ML19323B577
| ML19323B577 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/11/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Wery F, Wery G AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005130691 | |
| Download: ML19323B577 (3) | |
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e n sec a o os 1s o gc77 Mr. Frances Wery and Mrs. Genev' eve Wery 3217 W. Saginaw Lansing, Michigan 48917
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wery:
This is in reply to your letter of February 1,1980, to President Carter about licensing nuclear power plants.
A statement by President Carter on December 7,1979, about the Report of the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island (the Keneny Commission) included the following:
" Finally, I would like to discuss how we manage the transition period during which the Kemeny recommendations are being imple-nented. There are a nunber of new nuclear plants now awaiting operating licenses or construction pemits.
" Licensing decisions rest with the NRC and, as the Kemeny Commission noted, it has the authority to proceed with licensing these plants on a case-by-case basis, which may be used as circumstances surrounding a plant dictate. The NRC has in-dicated, however, that it will pause in issuing new licenses and construction pemits in order to devote its full attention to putting its house in order.
I endorse the approach the NRC has adopted, but I urge the NRC to complete its work as quickly as possible, and in any event no later than six months from today.
"Once we have instituted the necessary reforms to assure safety, we must resume the licensing process promptly so that the new plants which we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil can be built and operated."
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is committed to protect the public health and safety. The Three Mile Island accident resultea in a need for enanges in the approach to safety. The Nuclear Regulatory Ccamission has found that actions reconmended by its cwn staff and by the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island in the areas of human factors, operational safety, emergency planning, nuclear power plant design and siting, health effects, and public infomation are necessary and feasible.
Mr. and Mrs. Wery APR 1119sc At this time we are preparing for review and approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission an Action Plan that will specify the precise actions to be taken.
It will include new or improved safety ob-jectives, detailed criteria for their implementation, and various implementation deadlines. As soon as the Action Plan is completed and approved, the resulting regulatory requirerents will be trans-mitted to all utilities cancerned.
It is recognized that there will be a significant effect on the availability of power generating capacity if those plants now in the final stages of construction do not receive operating licenses by the dates previously anticipated, and every effort is being made to avoid unnecessary delays. With this objective, the Commissioners approved on February 28, 1980, the issuance of an NRC license to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Unit 1 to load fuel ar.d, under specified conditions, to operate at low power levels for testing.
Several other similar cases are under consid-eration.
Sincerely, f
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.M h Harold R. Deni.on, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l
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3217 W. Saginaw Lansing, Michigan 48917 February 1, 1960 0 'Y President Jimy Carter
.'l The White House
'4ashinrton, D. C.
20500 D=ar Fresident Carters We are greatly concerned witt. the N+nve of melama-egrey in this,ggsh at a time when we are still deper.d-ent upon inported oil for energy, which is adding millions of dollars to our balance of payments deficit. h juclear Regulatory _Cesriipsigo,has.JecidedJg fyetze.,gtehstrg_ok 14cer3ses,, fpr,_seven..new melaar r--a+ a*=: _ The.freece sontribataa.to-energy inflation 4 f*cirQ use of acaL.azxi.cil fired. plants,.$11s the nuclear plaf.Es re-main idle. Of course, consumers must pay for these additional costs - anwhere from 488 million to 4102 million more ese5 rev.th - and makes us increasingly deperdent on the CP E countries. Each new reactor can do tha work of 30,000 barrels of oil per day.
We are just as concerned as agone else that nuclear power production be safe. We believe Carl Walske, Presi-dont of the Atomic Industrial Forum, when he says the seven nuclear plants affected by the Nhc freeze "aro every bit as safe as the ones the h'nC is pomitting to run."
We-s ~ era y e ~ a-*. m ^=== voue-nd ~ t the Nhc to resu.e the licensirg of nuclear plants in tha United States. It is the %st and cheapest source of energy.
Respectfully yours, f.~. u..
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Francis and Genevieve We y