ML19318C610
| ML19318C610 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | West Valley Demonstration Project |
| Issue date: | 06/05/1980 |
| From: | Cunningham R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | Larocca J NEW YORK, STATE OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8007020078 | |
| Download: ML19318C610 (3) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES 4
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JUN 51980 Docket No. 50-201 New York State Energy Research and Development Authority ATTN: Mr. James Larocca, Chairman Agency Building No. 2 Empire State Plaza Albany, New Yort 12223 Gentlemen:
This letter is in reference to your responsibilities as a co-licensee under your facility license (CSF-1) for the Western New York Nuclear Service Center Facility in West Valley, New York. Based on information provided to us, the initial tem of your agreements with the Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) will end on December 31, 1980. Our correspondence with NFS since their announcement on September 22, 1976 of withdrawal from commercial reprocessing has failed to indicate the intentions of either co-licensee with resp'ct to the future of the facility. In addition, we have not been infomed of your plans for submitting appropriate applications for amendments to the facility license as had been stated in NFS's letter of September 22, 1976 from R. L Deuster to K. R. Chapman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Neither the NRC nor its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC),
is or was a party to the " Lease," the " Facilities Contract," or the
" Waste Storage Agreement," which were entered into by the predecessor to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (The Authority) and NFS on May 15, 1963. The requirements of your facility license are independent-of and in addition to any of the various contractual provisions and obligations that exist between yourselves and NFS. As you are aware, should you desire to transfer the license to another prospective site operator, a license transfer application must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of 10 CFR 50.80. We are very interested in your future plans and intentions.
Specifically, we request that your respond to the questions li,sted below:
1.
Do you and NFS plan to renew the lease? If so, what term and what facility status do you prcpose during any such lease renewal perio'd?.
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- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority JUN 5 1980 2.
Have you identified or obtained a prospective site operator to replace NFS? If so, when do you intend to submit a license transfer application under 10 CFR 50.807 The NRC staff requires this information, if and when it is available, to plan for the staffing and budgetary requirements needed to support an efficient acceptance and review of such an application.
We recognize the major potential igact on the future of the facility that is beginning to be generated by the Department of Energy's (DOE) West Valley high level waste immobilization project. As you know, there are various legislative proposals awaiting full consideration and decision by the Congress that will give the DOE sufficient authority and resources to continue and complete this most important project.
Although many of the details associated with the waste innobilization project are still being fornulated, it appears likely that some ancillary portions of the facility may not be used in support of the innobilization project. These ancillary portions could include the interceptor and lagoons, the low level waste treatment plant and the fuel receipt and storage arva. As the details of DOE's waste immobiliza-l tion project become clearer, the NRC staff intends to ask detailed questions on the co-licensees' plans for the decommissioning and disposition of any such ancillary portions of the facility.
The staff considers the plans for the future of the West Valley facility to be a joint responsibility of both the Authority and NFS. For your information we have enclosed a copy of a similar letter request being sent i
to your co-licensee. Because of the importance of this matter, we are also sending copies of these letters to Mr. Sidney R. Petersen, Chairman of the Board of the Getty Oil Cogany, and the Honorable Hugh T. Carey, Governor of the State of New York.
Over three and one-half years have elapsed since the onset of consulta-tions between the co-licensees that was mentioned in NFS's letter of September 22, 1976. We recognize that in the intervening period, various interested organizations have tried to answer the broad range of questions that need to be answered before coglete decisions on the future disposition of the West Valley site can be made.
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New York State Energy Research 3-JUN 5 1980 and Development Authority In spite of the unavailability of all necessary answers to these questions, we aust begin to address the answerable questions now and begin to plan the site's future without further delay. Therefore, we request that you respond to the questions contained in this letter within thirty days.
As has been our long standing practice, we would be pleased to meet with both you and NFS to discuss these matters at any time.
Sincerely, t
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Richard E. Cunninghanf, Director Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
Enclosure:
Letter to NFS cc:
Governor Hugh T. Carey Sidney R. Petersen, Getty 011 Co.
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