ML19309E461
| ML19309E461 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 03/19/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Funderud D AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19309E462 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8004220112 | |
| Download: ML19309E461 (4) | |
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UNITED STATES
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION E
WASHINGTON, O. C. 20555 i;
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MAR 191980 1
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Ms. Dorothy Funderud Remer, Minnesota 56672
Dear Ms. Funderud:
This is in reply to your letter of December 27, 1979, to President Carter, which was referred to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the Department of Energy on January 25, 1980.
President Carter's views on nuclear power are given in the enclosed statement of December 7,1979, by him on the Kemeny Comission report on Three Mile Island.
The Three Mile Island accident resulted in a need for changes in the approach to safety. Some changes have been made and an action plan is being prepared for additional changes.
I assure you that every effort is being made to protect the public health and safety at all nuclear power plants currently in operation and those that may begin operation in the future.
Sincerely, A
Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
Statement by the President On The Kemeny Commission Report on Three Mile Island 8004220
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FOR I t'.EOIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 7, 1979 OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY I
THE WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT CN THE KEMENY COftiISSION REPORT ON THREE MILE ISLAND 6
Room 450, Old Executive Office Building (AT 2:45 P.M.
EST)
I THE PRESIDENT:
The purpose of this brief statment this j
af ternoon is to outline to you and to the public, both in this country 1
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and in other nations of the world, my own assessment of the Kameny l
Report recommendations on the Three Mile Island accident and I would
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like to add, of course, in the presentation some thoughts and actions j
of my cwn.
I have reviewed the report of the Commission, which I established to investigate the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. The Commission, headed by Dr. Jchn -Kemeny, found very serious shortcomings in the way that both the Government and the utility indus try regulate and manage nuclear power.
The steps that I am taking today will help to assure diat nuclear power plants are operated safely. Safety, as it always has been and will remain, is my top priority. As I have said SeScre, in this country nuclear power is an energy source of last resort. By this I meant th at as we reach our goals on conservation, on the direct use of coal, on development of solar power and synthetic fuels, and enhanced produc+ ion of American oil and natural gas, as we reach those goals, then we can minimize our reliance on nuclear power.
Many of our foreign allies must place much greater reliance than we do on nuclear pcwer, because they do not have the vast natural resources that give us so many alternatives. We must get on with the job of developing alternative energy resources and we must also pass, in order to do this, the legislation that I have proposed to the Congress, making an ef fort at every level of society to censerve energy.
To conserve energy and to develop energy resources in our country are the twc basic answers for which we are seeking. But we cannot shut the door on nuclear power for the United States.
The recent events in Iran have shown us the clear, stark dangers that excessive dependence on imported oil holds for our nation.
We must make every ef fort to lead this country to energy security.
Every dcmestic energy source, including nuclear power, is critical if we are to be f ree as a country from our present over-dependence on unstable and uncertain sources of high priced foreign oil.
i We de not have the luxury of abandoning nuclear power or imposing a lengthy moratorium on its further use.
A nuclear power plant can fisplace 35,000 barrels of oil per day, or roughly 13 million barrels of oil per year. We must take every possible step to increase tne safety :f nuclear power production. I agree fully with the letter and tne spirit and the intent of the Kemeny Commission recommendations, scee of wr. :n are within my own power to implerent, others of which i
rely on the t. clear Regulatory Commission, or the RRC, or the utility indus try : self.
TO get the Oavernment's own house in order I will take
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i several steps. First, I will send to the Congrcss a reorganization plan to strengthen the role of the Chairman of the NRC, to clarify assignment of authority and responsibility and provide this person with the power to act on a daily basis as a chief executive of ficer, with authority to put needed safety recuirements in place and to implement better procedures. The Chairman must be able to select key personnel and to act on behalf of the Ccmmission during any emergency.
1 Second, I intend to appoint a new Chairperson of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, someone from outside that agency, in the spirit of the Kemeny Commission recommendation. In the meantime, I have asked Commissioner Ahearne, now on the NRC, to serve as the Chairman.
Mr. Ahearne will stress safety and the prompt implementation of the needed reforms.
In addition, I will establish an independent advisory
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3 committee to help keep me and the public of the United States informed i
of the progress of the NRC and the industry in achieving and in making clear the recommendations that nuclear power will be safer.
Third, I am transferring responsibility to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FE ".A, to head up all off-site emergency activities, and to complete a thorough review of emergency plans in all the states of our country with operating nuclear reactors by June, 19 80.
Fourth. I have directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the other agencies of the Government to accelerate our program to place a resident Federal inspector at every reactor site.
Fifth, I am asking all relevant Government agencies to implement virtually all of the other recommendations of the Kemeny Commission. I believe there were 44 in all.
A detailed factsneet is being issued to the public and a more extended briefing will be given to the press this af ternoon.
With clear leadership and improved ozganization, the Executive Branch of Government and the NRC will be better able to act quickly on the crucial issues of improved training and standards,
safety procedures, and the other Kemeny Commission recommendations.
f But responsibility to make nuclear power safer does not stop with the Federal Government. In fact, the primary day by day responsibility for safety rests with utility company management and with suppliers
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of nuclear equipment. There is no substitute for technically qualified and committed people working on the construction, the operation, and the inspection of nuclear power plants.
i Personal responsibility must be stressed. Some one person must always be designated as in charge, both at the corporate level and also at the power plant site. The industry owes it to the American people to s trengthen its commitment to safety.
I call on the utilities to implement the following changes; fi rs t, building on the s teps already taken, the industry must organize itself to develop enhanced standards for safe design, operation, and cons truction of plants; second, the nuclear industry must work together to develop and to maintain in operation a comprehensive training, i
examination, and evaluation program f or tperators and for supervisors.
This training program must pass muster with the NRC through accreditation of the training programs to be estaclished.
Third, control recms in n2: lear power plants must be modernized, standardized, and simplified as much as possible, to permit MO P2
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. 3-better informed decision-making among regular operating hours and, of course, during emergencies.
I challenge our utility companies to bend every ef fort to improve the safety of nuclear power.
Finally, I would like to discuss how we manage this transition period during which the Kemeny recommendations are being implemented. There are a number of new nuclear plants now awaiting operating licenses or construction permits. Under law, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency. Licensing decisions i
rest with the Nuclear Regulatory Co= mission, and as the Kemeny Commission I
noted, it has the authority to proceed with licensing these plants on a e
case by case basis, which may be used as circumstances surrounding a
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plant or its application dictate.
I The NRC has indicated, however, that it will pause in I
issuing any new licenses and construction permits in order to devote its full attention to putting its own house in order and tightening up i
safety requirements. I endorse this approach which the NRC has adopted, but I urge the NRC to complete its work as quickly as possible and in no event later than six months from today. Once we have instituted the necessary reforms to assure safety, we must resume the licensing process promptly so diat the new plants we need to reduce our dependence on f oreign oil can be built and operated.
The steps I am announcing today will help to insure the safety of nuclear plants. Nuclear power does have a future in the United S tates.
It is an option esat we must keep open.
I will join with the utilities and their suppliers, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government, e.nd also the state and local governments to assure that the future is a safe one.
Now Dr. Frank Press, Stu Eizenstat, and John Deutsch wi]'.
be glad to answer your questions about these decisions and about nuclear power and the future of it in our country. Frank?
END (AT 3:00 P.M. EST) l i
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