For two billion years, nearly 10 tons of reactor long to store wastes, for ex;unple. Spent fuel fission product waste and several cons of long. rods contain elements, such as plutonium, which are lived plutonium have remained locked into the not normally found in nature, but there is no data earth at the OKLO Africa uranium mine. Nature nas that I know of that indicates how the harmful effects given uh an excellent example of how to safely of various fission products compare with, for' exam-contain reactor waste. Examination of the minute ple, data on people who work with nuclear materials particles of earth within this old reactor show now; people who work in various reprocessing plants plutonium was completely immobilized for times or storage facilities; or people who work overhaul-comparable to its half-life of 24,400 years. ing nuclear reactors, such as in nuclear submarines. They are important groups to study because they come "Within 1000 years, the radioactive hazard from in contact - not purposefully, but accidentally at reactor waste will be about the same as that of times - with fission products, and they get exposed naturally occurring uranium ores. Miners to gamma radiation as well. routinely work 8 hours a day within these ore bodies under oroper precautions. The long-lived "These groups are just now being studied. The data radioactivity is there only as an impurity, being will probably not be in conclusively for perhaps removed because it is a fuel. five years. And yet the earliest indications from both my study and the study by Dr. Mancuso indicat- "By comparison with other substances, the toxicity ed that the radiation amounts these people received, to humans of reactor waste ia surprisingly similar. although very small, may be much more harmful than 2C chrome ore is more toxic chan vaste af ter 1000 previously suspected. In fact, that was the reason years. Since stainless steel used in cooking pots for not studying these groups originally - because and table ' silver' is 18% chrome, it is more toxic the amounts of radiation were so small compared to to humans than 1000-yen old nuclear waste. the amount of radiation received by A-bomb sur-vivors. "If a con of nuclear reactor waste were buried in a one-ton stainless steel protective container, "I would like to see a nuclear waste management de-then after 1000 years THE STAINLESS STEEL cision flexible enough so that, in five years' time PROTECTIVE CONTAINER WOULD BE MORE HAZARDOUS TO when these studies have been completed, when the in-HUMANS THAN THE WASTE. formation is available and felt to be statistically significant by the accumulation of a large data base, "There are many areas in the United States where you will be able to speak more authoritatively about the small amount of nuclear waste can be safely what kind of safety measures you need in a nuclear buried. For example, 1000-ft. thick salt beds waste repository. The question that is raised by with hundred-foot thick clay above and below are this is, 'Is there some exposure going on that's not proof against ground water entering a repository, being taken into account, or is it possible that There are many areas in the U.S. containing s me minor exposure to some very, very tiny, or even extensive beds. As the American Physical Society i sneasurable, amount of contaminant, such as pluton-points cut Te conclude that many waste repository ium is, in fact, responsible for leukemia and other diseases?'" sites with satisfactory hydrogeology can be identified in Continental U.S., in a variety of 3eological formations.'" Mr. Gus Speth (Director, Federal Council on Environ-mental Quality): Dr. Thomas Na!arian (speaking at the August 4 public meeting in Boston): "Does your work support the idea that present radi-ation standards for nuclear workers are set too liberally?" "I am from Belmont, Massachusetts. I'm a graduate of MIT with a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineer-ing, and a graduate of Harvard Medical School. I Dr. Naiarian: am responsible for a study which was published on Ntv 13th, 1979, on nuclear workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. "Again, when you set standards, you have to decide "One of the things undermining all the discussions how much disease you're going to accept. You can h;re, and you might find it's one of the most 12-say the standards are fine if you want to accept psetant issues, is the assumption that nuclear waste the levels and kinds of diseases that are present is harmful. Everyone knows that radiation in high today in those nuclear workers. Based on an assump-doses is harmful, and nuclear fuel rods do produce tion as to how much disease you would accept by the high-level radiation. But knowledge as to how much old standards, the present standards would be too' Icwer-level waste it takes to be harmful to human high if this data holds up probably at least by h;alth is really lacking. a factor of 10." ~

1 loads of chlorine traveling our railroads every Mr. LeGassies year. The point that I am making -- and it should be obvious - is that the magnitude of the hazard from nuclear waste is dwarfed by the hazard from i i "I' just want to note 'that this witness is an example .of the f act that one person can have a significant a common chemical operation that most of us are unaware of. And that, in turn, if you look at l affect on his society and the world in which he the statistics for the last 75 years, is dwarfed lives. I think the witness' work has raised a very important question, and he is to be commended for by the hazards associated with driving automobiles l . the dedication with which he approached it. He has or inhaling cigarette smoke. It just isn't that gotten the attention of the Federal government on big a deal. This is a big country; it has big i this matter and, as he's indicated, a lot of work problems. The nuclear waste problem, looked at in is starting. I'd like to say that, from where I perspective, is like all other problems in that l sit, it's a privilege to have him up here to speak it is something to be worked on. at these hearings." I "The impression seems to be universal that nobody 4 I knows anything about real-life burial of high-level nuclear waste. Twenty years ago, the Dr. Najarian: Canadians at the Chalk River Laboratory made up "I would be very happy to be present on the day when a primitive batch of waste glass with 15 percent one will be able to walk down the streets and have high-level waste in it and buried it, not care-tbsolutely no air pollution from fossil fuels. Per-fully, but below the water table -- right in the hrps, when it's finally studied, the effect of radi-ground water -- with a ring of instruments around ation will be found to be as small as it was suppos-it to find out how the radioactivity would leach sd to be. If it is, nuclear power may be a very out of the glass and spread through the soil. j viable alternative to the pollution of fossil fuels." The experiment was a failure. Two years later, j they buried several cons more waste deliberately designed so that it leaked five times as easily, f Dr. Graham Foster (speaking at the July 24 Denver and then they were able to get good enough readings to do some serious calculations. There is a meas-i public meeting): urement going on at the Nevada test site right now, [ "One of the saddest things about these public in-pumping water out of a well 90 meters away from the quiries is that there ia no effective way to deal site of an underground nuclear explosion. That, ~ with the welter of misinformation you have just also, is showing extraordinarily slow migration i heard. I am here to represent a small, almost under the most extreme conditions of ground water 1 unknown, organization called Americans for flow. Rational Energy Alternatives. My technical quali-fications are a Ph.D. in nuclear physics and 22 "I am disappointed that this joint task force re-years of work experience, first at Hanford and port made no mention of Professcr Cohen's monu-now at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. mental article _in Revisua_of Modern Phydias. It gives an essentially iron-clad prescription for "To address the direct purpose of these hearings, setting an upper limit on the possible hazard to I have read the July 3rd draft of this. joint task people from buried waste, and is based on the force report and I find it, in general, excellent, known rate at which people in this country are There is one large omission; possibly it wasn't killed by radium leaching out of the soil -- and appropriata for the report in the first place, but there is an incredible amount of radium in the soil I think it is appropriate. The report gives lots of the United States. l of comparisons of risks and things like that, and internal perspectives. But it has no external " Finally, one quick point about the Waste Isolation l perspective. There is nothing in it that Presi-Pilot Project. If high-level waste is, in fact, dent Carter or any of the people present here can buried there some 2,600 feet underground, after. i l use to assess the magnitude of the nuclear waste-only 500 years of decay the hazard presented by problem in terms of problems that are familiar in that waste to the human population will be only our everyday lives. So, I am going to give you. three times that of.the radium that is already'in some examples that I think might help. the rocks overlying the burial site." "The entire stock of high-level nuclear waste in the United States today, after 33 years of reactor Dr. Helen Caldicott (speaking at the August 4 public operation, contains the same number of lethal ,,,gg,g g,,,,t,,), doses for human beings as are contained in the liquid chlorine in three railroad tank cars. You ,, Gentlemen of the panel; I an a pediatrician, and I all remember that, last Februat.*, eight people an a mother. The time has come for mankind to assess were killed when a train was der..iled in rural the impact of radioactive nuclear vastes upon the Florida -- and it is fortunate that it was in evolutionary processes of this planet. rural Florida. One of six tank cars of chlorine in that freight train ruptured isusediately and " Biological systems have taken billions of years to killed eight people. -There are 39,000 tank car-evolve from single-cell organisms to that magnifi-

t n 4 t' I cent, multi-cellular complex - man. This evolution has been determined by a slow process of genetic mu-Those that survive initially will almost certainly tation induced by natural background radiation, and die of leukemia and other forms of cancer -- 5,15, l 20, or 30 years later. If those people survive to ; a natural selection of virile organisms capable of reproduce, the earth may well be inhabited by bands ! surviving on this planet. Additional, manmade radi-ation being put to this natural background of evolu-of roving mutants, unrecognizable as human beings. f So much for our security. tion is medically contra-indicated. Every textbook on internal medicine, on pediatrics, and on radiolo- ~) y ~ gy, categorically states that under no circumstances f { should an individual be exposed to any unnecessary ' ~ I j radiation, except that which is essential to making ~, a definitive medical diagnosis. g [ "All radiation is harmful. Man has achieved his maximum number of advantageous mutations or gene ( l changes to enable him to evolve. Almost all muta-j tions induced now by radiacion are deleterious and Q can induce malignant diseases. Genetic mutations occurring by radioactive contamination of the tes-l ticles or the ovarias will increase the incidence of inherited disease. Over 2,000 such diseases N are presently described. Most are incurable. Many l of these patients are now being kept alive by we in the medical profession - to reproduce and propa-gate their abnormal genes. "I treat one of the worst of these diseases -- cystic fibrosis, the most common fatal, inherited ,.- [ ';i h g 1 disease of childhood. Almost every baby born with cystic fibrosis is doomed to die before the age of 30. Radiation-induced mutation in a cell other "You know that military nuclear waste is leaking than an egg or sperm celA is a potent cause of can-into the ground of this country now. You know that { 430,000 gallons of waste leaked at Hanford, Washing-cer, and this is well documented throughout the medical literature. Plutonium produced by the nu-ton, and that's near the Columbia River. You know clear industry is one of the most toxic radioactive that waste is leaking into the Savannah River. You ! l materials of all. It is one of the most mutagenic know that several hundreds of kilograms of plutoni-materials that we know. A millionth of a gram of um are buried as transuranic waste in the soil. plutonium will cause cancer if a person gets it in their lungs, "You know that you dug up soil from Spain when two I atomic bombs were dropped there, and the earth was i heavily contaminated. That plutonium-contaminated I "The body sees plutonium as iron. It combines with the iron-transporting protein in the blood and is earth was buried straight into the ground at Barn-deposited in the iron-storage cells of the liver well, South Carolina, where there is fcur inches and the bone marrow, where it can produce liver of rain a month, and it will inevitably get into the food chains. You know that the radioactive cancer, bone cancer, and leukemia. It also crosses the placenta into the developing embryo where, like material produced by nuclear power and nuclear wea-Thalidomede, it can damage the fetus to produce de-pons production concentrates in the food chain, i formities. It concentrates in the testicles and You know that you can't caste Strontium 19 cheese. the ovaries, producing mutations which are passed You know that we can't tell, when the cancer devel-i on from generation to generation. ops, if that cancer was caused by a piece of cheese I the patient ate 20 years ago. You call this simply a medical problem. "Meanwhile, the plutonium lives on to get into i other people's testicles and ovaries for a very, "Yet the Federal government says is has to take very long time. If I die of cancer caused by plu-charge of all the nuclear waste, not just in this tonius, and I'm cremated, he plutonium goes out country, but throughout the world, because we don't the chimney with the smoke, to be breathed into somebody else's lungs for many, many years. want ccuntries like Iran, Pakistan, or Brazil making nuclear weapons from spent reactor fuel. So what does President Carter suggest? He suggests that "We are talking about the evolution of the human it all be brought back to America, and stored here. race; and not just us, but animals and plants as The Federal government takes charge of it. Do you l well. The military has produced 74 million gallons really think Americans will accept that? of high-level nuclear vastes while making their atomic bombs..Why did they make them7 They made "The United States has only just celebrated its j the bombs to insure our security. We are at a poing bicentennial. We are talking about what the Fede-i now where, with the press of a button, in half an ral goverment is going to be like 500 years from i hour the humm race can be made virtually extinct. now, or a thousand years from now' How can we guarantee the stability of this Government of the t ~

United States of America, let alone that of any biologist or one geneticist. This issue of nuclear other government in the world? We are talking waste is a medical issue. Medically, I would sug-l about eons of time. Even the most brilliant scien-gest that we absolutely stop nuclear power immedi-tist may honestly think he's developed a container ately and produce no more nuclear waste. l that will remain intact for a half million years. t Hs's going to be dead in 30 years. He will never "Second, we must stop making atomic bombs. This live to verify his hypothesis. I am a scientist. country has enough bombs to kill every person on Many of you are too. You know damn well that we earth several times over. Brezhnev is treated with will never know if we are going to store this waste cortisone; a good dreg, but it occasionally causes safely. ecute psychosis. You know that button could be [ pressed at any time. Your satellites will pick it "From a medical point of view, we are doomed in the up, and what will you do? Press your button? We i future to epidemics of leukemia and other cancers. are living on the very precipice of extinction. l In the Deutch Report they are already talking about Where are we going? Is this for our security and l for the security of our children and our descendants? l "For this society, and every other country in the world, to deny the strongest primitive instinct - survival -- means that we, as the human race are, at this point in time, mentally sick. You men have the most incredible responsibility; to make the right decision. I don't think we are aver going to find a way to store this waste safely. I think we l are condemning future generations to incredible l illness. P' ,f " Imagine the cost to society. Imagine our descen- / dants waking up in the morning to a society with' I radioactive vats leaking all over the countryside, Nh-y the food contaminated, the children being born de-y. f ~ formed or dying of leukemia and other cancers. What x we have done already is irreversible. g j;g j%w "I appeal to your sense of goodness; to your sense f of love for your children and for humanity. We all ~y= id ,_tw'Y Q have that urge to do the right thing for the human I beg you on my knees as a physician, an in-race. .C ternist, and a pediatrician. Thank you." l O_** .r m T Dr. John Deutch (Director, DOE Office of Energy Re-l areas being ' grandfathered,' which means that the saarch): area's test is so radioactive they will have to I exclude it from the regulations, because they can't " DOE's Deputy Secretary, Jack O' Leary, keeps start-i i ing off his speeches about energy requirements in clean it up. this country by saying that he doesn't like nuclear l "I predict that, in the future, all areas where power. He doesn't like coal-burning either. He [ says they both have a whole range of dangers for radioactive waste is to be stored will have to be human health if one looks at the entire cycle, from ' grandfathered.' You talk about regulations and mining to the actual use of nu-lear fuel rods and you write them down on bits of paper. But when it the shipment of the spent fuel for storage at some comes to actually implementing those regulations, site away from the reactor. All of that troubles you know as well as I do that nuclear power plants him quite a lot, and it's a wm ry which I certainly leak radiation. You look at the #eu hrT< Times, share. I certainly am aware 4f the biological dan-in the back pages, and there are always reports of gers of plutonium and of radioactivity generally. leakage. But you say it's safe. You know it's not I think we all are. safe. You know it's leaking now, as it has leaked l in the past, and inevitably will leak in the future. "The question I would ask if you have an opinion 1 about is, 'If we are now converting to coal in f "We are talking about the survival of life on great quantities -- and this will be increasing in l earth; about the very basic building blocks of life. The President called for maximum public participa-future years - what will be the long-term health i effects?' Aren't we in a situation where both coal tion in this debate, yet we are given five minutes and nuclear look terrible? Or do you feel that to participate. In your ' professional academic coal, when you look at the entire cycle, including committee' there were physicists, and there were I production of CO, is clearly favored from a point 2 engineers, but there was not one academic repre-of view of human health?" sentative from the medical profession; not one l

Dr. C41dicott: "I am pleased, and at the same time a bit disap-pointed, that these hearings are now being held; "If we spent, not a mere 3 percent of the budget on pleased in that I welcome the opportunity for a solar power, but the majority of the budget on solar compilation and balancing of the various views power, it could well be here within a transitional held by the so-called experts and the general period of twenty years. We really should be utili-public on this complex issue, and somewhat sing solar power. And we would need to couple that disappointed that it has taken so long for such with very effective energy conservation. You know a hearing process to finally be promulgated. that Sweden. West Germany, and other modern, indus-While I fully respect the rights of the critics trialized countries use 50 percent of the energy of nuclear power to voice their opinions, I am that this country uses on a per capita basis to increasingly disturbed at the lack of opportunity provided in the public media for the other side maintain a similar standard of living. Then I would say that coal can be cleaned up, 95 or 98 percent, to be heard, particula:ly in the State of by the use of scrubbers. That doesn't get the CO 3 California, and especially in this part of our 2 state. I agree. But it does get the particulate matter and the sulfur. The CO2 is a problem, but again "A great deal of research effort has already been this would be only an interim measure. We could use coal power for the next 20 years, and use that invested in various aspects of radiation studies, time to fully develop solar energy. and while I in no way wish to minimize the magni-tude of the problems yet to be solved, I feel that " Speaking as a doctor who sees little children dy-a balanced-perspective view should include some public disclosure of the information that we ing of leukemia, and who cares ceeply about the already have accumulated. For example, few people value of and the essence of life, I'd rather have know that some 1.8 billion years ago a natural a candle to read by at night. It seems that we just have to have big industries and lots of money concentration of uranium in Gabon, Africa, under-went fissioning, producing many, many pounds of and all that. What are we talking about? What plutonium 239, and that recent geologic studies are we trying to achieve in our lives? Is it just at the site of this ' natural reactor' have dis-to make a lot of money? Do we get happiness by closed that none of the plutonium which was that? We really have to examine ourselves. We generated and has long since decayed ever left can call nuclear power an interim measure, but that will not alleviate the long-term toxicity of the the site at which it was generated. This is not wastes we'll produce. The Congress has for over a to say that this is the appropriate place in year now been debating the subject of controlled which to put wastes containing plutonium, but it I genetic engineering. What we are talking about tells me that there is no certainty that buried here today is uncontrolled ' genetic engineering.'" plutonium is indeed going to migrate and become environmentally hazardous. "In my own studies I have found that plutonium is Dr. Marvin Goldman (speaking at the July 2., indeed an exceedingly toxic metal, but that does San Francisco public meeting): not say that it would be a very great hazard ff properly managed, contained and confined. Has the "I am a radio-biologist by profession, and for the public been made fully aware of the fact that other last 27 years have been engaged in research on the alpha particles are present in every gram of soil, effects of low-level radiation from radioactive in every gram of food, water, and indeed in the air particles such as are associated with nuclear which we breathe? These alpha particles are quite wastes. I and several thousand others like myself similar in their radiation properties to those have been performing biomedical research to pro-alpha particles generated by plutonium, and have vide information on the consequences of potential always been part of this earth's natural, back-radiation exposure. I have come here today as a ground environment. It is only when the concen-private citizen, however, because I am disturbed tration of radioactivity in living systems reaches by what appears to be an appalling lack of certain high levels that biologic effects are seen. perspective on what we do know and what we do not There are firm data in many different studies that know about the consequences of such exposures. demonstrate the magnitude of effectiveness of radiation particles from plutonium, or from radium, "Since I am not an engineer, I can,t speak or from radio-strontium. Many scientists, authoritatively about the various engineering, including myself, have devoted their entire careers chemical and geologic options that must go into to attempting to threw some light rather than scme the development of a defensible, acceptable strat-heat on this subject, and yet most of what we have egy for ultimate disposal of radioactive wastes. done received little in the way of any publicity. The public will ultimately decide what is accept-What we do see, instead, are the criticisms of our studies. I think it is socially irresponsible to able, but I am very concerned that their decision is going to be hampered if only emotional and merely present criticism of studies without also extreme opinion are the basis for the decision-showing what the studies themselves did indeed making process. show. The errors of omission in science can be far more devastating than the errors of commission.

• problem, and the public has a right to know where "The problem in nuclear waste management, in my the facts end and where the speculation begins.

view, is really a problem of low-level radiation I w uld like to see us stop making a political risk assessment. As a health protection scientist, f chall of this, and to get on with the work. I have been trained to be what we call conserva-tive. This much maligned word ' conservatism' requires some quantitative input. To me, it makes no sease to pick the worst-case analysis at each Dr. Alan Hanson (speaking at the August 4 Boston step of the nuclear fuel cycle evaluation, because public meeting ): the product of too many conservatives can be the acceptance of a risk estimate which is so far from "I am a Nuclear Engineer. I hold a Doctorate from our best judgment as to be difficult to defend. MIT and I am currently an employee of the Yankee Atomic Electric Company. Yankee Atomic Electric "While we would all like to think that our Ccmpany has the primary responsibility for the activities have such conservatism as to impart no safe and efficient operation of three nuclear re-risk at all, there is truly no such a thing as actors in New England; namely, Yankee Rowe, Vermont zero risk. Perhaps the nuclear risk assessment, Yankee and Mainc Yankee. in terms of health effects per unit of energy generated, has gone further than any other aspect "As a representative of Yankee Atomic. I welcome of our complex society, Because of the extensive the opportunity to provide comments to the Inter-data base that has already been derived, we xnow agency Nuclear Waste Management Review Group. We more about this risk than any other. Of course, are convinced of the need to vigorously pursue this is a mixed blessing. In the eyes of the pub-nuclear power as a part of the National Energy lic it is often translated as a perceived risk in Plan. Furthermore, we are concerned about the a vacuum, and because comparable data on other lack of effective Federal action to promptly ad-risks, especially for cancer induction, are not as dress and resolve public concerns regarding the well studied, the radiation cancer risk stands out adequacy of Federal programs for radioactive waste in a peculiar way. We are just now looking at management. the comparable risks from coal fly ash, saccharin, hair sprays, charcoal broiled hamburgers and "Because of our concern with the issue of nuclear children's pajamas. Society seems better able to waste disposal, we have followed with interest the cope with acute risks, such as accidents, than it progress of the DOE Task Force for review of nucle-is with latent or delayed risks, such as cancer. ar vaste management and its successor, the Inter-Not that I want to play down the dread fear with agency Review Group. In part, we are in agreement which we all regard this disease, but just to with the findings of the DOE Task Force; and, in point out that its radiation induction risk is particular, we agree with the finding thte there 4 understood a few decades before that of the other appears to be a substantive consensus and valid potential agents. technical basis for the view that present plans and actions should rely on geological containment "My scientific evaluation of the situation of waste, which can be achieved in a safe and regarding radiation risks is that, although we environmentally acceptable manner. This finding have fairly impressive evidence that the straight. is another affirmation of the validity of the geo-line dose-effect model is very conservative, its - logical disposal concept which has been previously literal application suggests that a rem -- that is supported by several independent, authoritative a unit of radiation absorption -- of exposure groups, including the National Academy of 5cience/ would increase subsequent cancer risk by about one National Research Council, the American Physical-in 10,000 over the national rate. That is, for a Society Study Group on Nuclear Fuel Cycles and million persons absorbing a rem, we may find in Waste Management, and the Ford Foundation's that population a subsequent inceease of 100 lethal Nuclear Energy Policy Study Group, cancers over that which normally would have been expected. Every proposal for nuclear vaste "Much of the public concern with respect to nuclear management that I have reviewed involves radiati n vaste disposal revolves around the perception that doses thousands of times smaller, and thus poses there is no solution to the problem. This is a an exceedingly minute risk, but, of course, it is misconception. Fundamentally, there are only three not zero. Based on such information, our current ways by which one can dispose of nuclear vaste, if national and international standards are indeed surface storage of spent fuel or as liquid re-quite conservative, or safe, if you will. That processing waste in tanks is excluded. These dis-is, there is a safety factor, in my opinion, of at Posal methods are: Emplacement in geologic least 100 and perhaps over 1,000. repositories; ejection into space; partitioning and transmutation of selected radionuclides. Since "Whatever history may say of what we do, one the risks and cost of space disposal are prohibi-immutable fact is that radioactive vastes have tive at this time, and since the capability to been generated or are being generated and must transmute large quantities of waste is unavailable ultimately be disposed of. I believe that the and probably prohibitive, the only available method health risks a mciated with nuclear waste dispos-for waste disposal is emplacement in geologic al are small, u m igeable, and to a large extent repositories. It would be an enormous step forward. understood. Th= achnology exists to solve the if the Interagency Review Croup were to conclude

e e that geologic disposal is an acceptable way to proceed and then obtained the endorsement of the "From the standpoint of disposal in geologic President and the entire Administration. Such a formations, there are differences between solidi-conclusion would be entirely cor.sistent with the fled, high-level wastes from spent fuel reprocess-DOE Task Force Report and other eminent bodies as ing and unreprocessed spent fuel. These differ-discussed above. ences are matters of degree and not of kind. The major differences are those related to total "The important point to recognize is that a deci-thermal output and contained plutonium. Because sion that we are going to dispose of waste geologi-of the roughly 200 times more plutonium in the spent fuel as compared with solidified high-level cally renders a solution to the problem. That still leaves a lot of other specifics--site selec-vastes, the total integrated thermal output of the tion and other things--but, nonetheless, it is the spent fuel is greater. This increased thermal solution. Unfortunately, a review of preliminary loading must be taken into account in the design draft documents released by the Interagency Review of the repository, primarily through increased spacing between waste canisters. And it is partly Croup suggests that such a positive conclusion may the recognition of this which has led to some of not be forthcoming. In a draft document put together by the Office of Science and Technology the questions being raised about salt. Policy and e.; titled, Isolaticn of Radiccative Veste "Because of the larger quantity of transuranics in Jeolcgio Repeaitories: Status of Scientific and TechnologiO2! Knouledge, a long list of gaps in our contained in the spent fuel, the requirement for current knowledge about geologic disposal is put the time period of containment is longer for spent forth. What is missing in this document is an fuel than for reprocessing waste. For example, if emphasis on the fact that none of the so-called the capability of the naturally-occurring ore body, knoledge gaps is sufficient to preclude geologic from whence the fuel came, to contaminate water or disposal. In fact, there are so many candidates air is used as the reference base, high-level for disposal media that we are almost at a loss to vaste from that fuel would have to be contained select one. They include bedded salt, domed salt, about 500 years to be equivalent to the ore body granite, shales, deep ocean sediments, and melted in contaminating capacity, while the spent fuel rock cavities. Surely one of these, and probably would have to be contained about 10,000 years to every one of these, would be an acceptable means of decay similarly. This indicates to me that one disposal. easy way to help yourself along in the solution of the vaste disposal problem is to do reprocessing. "Of these media, salt has been the most heavily For this reason, we believe that vitrified high-studied. Not surprisingly, all of ;his study has level vaste from reprocessed spent fuel represents ) led to further questions. That is what good re-a superior waste form compared to unreprocessed search always does and that is why there are more spent fuel. I think it's necessary to recognize questions raised about salt than about other this fact as a technical reality, even if it does geological media. Nevertheless, we believe that not suit the political realities of the time. enough information is now available to substantiate a decision to proceed with the first geolcgic "It should be noted that geologic containment of repository in salt. While salt may not turn out nuclear waste is not as some have erroneously to be the optimum disposal medium, it will certain-implied, 'A million-year problem.' We're talking ly prove adequate. Research should continue on here about a 500-to-10,000-year problem, depending other media for subsequent repositories. upon the vaste form which is being disposed, While these time spans may seem long, they are a t terms f ge 1 gic history. We are post- "It must be realized that an answer to every ques-e at a se g rep ry can e es4ned tion which can possibly be raised is not a t tain vastes r these time periods. A prerequisite to a decision to proceed with actual

1. • • 8"

"" ** #" I "** * **

• waste disposal.

I'm disturbed with the tendency, in reading some of the documents that are coming containment for approximately 500 years would lead out of the review group, to require us to answer to a resolution of many of the issues raised by every single question before we proceed to take geologists in the OSTP policy report. any action. "The public misperception that there is no solution ,,Although we concur with the DOE Task Force finding to the nuclear waste issue is reinforced by the that reprocessing is not required for the safe lack of a definitive schedule for the licensing, disposal of commercial spent fuel, we believe that corstruction and operation of a commercial waste reprocessing can significantly ease the task of repository. We believe that such a schedule is a waste disposal by reducing the volumes of matsrial minimum requirement for public and utility confi-which must be contained and by reducing the amount dance in the Federal government's connaitment to of heat which will be generated in the repository. carrying out its responsibility to dispose of nuclear wastes. We are disturbed by the fact that Recognition of this factor should be part of the . work product of the Interagency Review Group. I'm the earliest date for an operating repository has very scrry to see that neither Dr. Deutch or slipped from 1985 to 1988, with the potential to Dr. Nye are here to discuss this issue, which was slip further--to 1993. We strongly urge that brought up briefly this morning

• there be established a definitive schedule for implementation of cosumercial nuclear waste disposal

~. -- with well-defined target dates and milestones, and

,he faII transcripts of these meetings are avaitable l

with a program to continuously coordinate the % NZio reuk in 26 Deparment of Enem 's interactions of all Federal agencies with respons-h6 of @mtion Reading Rm RM d#, ibility in this area. Furthermore, the public Federal SuiTJing, 22th Street at PennsyZuania Ave., must be kept well informed of the progress being gy ggggggg p,g made to actually implement nuclear waste disposal. "From the beginning of the commercial use of nucle-ar fuel for the production of electric power, it EXCERPTS FROM THE DRAFT IRC REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT was planned that the fuel cycle would be closed by -- SUBMITTED FOR PUBLIC REVIEW ON OCTOBER 19, 1978 reprocessing to recover residual uranium and plutonium, which could then be recycled into fresh The vaste generated by nuclear pacer case be light-water reactor fuel or used to fuel breeder managed so as to protect current and Atare reactors. Thus, there was no perceived need to generations.n design for long-term reactor storage of large quantities of spent fuel. The Administration's "With these words in his April, 1977. National decision to indefinitely defer spent fuel repro-Energy Plan, President Carter signaled his deter-l cessing had the effect of increasing the need for mination to develop a national nuclear waste spent fuel storage space. A delay in the management policy and program. Recognizing the operational start-up of the first repository also numerous Federal agencies, as well as State and increases the need for spent fuel storage space. local interests, involved in such a program, the Without spent fuel storage space, reactors would President established an Interagency Review Group have to cease operation. Several plants could be (IRG) and charged it with developing a strategy in this untenable position in the early 1980s. for dealing with the waste management problem. "The Department of Energy has announced and "In carrying out the Presidential mandate, the IRG proposed to implement a new spent fuel policy under has attempted, by a variety of means, to obtain a which the government of fers to take title to U.S. broad range of inputs and views from many sources, i commercial spent fuel upon delivery to a govern-including Congress, State and local governments, ment-approved site and payment of a one-time

• Indian nations, industry, the scientific and tech-l fixed fee to cover storage and disposal. Yankee nical community, public interest and environmental Atomic supports this spent fuel policy and urges organizations, and the public, the Interagency Review Group to do likewise. In particular, we believe the Department of Energy "This draft report presents the tentative findings must proceed promptly with the establishment of an of the IRG, based on consideration of the possible away-from-reactor storage facility to be cperation-strategies which have been identitied for managing al by 1983. Work must begin immediately and nuclear wastes, and is issued for comment by proceed expeditiously if the 1983 date is to be members of the public. When these comments have met.

been received, reviewed and incorporated, as appropriate, the report will be forwarded to the "In summary, Tankee Atomic believes that: President for his consideration and guidance for further action. s 1. Geologic disposal is a safe and environmental-ly-acceptable method to dispose of high-level Technical Findings And Conclusions nuclear wastes. "Because of the need to isolate High-Level Wastas i 2. Rock salt can be an acceptable medium in which (HLW) and Transuranic (TRU) waste from the bio-to establish the first commercial waste repository. sphere for relatively long periods of time, and because disposal in mined repositories is the l 3. Fuel reprocessing can significantly ease the nearest-term option, the IRG carefully reviewed task of waste disposal by reducing waste volume the present status of scientific and technological and heat load, knowledge pertinent to mined repositories. The IRG review identified a number of important tech-4. The government must establish a definitive nical findings which it believes to represent the schedule for implementation of commercial nuclear views of a majority of informed technical experts: i waate disposal with well-defined target dates and milestones. e A systems approach should be used to select the geologic environment, repository site, and waste 5. The government should proceed rapidly to pro-form. A systems approach recognizes that, over vide away-from-reactor interim storage space for thousands of years, the fate. of radionuclides in a spent fuel which will continue to accumulate repository will be determined by the natural geo-because of deferrals in reprocessing and repositor 7 logic environment, by ee physical and chemical l delays. properties of the medium ' chosen for waste emplace-ment, by the waste form itself, and other engineer-Yankee Atomic would be pleased to provide further ed barriers. If carefully selected, these factors input to the Interagency Review Group as your work can and should provide multiple, and to some progresses." extent independent, natural and engineered barriers to the release of radionuclides to the biosphere.

e, Overall scientific and technological knowledge "Only if such a social consensus is obtained, can e is adequate to proceed with region selection and disposal of HLW and TRU weste in geologic forma-site characterization, despite the limitations in tions actually be implemented and the public be our current knowledge and modeling capability, confident that nuclear waste can be safely iso-Successful isolation of radioactive vastes from laced in this way over very long periods of time. the biosphere appears technically feasible for periods of thousands of years provided that the "With respect to other waste types, technologies systems view is utilized rigorously. exist for the management and disposal of Low-Level Waste (LLW), uranium mill tailings. and for waste Detailed studies of specific, potential repost-from Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D). o tory sites in different geologic environments However, existing practice must be improved should begin inunediately. Generic studies of geo-considerably to further reduce the potential for logic media or risk assessment analyses of hypo-public hazard associated with these materials. thetical sites, while useful for site selection, are not sufficient for some aspects of repository "Most LLW, which is found in a wide variety of design or for site suitability determination. forms, remains radioactive for up to several hun-dred years. The current means of disposing of The actinide activity in TRU wastes and HLW sug-this waste is through shallow-land burial. Radio-e gest that both vaste types present problems of nuclides in low concentrations have migrated from comparable magnitude for the very long term. the burial trenches at a few LLW sites. Studies to date conclude that such migration does not The degree of long-term isolation provided by a pose any present significant threat to public e repository, viewed as a system, and the effects of health and safety. Monitoring of future radio-changes in repository design, geology, climate and nuclide migration from those sites over periods of human activities on the public health and safety decades should be considered as a potential regu-can only be assessed through analytical modeling, latory requirement. In the future, siting of LLW disposal facilities should give much greater The effects of future human activity must be attention to the hydrologic characteristics of e evaluated more carefully. proposed locations than has been the case in the past. NRC and DOE should take appropriate action Reprocessing is not required to assure disposal to assure that this occurs, e of commercial spent fuel in appropriately chosen geologic environments. Moreover, current United " Numerous technical approaches to LLW disposal j States repository designs are and will continue to have been proposed as alternatives tu conventional be based on the ability to receive either solidi-shallow-land burial. Some of these require only a fied reprocessing waste or discarded spent fuel as decision to use them and location of a suitable a vaste material. The question of whether com-site to be implemented immediately. Others mercial reprocessing will be initiated in the require additional technology development _and United States, while an important issue, is there-perhaps demonstration before their feasibility fore not fundamentally related to the issue of and safety could be assured. R&D for improved safe waste disposal. methods of shallow-land burial of LLW and of al-ternative methods of disposal should be acceler- "Because the necessary isolation periods for waste aced because shallow-land burial, as currently disposal are so long, no demonstration can prove practiced, may not be an adequate disposal' method the presumption of safety. Thus, a social consen. for all LLW in the future. sus, based on scientific evidence, must be obtain-ed through: " Compared with other types of nuclear waste, uranium mill tailings are generated in large vol-Dissemination of fundamental scientific informa-ume, about 10-15 million cons annually. Although e tion. tailings are a natural product of mining and mill-ing, they are hazardous because they contain long-The development, analysis, and near-tera valida-lived radioisotopes and because they have been e tion of long-term predictive models. left in waste piles where humans may come in con-tact with them. Extensive, inospendent,' objective review of .e results by scientific experts, and of proposed "The relative' magnitude of actinide elements in facilities and operations through the licensing mill tailings HLW, and TRU wastes, per unit of proe.es s. energy generated, suggests that these waste streams may present problems of comparable magni-- Practical experience. including careful monitor-tude for the very long term, that is,'beyond a e ing of the isolation systems. period of a thousand years. By virtue of their. ~ presence at the surface, the' actinide elements in e' A demonstrated capability to take any'needed mill tailings may constitute a greater potential corrective or mitigating actions. Problem than those in deeply buried HLW and TRUl wastes. Thus, disposal.of these tailings must.be An ongoing R&D program to increase'the state-of- - managed as carefully as that for the HLW and TRU e the-art of knowledge. was t e s." ' ~ W

O e 18 - method or methods of disposing of high-level radio-The report also ecuers in detail: active wastes; " fixes" for generic safety-related problems which have arisen as the result of the in- " Technical Strategies for High-Level and Trans-creasing amount of experience with operating reac-uranic bastes," " Technical Strategies for Other tors; accumulation of more data on the effects of Waste Types." " Institutional Issues," and " Manage-exposures to very small amounts of radiation; and ment Considerations." answering, to the public's satisfaction, questions related to the adequacy of measures taken to pro-tect nuclear facilities from sabotage and nuclear materials from theft or diversion, as well as the Copies of the full draft report are available for adequacy of requirements to protect the public from public sale throught the National Technical Infor-the consequences of the release of any kind of mation Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce, radioactive material as the result of a transporta-9285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161. ti n accident. There are two volumes. Repcre to the President by the Interagency Revieu Crcup on Nuclear Waste Man-Question 2 (a)s Should we be. developing new nuatear agemen: costs $9.00 for the printed copy and $3.00 in microfiche. The order number is TID-28817. F F g

• 1. U"#* ### "# # N "U d""* I#P"U Eubgroup Report on Alternative Technology Stra:egies Answer: The following description of the NRC Safety the printed copy and $3.00 in microfiche. The order Review Process is provided by NRC in response to number is TID-28818. Both documents are dated g

Octoter, 1978. is comprehensive and adequate to assure safe design and operation of nuclear power plants. INSURING SAFE DESIGN OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS (NRC -- February, 1977) U e The NRC conducts a detailed review of all nuclear power plant applications to insure that components, systems, and structures important to safety are de-signed, fabricated, erected, and tested to qualit - NRC ANSWERS NUCLEAR QUESTIONS RAISED AT DOE MEETING standards cor:mensurate with the importance of the safety functions to be performed. These reviews On December 13, 1977, the first public meeting in are conducted by sore 50 different technical disci-DOE's " Consumer Information Series" was held at the plines organized into 30 sections in 18 functional GSA Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Among the many branches within the Office of Nuclear Reactor Re-questions posed by representatives of consumer and gulation. public interest groups were four which were subse-quently sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission The safety portion of the application for a nuclear (NRC) for answers. power plant is organized in accordance with a Regu-lacory Guide, the Standard Format and Content of NRC Chairman Joseph M. Hendrie, in a letter to DOE's Safety Analysis Reports, which describes the infor-Office of Consumcr Affairs, has provided those ans-macional needs of the NRC staff in reviewing these vers. We have not had an opportunity in previous applications. The conduct of the safety review is editions of the " Consumer Briefing Summary" to pub-in accordance with the Standard Review Plan, which lish this material. describes in some detail how the safety review of LWR (Light-Water Reactors) applications is accom-l Question 1: T,2 king into consideration the number of plished and which criteria are applied in the ac- ) healen and safety concerns of citizens, hcu can the ceptance of systems, components, and structures government prove to the people that nuclear energy important to safety. The criteria used in the re-is safe? view process include NRC Regulations and Regulatory Answer: It should be recognized that no human en-Guides, and industry standards developed in con-deavor is risk-free and it is possible, although the junction with the NRC. probability is low, that there could be a power re-l actor accident which could have a relatively signi-When a nuclear power plant application is submitted, ficant impact on the public health and safety - it is first subjected to a preliminary review to de-just as there have been f rom dam breaks, explosions, termine whether it contains sufficient information railroad tank car ruptures, fires, and other non-to satisfy the Commission requirements for a detail-nuclear-related events. ed review. If the application is not sufficiently complete, the staff makes specific requests for In order to assure the public that their health and additional information. The application is formally safety is being fully protected, a concerted effort docketed only if it meets certain minimum acceptance is needed to answer their questions about the use of criteria. In addition, when the PSAR is submitted, nuclear fission to produce electricity. These ques-a substantive review and inspection of the appli-tions, which must be addressed in the full light of cant's quality assurance program covering design public scrutiny, include development of a proven and procurement is conducted. Guides for the pre-

. 4 paration of the documents, detailing the kind of In addition to the safety review of nuclear power information needed, have been developed by the plant applications, the NRC technical staff conducts staff to aid companies in preparing acceptable app-evaluations of potential safety problems that may lications. apply to many reactors of a given design type. The detailed review and independent analyses of emergen-l The staff reviews a construction permit application cy core cooling system (ECCS) performance, antici-to determine if the public health and safety will pated transients without scram (ATWS), and contain-be fully protected. If any portion of the applica-tion is considered to be inadequate, the staff re-ment pressure are examples of this type of geceric study. The staff also conducts engineering audits quests the applicant to make appropriate modifica-of reactor vendors and architect-engineer design tions or provide needed additional information. The application is reviewed to determine that the calculations and procedures to assure conformance i with safety design practice. The safety review of i plant design is consistent with NRC rules and regu-j lations. Design methods and procedures of calcula-problems of operating reactors are another means of tions are examined to establish their validity. ensuring safe design by applying the findings reach-i Checks of actual calculations and other procedures ed in these reviews to the licensing process. of design and analysis are made by the staff to establish the validity of the applicant's design The licensing process includes the consideration of I and to determine that the applicant has conducted programs proposed by an applicant for a construction his analysis and evaluation in sufficient depth and permit to verify plant design features and to con-l breadth to support required findings in respect to firm design margins. Data obtained from research j safety

• and development programs on particular facilities i

and from the Commission's safety research program i With regard to accident evaluation, there are speci-fic design features which must be an integral part of nuclear power plants and whose design basis When the review and evaluation of the application assumes that there is a release from the reactor progresses to the point that the staff concludes f pressure vessel of the fission products contained that acceptable criteria, preliminary design infor-in the nuclear core. This assumption is made on a mation and financiai information are documented in deterministic basis (i.e., no rational mechanism is the application, a Safety Evaluation Report is pre-pared. This report represents a summary of the re-assumed to be required to obtain this release), so as to impose extremely conservative design condi-view and evaluation of the application by the staff tions on the engineered safety measures which are relative to the anticipated effect of the proposed physically incorporated in the power plant to miti-facility on the public health and safety. gate the consequences of any postulated accident. However, this assumption implies that there is a When the construction of the nuclear facility has complace failure of the safety systems which are progressed to the point where final design informa-I specifically designed to prevent this release of tion and plans for operation are ready, the appli-fission products from the reactor core. This method cant submits the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) of designing safety systems to withstand postulated in support of an application for an operating li-cense. The FSAR sets forth the pertinent details on worst-case accidents, then assuming a failure of these systems and designing physically separate the final design of the facility, including final backup systems, which are diverse in principle, is containment design, design of the nuclear core, and known as " defense in depth." waste handling system. The FSAR also supplies plans for operation and procedures for coping with emer-a gencies. Again, the staff makes a detailed review Some of the engineered safety systems which are of the information. Amendments to the application typically incorporated into the plant design and which mitigate the consequences of the postulated and reports may be submitted frem time to time. The accident are; the primary containment, the secondary staff again prepares a Safety Evaluation Report (re a containment, containment sprays, and charcoal fil. the operating license) as in the construction permit 3g,g, ters. Prior to licensing a nuclear power plant, the j NRC staff is required to demonstrate that the indi-vidual doses received by the public at specified Each license for operation of a nuclear reactor con-distances from the facility following the design tains Technical Specifications, which set forth the basis accident (i.e., the fission product release particular safety and environmental protection mea-from the reactor pressure vessel) are within the sures to be imposed upon the facility and the con-guideline values contained in 10 CFR, Part 100. ditions of its operation that are to be met in order These specified distances are identified as the .to assure protection of the health and safety of the radius of the exclusion area and the radius of the public and of the surrounding environment. low-population :one. Typical values of these dis-cances are about 1/2 mile for the exclusion area Through its inspection and enforcement program, the End about 3 to 5 miles for the low-population zone. NRC maintains surveillance over construction and These distances vary with plant sits and are depen-operation of a plant throughout its lifetime to dent on the power level cf a facility, the engineer-assure compliance with Commission regulations for ed safety features, and the pertinent meteorological the protection'of public health and safety and the environment. conditions of the plant site. +& P 9

the sponsorship of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Com-Question 2 (b): 2'here have been reports of acci- "I'*i "* I" "*s performed by an ad hoc group organ-dznes at nuclear plants that have not been reported. ized to be independent of the AEC and NRC organiza-What are the facts? tions. Thi study group was under the direction of f essor hta:. C, Rasmussen of the Massachusetts Answer: Reactor plant licensees, vendors, contrac-Institute o.=chnology and, although he reported to ters, and designers are required to report a wide the Commissioners, he received no technical direction spectrum of events and situations related to nuclear from them. The stoup assisting his consisted of some plant safety. The requirement for submittal of 50 full-time people and 50 part-time consultants. these reports to the NRC is stated in the plant Of these, 8 were AEC-NRC employees and most of the technical specifications and in Parts 20, 21, and others were drawn from AEC National 1.aboratories and 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These licen-private c spanies. s e reports are made available to the public by placing copies in Public Document Rooms. During A draft of the report was circulated to persons and 1977 approximately 2.950 of these reports were sub-crganizations representing a wide variety of view-Eitted relating to reportable incidents, events or points, including both those who were supportive and conditions at 65 operating reactor facilities. The those who were critical of nuclear power. Comments types of incidents or events which are required to from these individuals and organizations were taken bo reported to the NRC range from those posing a into account in preparing the final report. Further-direct hazard to public health and safety, to rela-more, an independent advisory committee to the NRC, tively minor plant problems such as instrument set-the Risk Assessment Review Group, is now reviewing point drifts. NRC review and analysis of these re-the final report in regard to the validity of peer ports and other licensee information includes an e nonents, and the developments that have taken place evaluation of significance in accordance with Sec-in risk assessment methodology since its publication. tion 208 of the Reorganization Act of 1974 This It will also delineate those areas of nuclear safety svaluation resulted in identification of 5 inci-that were covered ar.d those not covered in the re-drnes or events during 1977 related to operating port. The NRC is planning to perform a reassessment power plants which are considered by the Commission of reactor accident risks in the early 1980 s. to be sufficiently "significant from the standpoint of public health or safety" for inclusion in the Question 3 (a): In light of DCE's ecoperactus quarterly report to Congress as " Abnormal Occur-efforrs utth cne NRC Ln devoicptng the safety tests r1nces'" for the light-a1ter reastcre, I uculd like to kncu The remainder of these reports, although of lesser what, plans there are to infom the puMio, on a ty prograns that are tnvoZued us,0f th.e e,cus safe conctnu W hasis, of the status significance than those classified by the NRC as ch the current safe- " Abnormal Occurrences," are considered to be impor- @ of ght-w ter nascors. cent for the regulatory process. This importance is based on the precept that the utility has the Answer: Although a large share of NRC's reactor primary responsibility for safe plant cperation. safety research program is performed at DOE labora-It is the NRC s role to verify that these responsi-W h d wu h bilities are fulfilled. The NRC verifies the safe-the NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Thus, ty of plant operations through a program of inspec-the work being performed is defined, monitored, and tions which includes among other things evaluation analyzed under the management of NRC personnel to of licensee reports and review of licensee adherence g g l to reporting requirements. While there have been l instances in which noncotapliance with NRC reporting In the course or managing this work, input informa-rsquirements have been identified by NRC inspectors, cion covering a wide spectrum of technical disci-no instances have been identified which were consi-plines is also obtained by means of Research Review dsred significant to public health and safety equi-Gr 'O. RRG's W W W M d M valent to an Abnormal Occurrence. each significant area of research and these groups bcain opinions from highly qualified technical con-In summary, operating power plant licensees have $ultants fr a universities DOE laboratories, and ginerally been found to satisfactorily meet the re-industry. However, the final decisions af fecting ptreing requirements. guidance of technical programs are made by NRC per-

• • • • • E' l

Question 2 (c): Has an iniependant study been n1de to reseamh the safety of aristing plants? So you It is NRC's policy to make available to the public conc eptare tnttiattng suon a atucy? in a free and open manner all of the information that is developed from its research programs. Our Answer: A study has already been performed cover-p licy requires that, within two weeks after the ing the safety of nuclear power plants and the re-completi n of any significant experiment, a Quick suits were published in October of 1975, in a re-1. k Report is published and is immediately placed port entitled, " Reactor Safety Study - An Assess-in the Public Documents Room, l.ater, analyses of ment of Accident Risks in U.S. Commercial Nuclear experimental results are published in periodic or Pow Mants," (WASH-1400). This study was started C pical reports. These reports are distributed to in 1972 under the sponsorship of the U.S. Atomic a wide variety f 8 vernment, private industry, Energy Commission and was completed in 1975 under university, and public interest groups. In addition,

they are available for sale to any member of the dels. In spite of '.his, extrapolation of these public through the NRC's Division of Technical In-models to full-scale reactors will be needed to formation and Document Control and from the National predict this behrvior realistically, and some Je-Technical Information Service Department of Com-gree of judgment will have to be applied in %aking merce. All of these reports also may be seen and such extrapolations and predictions. Such extra-copied in NRC's Public Document Room in Washington, polation and judgment will always be needed to ev-D.C. aluate the wide variety of different postulated accident conditionc that must be considered. Results of NRC-sponsored research are also publish-ed periodically in the journal Nuclear Safety, The difference in performance predicted for LOCA-which is supported by the NRC; and results are also ECCS by the evaluatioT model and the realistic mo-presented at various scientific meetings and pub-del can be thought of as defining the margin of lished in the open literature. Ia addition, the NRC safety provided in ECCS performance. So far, our conducts an annual Water Reactor Safety Information research results have indicated that many of the Meeting to discuss results of all its safety pro-evaluation model assumptions have significant con-grams over the past year. This meeting is open to servatisms, and thus have generally confirmed the any member of the public. overall adequacy of currently used evaluation mo-dels. In a few cases, where research results have Question 3 (b): Ard, in particular, since there is indicated the need for additional or more restric-a major criticism of these study efforts, namely of tive features in the evaluation model, the NRC li-heu the results can be reliable and fully extrapola-censing staff has improved them as appropriate. ted to the full-scale, comercial reactcre, cr4 hou the tuo agencies' ccmbined efforts are planning to Question 4: Has there aver been a futt-scale in-meet the criticisms of the lack of comparability in plementation of an evacuation of the NRC-detemined, so many aspects? "tou-population zone" uhich surrounds every licens-ed comercial reactor? If not, how do ycu kncu Answer: To answer this question, it is necessary that the " Iou-population zone" presents a ucrkable to show how the safety research program is related approach to nuclear safety? to safety evaluation in the reactor licensing pro-cess. The design basis loss-of-coolant accident Answer: As far as we are aware, there has never (LOCA) is used as an example. An Emergency Core been a full-scale implementation of an evacuation Cooling System (ECCS) is required and provided to of the Low-population Zones which surround every e cool the core in the event of a LOCA. licensed comercial reactor. The Low-population Zone is not, in itself, the total approach to nu-The basic way in which the adequacy of reactor safe-clear safety. Nuclear safety encompasses the eval-ty systems (such as the ECCS) for potential accident uation of site suitability, plant designs, engin-conditions (such as a LOCA) are evaluated in NRC's eered safeguards, required testing programs, qual-licensing process is by means of computer codes icy assurance, and training of competent operators, t which use conservative assu=ptions -- the so-calJed all of which provide substantial assurance that evaluation models. The principal conservative accidents with serious consequences to the public assumptions used for ECCS evaluation are stated in health and safety are not likely to occur. Appendix K to 10 CFR 50 of the NRC Regulations. They were selected as the result of a rule-making Evacuation, which is one protective measure iden-hearing that involved extensive p.blic participa-tified in the emergency planning process, is a tion. They were based on the best theoretical protective measure which has been used for a number and experimental evidence then available, plus of regularly occurring natural and " man-made" a good deal of judgment where knowledge was in-events -- such as hurricanes, floods, and chemical complete. The assumptions delineated in Appendix releases to the environment and, under some circum-K were selected with the full knowledge that it was stances, sheltering may be a preferable protective not then possible to predict the realistic behavior measure to evacuation. For emergency planning of all the phenomena involved in a LOCA; however, supportive of nuclear facilities, the key to the there was sufficient information available to esta-implementation of any protective measures is an blish conservative assump lons where needed to help effective notification scheme between the facility insure that the evaluat'.an model yielded overall operator and off-site governmental organizations conservative predictions of accident behavior, which have the responsibility to implement protec-tive measures. NRC's research program is directed toward obtaining additional data and developing improved models that It is unlikely that, in the event of a radiological will eliminate these types of uncertainties and pre-release from a nuclear power facility, the imple-diet accident behavior more realistically. To do_ mentation of protective measures would involve the this, experiments are being run at small-scale, mid-entire Low-population Zone. The implementation of scale, and near full scale, on the individual phe-protective measures (not just evacuation) more lik-nomena as a function of scale. Furthermore, experi-ly would involve a portion of the Low-population ments of integrated LOCA-ECCS phenomena are being Zone and could conceivably involve areas beyond i made at small-scale and mid-scale to help insure the zone under some cor.ditions. An example of this that unexpected phenomena that might be revealed in- - would be the control of the distribution of milk or integral system testing are also covered by the so-other. foodstuffs in agricultural production areas i l ~

surrounding a nuclear facility. The U.S. Depart-The executive summaries, Technical Report for OEIS m nt of Health, Education and Welfare's Food and -- Radioactius Vasta Isolation in Geologia Foma-Drug Administration (Bureau of Radiological Health) cions, Y/0WI/TM-36, Volumes 1 through 23, plus Vol-is currently developing Protective Action Guides ume 24, Y/0WI/IM-44, may be purchased from the Na-for this purpose, which do not relate to the con-tional Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285 capt of Low-population Zones established for reactor Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22151, at siting purposes. Also, the U.S. Environmental Pro-prices ranging from $5.25 to $12.50 for individual tsction Agency has already developed Protective Ac-

volumes, tion Guides for thyroid and whole-body radiological sxposure via an airborne radiological release from DOE ISSUES REPORT ON ESTIMATES OF CHARCES FOR SPENT a nuclear facility.

NUCLEAR EVEL STORACE/ DISPOSAL These guides have been promulgated as EPA guidance to States and local governments developing emergen-The Department of Energy has issued a report descri-cy plans supportive of nuclear facilities. A part. 141 objective of these guides is to plan for radio-bing preliminary estimates of charges for spent nu-clear reactor fuel storage and disposal services. logical dose savings in the environs of nuclear fa-cilities, as opposed to the concept of Low-popula-tion 2cnes which are established for site and reac-The DOE program for spent fuel management is a re-sult of a Presidentially-approved policy announced tor suitability, using predetermined exposure guide-October 18, 1977. It specifies that the Federal lines. Government, under certain conditions, would take title to and store spent fuel from private nuclear The NRC and other Federal agencies provide a variety reactors for a one-time charge, of training programs for State and local government organizations in the radiological emergency response DOE is inviting public comment on estimates of the area. These training programs, offered at no cost to the States and local governments, contribute to charges and on methods employed in arriving at the results. The report, " Preliminary Estimates of the their overall emergency response posture, Charge for Spent Fuel Storage and Disposal Services," Finally, the matter of the Low-population Zones carries the publication number " DOE /ET-0055," and around licensed commercial nuclear facilities, as was prepared by the Office of Energy Research and these zones relate to emergency planning and pre. the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Energy paredness activities of the States and their local Technology, DOE. governments, is being reviewed and studied by a special NRC/ EPA Task Force on Emergency Planning as To obtain copies, or to comment on the preliminary a part of developing additional emergency planning estimates of charges for spent fuel storage and guidance for States and local governments. The disposal services, write to: Task Force expects to have a final report on this matter with its recommendations before the Commis. Mr. Michael J. Lawrence sion and EPA management during the Spring of 1978.* Acting Director for Fuel Storage and Transfer Office of Nuclear Waste Management

• - Nardrial preparad by :RC during February, D79.

Mail Stop B-107 U.S. Department of Energy Washington, D.C. 20545 For further information about this or any of the DRAF"' GEOLOGICAL REPORT ON NUCLEAR WASTE TERMINAL other questions presented here, contact the NRC s Mr. Christian Lot:e at (202) 492-7721. ~he mailing STORAGE address ist United States Nuclear Regulatory Com-mission, Washington, D.C. 20555. DOE is seeking public review and comment in Texas, Louisia u, and Mississippi, on its draft report, NUCLEAR WASTE REPORT AVAILABLE IN DOE PUBLIC report was prepared under subcontract to DOE by the Law Engineering Testing Company, as part of a natio-READING ROOMS nal program to dispose of high-level radioactive The 24-volume, 4,000-page report, Radicactiva Wast, vaste from civilian nuclear power generation.

co:aticn in Jeologic Fcr"ntions, is available for public inspection in DOE Reading Rooms in several As part of this program, promising rock formations are being studied in several major regions within locations around the country. The entire report the continental U.S. to determine their suitability has been placed in the DOE Public Document Room at 20 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., and for deep geologic containment of nuclear wastes.

This draft report is the result of a preliminary in DOE waste repository libraries in Albuquerque. geologic evaluation of the interior salt domes of N.M. ; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada; Savan. the Gulf Coast area. The report neither concludes nah River Plant at Aiken, S.C.; Richland, Washing. nor recommends that the identified sites are accep-ton; and the Chicago Operations Office in Argonne, Illincia.

table as repository locations. DOE expects that labor, and public interest groups to consider their cuch a determination will require at least two more roles in achieving the dual national goals of in-years of study, during which time there will be many creased energy production and energy conservation. opportunities for the States involved to contribute to plans, evaluations, and decisions. The registration fee will be approximately $30 and will include two working luncheons, cask force re-The draft report ha1 been distributed throughout ports, and other Conference-generated publications. Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Copies are also For further infomation, please contact: cvailablo for public inspection at each of DOE's Ms. Revonda J. Williams, Program Manager, Vocatio-ten Regional Offices around the country. Check nal/ Technical Education, Education Programs Divi-your local telephone directory for the address and sion. EB u/IR, U.S. Department of Energy, 400 1st phone number of the one nearest you. St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20545. (202) 376-9211. DOE ISSUES REPORT ON NUCI. EAR INVENTORY DIFFERENCES PUBLIC MEETINGS - "NEP 2" OUTREACH PLAN The Department of Energy has made public a report on strategic special nuclear material inventory dif-To ensure public participation in development of the ferences in its facilities for the period April 1 National Energy Plan II (NEP 2), the Department of 1977 through September 30, 1977. Energy will conduct a two-phased outreach program of public meetings during the last week in November and The first Inventory Ditference (ID) report was issu-the first two weeks in December, 1978. In addition. sd in August, 1977, by the Energy Research and De-the public will be given opportunities to submit velopment Administration (ERDA), which became part writt o co=ments on material circulated by mailings of the new DOE. In January, 1978 DOE issued its or other means. The Department will take such com-first semi-annual ID report covering the period ments into appropriate consideration throughout the October 1, 1976 to March 31, 1977. various stages of preparing the NEP 2 plan. All three reports are available for public review Constituency Meetines in Washineton, D.C. at DOE reading rooms. Single copies of the new re-port may be obtained by writing to: Division of Small-group meetings will be held with the repre-Nuclear Safeguards and Security, Department of sentati;tes of r"ajor constituency groups; i.e., ed-Energy Washington, D.C. 20545. ucation, labor, consumers, energy producers, envi-ronmentalists, State and local govern =ent, business / industry (including small business), during the last week in November in Washington, D.C. - at the GUIDE FOR SUBMISSION OF UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS Department of Energy's Forrestal Building Auditori-um. DOE's Guide for Submission of Unsolicited Prcposals is now available to the public. The Guide will assist organizations and individuals who wish to These meetings will provide opportunity for policy submit energy research proposals related to the de-discussions, with knowledgeable constituency repre-velopment and conservation of efficient and relia-sentatives, on the general direction of long-range ble energy sources. When a prospective contractor energy policies, and on the following specific issues: Refinery Policy; Crude Oil Pricing; Cas submits a proposal solely on his own initiative and not in response to a formal government request. Hook-ups; West Coast Crude Oil Distribution; Auto the proposal is considered to be an unsolicited Efficiency; Alcohol Fuels, and Synthetic Liquids proposal. Utilization. Copies of the Guide may be obtained, at $1.30 per The D.C. meetings will be in the form of roundtable copy, from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. conversations led by the DOE Assistant Secretary Covernment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. for Policy and Evaluation. The public is invited Please refer to Stock Number 061-000-00140-9. t listen and to participate in the discussions. Verbatim transcripts of the sessions will be avail-able for public review in the DOE Office of Policy NATIONAL ENERGY EDUCATION, BUSINESS, A'!D LABOR and Evaluation, the Office of Consumer Affairs, and CONFERENCE the DOE Freedom of Information Office. DOE's Office of Education Business, and Labor For further information on these meetings in Affairs (EBM) is sponsoring the.7ational EnerW

/a.Mncton, D.C., contact

Karl Conrad at (202) 252-5877.

Education, Business, and Labcr Conference at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. January Public Meetings in the Regions 15 - 17, 1979. It will focus on energy-related vo-cational and technician training, employment, and Six one-day public meetings will be held in San public energy awareness. The objective of the Con-Francisco, Dallas, Denver, Omaha, Boston, and Wash-fcrence is to bring togethe.r educators, business, ington, D.C. All those who indicate, through the

DOE Regional Offices, an'interwst in participating Verbatim transcripts of the regional meetings will i will receive copies of the NEP 2 Outline and Issue be made, and copies will be available for public Pepers. At each regional meeting, the issues will review in the DOE Office of Policy Evaluation, the be discussed in depth, in roundtable style, and Office of Consumer Affairs, and the Freedom of In-several hours will be set aside for formal presen-formation Office, Washington, D.C. cations by anyone who wishes to be heard on any of the issues. Each meeting will open with a half-day general discussion of long-range energy policy. PUBLIC MEETINGS ON NATIONAL CONSUMER COOPERATIVE For further information about the regional meeting 3, BANK contact the responsible official, as noted below. The National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act, recent-Schedule of Regional Meetings ly passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President, will make available as much as $3 i Dec. 5 Ballroom East billion over 5 years for local community develop-Hyatt on Union Square ment, neighb rhood revitalization and economic de-345 Stockton vel paent activities in many urb.an and rural areas. San Francisco, California The Co-op Bank has three main components: a general

Contact:

Robert Laffel/(415) 556-7157 fund which will supply direct,' market-rate loans to c operatives; a Self-help Development Fund which Dec. 6 Adolphus Hotel will make low-interest loans to low-income coopera-i French Room tives; and technical assistance for all cooperatives. 1321 Commerce Street A special provision requires that 35 percent of the Dallas, Texas Bank's capital be allocated to low-income cccmuni-

Contact:

Grace Morrison/(214) 749-7629 ties. Dec. 7 Main Auditorium An Interagency Task Force, which is developing reg-University of Denver College of Law ulations for the Bank, is planning a series of na-200 West 14th Avenue tionwide public meetings in December to obtain pub-Denver, Colorado

Contact:

C. Dale Eriksen/(303) 234-2420 lie input on issues which will guide the Task Force in developing regulations. The Department of Energy will coordinate one of those meetings, to be held in. Dec. 12 The Holiday Inn I 3321 South 72nd Street Omaha, Nebraska on December 11, 1978 -- from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Central, 3321 Omaha, Nebraska S uth 72nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124 For in-

Contact:

June Heard /(816) 374-5533 formation regarding the Omaha meeting, contact: Ms. June Heard, DOE Region VII, 324 East lith Street, [ Dec. 14 John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse, Room 208 Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Telephone: (816) 374-5533. For information on the other meetings, con-Post Office Square tact: Ms. Tobi Steinberg, Community Services Admin-3oston, Massachusetts istration Room 238, 1200 19th Street, N.W., Wash-

Contact:

Roberta Walsh/(617) 223-5257 ington, D.C. 20506. Telephone: (202) 632-8322. FIRST-CLASS MAII, DEPAR7ENT OF ENERGY POSTAGE & FEES PAID OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS U.S. DEPT. OF ENERGY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20585 PERMIT NO. G 20 t 4 4

Mcy 1979 Pubhshed monthly D# , Volume 1, No. 2 -' - O-Departmentof Energy Othce of Consumer [, '..... g. Anairs CO A o n 1 .r. q -

7 -

.... s ,7 774. Energy ' v e,:.E:.,. Committee panel at hearings on the proposed pro ram:

.arry Youn9-chairin9 the ruet ott Markottni

v ~ Assistance ~ , 3, ws-. Todsy we. ark a significant moment in policy-m.& Programs 7 :.c e .. /- 4 t' v.; max tn, ana a renewed ef fort to araw attention j - to a vital and.mportant problem facing many of M.N*- g 'e our c:t:: ens. Ener1y costs are htyher today and j +g will be st.ll highcr t morrow. No one can teny ~. %',.

,C...

i-that these h;gher costs fall heavtost on the g . I [. p : w' poor, tnoso.who hav rarginal incomes an! those K who lepend on ftxud incomes. Jg C Those Leople are 3110k. They are Nerto 91:an. ' They.3ro Spanish-spe.3 king and the',' tre I n -11 a n s. l .,,.A E l . '..;g - They aro also the :nerployed, the an lo ro.pl o'ced y ,7.g,- ~, tgnse thout ch skills, and the el.terly. "ost ..P '*P 'O of all, thei are t0c often neq!ected 2nd a en oi ..T[ .-- apoarent1 / f o rgo ': t en. (This and other tost; mony centinues on page 4t Energy Workshops g f ~-- for Community h Leaders .,.3 e 7 t 3 ~ l t

.j i

6 pnw, r .~y. =- .g l \\ -

,t -- w Appropriate

' s y'. - '1'~~c two hundred exhibitors .- s t U m' i from 33 states built e ~ a self-relunt ecm- .3..t., T p.s Community f 4.h N 5 OJ n $*,l' fun 9-m Technology 3.4 y 5 Fair f [N * .v=J ~N their alternatives ,sf ' ' ' for health care, agrL-f ,,, Nj, e g I' 'T- ,, 7.

- f.

..r e. gN u etsitu r e, education, 4 'i ., { ! - transportat;on, legal .[ e 8 Y -m .lg' t% ' f.., ". ] ~ s ' ,.( y. f' services, ar.d recrea-tron. More o-1 the -. = uyi 3. . y,, y, J.- ^ energy alternatives .-..o Q l anstda. (,.y.r. p. C j,r O( J I' ' *[..

.L '

. qy..'[~;),.f '.lf ; b l l_ i y_- 0;'.R T:Z't L ~ m,,m.~ l

g Energy Assistance Programs INVESTING IN OUR ENERGY FUTURE It looks as though energy prices in this country have no place to go but up. M t k>l W* This is a message few of us want to hear. But if that is the hard reality--that the days of cheap, plentiful fuel are gone-- is a monthly publication covering federal then we had better face it, and start mak-energy programs of interest to consumers. ing choices we'd probably rather not make. Please let us know what areas you'd like to know more about. Write: THE ENERGY That was the logic underlying the President's CONSUMER, DOE, Office of Consumer Affairs, decision to decontrol the price of domestic Room 8G031, Washington, DC 20585. crude oil. We do ourselves no favor, as consumers, by trying to fool ourselves into IN THIS ISSUE believing that the cost of each barrel of oil is less than it actually is. Every Energy Assistance Programs 2 barrel we use up has to be replaced; in deciding how much to use, therefore, con-Alfred Kahn on investing in Our Energy sumers should be confronted with a price Future that reflects the cost of replacing it. Hearings on proposed Low-Income Energy Assistance The rising replacement cost of energy forces difficult decisions upon us all. One of People to People 7 them is how we are going to economize in its use, particularly in transportation, Energy workshops for low-incere commu-which uses up 50 percent of all the oil nity leaders and teachers we consume, as compared to an average of Appropriate Community Technology Fair 20 percent for most other countries. It also requires us to undertake a major effort Solar Appropriate Technology Update 10 to develop other energy sources to take the place of oil and that includes finding ways Small wind generator field tests of using them without endangering our health Commercialization programs for alter-or ruining the environment. native technologies Information on renewable resource In a humane society, sharply rising energy developers needed prices also impose an obligation on us to Workshops and publications protect those of our people who, because of their low income, simply can't afford Conservation Update 12 to pay them without unacceptably great suffering. For most of us, cutting down Fossil ruel Update 13 on the tremendous amount of energy we use each day will not impose genuine hardship. Gasoline ceiling price violations But for the poorest members of our society, Publications these changes will be difficult, if not impossible. Already, the poor and the Utility Update 14 elderly in some parts of the country have been faced with choosing between food and i i Utility rate ce+ arm: hearings on heat. This is a choice no person in this rulemaking' country should have to make. Need help with four local utility? j Most of the difficult choices posed by de-control are unavoidable: after all, energy prices have been rising 12 to 15 percent a year even without decontrol, as the OPEC countries hoisted the price we pay for the National Consumer Buying Alert is a new imports on which we increasingly rely, and monthly publication of the Office of the as supplies of our own o: 1 inexorably de-President's Assistant for Consumer Affairs. clined. The Alert provides information about ex-pacted marketplace trends in essentials in-One such side-effect of decontrol is not cluding food, energy, housing, and health so inevitable, however, and that is the care. Write each month to Esther Peterson, large, windfall profits the oil industry Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO could reap when the price of old oil--dis-81009. covered and developed years ago, when the

3 costs of production and exploration were proposal, developed by DOE's Fuel Oil much less--is allowed to rise to the uncon-Marketing Advisory Committee (FOMAC), trolled world price. summarized the needs for such a program, outlined a model to meet those needs, and Such a windfall seems terribly unjust in suggested financing options. Twenty view of the heavy burden of higher prices government and consumer group representa-en all of us, and on the poor in particular. tives responded to invitations for public To correct that injustice, and to help us comment on the proposal. Their comments, make the difficult transition to a more excerpts from which appear in the follow-energy-conserving society, the President ing pages, will be considered in the final has proposed a windfall profits tax on in-Advisory Committee report to Secretary creases in oil company revenues that result Schlesinger. from decontrol, or from future price hikes of the OPEC cartel. The revenues would go The Committee's proposal was based on a into an Energy Security Fund, which would recognition of the disproportionate impact be used to help us meet the critical needs of rising energy costs on the poor, the I have already described. mandate of the National Energy Plan to solve energy problems in a way equitable If Congress agrees, this fund would, from to all income groups, and the limitations 1990 through 1982, provide millions of dol-of current energy assistance programs. lars for expanded and improved mass transit systems, several billion for stepped up The averace low-income household spends research and development of new technologies 30% of its annual income on energy, com-to provide renewable energy sources--solar, pared to the 9.6% spent by a median-income geothermal, low-head hydropower, and, in family. Rising energy costs seriously the much less certain, very long run, fusion reduce the purchasing power of the poor. fusion; and about $2 billion in financial "I nve r t ed " fuel and electricity pricing relief to the poorest hcuseholds in the structures and cash-on-delivery payment country, to help ease the burden of rising systems work against low income users. energy costs on them. While conservation relieves some of the This is an exciting pressure on more affluent energy users, idea. But it will come 1 w-income and elderly consumers in many to pass only if Con-cases are using the minimum energy needed gress enacts the wind-f r health, and cannot further reduce their fall. profits tax the energy use. Inadequate housing may waste President has proposed. energy and limited means preclude the gy That ma' es Congres-repairs and weatherization that could re-sional 1.assage o.,his duce energy use and bills. tax one of the most important items on the FCMAC's proposed program would provide consumer agenda this assistance to about 15 million households, year. 40% of them elderly, that have a tctal annual income less than 125% of federal I intend to fight hard poverty level (S7750 for a family of four) for it; and I urge and that are spending more than a specific every single consumer in this country to do percentage (about m) of den Wome ths same. It is fair; it is humane; and it budget on energy. This assistance would will give us a powerful lift in adapting to be in the form of a line of credit the new reality of costly energy, with all extended through fuel and electricity that means for our way of life. vendors, reducing the low-income client,s payments. The program could also help low-income renters through subsidies. The proposed assistance formula would be designed to encourage conservation. Families Alfred E. Kahn eligible for energy assistance would be f,\\dvisortothePresident provided energy audits, conservation on Inflation counseling, and weatherization needed to reduce energy consurption. LOW INCOME ENERGY A03ISTANCE PROGRAM PROPOSED A draft copy of " Low Income Energy Assistance: A Profile of Need and Policy Options," can be obtained from the Public A proposal to provide income assistance to Document Room, B-120, 2000 M St. FW, ths poor and eldcrly, was the a2bject of a Washington, DC 20461. public forum in Washington April 10. The

4 Larry Young, President, Center for Urban Senator Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts: Environmental Studies: Fuel Oil Marketing Committee Panel Chairperson: Member, Mary-Let me first, of all express my very great land state Legislature: appreciation for the work that has been done by this Committee in reminding all-(testimony continued from front page) Americans of one of the great failures of our national energy policy. For the The scenario is simple: People at the low-past five years, while energy costs have set economic end of our society are already skyrocketed, efforts to help the poor cccustomed to conserving. It has been, and have been piecemeal and insufficient, pro-is, for them a way of life. Their energy viding too little assistance to too few needs extend to essentials, not luxuries. people. Crisis Intervention and Energy There is little if any way for them to re-Assistance Programs have reached only one duce consumption, much less eliminate waste. million of the 24 million low-income Americans. These programs have always Their choice is not to conserve, but to been considered emergency, stop-gap mea-forego other needs, a choice that too fre-sures and their purposes and funding have quently has long-lasting consequences. The been limited. No more than $250 can be. choice between heat in the winter and food distributed to one family, yet today's on the table is more than a sacrifice. low income families are frequently being forced to pay more than S1000 for energy Some will say that energy policy and social on a budget of only $3000 a year. policy should be separated. But a policy which seeks to dampen demand through price Low-income America is being squeezed, increases also requires policies which off-You and I can lower the thermostat. But tot the economic consequences to those who for poor households, lowering the thermo-are forced to make choices between essential stat too far can mean incurring hypothermia, nseds. pneumonia, and viruses for the elderly and families with small children. They have Therein is the problem: to reduce domestic no fat to cut from their budgets. The energy consumption and, at the same time, statistics set forth in the Advisory _ assure that essential energy needs of all Commmittee's document reveal this reality our citizens are met. in undeniable terms and are made more frightening when one realizes that they John O' Leary, Deputy Secretary of Energy: understate the problem that exists today, following the decisions of OPEC, the oil The price of energy has outrun even the es-companies, and President Carter to push calating cost of living for goods and ser-oil prices to new heights. A family vices within this economy. I believe that which has already been pushed to the brink the matter you are discussing today is the by sharp energy price increases. cannot biggest open gap in energy policy in this be expected to survive this latest energy-country. shove. The President has announced that the first I support your decision to define the priority use for the new and hopefully eligible population not merely by incomes, econ-to-be-enacted Energy Security Fund but also by enercy need and cost. Re2 will be to begin to close this economic quiring each family to spend more than gap for the low-income families of this some minimum portion of its energy budget country. before becoming eligible for energy. assistance still preserves incentives to Ea have had for the past three years, but conserve. Equally important is the l sometimes too late, the S200 million a Advisory Committee's recommendation that j yGar assistance program for people who are weatherization programs accompany energy on the edge--the so-called crisis inter-assistance to minimize energy waste. l v2ntion program. In addition, a number of states have made their own attempts to In addition to conservation initiatives, l adjust income to compenaate for the rapidly I encourage the Advisory Commmittee - to rising cost of energy. pursue the concept of " regional generic e e ergy c st" in determining eligibil-The Administration recognizes it as a nttional problem and one that will have to yfr he pr gram. In some cities, be dealt with, with imagination, creativity, air-conditioning in the summer is no less all the best attempts of-government... important to the health of the elderly than warmth in the winter. And since direct incr'ases in the price of petro-e 'leum have led to indirect increases in

S j This Committee has produced a valuable i F' assessment of the energy needs of the low-income in a document which has been super-seded by the President's plan of using es the windfall profits from decontrol for l this purpose. I would urge you not to ,j "~' count on the revenues from the Energy 2-Security Fund. Not only will you have pro-j}l ducer state people in the Concress dead y set against any windfall profits tax, you y ,j will have many people from nonproducer y states voting against the windfall profits tax if that tax is a sham, if it is a piece Senator Edward [3 of swiss cheese with all the holes in it g made by oil company lawyers. And even if it the prices of all other fuels, those other did pass, how would it impact on the peo-energy sources are fast becoming as large ple you are talking about? Very, very little. a threat to low-income budgets as fuel oil. It wouldn't offset the increased costs of decontrol let alone address the very real The estimated cost of the program you are and current problems. proposing -- $3.2 billion annually -- must be compared to the overall need. While ,l,I it may be advisable to put a dollar limit i t on the amount of assistance available to any single household, such a limit must remain high enough to effectively address qy the enormous burden that has been imposed 4 on the poor by the last six years of 2;7 j energy price increases. 4 05 2 I am hopeful that the work of chis Advisory f# Committee to educate the public, Congress, and this Administration about this urgent a problem will result in an Administration Representative j proposal that is not only adequate but Toby Moffett also independent of a windfall profits tax. I congratulate the Committee. I urge you to press this matter forward, as a matter Representative Anthony Toby Mof fett, of common decency, ecuity, and justice. Connecticut: I hope you will not be bashful about letting this Administration know what you feel about There is a heavy burden on the poor and the impact this decontrol decision will near poor from fuel oil and other energy have, not only on poor people, but on many, prices. It has been no secret. As early many other people in this society. as 1975, the Federal Energy Administration published " Effects of Rising Energy Prices en Low-and Moderate-Income Elderly," a William Hutton, National Council of senior Citizens: volume that recognized rising energy costs were forcing many of the poor and elderly to do without basic necessities in energy. Last week, the President of the United Even without decontrol, home heating oil States warned the American people of still bills in New England within two years are further increases in the cost of energy as expected to average well over S1000. New a result of his decision to decontrol the England energy costs since 1973 have in-price of domestic oil. As a result of creased four times faster than welfare that decision, I am sure energy stock payments, which further impedes the ability prices rose dranatically. I am less sure of those on fixed incomes to pay. that this nation's energy stock will increase. I am not sure what is going to become of thace people, not only poor people and the But I am not here to talk about supply. I elderly, but many working class and even am here to talk about the accessibility of middle-clacs families. The fuel oil dealers existing energy to low-inccme and can tell you that these people have paid elderly Americans. We have just emerged thnir bills for decades and are now no from yet another bitter winter, and longer able to pay them. summer, with its blistering heat making the very act of breathing difficult for many older people, is just around the corner.

(5 Most older people are on fixed incomes. conservation. But the poor and the elderly The cost of utilities--oil, gas, electri-have long since learned how to conserve. city--is going up. So is the coat of food. Faced with this situation, more and more Last year Congress passed for the third senior citizens must respond by seeking consecutive winter a S200 million energy to eat less and heat less. Most of the fuel assistance program to help those victims of this solution will not be re-households unable to pay their winter corded as freezing to death or starving heating bills. Unfortunately, if only in to death. Their deaths will be attributed light of its low funding level, the ef-to " natural causes" but the fact is, most fectiveness of this program is highly sus-af these people will not die of natural pect. Indeed, it was developed as a one-causes. time quick fix while the Congress grappled with a national energy policy. It was On e of the nation's leading authorities on presumed that the national energy policy the health problems of the elderly warned would include provisions for protecting Axericans last winter that for tens of low-income and elderly households from the th ousands of senior citizens, lowering the increasing costs of life-sustaining energy. trermostat even to 65 degrees could spell tr agedy for many elderly suf fering from So the poor and the elderly waited. cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, or even Carter's proposal to rebate to the American from handicaps which limit novement. people the crude oil equalization tax re-Hypothermia, the killing condition caused venues was the only provision in the by loss of body heat, includes lethargic original bill which directly addressed the and comatose symptoms exactly like those impact higher energy costs would have on of untreated diabetes. As a result, death the poor and elderly. But the proposal may be attributed to other diseases, when never even emerged from the subcomnittees. the cause is simply the lack of adequate heat. The FOMAC proposal to base eligibility on income and the percentage of income spent The elderly are also vulnerable to diet on home energy use will insure that assist-deficiency. Malnutrition aggravates ance be based on need. Unless and until arrestible diseases and leads to premature we, as a nation, reform the utility rate death or illness so serious as to require structures and include a lifetime rate for institutional care. The rising cost of all essential energy needs, an income-based utilities is forcing malnutrition upon energy i d ief program is the only equitable hundreds of thousands of older Americans. and humane sv..uAon. Stephen Schachman, Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Gas Works: I did think it was important that you have the perspective of a distribution company. We most heartily

• • i j

agree with the intent of the report as drafted. We do believe there is one thing 4 missing in this program -- overall coordina-3 i tion between this and other programs as presented by the Department of Energy and 4I the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. William Hutton, If you take a look at DOE's proposed Resi-I di'A.YiffI$[?hf 3 ilh National Council dential Energy Conservation Service, you of Senior Citizens will see the following: federal costs, S21 million; state, $103-178 million; home The quiet, retired couple in your neighbor-heatina suppliers, 5304 millions utility hood can well be the victims of inadequate companvas, S1.6 billion; and costs to the heat and inadequate diet. They may not consumer for installation, S6.7 billion know what is happening to them. Or they (Federal Register, March 19, p. 16577). may be too proud to ask for help. This certainly will be out of the reach of the people you are trying to help. The automatic cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security we won back in 1972 The FOMAC report ackncwledges that the hasn't come close to protecting our meager Residential Conservation Service will incomes from rapidly decreasing purchasing cause high utility rates and an increase power. In 1976 for instance, one million in taxes. We have already spent money ciderly households with incomes of less running a pilot program, and cannot offer than $2,000 spent over half of their in-to o,ur customers the type of conservation come on home fuels. That leaves $1,000 services we intended to offer. to live on for 12 months, less than $100 a month. What is the answer? Some say (Testimony continues on page 15)

q People to People mation and training can be replicated using a kit of slide programs and a skill-building PARTICIPATING IN FEDERAL PRCGPAMS: maNal given to participating cities af ter WCRKSHOPS FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS thf workshop. Three-day workshops to help low-income People interested and involved in low-and community leaders participate more effec-moderate-income neighborhood and community tively in federal energy programs and in development are invited to attend the work-Community Development Block Grant programs shops. The workshops are free, and local will run in seventeen cities during May. Community Action Agencies may be able to The workshop series, sponsored by the assist with travel costs. DOE regional Department of Housing and Urban Development representatives (addresses on back page) and DOE, started in April and has already can supply further information. brought information on these programs to community leaders from 24 states. May Washington, DC 3-5 (workshoo for DC and Maryland) The National Citizens' Participation Oakland,'CA Council, Inc., a nationwide, community? Dayton, OH based, minority organization specializing (for Chio and Indiana) in teaching techniques for organizing Oklahoma Citv, OK citizens and gaining access to government Fort Mill, SC programs, runs the workshops. Besides (for North and South Carolina) representatives of HUD and DCE, staff from May Philadelphia, Pt the Community Services Administration' 17-19 (for Pennsylvania and Delaware) Action, the Department of Health, Education Rapid City, SD and Welfare, Labor (CETA), and the Environ-(for Sorth and South Dakota and mental Protection Agency are on hand at the Montana) meetings to answer questions and pick uo Lincoln, NE feedback on their energy progrars. (for Nebraska and Iowa) San Juan, PR w,y Nu'pr sp.. g Mg,t,d ',' ' g. q.l. p"; h (for Puertc Pico and the Virgin L g i

• T Islands) l f

F L' Jacksonville, FL Pay Manchester, NH IF f N 24-26 (for New Hampshire and Vernont) 1 k ' y, ' l! a Phoenix, AZ i (for Arizona and Nevada) Chicago, IL f NCPC Dallas, TX u "acilitator May 31-Birminghan, AL leading June 2 (for Alabama and Mississipoi) + . an energy Salt Lake City, UT 'e workshop in (for Utah and Wyoming) d.. New Orleans Honolulu, HI The first-day energy workshop provides in-ENERGY WORKSHOPS FOR TEACHERS formation on federal programs offering assistance through: grants for appropriate Improving teachers' energy knowledge and technology and solar projects, loans through fostering their further communication and the National Censumer Cocperative Bank, cooperation on energy issues are the ob-weatherization, fuel-bill-paying assistance, jectives of DOE-sponsored faculty develop-help with utility rate reform, consumer ment workshops being held in 40 states this protection, energy information services, summer. The 1-3 week workshops will pro-and tax credits. These programs are de-vide secondary and college teachers with tailed in a reference manual, with contact information on energy resources and tech-lists, available for each participant, nologies, alternatives, and economic and environmental aspects of energv use, as The second and third days of the workshop well as with the latest in energy educa- ~ focus on HUD's Community Development Block tion technicues. Twenty-five hundred Grants (CDBG), which provide funds to cities teachers can' receive living and travel and counties to physically improve neigh-allowances to attend the locally and re-borhoods and communities. Workshop leaders gionally oriented workshops developed by explain CDBG's legials.tive and regulatory the host college. For information on work-requirements and train participants in the shoes near you, write for the Directory of skills they need to make their community Faculty Development Pro]ects in Energy-- groups more effective: grant smansh +.p, 1979, available from Education Programs problem solving, resource management, plan-Division, DOE, SG031, Nashington, DC 20585. ning, and assessment. The workshop infor-

m 8 People to People APPROPRIATE CO.vy. UNITY TECHNOLOGY FAIR AND CONFERENCE ON THE WASHINGTON MALL APRIL 27-30 ~ ~ ~ It's critically important that we begin to take charge of our lives in our own commu-fj ,j nities. We must learn to live within our w.. y means and in concert with our family, our E 3 i g-gg y, neighbors, and with nature. '. 'p. ' Sooner or later we are going to learn that life in concert with nature can be elegant, beautiful. We are here to talk about the beginning of a new understanding of life-- s 4 A\\V/h g an appropriate life. I .S gp ".d What you see here is but one of the many l P '; humble beginnings that are occurring / . ' {,.,.. h,, l :,. j across the land \\ ' - Eddie Albert at the 3 dedication of ACT '79 4 Ti -^* R. 3 5 ? b ] i c I People 6 ~- j a. --the growing community of innovators, doers l and learners--the pri-p T' /, mary source of energy N~ behind the fair. Y ,s w Solar Energy Solar panels for house-j hold water heating, i tracking solar collec-tors beings assembled, a solar greenhouse ,,/ ^ used to teach garden-ing skills to the M handicapped. m . m .v v c--

9 l \\ ( ). " Wind Energy The horizontal axis ~ wind generator (right) ( charged the batteries that powered Park ') Service vehicles. Below, a Darrieus I i rotor and a Savonius l rotor made from oil i.\\ drums. t 'i' 't' N *t f ~ ~ 4t.* t ~ ? f~ 4-A 'N ~N' t f. = w , ( .i -l LM Y

• ^-

_ ) $ If 3 -1 I N [ij s c j If 1 ! y ?J l I f ll 1 s , 'l Alcohol & Methane produced in a farm-g scale alcohol still (r), a wood pyrolysis unit (above), and a ~ Water Power methane digester, all The ram pump below i on the fair site, uses the force of fueled the engine be-falling water to pump low which pcwered the water to a higher r fair's generator. l = level. 1 p. 3

7. p y

.~ t Q4-f*& .~ ' ' ' ^ Q - ~-._ 6 l m ~

---

a J-A

++ 4., 4 ) f *A '~ka., y. \\ f~ .v g +. : g_ .N_ . l 4 i' r A 1 a s N;;.: ' Dyn~m f & l l gp A l , _... _...,_., ~.. i

]l() ing the technology, a plan aimed at using Solar / Appropriate Technology the new technology to displace petroleum III>dhate use, offsetting some of the impact of dwindling petroleum supplies. TEST SITES TO DE CHOSEN FOR SMALL WIND GENERATORS Draft task force reports will be ready this month on four technologies, distributed Throughout the U.S. and its territories, thermal storage, solar industrial process cmsll wind generators will soon be erected heat, wood combustion, and annual cycle to provide experience in the technical and energy systems. Copies will be available economic aspects of their use, their in-from Karl Conrad, Consumer Affairs, DOE, teraction with utility systems, and com-3G031, Washington, DC 20585. pliance with local regulations. The in-Final tcsk force reports have been completed formation gained in a year of operation chould help ststo agencies and utilities on 20 other technologies, several of which develop the kinds of policies and proce-are currently entering the market. These dures that will further encourage the use include: d i rect use technologies: cogeners-of small wind generators. tion, recovery of energy and energy-inten-sive material from urban waste, wood com-Uirl generators for this DOE field eval-bustion, solar process heat, solar water ustion will be chosen from commercially heating, passive solar heating, energy-con-available 1-40 kilowatt (kW) units. Most serving furnace equipment, high efficiency will be in the 1-10 kW range, with blade motors, electric and hybrid vehicles, air / diameters of 10-30 feet. The sites, which fuel ratio controls for industrial boilers, may be on private property, will be chosen, and industrial fluidized bed combustion; based on technical criteria, by state energy electrical generating technologies: small and large wind systems, photovoltaics, low-of f ices, working with utilities. The num-ber of sites and wind generators has not head hydropower, hydroth7rmal reservoirs, yet been decided. Inquiries abcut the pro-fuel cells, combined cycle generation; and gram should be directed to James R. Nicks, liquid and gaseous fuels technologies: en-DO E, Rocky Flats Area Office, PO Box 928 hancing gas and oil recovery, coal licuefac-Golden, CO 80401 (303)497-2026. tion, oil from shale, and gasification tech-nologies. Summaries of those reports are n one volume, Overview o f Tech-BRINGING ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO THE MARKETPLACE: THE PUBLIC ROLE Edward S111cox, Business Relations Branch DOE, 8G031, Washington, DC 20585. DOE has developed a procedure for intro-ducing new energy technologies in the IF YOU'RE WORKING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY marketplace as alternatives to dwindling RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. petroleum supplies. A key part of the procedure is a review by the business community and the general public of the To help design future procrams, DOE is task force report on the status of a new

athering information on organizations in-technology and its market readiness.

terested in renewable energy resource levelopment at the state and local level. When a research project leader at DOE finds 3rganizations interested in developing such a technology ready for the commercial mar-systems are asked to send DOE a five-page-ket, he prepares a goncept paper for the or-less description of their interest and Commercialization Committee, made up of capabilities. Systems that are of the most DOE's Assistant Secretaries and chaired by interest are those that are inexpensive, Jackson Gouraud, Deputy Under Secretary near-term, well matched to local needs, for Commercialization. If the Committee and locally controlled. The description makes a "go" decision, the concept paper should include background and experience is made public for general comment while of the organization's principal staff and c task force begins an in-depth statement capabilities for research, planning, and on the technology and its effect in the analysis in economic, environmental, ad-market. The Committee reviews the task ministrative, and technical aspects of force draft and releases this in-depth re-renewable resource development. Port to the public and the business commu-nity for comment. In addition to helping assess the nature and scope of work going en in the renew-The task force incorporates public comment able energy resource area, the information end business community review into a final gathered will be included in a directory report summarized for the public. A re-which will be made available to the public cource manager, the equivalent of an in-upon request. No contracts will be awarded dustrial project manager, is appointed to based on this request for information, develop a concrete " work plan" for market-Address summaries or questions to Dick Holt, s-

Divison of Advanced Energy Systems Policy, May Small Hydro-Power Conference, DOE, Room 6E-068-79, Washington DC 20585 25-27 Freeland, Maryland. Contact (202)252-6433-Tree Farm Energy, Inc., Route 3, Slippery Rock, PA 16057. WORKSHOPS / MEETINGS May 3rd International Symposium on 28-31 Alcohol Fuels Technology, May-One-day Solar Heating Forkshops Monterey, CA. Sponsored by DOE. June for the Financial Community are Contact Eugene Ecklund, Alter-4 being offered in 22 cities. native Fuels Branch, DOE, Div. Designed to provide insurers, of Transportation Energy Con-lenders, and appraisers with in-servation, MS 2221C, 20 Massa-formation on solar technologies, chusetts Ave. NW, Washincton, ' costs, life, and savings; lend-DC 20545 (2021376-4892. ing and tax incentives; legal and underwriting considerations. PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE l Sponsored by DOE. Contact National Solar Heating and Cool-The Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) ing Information Center (800) 523-has compiled the National Solar Energy 2929. In Pennsylvania, (800) 462-Educational Directory which lists 1200 4983; in Alaska and Hawaii, (800) Solar-related (including wind, biomass 523-4700. conversion, and ocean thermal conversion) May June courses and 160 progams available at 700 8 Salt Lake City 5 New York City colleges and trade schools. Order stock 10 Denver 7 Rochester, NY no. 061-000-00210-3 for $4.75 from U.S. 14 Houston 12 Charlotte, NC Government Printing Office, Washington, 15 Seattle 14 Feaphis DC 20402. The National Solar Heating and 16 Dallas 20 Philadelphia Cooling Information Center provides a free I 17 Albuquerque state-by-state educational program listing. 22 Omaha, Phoenix Call toll free (8001523-2929 In 31 Detroit Pennsylvania, call (800)462-4983; in Alaska and Hawaii, (800)S23-4700. May 3 Practical Applications and Econo-mies of Energy Conservation and The Tennessee Valley Authority is develop-Solar Energy in New York. A ing plans for passive solar houses. Plans survey for building owners of the for a 1-story and a 2-story Trembe wall incentives (Coop Bank loans, pro-house are available now. The Trombe wall perty tax abatement, energy tax and' insulation contribute 60-70% of each credits) that can make solar house's heatino recuirement. The nine wester heating cost-effective in other passive designs in the works include New York. Cosponsored by the earth berm houses and houses designed to Northeast Solar Energy Center. save money by using a new structural Contact Rhonda Kirschner / NY system that requires 40% less framing lum-State Alliance to Save Energy ber. Each of-the 11 designs will be built (212) 840-8393. in four different climatic areas of the May Meeting on Wind Energy Applica-Tennessee Valley this fall and monitored 15-16 tions in Agriculture. Iowa for a year. For description sheets on State University Conference the plans available, write Mapping Service Center. Sponsored by DOE and Branch, TVA, 200 Haney Bldg., Chattancega, USDA. ' Contact' Herschel Klueter, TN 37401. Plans for the Trombe wall houses USDA, Building 101, Room 123 are available half-size for S3.75, full-BARC-W, Beltsville, Md 20811, size for $6.50. (303)344-3504. The Solar Survey contains descriptions and May Biomass Energy Utilization in diagrams of 33 low-cost, community-built 21-30 Mid-America, Purdue Univ., solar heating systems from innovative.in-La fayette, IND. Sponsored by dividuals and small groups around the DOE, USDA, and Mid-America country. Available from the-National' Center Solar Energy Complex. -Contact fcr Appropriate Technology,.PO Box.3838,- Mike Hohmann, 1612)452-5300. Butte, MT 59701. May Wind Energy Innovative Systems Ethyl' Alcohol for Fuel Use outlines the 23-25 Conference, Four Seasons Motor procedures prospective producers and' ~ ' Inn, Colorado Springs, CO. distributors of alcohol fuels need to. Sponsored by DOE. Contact . follow to comply with Federal law. Free Solar-Energy Pesearch Institute from Alcohol,, Tobacco and Firearms Dis-1536 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO tribution Center, 3800 South Four-Mile- -80401.

Run Drive,. Arlington,1VA 22206.

SOLAR FILM RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD conservation modifications they might make, and help in arranging financing and " Solar Energy--The Great Adventure," DOE's installation of suggested changes. n:w motion picture about innovative uses of solar energy, has been selected to re-If you wish to testify, or if you'd simply esive a Golden Eagle Certificate. The like a copy of a 4-page fact sheet summar-Council on International Nontheatrical izing the regulations, write Margaret Sibley, Events (CINE) awards the Golden Eagle to DOE, Office of Conservation and Solar Appli-films it has selected to represent the cations, Docket CAS-RM-79-101, Mail Stop U.S. in international events abroad. The 2221C, 20 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Wash-award will be presented November 14 in ington, DC 20545. Written comments will Wnshington. The film was produced for be accepted at this address through May 25. DOE's Office of Consumer Affairs by Monu-Hearing Req. to testify mental Films and Recordings, Inc., Balti- ~ more, Maryland. For information about free loan, contact DOE Film Library, TIC, PO April 30-Federal Mart Bldg. Closed Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37930 (615)483-8611. May 2 405 S. 12th St. St. Louis, MO INDUSTRY GROUP PREPARES BUILDER " EXAM" SOLAR QUESTIONS May Naval Training Ctr. Closed 7-9 San Diego, CA Test questions which could be used in an May Room 330 May 4 examination licensing solar application 14-15 Auraria Student Ctr. building contractors have been prepared for 9th St. bet Lawrence DOE by a committee of plumbing, Leating, and Larimar air conditioning, and solar trade associa-Denver, CO tions. Over 150 questions were developed from recognized textbooks and courses on May New Federal Off. Bldg. May 4 solar heating, government minimum property 17-18 S. Auditorium standards, and solar installation standards. 915 2nd Avenue The questions, which will be regularly re-Seattle, WA vised and updated, will be made available NATIONWIDE EXPANSION GF ENERGY EXTENSION to municipal licensing agencies to includ SERVICE RECOMMENDED in their contractor licensing examinations. For a copy of the suggested questions, A ten-state Energy Extension Service (EES) write on municipal letterhead to: Solar should be expanded nationwide, concludes Group, 1424 K Street NW, Third floor, a DOE report released in March. A separate Washington, DC 20005. evaluation by the National Energy Extension Service Advisory Board also concluded that ALTERNATIVE FUELS DATA BANK ESTABLISHED the DOE pilot program be expanded nationally. An alternative transportation fuels data The EES program was designed to encourage bank has been established by DOE to pro-energy conservation and alternative energy vide technical information en alcohol fuels; efforts at state and local levels by pro-hydrogen; synthetic fuels from shale, coal viding personalized information and assist-and biomass. Those interested in access ance to homeowners, small businesses, pub-to the data library may contact Ken Stamper, lie institutions, and local gove rnments. DOE Energy Technology Center, Bartlesville, The report shows that those citizens Oklahoma, (918) 336-2400, Ext. 258. assisted by the EES plan make nore energy conservation improvements and save more energy than those people who have not Conservation Update received assistance frem the service. Ten states began pilot programs in Sep-RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSERVATION SERVICE tember 1977 with grants of $1.1 million HEARINGS CONTINUE each: Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, H arings on the regulations that would Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Other underlie a utility-and oil-dealer-operated state were given grants of $30,000 each conservation service for homeowners are in early 1978 to track and learn from the b2ing held through the end of May. The experience of the pilot states. DOE plans 250 pages of regulations, published in to extend the pilot program until September the Federal Register March 19, describe 30, 1979, to allow for thorough considera-a program to be implemented by the States tion of the evaluation report, as instruc-in which utilities would be responsible ted by Congress. Pilot states are there-for providing consumers with energy audits, fore eligible for an additional S370,000; information on cost-effective solar and other states, an additional $15,000. L

O Copies of the DOE report are available by HEALTH IMPACTS OF LIGHT DIESEL ENGINES writing Judith ". Liersch, Director, UNDER STUDY Enrrgy Extension Service, Room 2221C, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC A three-four year research program on the 20545. health impacts of increasingly popular light diesel engines is being started by DOE. While these engines are up to 40 ggg gg g g percent more efficient than gasoline engines, they produce higher levels of airborne par-GASOLINE PRICE CEILING VIOLATIONS BEING ticulates as a result of incomplete com-INVESTIGATED bustion. Since some particulates are known Consumer complaints that gas stations are to be toxic, DCE is conducting research to chorging more than the posted ceiling price determine if diesel engines pose potential htve helped to target stations for federal health and environmental problems. The audits. In response to complaints taken research, which will be conducted in con-on a tollfree hotline, DOE's Economic cert with research being done by the R gulatory Administration (ERA) has sent Environmental Protection Agency and the ap;cial " strike force" teams of auditors Department cf Transportation, will also to New York and Los Angeles to conduct examine light diesel emission control tech-rpot investigations where gasoline prices nologies and ways to achieve better fuel cppear to exceed permitted limits. Teams economy with minimal environmental impacts. will also be sent to other selected areas For information contact Tom Alexander, DOE, where pricing violations are concentrated. Room 4128, 20 Mass. Ave., Washington DC 20585 Tha investigation of sharply increased gasoline prices following a tornado in PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE Michita Falls, Texas, has resulted in ERA's iccuing two stations notice of probable How to Save Gasoline and Money suggests violation, the first step in legal action. how to save by driving more efficiently, Frderal law requires dealers to calculate and charts the saving from each step. and post a ceiling price on their pumps. Free from DOE's Office of Public Affairs, Th3 public is encouraged to reporc dealers Washington, DC 20585. whose price exceeds the posted ceiling (a figure which allows the dealer his cost The Second Edition of the 1979 Gas Mileage for gasoline plus a fixed overhead cost Guide lists the estimated fuel economy plus the profit he earned cn a gallon of for cars, station wagons, light trucks, ges during May o f 19 7 3. ) The hotline and most foreign cars. Free from Fuel number, which can also be used to report Econony, Pueblo, CO 81009. Indicate whether difficulties in obtaining heating oil, you want the California edition or the 10 (800) 424-9246. In the metropolitan 49-state guide. DC area, the number is 254-5474. The line is open Monday through Friday from Response Plan: Reducing U.S. Impact on 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Address written com-the World Market describes the measures plaints to Administrator, Economic Regu. which will enable the U.S. to comply with letory Administration, 2000 M Street NW, its commitment to the International Energy W2chington, DC 20461. Agency to reduce petroleum consumption up to 5% to offset the world shortfall brought CHANGES IN GASCLINE SALES AND PRICE on by Iran's reduced production. 80 pp. REGULATIONS PROPOSED Write Office of Consumer Affairs, DOE, Rocm 8G031, Washington, DC 20585. DOE's Economic Regulatory Administration (ERA) has proposed (Federal Register, Eighteen Refiner Survey reports major April ll) several amendments to its gasoline 11 refiners projections of crude cales and price regulations which wculd: major oil refiners projections of crude allow gasoline wholesalers to recover addi-oil stocks and imports and production of tional air pollution control costs: provide gasoline, middle distillates, and residual more information to motorists on unleaded fuel oil for the remainder of 1979 under grsoline supplies and prices: and restrict two possible sicuations, continuing Iran-tha price differential between unleaded and ian shortfall with other oil exporting leaded gasoline. countries (1) maintaining increased pro-duction, and (2) decreasing exports. Re-Public hearings on the proposed rulemaking finers also surveyed projected possible cra scheduled for May 1 in Los Angeles and additional production of gasoline if en-M y 10 in Washington, DC. The ERA will vironmental restrictions on lead and the cceept written comments until June 8, 1979. anti-knock agent MMT were relaxed. Avail-Contact Robert Gillette, Office of Public able from the Economic Regulatory Admin-H1; rings "anagement, Rocn 2314, 2000 M istration's Office of Public Information, Street NW, Washington, DC 20461 (202)254-5201 Room B-110, 2000 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20461.

14 e pr viding ust m rs with clearer ex-Utility Update planations of rate schedules TCWARD UTILITY RATE REFORM: PUBLIC o prohibiting charging certain utility HEARINGS ON PURPA RULEMAKINGS advertising expenses to ratepayers H arings on regulations proposed to carry o preventing abrupt termination of service out parts of the public utilities portion to those unable to pay their bills of the National Energy Act are being held promptly in Washington and Denver in May. The So that consumers might be better repre-ultimate aim of the Public Utilities sented at regulatory hearings, PURPA also R;gulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) authorizes DOE to award grants to estab-io retail electric rates that are equitable lish and operate State Offices of Consumer and encourage consumer conservation while Services which would provide financial cncouraging utilities to use their facili-and technical assistance to electric oower ties and resources efficiently. The PURPA consumers. Ten states, Guam,and DC already 1cgislation suggests eleven rate design operate these offices under a demonstration standards and utility practices for state program. (Contacts for these 12 programs rsgulatory authorities and nonregulated are listed on the back page.) utilities to consider in public hearings. Though PURPA does not give DOE the author-Hearings were held in late March on rules ity to force regulatory bodies to adopt published in the Federal Register March 7 the suggested practices, it does authorize requiring electric utilities to gather DOE to: intervene in regulatory proceedings and submit data on the costs of providing ragarding these standards; provide regula-electric service to their customers. The tory bodies with financial and technical final rule on reporting this " cost of assistance in carrying out their PURPA service" data has not yet been published. responsibilities, and develop quidelines for states to make annual rep < ts of their Hearings scheduled for May: progress in considering the suggested Guidelines for Grants for State Offices of standards and practices. Consume-Services (published in the Federal egister Mard 27; Docht No. LRA-R G 4 M The suggested standards include: 5/8/79 Rm. 2105, 200C M St. NW o time-of-day rates -- higher rates for (11:00-7:00) Nashington, DC electricity used during the day when 5/15/79 Rm. 300-A, Auraria Stud. Ctr. everyone is using it; lower rates for (11:00-7:00) 9th St., betw. Lawrence and night, or off-peak, electricity use Larimer, Denver, CO o seasonal rates -- higher rates durina Requests to speak closed. Written comments air-conditioning season due May 28. Financial Assistance for State Regulatory o cost of service -- lower rates to custo-Authorities (Federal Register March 29; mers whose service is easier to supply Docket No. ERA-R-79-12) o interruptible rates -- Icwer rates for 5/9/79 Rm. 2105, 2000 M St. NW customers willing to have their service (9:30) Washington, DC cut during high demand periods 5/16/79 Rm. 300-A, Auraria Stud. Ctr. (9:30) 9th St. betw. Lawrence and o load management techniques -- non-pricing Larimar, Denver, CO techniques that would level out demand Requests to speak closed. Written comments o prohibition of declining block rates, due May 29. which now mean lower costs for larger Annual Reports from States on Status of users PURPA Standards (Federal Register April 17; In addition to these six rate standards, PURPA requires regulatory bodies to 5/10/79 Rm. 2105, 2000 M St. NW consider: (1:30) Washington, DC 5/17/79 Rm. 300-A, Auraria Stud. Ctr. o prohibiting master metering, which uses (1:30) 9th St. betw. Lawrence and a single meter for a large building Larimer, Denver, CO making it impossible to determine indi-vidual energy use and discouraging Written comments due June 18. conservation Although rulemakings are not contemplated o reviewing automatic adjustment clauses for DOE's voluntary guidelines, interven-which now permit rate increases when tion, and technical assistance activities fuel costs rise without public hearing under PURPA, DOE is seeking public comment

3 O on a number of fundamental issues concern-EAF will publish NEA-related activities ing these activities and suggestions to in their monthly newsletter, The Power Line, cid in resolving them. These issues were and develop a series of oacers on such outlined in the Federal Register April 12, issues as automatic fuel adjustment clauses, (Docket No. ERA-R-79-la) and public hear-collection practices, discovery techniques, ings will be held: and forecasting. EAF is also preparing a handbook explaining the NEA in lay languaoe. 5/10/79 Rm. 2105, 2000 M St. NW (9:30-12:10) Washington, DC For turther information on the Utility Clear-5/17/79 Rm. 300-B&C, Auraria Stud. Ctr. inghouse, contact Alden Meyer, Environmental (9:30-12:30) 9th St. betw. Lawrence and Action Foundation, 724 Dupont Circle Building, Larimer, Denver, CO Nashington, DC 20036 (202) 659-1130. Year subscriptions to The Power Line are avail-Written comments accepted until June 11. able at the following rates: $7.50 for R; quests to speak are due by May 2. For low-income and senior citizens, $15 for th2 Washington, DC hearing, write to the individuals, S25 for government, and 550 Docket Control Center (address below) or for profit-making businesses. phone (202)252-5201. For the Eenver h:aring, write DOE, Attn. Dale Friksen, 1075 S. Yukon St., PO Box 26247, Belmar (Testimony of Stephen Schachman, continued Branch, Lakewood, CO (303)234-2420. from page 6) Uritten comments for these four hearings We have heard comments that the poor can-thould cite the docket number and be not afford insulation and other conserva-mailed to DOE Docket Control Ctr., Docket tion steps. That is just not the case. Mo. Room 2313, 2000 M Street NW, The problem is the way the program is ad-Wachington, DC 20461. ministered. The Weatherization Grant Pro-gram allows $800 for people who are poor NEED HELP WITH YOUR LOCAL UTILITY? and near-poor. I would guarantee that in the City of R cent utility-related legislation has Philadelphia 99 percent of the people eli-multiplied the responsibility of utility gible for this program do not know about refern advocates who will be participating this program. The money is just sitting in over 600 state regulatory proceedings in there, and could be put to much better use. tha next three years. Utility regulatory conmissions will be considering new rate I want to request that you all consider d;oign and customer service guidelines whether revitalizing this program and mak-under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies ing that money available to be used by the Act (PURPA) and the guidelines for utility-poor and near-poor to be spent in the pri-run residential energy conservation services vate sector would not, in fact, answer a under the National Energy Conservation portion of your problem. Policy Act (NECPA). To orovide the tech-nical assistance and ccordination needed It should be noted that this Weatherization for ef fective intervention, the Environmen-Grant Program applies not only to homeowners tcl Action Foundation, under a grant from but to renters. It is an excellent program, DOE's Office of Consumer Affairs, is ex-and, unfortunately, the manner in which it ptnding its Utility Clearinghouse. is being administered deters its use. Th2 Clearinghouse's Communications Desk We disagree with some of your facts and will provide consumer representatives in-figures on energy usage, especially gas use. volved in regulatory proceedinos with: Are you considering what appliances are sbicie information on the pctentials and being used by the poor and near-poor? Are limitations of the National Energy Act (NEA, you comparing like dwelling units on a of which PURPA is a cart); technical reports square footage basis? You will find addi-and studies, legal briefs, and testimony tional appliances such as washers and dryers, u;;d in other states' croceedings; infor-etcetera, which will, in fact, distort the m2 tion on cotential expert witnesses, in-figures you have, cluding attorneys, engineers, and econo-micts-and alerts on NEA-related decisiens I commend to you a report prepared by the by regulators in other states. The Clear-National Regulatory Research Institute of inghouse is catalocinq materials develcped Ohio State University, entitled, "Evalua-by hundreds of local censumer groups to tion of Alternate Rate Structures for the cncourage their cooceration and sharing of Philadelphia Gas Works," which indicates id;as and stratecies. that the poor and near-poor energy usage would not support your concept of a life-In addition to the information they pro-line rate. In fact, you wculd find a vide through their Communications Desk, lifeline rate counterproductive.

16 It is absolutely imperative that any pro-a problem of equity, of justice. It's un-gram that is established encourage conser-fair to say to the public, The game has vction. Any program that pays the total changed for you. It's higher costs and less bill, or just about the total energy bill, energy. But for the major energy companies of any user will obviously encourage un-the game is the same. It just won't wash, concern about the amount of fuel or energy and I think the work done by this Comnittee ured and the attendant costs. suggests why it won't wash. The numbers, the deficit, the social injustice, are just In Philadelphia the Housing Authority pays too great. the utility bill for a large amount of housing directly to the utility company. Robert Fortes, Associate Director, United Our figures demonstrate that the usage South End Settlements, Boston: in these homes is far above those for simi-lar dwellings of persons who pay their You and I know something must and can be utility bills directly. done to ease the energy hardship for the poor. I would like to specifically address Wa have found that the small oil dealer three areas: the need for a national policy dces not want to get involved with federal to protect poor and elderiv people against bureaucracy. The Government Accounting cutoffs of energy during the winter months; Office (GAO) has been doing a review of the conservation incentives? and eligibility. CSA's Crisis Intervention Program through-out other parts of the country. Their There are cases of small children and adulus finding concerning the small oil dealer is dying in fires caused by unsafe space heat-directly opposite ours. ers which they had to use when the utility GAO is currently drafting a bill to address cut them off because they couldn't pay this same problem, which brings me to my their bills. It is a fact that with de-last point: I firmly believe that unless control individuals already operating on a the current Crisis Intervention Program tight income will see heating bills that is revised and revived, the stories you will cost more than the monthly rent or have heard concerning hardships will be mortgage payments. multiplied tenfold this coming winter. I therefore strongly recommend that this I would reccmmend strongly that there be Committee include in its report's Need at the very least interim recommendations Assessment section the need to address a from this Committee that there be both a national policy for developing with state revision and a revival of the CSA program and local energy offices a strict enforce-for next winter, and such programs not ment of programs against arbitrary cutoffs start, as it does in Pennsylvania, April of heat for elderly and icw-income f amilies 16th, but start in November or December. during the vinter months. James Feldsman, Consumer Energy Council Conservation incentives are, by and large, of America out of reach of the lower income family. The poor and elderly face unique obstacles The oil companies and OPEC nations and two to full particication in the national effort Administrations, all in lockstep, have ex-to conserve ene'rgy. Certain energy-saving tracted, since 1973, 525 billion in energy measures require initial investments beyond costs from the Nation's poor. Decontrol, if the icw and fixed income families. Govern-you assume the Administration estimates of ment programs, such as weatherization and increased costs, will probably cost poor energy crisis intervention, have been in-people another S2 billion. If Senator sufficiently funded to reach those they in-Jackson is right, and these increases will tend to serve. These low-income and elderly really cost in the range of 15 cents a gal-families are the least likely to benefit lon, that is another $6 billion, S14 bil-from federal and state energy acoroaches. lion more than the poor were paying in 1973. I would like to recommend a 'fam'ily prc]ect to recognize and respect the family and its Since the energy crisis in 1973 and 1974, members as energy conservers; to ccnduct we have looked at the problem in terms of hcme surveys, or " energy audits," which in merginal costs, market clearing prices, certain areas will provide real character-rate bases, and other similar technical istics that face low-income users of our terms. We viewed the problem entirely in an country; to provide energy counseling and cconomic context. Oil companies have to make energy information through conferences with a certain rate of return to make investments low-inccme families. and if they don't make investments, they won't get production. If they don't get a Finally, who will be determined to be eligi-ectisfactory return, we won't get energy,. ble? With limited resources, how can we and if the price is "x," we have to meet it. assure that the most needy receive available Entirely economic. What we are talking about help? Let me suggest the follcwing: (1) in this hearing is a severe social problem, All DOE aid to the states be made contingent

o' 17 upon the equitable guidelines for eligibil-important to the low-income. Additional ity which would be established and admini-supplies of safe, domestic energy can ttared by the state upon the approval of directly relate to job retention and DOE. (2) No guidelines determining ineli-additional employment opportunities and gibility be below an established national can also put downward pressure on OPEC norm determined by DOE. (3) In each state prices, another source of benefit to the where the cost of living--for example, fuel low-income. oil--exceeds the national norm, differen-tials should be established within state Dennis Eckhardt, Ohio State Lecislature: guidelines to crovide for the situation. (This is absolutely essential in the ... Ohio commissiorod a survey which Northeast where fuel bills exceed the examined state energy assistance procrams national norm by more than 5.5 percent.) around the cova ry. We felt that in order (4) The DOE reimbursement formula be for Ohio to a carately assess its pecqram waived to provide states an incentive to we needed to know what was going on in accommodate costs in excess of the norm. other states. There is tremendous di-(5) Each guideline provide for category versity among the states. Methodology allowances without regard to income, i.e. Varies. States do their program by tax the elderly and hosoitals. credits, bill reductions, energy stamps (which have proved so troublesome in two Martin Garber, American Petroleum Institute: states that they have been abandoned), two-carty checks. Ws do recognize that the increased cost of energy can create hardships for low-income Eligibility for energy assistance varies prople as well as for others within our from state to state. Massachusetts, 125$ cconomy. The Committee may also want to poverty. Florida uses AFDC recipients look at the symptoms underlying incruased only. In Michigan they have a sliding cost. Inflation also raises the costs of income scale. In New Jersey they use 200 gasoline, fuel oil, and coal. Additional percent of poverty. Age varies from 60 to factors involved in increased encrgy prices 65. Income varies. Colorado's S3300 to are those costs attributable to transporta-Oregon's $5000 to Wyoming's 59000 of tion, labor, environmental controls and income eligibility. We discovered a regulations imposed by government. tremendous diversity among the benefits grants. Colorado grants S60. In Michigan Your report states that low-income house-you can receive up to S370. If you are holds pay a far higher proportion of their lucky enough to live in Wyoming you can total annual income for energy than do get a $500 grant to help pay your utility higher income households. This is not bills. This tremendous diversity has unique to energy. The same can be said resulted in an inequity throughout our of all basic goods. Substitutions cannot country in trying to deal with what has particularly be made for health care or been called "the single largest gap in houting without imposing unique hardships our nation's energy program." on this element of society. The problem is one of inflation, and not specifically I want to caution you in Washington against one of energy. a " Federal" answer. It is a Federal pro-blem, but I don ' t want you to ignore the It may tnerefore be preferable to address ef forts to the states in this regard. the problem of funding options in a broader Uncoordinated as they may ba, as diverse context. We would have hoped that the and often difficult to reconcile, many Administration would have considered states are currently undertaking attempts gen ral revenues, rather than a specific to partially address the problem. It is enargy tax. Additional energy taxes essential that we use the efforts of the rtally are not necessary, and could short-states and help bring about a coordination change the consumer on the full benefits of benefits between shat you propose on a of the President's pricing reform. Under national basis and what the states are existing tax laws and royalty agreements, doing. We would hope that the Congress mora than half of the added revenues for would enact minimum standards for a pro-gradt il removal of price controls will go gram and require that states put up some to government, where they can be used for money so that they participate and have a On;rgy-related public purposes. The stake in the program. Each state would c= aller proportions of the added revenues then be able to better pace its resources that can be retained by oil producers will consistent with the national energy policy, b1 urgently needed in comi ng years to ex-as well as providing assistance for the prnd domestic energy production. A new group in severe need. tax that would take away more of those r;v nues would also take away part of the Any subsidy program must take into account odd:d domestic oil that we can expect from regional differences in cost of living. ths President's program, which is also While income indexing and creating a

9 18 sliding scale is socially desirable, economic impact on all energy customers experience in Michigan and Ohio suggests because distribution companies must bear that that approach is difficult to adminis-the burden of those who cannot pay. tu, confusing for people because they are Tc become more aware of the needs of con-unsure of what benefits they would be sumers in general, and low-income energy entitled to, and causes severe auditing users in particular, AGA has initiated a difficulties. The subsidy m.ust be tar-program of consumer round-tables, bringing geted for utility usage and not just a gas utility executives face to face with check that people can dispose of as they local consumer leaders for discussion of please. Other states have used lifeline current local problems and possible or other special rate groups which are solutions. really only manipulations of pricing mechanisms and do not effectively address Several AGA member companies have initiated the problem we see in terms of aiding their own corporate programs for assisting low-income people. low-income energy users. AGA is surveying member companies regarding each distribu-As a result of Chio's experience, I think tor's assessment of the specific needs o. an effective energy assistance program low-income energy users, current avail-would require at least four parts: (1) ability of local and national assistance Direct financial assistance to those least able to bear rising utility costs. (2) programs, current effectiveness of these programs, and possible impact of new pro-An effective weather 4zation crocram, to assist low-income households'to' reduce grams which might be established in,the, future. AGA will use this information in their need for ener7y. The one time cost the development of specific public policy of weatherization is recouped in benefits recommendations. over a long period of time. The federal government has been most generous in pro-FOMAC's policy review should include de-viding states with materials. However tailed examination of existina assistance there is no money available for labor. programs, as well as consideration of new The Committee should look at recommenda-nrograms. AGA offers this observation tions for including labor costs in the 'because there is evidence that more effi-weatherization projects. (3) Rate cient use of existing programs could serve structures which will offer positive to significantly supplement or potentially encouragement towards conservation, and evei remove the need for possible new management programs which could reduce programs. the peak demands for energy and slow down the need for construction. (4) Section During the unusually cold winter of '76/'77 115 of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Congress authorized $200 million for the Act, as it relates to the questions of Community Services Administration's master metering and disconnection. I Crisis Intervention Program. But only think a person who is a recipient of an $163 million was actually spent, and this fact suggests that,regardless of whether assistance program should not be subject to disconnection by a utility, new programs are created, more can be done within the existing system to provide re-F_ rank Hodgdon, Senior Vice President, lief benefits for qualified customers. We American Gas Association: are presently trying to assist our utility companies in advising their consumers, AGA is a national association of approxi-many f whom may not be aware of what help mately 300 natural cas transmission and they can presently get. distribution companies collectively pro-viding almost 85 percent of the nation's John E. Buckley, Vice President, North-natural gas utility sales and serving east Petroleum Industries: more than 160 million consumers We share FCMAC's deep concern about the plight in opec's decisions to raise oil prices means which some icw-income energy users find that, by the end of May, the weighted themselves as a result of rising ener9Y average cost of foreign crude imports will prices. In addition to humanitarian con-be in the range of S18.50, up from S14.50 siderations, the regulated gas industry last December. That is a major inflation-is also motivated by economic concerns to ary impact, even without any Presidential stek relief for 1cw-income energy users. action on our own domestic crude. Even About half of AGA's membership consists of if there is no windfall profits tax as gas distributors which operate in large oil company revenues go up, the amount of urban areas. A ma]ority of these companies taxes they pay are going to go up above are experiencing a yearly increase in un-the amount the Treasury has estimated up collectibles, t ha t is, the inab3'ity of until now. How much will they go up? those on fixed incomes and the poet to pay That's not clear. If there was total price for services. decontrol tomorrow, in the next 12 months oil company revenues would go up $17 This loss of distributor revenues, as a billion. With phased decontrol they will re uli of unecliectibles, has a negative

~ 19 e o go up less than that. If you assume the more capital and to develop domestic re-c:mpanies pay 50 percent corporate income sources. If the extra capital derived t x with or without windfall, that's S8 from decontrol is absorbed by taxes, the billion more revenue for the Treasury. If whole purpose of decontrol would be. you assume they pay a 25 percent effective negated. rets, that's S4 billion anne lly in new Suffice it to say, leave the fate of the mon;y -- that is the kind ot aoney needed to fund a meaningful assistat.'e program. po r out of the debate between two giants, Th3 revenue will be there to itaance the the Congress and the Administration. There FCMAC program without breaking the S29 is an old African proverb that says when billion deficit budget level, elephants fight, only the grass gets trampled. Clrrk Watson, Chairman, America-Associa-tion of Blacks in Energy: Where do we find the money for what every-one would agree is a noble and timely Th2 cost of energy in the United States purpose? Are not our American poor people h a become too great a burden on low-at least as important as our friends in income pocketbooks to be ignored. The the Middle Fast? Did we not overnight Administration's position has been so find an extra SS-S7 billion lying around cursory that the newly established Office in the mattress in order to purchase peace of Minority Economic Impact Assistance at in the Middle East? I say let's ao back DOE has been treated almost as a jcke by to the mattress for this kind of program, th7 Office of Management and Budget and The money is there when the priorities ths White House. Funding and staff levels say the money should be there. If we can ars so absurd they should probably be find the money to buy peace, we can find rrgarded as an insult to minority entities. money to take care of domestic problems. Thn letter of invitation to this hearina Give DOE's Office of Minority Economic raid, "Your participation is vital, be-Impact Assistance something to do, some-caure it could determine the structure thina to sink their teeth into. Make them and financing of a future program." Yet the granting agency, and give the states S cretary Schlesinger speaking for the the right to administer the program. They Administration just four days aco indi-have the staffs, are more accountable and cated that a decision had already been accessible to the people they serve...you mids. Mr. Schlesinger said that of the are not creating any new expensive animal. SS-57 billion the Treasury hopes to re-cover from the windfall profits tax, a ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS portion will go to mitigate the impact of energy cost on the poor. Our presence Fuel Oil Marketing, Boston, April 23-24, h ra might be construed as an endorsenent Agenda: finalizing Low-Income Energy Assist-of a fait acccmpli. ance Report, Residential Energy Conservation Program, ' 79-80 supply and pricing outlook, There is another problem -- the implications Schriver report on heating oil market profile of tying the salvation of the peor to a windfall profits tax. It is blackmail: Consumer Affairs, Washington, May 3-4 Subcomm. agenda: Consumer Coop Bank, consumer if the Congress does not vote for a wind-organization funding needs, PURPA & ECPA fi-fall profits tax, they are anti-poor. nancial assist. rules status, FOMAC report, It is bad legislation. To put the welfare impact of deregulation en consumers of the peor in *.he middle of heated debate Full comm. agenda: FOMAC report, President's ovsr the windfall profits tax constitutes Energy Message, Interntl. Year of the Child, an irresponsible and shameful attempt by impact of the Iranian Response Plan the Administration to use, rather than to cecist, the poor. Environmental, Washington, May 10-11 Agenda: national coal policies; panels on en-Mo one has defined what a " windfall profits vironmental implications of increased coal tax" is. The broadcast industry has -ade use: extraction, synfuels, combustion;. envi-c bundle, as has the insurance industry ronmental research priorities and funding; cnd the movie industry, but there is no briefings on President's Energy Message and m ntion of windfall profits there. The Three Mile Island; Coal Policy Project D:p2rtment of Agriculture said recently that the cost of meat has been risina at Food Industry, Chicago, May 23 cn :nnual rate of 72 percent. That is of Agenda: agricultural priorities for natural vital importance to poor people, and there gas; contingency plans; presentation by the 10 no mention of windfall tax. So we food industry, agriculture, and censumer groups don't know what it is. Singlinc out one Members of the public may attend meetings and industry among thcusands upon which to file written statements with the Committees. impose a windfall profits tax represents Executive summaries will be available from th; worst kind of discrimination. The Georgia Hildreth, Advisory Comm. Mgmt. Off., whole purpose of decontrol is to provide DOE, Rm. 8G031, Washington 20585

20 O UTILITY CONSUMER OFFICE CONTACTS DOE REGIONAL CONSUMER AFFAIRS (see article on page 14) OFFICERS Region Wally Nixon James McManus I Roberta Walsh Off. of Attorney General Program Director 150 Causeway St. Div. of Energy Conserva-Off. of Attorney General Boston, MA 02114 tion and Rate Advocacy Energy Regulatory Impact (617)223-0504 Suite 122 Project II Jane Delgado Natl. Old Line Bldg. 1 Ashburton Place 26 Federal Plaza Little Rock, AR 72201 Boston, MA 02108 New York, NY 10007 (501) 371-1967 (617) 727-7591 (212)264-0502 Sidney Mcore, Jr. Roderick Coy III Curtis Morris Consumers' Utility Counsel Assist. Attorney Genl. 1421 Cherry St. 15 Peachtree St. NW #933 712 Law Building Philadelphia, PA 19102 Atlanta, GA 30303 Lansing, MI 48913 (215)597-3880 (404) 656-3982 (517) 373-1129 IV Betty Camp Russell Wong J. Michael Love 1655 Peachtree St. NE Office of Consumer Counsel Legislative Utility Atlanta, GA 30309 Box DG Consumers' Council (404)881-2696 Agana, GU 96910 Legis. Off. Bldg. 4401 V Censumer Affairs Off. fh[-27 175 W. Jackson Blvd. Anthony Yankel Chicago, IL 60604 Idaho Electrical Elliot Taubman (312)353-5768 Consumers' Office Dept. of Justice VI Susan Hood Johnson Statehouse PC Drawer 1508 PO Box 352'28 Boise, ID 93720 Santa Fe, NM 87501 Dallas, TX 75235 (208) 384-2964 (505) 827-5521 (214)794-7714 Al Grandys Harold Abramson VII Reba Cobb Gov. 's Of f, of Manpower Consumer Frotection Brd. 324 E. lith St. & Human Development 99 Washington Avenue Kansas City, MO 64106 320 W. Washington St. Albany,'NY 12210 (816)374-2061 Springfield, IL 62701 (518) 474-5015 VIII Bill Jackson (217) 792-1619 Brian Lederer PO Box 26247, Belmar 8: Frank Biddinger Off. of People's Counsel Lakewood, CO 80226 Off. of Public Counselor 917 15th Street NW -(303)234-2449 807 State Off. Bldg. 10th Floor IX R'ob,e rt Laffel Indianapolis, IN 46204 Washington, DC 20005 111 Pine St. (317) 633-4959 (202) 727-3071 San Francisco, CA 94111 (415)S56-7130 X Lee Johnson 915 Second Ave. Seattle. WA 98174 (206)44t-7285 5850g Oc 'uo26uTysex saiv;;y 2amns'..oo ;o acT;;O A52aus :c suam22ndaC Kl'V 0* 0 'ON 1D044 lov2N3 Jo *Inc *s.1 GIVJ S333 9 30VIS0J 1:VW SSM3-1HIA}}