ML19323G315
| ML19323G315 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/21/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Ohlman C AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8006020162 | |
| Download: ML19323G315 (5) | |
Text
s.- e *.
g {_. $
. p* H ^ vi UNITED STATES
!?
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COT.;f.ilSSION
$,k )7 %5 WASHINGTON. O C. 20555 3.
~ ~ a a nrR 21 :no
%.'...'.f Mr. Carl L. Or.iman 1840 Mayfair Drive, N. E.
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
Dear Mr. Ohinan:
This is in reply to your letter of February 20, 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 Kemeny Commission) included the following:
" Finally, I would like to discuss how we manage the transition period during which the Kenany recommendations are being imple-mented.
There are a number 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 ar, 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 at.ention 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 cor..mitted to protect the public health and safety.
The Three Mile Island accident resulted in a need for changes in the approach to safety.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found that actions recommended by its own staff and by the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island in the areas of human factors, operational safety, emergency pla7fning, nuclear power plant design and siting, health effects, and public information are necessary and feasible.
8 0 0 6 0 2 0 /$2.
1
._ & 4 Mr. Carl L. Ohlman.a. R 2 1 E O At this time we are preparing for review and approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission an 'ction 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 requirements will be trans-mitted to all utilities concerned.
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 u 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 and, under specified conditions, to operate at low power levels for testing.
Several other similar cases are under consid-eration.
Si ncerely,
/
Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation t
i
d
)
N ysu rs February 20,1980 The President of the United States Teshington, D.C. 20300
Dear Mr. President:
I am attaching herewith a copy of a letter addressed to the Grand Fapids Press, Grand Espids, Michigan (attention of the Public Fulse) f or publication.
Y H-you_ agree with the article, I would_ appreciate.it if you would d
take ection,to register your' support in the res3FnT~oV-the_.,_
-licelising of fluclear T1 ants-so that-1.= erica will not be lef t in j
the d arit.' ~ ~ "
Thanking you, I a::2 L
- ?
b bM/L '
Carl L. Ohliman
1~
~
IIJl.IKI SIC 2.TH:.1. 2K.!C5 III: :.1G i CF. :TCE.4: M.IJ.
In fact, four Utility Compenies (since 1975). sf ter five years of effort to obtain a pezr.it for a 1.TCIS/J PC".TF. Pil.l.. have been denied. They T
feel thct en appeal is s,n exercies in futility and expence and that the revoking of the persit is a greve error t.cd vill result in higher electric energy cents and eventual shcrtece. These probler.s are causing cany of our Utility Ceepanies that heve ITuclear flants on the drcwing bec:d, or in the proceca of buildin5 them, era cancalling their prograce.
In conclusion, I feel thct the generating of I.TCISM 20'7:iF, up to the tic:a of the Three IJ.ile incident, has ted en entin.bb ;roven record in saving cany ralliocrs of dollcra in genercting electricity with no caverse affects and no sericus accidents.
Es shculd recognize the Ereat ber.efits of IEC1EE P07.EF. to huntn health and well being sad the survivel of our free society before it is too Ists.
Cerl Ohlr-an i
l
b
[ d) L. h g yCh
,f fs 't0
-,'-a'--
Mu L=
cr_nc Tr,H:,.~ieb..33:3 ichn.ery lj,1C30 IT.t.* IllI EI'1TATlCN !!2it.it25.S !!G Ie.:> F0E bT Chh AR IC.1:1 Editor:
The Greind Farids Iress Attn: Public Fules Tress Plcns Grand F piac,1*ichigan 4c305 In connection with the cbove, I would like to state =y vie as reserding nuclear ~'omer.
Tce Anti-Muclear Elec rends r:shington a considerable enount of rail chile the ;rc;onents send very little.
Friends of Nuclear Icrer cust start deliver-in2 their c.cssego befcre it is too late.
Tre greatest pre:ent day threat to the prce;erity and even the survitcl of Both develo,ed and undeveloping nations are threr.teced.
noticas is the Icek of energy.
Nucleer Ic-wr is pcrt of the ansrer to that 1. roble =.
Caly a part, but a very important part.
cf energy when our very existance is Le cust not turn our beck on any soc-at etske. Is need them all, es;ecially NCIA...R.EF..
Tr.e Anti-Nuclear propag:.nic Unless the ;olitical trend that ce cra hearing today puts derscracy to a cevers test.
torard Enercy Develor_ent in this ccuntry, chcnges rapidly, there =sy not be a United States in the 21st century.
Tne T' ree ; tile Island incident ses unfortuncte, but due to the lessen lecreed, it will add extrere knowledge to our technole y en.1 help to refine the sdety systen and [
c cche the LWieur scy of generating electricity even safer. Euclear Tower potential is too crest to icnore. It will ple.y an e:sential role over tha next 30 yoere in eseting c r n-tion's needs end help generate the ;rcEress that cshes it possible for all nations to g:cw cnd prec;er.
If we are to avoid mer, ce must be strong.
At present ne have 7 'iuclear Tiants that ere affected by the ICGLCAF FE3 lA-7ClY CC-.'IESICN (NFO) freening the iceuing of new reacter liscenses.
Tcese 7 Luclear plente cro ready to o;orste cud each r:onth these reactors rer.ain idle the nation will use core than 200,000 additienal berrels daily or about 2/3 of the oil we inported free Iren before the latest crisis - and the s.3citienal cost to the customers is 83 to 100 tillica dollcrs c:re beccuse replacen.ent power will be cenereted by highsr cocts -(coal and cil fired ;1snts). Thi: freeze con mcre us increeningly de;endent on i=;0rted cil when the natica erhe releecs frce CISC'e strcngle hold.
T.le ITED Fresno reflects a rave of eroticazicin that cust not te alloned to throttle e vital scurce of energy.
It no.Y re. quires a hTCISAE POEE IIJ.NT 10 to 12 years to plan cud build before it beceres a cer orciel reality. As iceredible es it cry see=, ebout half of that tire iC s;ent filling out forr_s, ehuffling papers a::d waiting for one Teguir.to:/ Agency or ecothee to schedule a hearing or approve a }.cr=it, c3ains considerably to the cost of every *ucles Tlent. In Europe cnd Ja;en, they are conctzscting Nuclecr Power Plcsta 1: 5 to 6 years there ecfety standarde eust also be met.
.