ML19309F857
| ML19309F857 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 04/24/1980 |
| From: | Jadwin D AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| To: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005010454 | |
| Download: ML19309F857 (3) | |
Text
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IJr Harold R Denton, Director April 24, 1960 Office of nuclsai Reactor Reg 7/ashington DC 20525
Dear IJr Denton:
Attached is a copy of a letter I recently sont to the opinion Page of the Charlevoix Courie", Charlevoix, IJich.
I feel that the people who intervened at the December 5, 1979 1:uclear Regulatory Commision hearing in Petoskey, Mich. (along with many othors from cities and towna around the Northern part of the lower peninsula of IZichican, who made statomonts at that meeting) came up against an overwhelming power and might of Consumers Power's Money and influence.
I personally saw some of that power being used through a battery of attorneys who are hired by Consuncro Power to represent them in their request to increase the nuclear spent fuel storago at Big Rock.Uuclear Plant, about four miles nort>. of Charle-voin, Ilich.
( And on the Shore of Lake Eichigan)
It gives us a deep feeling of despair when we think of the final hearings, coming up soon, with the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of HRC, in 7tashington.
Can you, or any other authority in our Government, restrain Consumers Power incroacing the presently set limit of 194 bundles of nuclear spent fuel waste at the Big Rock Huclear Plant?
Iny can't the Federal Government.ind a safe place for Consumers Powcr to move that seven year b ud up of toxic spent fuel out and away from the Nuclear Power Plt, at the Big Rock site?
And awey frc= the coolant leaks that have happened out there, and coula very wc11 happen again, directly into the waters of Lake Ilichigan.
Can you, or any other authority in our Government, assure us people who are living within the five mile radius of the Big Rock Uuclear Plant, that this plant is a safe, and healthy place for us to live by?
Cordiorly yours, 7
{.
rum Don Japwin (Wievaix MI 49720 214 Bay St d\\
t eO
l' On April 9,1980, the Charlovoix Courier Editorial page was pretty much taken up by letters from Consumers Power representativos.
I'd like to identify myself as a Consumers Power Stockholder who doesn't agree with many of thoir opinions.
I was especially concerned about the third lettor, from the Senior Maintenanco Engineer at Big Rock Uuclear Plant.
I wonder how his " Chicken Little and the Fox" storios would go over with the people who live within a 5 milo radius of the Three raile nuclear plant in Pennsylvania? I wonder how Metropolitan Edison stockholders, who own Three Mile Island, would recieve his stories?
My wife and I live on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 2 miles, as a gull flys, across the water, to the Big Rock Huclear plant.
I first became disenchanted with the us'e of Nuclear Power for manufact-uring of electric energy after reading the May 2, 1979 Charlevoix Courie r.
This issue reported the results of a tour of inspection of Big Rock by Sonator Mitch Irwin and two reporters, after the plant had boon closed down when a leak had developed in the coolgnt system.
Some of the comments which were reported to have been made by Charles Axtoll (Plant Health Physicist) and Ed Mc Namara (a training officer at the Big Rock facility) interested me then, and still concern me.
Big Rock uses 84 fuel bundles at a time (Unclear fuel, uranium oxide).
They must be replaced every three years, and are done so on an annual rotating basis.
The spent fuel, still radioactivo, but no longer useful for the plants fission process, must be stored about 1000 years, according to Axtell.
The spent fuels most toxic radioactivo elements are Stronium 90 and Iodine 136, which Mc Namara had earlier explained.
"After 1000 years in salt mines the radio activity would be about the same as it~ was in the natural state, as it was when mined," Axtell stated.
But he acknowled ed that even then he wouldn't let his children play S
l with it, that it was still very dangerous.
Big Rock is currently applying to the URC to expand its fuel storage capacity on sito.
They are asking to expand from 194 bundlos to 415, which they say can safely be dono by storing the bundles closer together.
l They do not think that overhoating will be a problem.
Anto11 said that after storago at Big Rock, fuel is shipped out to be reprocessed. This practice is now suspended becauso of President Carter's moratorium on breedor roactors.
Big Rock's last shipment of spent' fuel was in 1973_.
In the May 16, 1979 issue of the Charlovoix Courier, an article appeared "On May 7, 1979 the Charlevoix Council passed a resolution on pano 11.
(79-5-3) - Bo it resolved that the City of Charlevoix request that Governor Milliken hold nublic hearings on the health and safety factors of the Big Rock nuclear'Plent, and insist that the plant be kept out of oporation until such timo that it's safety is assurod."
i:
Page Two - (Regarding Big Rock Huclocr Plant)
On December 5,1979, a public hearing, conducted by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Euclear Regulatory Committee, of Washington DC, was held in Petoskey, Mich.
Many peoplo from various towns' and cities in the. northern part of the lower peninsula made statencnts at this hearing, in which they told what they thought of Consumers Power's request for expanded nuclear waste fuel storage.
Followingis part of a statencnt which I made at that hearing:
"At first, we thought you, or someone in Washington, would find a safe
! way to ship these waste fuel rods to the Southwest Hew Mexico salt beds, i or some other safe place. But, now we're hearing that no one wants this nuclear garbage.
That all the Euclear waste dumps have been shut-down.
So now we're being asked by Consumers Power Company to continuo living down shoro from this pilo of toxic wasto, while they continue to add to the pile.
Wo don't understand what we're living by, and nobody else, including you people of the Euclear Regulatory Commission, seem to understand the full meaning of that toxic spent fuel waste that is building up out there in the woods, along the shore of Lake Michigan.
Or, at least, if you, or anyone does know, you're not publicly explaining the meaning of this toxic waste."
I furthur stated: "I believe, that if you can't find safe storage for this spent fuel, away from the Big Rock Plant, and away from Lake Mich-igan, and doop in a salt mine, or a granite quarry, hopefully back in the state it was orig nally mined from, then, you should no longer allow i
the Big Rock Uuclear plant to function.
Now, four months after the Atomic Safoty Hea.in'g, and one year after the inspection tour of Senator Mitch Irwin, and one year after the resolution by the Charlovoix Council, as far as I know, we've had no report from our Governor Millikon rogarding the health and safoty of Big Rock Uuclear Plant.
There has bocn no resolution of the rcqucst by Consumcrs Power to expand it's fuel storage capacity.
It looks as though the Big Rock Uuclear Plant is caught is a very tight spot of not being able to find a place to get rid of a seven year old pile of Euclear spent fuel.
So, what it finally comes to is that I've listened to Consumers Power officials for years, when they told mo Nuclear Power was a good and safe investment.
Right up to April of 1979, I listened.
Now, I don't want any furthur convincing by Consumers Power people.
Uow, I want only to listen to the State and Federal ;overnnent people who are in-spccting the Bin Rock Unclear Plant, and have them assure me that 194 bundlos of spent fuel are safe and healthy to live by.
whoever you are, whereever you Please, top managers of Consumers Power, 4 bundles of that toxic waste aro, don't ask us to live by more than 19 stuff that you've built up out there at Big Rock. And, don't encourage your employees to continue their campaign to make your ncighbors in the surrounding communities feel guilty, or make us out to be ignorant, or quivering irresponsible alarmists, when wo do complain about living by more than the oririnally set limit of 194 bundles of nuclear spent fuel.
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