ML19323C196
| ML19323C196 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/03/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Pletta K AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19323C197 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005150126 | |
| Download: ML19323C196 (2) | |
Text
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- 9. % + /j APR 3 1980 Mr. Kevin Pletta 12839 Chippewa Warren, MI 48093
Dear Mr. Pletta:
I am writing in response to your letter to Commissioner Joseph Hendrie request-ing information on the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor.
I regret that this answer to your letter has been delayed. The accident and its consequences have created a substantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented me from responding to you as promptly as I would have liked to.
You asked if the public were " aware of what could happen during a nuclear plant accident." For every major project affecting the environment, including con-struction and operation of nuclear power plants, the public has access to information on the potential benefits, risks and costs of the project. Prior to the licensing of commercial nuclear power plants, the utility must analyze various hypothetical accidents at a specific site and the consequences of those accidents in an Environmental Report. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) presents these analyses in an Environmental Impact Statement that is available to the public.
In addition, the NRC has performed a study to quan-titatively analyze the risks from accidents at reactors. The Reactor Safety Study was released on October 30, 1975. All of these documents are available for public review in the NRC Public Document Room in Washington, DC, or in local public document rooms.
As part of the licensing process, the utility is required to have safeguards in the plant to ensure that offsite radiation releases in an accident are within acceptable levels.
" Meltdown" refers to the melting of fuel in an operating nuclear reactor due to excessive heat buildup following loss of reactor cooling water.
If a sig-nificant portion of the fuel should melt, the molten fuel could melt through the reactor vessel, releasing large quantities of radioactive materials into the containment building. Reactors are designed, b wever, to provide an emergency supply of cooling water to the reactor core via several emergency systems.
With regard to your question regarding the building of more nuclear power l
plants, the former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) had a Congressional mandate I
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to develop and promote nuclear energy. When the AEC was abolished in 1974, the NRC was created by Congress for the sole purpose of regulating the commer-cial production of nuclear energy. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is now responsible for the Federal Government's nuclear research and development activities. Consequently, questions about the future of this energy source should be directed to that agency.
I am enclosing si:::maries of two reports which you should find interesting.
In addition, both the President's Commission and the NRC Special Inquiry Group have completed their studies and published their reports. A copy ef the report by the President's Commission may be obtained from:
Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20402 The report by the Special Inquiry Group can be obtained from:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Technical Information and Document Control Washington,.
0555 Sincerely, arold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Encls: Summary of NUREG-0558 Summary of NUREG-0600