ML19308E129
| ML19308E129 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 02/28/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Enterline F, Enterline M AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19308E130 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8003210010 | |
| Download: ML19308E129 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
["
f('gg NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION g
<g WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 February 28, 1980 l
Mr. & Mrs. Frank E. Enterline 7421 Chambers Hill Road Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17111
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Enterline:
Your letter to Comissioner Hendrie regarding the permanent shutdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear station and your concern about the management of nuclear waste has been referred to me for response.
I regret that this answer has been delayed. The accident and its consequences have created a substantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented us from responding to you as promptly as we would have liked.
The Commission has ordered that a public hearing be conducted to detennine whether Three Mile Island Unit I should be operated and, if so, under what conditions the restart would tal'e place. Prior to start of the hearings, the NRC staff will conduct a review of technical infonnation concerning the restart of Unit 1.
As part of this review, the NRC staff will conduct meetings with the licensee in the presence of the public, and the public will be given the i
opportunity to raise questions and to make statements.
During the hearing, the technical issues that are appropriate to assure the public health and safety will also be addressed.
In addition, the Hearing Board may consider the psychological impact of future operation on the nearby coninunities. A copy of the Commission Order that outlines the issues to be considered is enclosed for your information.
With regard to Unit 2, the licensee has not yet submitted to the NRC a proposal for overall plant recovery, although the licensee is conducting feasibility studies.
It is not possible at this time to detennine when such proposals for recovery may be submitted or how much time will be needed for the required re-views and approvals in connection with Unit 2's recovery.
I would note, how-ever, that the licensee's authority to operate Unit 2, except for those actions necessary to keep the reactor shut down, was suspended by Order of July 20, 1979.
With respect to your concern about waste disposal, the goal of the U.S. nuclear waste management program is to provide assurance that existing and future nu-clear waste from military and civilian activities, including. spent fuel from the '
once-through nuclear power cycle, can be isolated from the biosphere so as to pose no significant threat to public health and safety and the environment.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for providing the frame-work of criteria and regulations that will ensure that the disposal methods de-veloped for all types of radioactive waste are consistent with the achievement of this goal of safe, long-term waste disposal.
8003210010
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Mr. & Mrs. Frank E. Enterline February 28, 1980 The NRC's authority to license and regulate the storage and disposal of radio-active wastes is derived from three statutes:
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. To implement this authority and to provide guidance to the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE), the industry, and the public, the NRC is developing i
new'or revised regulations for such storage and disposal. These regulations will require confonnance with a fixed set of minimally acceptable perfonnance standards for waste management activities while providing for flexibility in o
the technological approach.
The D0E's responsibilities concerning radioactive waste disposal are limited to high-level wastes and only those low-level wastes produced as part of DOE's pmgrams. Their responsibility does not include comercially generated low-i level wastes.
We appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued protection of the health and safety of the public.
Sincerely, W EIEnsd by Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulatica
Enclosure:
Comission Order dated August 9,1979 DISTRIBUTION Docket 50-289/50-320 NRC PDR Local PDR NRR r/f SEP/TMI r/f TMI Site r/f RVol1mer JCollins JMullin DVassallo W01iu DEisenhut SMiner RTedesco HDenton RReid ECase DDilanni HBerkow/WRussell RIngram DMuller MGroff(NRR-3223)
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