ML19322E030
| ML19322E030 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 02/28/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Perkins J AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19322E031 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8003170025 | |
| Download: ML19322E030 (2) | |
Text
. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -
r8 4.A-4 FEBRUARY ! 8 50 f
Ms. Jane Perkins Secretary / Treasurer i
Pennsylvania Social Services Union 2903 North 7th Street Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110
Dear Ms. Perkins:
Your letter to Commissioner Hendrie expressing your desire to close TMI pemanently and your concern about the release of radioactive gas and water has been referred to me for response.
I regret that this answer has been delayed. The accident and its consequences have created a substantial in-crease in the agency's workload, which has prevented us from responding to you as promptly as we would have liked.
The Comission has ordered that a public hearing be conducted to detemine whether THI Unit 1 should be operated and, if so, under what conditions the restart would take place. Prior to start of the hearings, the NRC staff will conduct a review of technical infomation 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 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 communities. A copy of the Comission Order that outlines the issues to be considered is enclosed for your infomation.
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 tine to detemine 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.
Regarding your concern about the release of radioactive material from TMI, the release of radioactive gases from the reactor building of TMI Unit 2 and the release of contaminated water, except for releases to the Susquehanna River of liquids containing only low or nondetectable levels of radioactivity, are not currently permitted.
Before any such releases take place, NRC will evaluate the impact and the evaluation will be made available to the public. By this course 4
. = *
.........................m.
N#8 M SATE >
m c sam u m m = = es e
C 1
r 9"
Ms. Jane Perkins FEBRUARY 2 8 800 of action, we will assure that a thorough assessment is completed prior to re-lease of the cor.taminated gases and liquids and that the health and safety of I
the offsite population will be protected.
The Commission recently authorized use of the EPICOR-II water treatment systen for processing the waste water stored in tanks in the auxiliary building. We do not currently pemit the discharge of water processed by the EPICOR-II system.
The disposal of the water processed by EPICOR-II will be addressed in a separate environmental assessment, as required by the Comission's Statement of May 25, 1979.
Copies of the environmental assessment will be made available for public comment. As Metropolitan Edison has not yet submitted a proposal on the disposal method of the decontaminated water, we have yet to prepare the environmental assessment. We anticipate that several months will pass before any decisions are made on disposal of the water.
As a result of releases containing only low or nondetectable levels of radio-activity, the levels of radioactivity in the Susquehanna are indistinguishable from existing background levels at public water supply intakes from the river.
These levels have been confinned by independent' measurements made by the NRC, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
We appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued prctection of the health and safety of the public.
Sincerely.
Orb u agua q E. G. Case
'Rgold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
Conunission Order dated August 9.1979 DISTRIBUTION Docket 50-289/50-320 DEisenhut NRC PDR RTedesco Local PDR RReid NRR r/f DDilanni SEP/TMI r/f RIngram TMI Site r/f MGroff RVollmer TERA JCollins JMallin (TMI-61)
[
i W01iu SMiner p
HDenton s w er h o[
TMI/TF,4g TM o t NR -
R RR:D TMI/TFQS-r D
an wrra r-
....L.LE......
.....l................
. 7.......d..................a a.le..
.. 6.
b.'...t
- c,,,,,. m,.,,,,.c,,
_