ML19330C070
| ML19330C070 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 07/25/1980 |
| From: | Snyder B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Wenger N AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008070509 | |
| Download: ML19330C070 (4) | |
Text
ggI 32; 3 NL 2 51980 l'i 43 L M Ms. flancy B. Uenger .4 522 Antoine Street 3 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17102 m
Dear Ms. Wenger:
I am wri' ing in response to your letter to Mr. Harold Denton regarding the ~ t Three !!ile Island plant. I regret that this answer to your letter has been delayed for so long. The accident and its consequences have created a sub-stantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented me from responding to you as promptly as I would have liked. With regard to your concern about the Price-Anderson Act, this Act does not protect "lill or any other nuclear power plant from taking responsibility for damages they may... inflict upon people." The following overview of the Price-Anderson Act appeared in the Federal Register on July 23, 1979: The flRC is constrained by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as amended, of which the Price-Anderson Act is a part. The Act has been ruled constitutional in a court case. Any future changes to this statute will require action by the U.S. Congress. ~ The flRC, in discharging its responsibility under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the mandate of the flational Environmental policy Act of 1969, conducts, as part of the licensing process, comprehensive safety and environmental reviews 9 of each nuclear power plant prior to issuance of an operating license. The purpose of this detailed review is to assure that the proposed facilities can be built and operated safely without undue risk to the health and safety of the public. fio operating license can be issued until this review is satis- ] factorily completed. The goal of the U.S. fluclear Waste Management Program is to provide assurance that existing and future nuclear waste from military and civilian activities, including spent fuel from the once-through nuclear power cycle, can be isolated from the biosphere so as to pose no significant threat to public health and safety and the environment. The flRC is responsible for providing the framework of criteria and regulations that will ensure that the disposal methods developed for all types of radioactive waste are consistent with the achievement of this goal of safe, long-term waste disposal. The flRC's authority to license and regulate the storage and disposal of radio-active wastes is derived from throa entuton' tha Atnmic Enerov Act of 19c4 oma* g ..y..wcy..g .g. g 8 0 0 8.0 5 0...$ b.*/... f[............ ..png .q. ~gwac romu ns (946) NRCM 0240
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Ms. flancy B. Wenger 9'$ 'M the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and the National Environmental Policy T Act of 1969. To implement this authority and to provide guidance to the U.S. 7 . Department of Energy (DOE), the industry, and the public, the fiRC is developing M new or revised regulations for such storage and disposal. These regulations will require conformance with a fixed set of minimally acceptable performance -M standards for waste management activities while providing for flexibility in M the technological approach. $$gl The DOE's responsibilities concerning radioactive waste disposal are limited to j high-level wastes and only those low-leul wastes produced as part of DOE's J programs. Their responsibility does not include commercially generated low- .~ level wastes. To respond to your concerns about milk and food contamination from the accident at Three Mile Island, the preliminary findings on the health effects of the radioactive materials released are contained in the interagency task force re-port, " Population Dose and Health Impact of the Accident at the Three Mile I' land fluclear Station" (t1UREG-0558), a summary of which is enclosed. The s radioactive materials that were released were primarily radioactive gases. The radioactivity was almost entirely from xenon, which.is a chemically in-I active gas. As the gases leaked out, the winds diluted them. To determine whether food grown in the area will be contaminated, the DOE measured the amounts of radioactivity present in the samples of soil, water, air, and vegetation. - j Based on these samples and other information, it was concluded that the prin- + cipal isotopes in the escaped gases were xenon-133 and xenon-135 Although radioactive iodine was found in samples of some milk, the concentration was less than 1", of the concentration pemitted by flRC regulations. Other food samples were tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and none of the .~ 377 food samples tested contained reactor-produced radioactivity. J The small dose Of radiation that people in the area received came from radio-active gases that escaped from the auxiliary building. The average dose of ,,1 radioactivity the population within 50 miles of TMI received was approximate 1y 4 millirems. The maximum exposure to any individual was less than 100 milli-rems, which is less than the yearly dose each person receives as a result of i natural background radiation. Doses at these levels result in less than one health effect over the lifetime of all people in this area. flatural background s radiation people in the Harrisburg area receive is approximately 125 millirems
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round trip by jet from flew York to Los Angeles receives 5 millirems of cosmic rays. i Metropolitan Edison (Met Ed) customers will not have to pay for any damages to 9 cr for the restoration of Three Mile Island Unit 2. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), in a decision and order of June 15, 1979, ruled that i l custonors of Met rd and the Panneylvania rin-tric rnmnany wnnld bn free from lj } 3 g gg uw. <,._ .a ,. ~ w a y. w u -+=g _p j
l Ms. flancy B. Wenger. 1 Mdd accident expenses. These customers will, however, be responsible for costs 9 associated with purchasing power to replace power that the TMI facility would A have provided. The Pennsylvania PUC reaffirmed this decision in an order of May 23, 1980. In the same order, it also ruled that Three Mile Island Unit 1 be removed from the Met Ed and Pennsylvania Electric Company rate bases. As a result, their customers will be free of all maintenance, interest, and capital cost expenses 7 associated with Unit 1. Should Unit 1 be' returned to service, costs associated with its operation would, of course, become part of the rate structure. d While we are, of course, concerned about financial impacts on consumers, the NRC's primary responsibility is the assurance of public health and safety. State public utility commissions and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have primary responsibility regarding the rates that consumers pay for electricity. They should be able to provide information for your use. With respect to alternative methods of energy production, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, the Department of Energy is the federal agency responsible for their research and development. NRC considers these alternative methods of energy production in its assessment of the environmental impact of each nuclear power plant as part of the ager rall review of each utility's application for a construction permit or i .ag license. To date, we have determined ~ that alternative methods of er.. g-production are neither technically nor eco- ~ nomically feasible to provide the required amount of power at the time it is needed. To respond to your request to "open up the top-secret files and educate the citizens about the dangers that are lurking in their back yards" and to "show 7 us the proof," all pertinent information on nuclear power safety is available 9 for the public in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Document Room,1717 1 H Street, Northwest Washington, D.C. 20555. In addition, information particular 1 to the Three Mile Island plant is'available in the Government Publications Sec-tion. State Library of Pennsylvania, Education Building, Commonwealth and Walnut. ~~ Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17126.. You comment that NRC should phase out nuclear power plants. NRC's primary responsibility consists in the licensing, intpection, and enforcement of regulations for nuclear power plants in the interest of public health and safety and for the protection of the environment. Changes in NRC's regulatory responsibilities can stem from the public's will and the resulting Congressional action. ~ 1 ,1 l n j g d$ ~ NEC PORM 313 (9 76) NRCM 0240
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,g e l 1 Ms. Nancy B. Lienger 9 ij I appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ~ "i V ensure the continued protection of the health and safety of the public, not -1 only at Three Mile Island, but also at all nuclear power plants. D. Sincerely, 1 -n ' ~"f Bernard J. Snyder, Program Director i Three Mile Island Program Office d Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 1
Enclosure:
Summary of NUREG-0558 d DISTRIBUTION 2 i Docket 50-289 PDR LPDR TERA NRR r/f TMI PO r/f TMI Site r/f BSnyder ' ~ ' JCollins DBri n'ri n W0liu 7, HRDenton v EGCase DMuller FSchroeder DVassallo OEisenhut RHVollmer ^ AFerguson (NRR #3182) Ik l + ....w a E.. ...TM.Iay,f.. ..m. . ~. - ....... 0.1. E.C......f. u :.bm . D..B..r..i..n..k.m. a n. B. Sn.. .ua.m. * ......p. .2.10 7hde... .. )k..' 1 6 \\ .!f MRC FORM 318 (9 76) NRCM 0240 8< sovs==*asar.. mesmo errece s ie te - ao s ree LM:.was. c.;.4 w. 3 --- -~ w y - ~, y :; _ c
s ., e. o. flancy D. !!enger 522 Antoine Street fiarrisburc, Pa.17102 June 13, !!cdnesday AZEX' DSS W W N WTO U Dear Sirs and Itadores; This is an open letter to all of you who are governing this country. I an a enncerned taxpayer and votinc citizen, and I feel I an quite justified in expressing ny oncer over the irresponsible handlinc (or nisheadling) of decisiens tSat are cdvarsely of'ecting the citizens nf
- his nation. I as one of these citizens feel cheated and deceived, and I eilll explain why as thie. letter centinees.
For three years I lived near the Three f*ile Island plant, believing that the ecvernnent would I:cer ne inferred if there were any dancers with a nuclear enercy. On fiarch 2Pth, I learned that I should never believe what I en told by covernnent officials or businessren, l'nfortunately, I 'cund cut that even the of'icials I believed in and vcted for tre in en t'iis-gare cf putting profits before peepic. Still, en "erch 20th, I heard a ( creet deel of assurrnce srecches.....in tSe walc of the nest scricus nuclear accident our country has seen. N, lle ecro told in !!rrrisburg that ^.Sc gcvernrent does not tche chances with the lives o' its citizens, and yet rany of us 'ovnd out (not fren any J;; gcVernrent officials) that a little coctic called the Price-Andersen Act protects T!11 or any other nuclear peuer plant fron tahine responsibility 'cr dar. aces they ray (cnd have already) inflict upon citizens. I rust have insurance to drive ny car or I will be arrested. I accept this re-spensibility because I an a safe driver and do not wish to inflict any pain on others withcut acceptinc responsibility for it, Apparently nuclear pcucr plants cannet scy the sere thing.....and yet they clain to be "sa'c". I vcted sore of you in....on ! I feel strongly that all of you in official pcsitions have a respcnsibility fererest to us your cit' ens. I ash that you irrediately take steps to see to it thatle Price-Andersen Act be f-declared unconstitutional, and repealed (retroactively). I also ask that you see to it ' hat a Irv lile that, which favors big busineg~ Wer pc c never be pernitted to pass again. D M 790711039 S o Arcund the tire of the T!'I :::' dent, we all had ta r at4 abcb,,-M upon the conflicting reports we had heard, to stay er leave. I and ry ^ fanily left irrodiately, rishing our.ieb security, and the security n' cur here, flow ve have returned, still not knewing how ruch radiatien is leakinc, where the radicfctive water will be dunped, end what the future effect upon our health will be. I have not drunh nilk since !'rrch 20th, 3; - I an afraid to plant a carden for fear that radiatien rey ccre through u in the veccteblos. I ' car for the lives of ry friends, reny of when live 7 i, or attend cellece within a feu niles cf that plent.I fear for the. lives cf children I hevo taucht in school in Stenlten......else a feu niles k fren the plant. I fear 'or the radiation they ray have received on '!edncsday, f !' arch 2cth, when in the nidst of the larr., cst rediatirn 1 ca disrissed in the erca, sending ycung children cut te walk here, wait for g j [,,. C., 7 busses, and play cutsido until their parcats crre here frer werli g. 'J ((d I .. r - = .n --
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~ t .: ~.,- We are told, natter of factly that nuclear wastes don't break down as fast as nost neterials. Then volunteers against nuc1cer energy and forrer nuclear engineers who have seen the light toll us that in fact, they don't t,rcat down for thousands of years, and continue to poisen future ceneratiens. Uc heer of St. Cecrce, Utah, and the Love Canal, and elready we see whet these wastes are doing to pecple. And yet ynn centinue to authorize these new plants, and rive others the otey for becinning cperatien. You say you have safe places to bury this waste. It is buried in lead centainers? I:ce fast do these lead containers breck drun? Cicht or nine years? That leaves at least 9n0 years of nuclear poisenincs. Also, as you. are findinc "sa'e" places to tury these unstes, rore up.stes are accuruletinc. If the safe places uc are using neu include carth<1uele 'aults, what Linds cf places will we he using in fifteen years? Elcrentrry scheci playcrcunds, or hesrital recovery recrs? The core weste you bury, the rcre cancers are caused, thus filling nur hospitals, end creating rcre disabled persens. Is this helring our ccuntry? lluclear pewer is the only ccencrically feasibic wey to creat electricity you tell re. Econenics rean*nothing to r.c when I rey be dying within 10 years. I en cnly 25 years old and I want te live and have children. It seers te re that there rust be some way to cencrate electricity without killing people. Benrich pcuer riant en the Susnuchenne will be crcninc senn unicss recplc like ryself car.htop it. The custorers in that crea have teen tc1d that their retes vill'en up 12% uhen t: nit 1 cpens and 105 vhen l' nit II crens. A 22% reise in rates is not what I call en ccenenically edventageous encrcy S c u rCr'. Econonically feasible you say......'or when? For the citizens c' liarris-burg? Of ccurse net. llc have iust becun the route beck to irpraverent arter a na?nr ficod in 1972. Uhat will TMI do to this town? I Lncw who benefits frcr: nuc1cer enercy and it is not the taxreyer. It is e slur-lord rentality. The utility ccr rentes are protected by the ccvernrent as they nct cnly rare this land and kill the people and anirals who inhabit it, but r:'!e reney doing sc Cut let's let the citizens of Mie'dletern and l'arristurc pay fer the crippled T:'l plant. lleven't we paid enocch? I er a special education teacher, end I have wnrted with and taucht rany childmn with cenetic disr rders. It is a sad end frustretinc thine to see, llave you ever srent any tire with en anencephali or ricrecophali child? They have very niniral brain tissue. They do not sreat or walk. They lie prcne and are totally dependent upcn cthers for their cere. This~ is a ~ terrible heertache for the perents, and the heerteche lests e lifetire. Is 5 it ucrth the profits to create this kind of 'uture generotien? t'y husbard and I both have craduate degrees, we are fren 'arilies of ninisters, prets, artists and doctors !!c would love very nuch to raise a child in e icvin( and stirulatinc environrent. !!ill we have a nuclear beby? I heve learned r ~ fren people who uortcd for the nuclear industry thet anencephali and ricrocephalt are the rain discre'ers caused !y radiatien. I sincerely here 1 you will.research these discr/crs and decide if ycu think the rist is werth it. 3 4- [: ~ l L 8 ' -i e e P w=mem-*.-- - -- - - - - = - g ,e,y-g g, f M ggpg m e m_@ q FDMM_M
t . v. s I an not en expert on radiatien. !!or an I an expert on energy or eccnenics. There are rany pecple who de 1.new a creat / cal cheut these fiel/s and it is ry hope that scrchow I will be able to nahe ryself' heard to these poopic so that they know the hunan side of the story and do not to off " half-cocked" with an encrcy or ecnnenics plan that can destrcy the people who ere ~ the cero of this and any netinn. l'y field of expertise is teaching. I try to build future generatiens. l'y,iob is hard and I do ny best to do it well. At.tirts I ar extrernly frustrated that the werk I an doing for future generations can all be /cstroyed by greedy officials who can not see beyrnd their pectetbceks. It is ny hope that scrchew I will be able to instill in the children I teach a sense of responsibility and rcral hcnesty se that if they survive lene enou;h to help run this country seceday, tFey will run it with a sense of what is good for huranity, and therc# ore gend for the coentry. g I:cuever, in the nitst of ry unrking I feel a sense of despair when I think that these children, whn ycu rey call " guinea pics", or "stetistics" reay die of leukenia before they reach the ripe cid age of 20 I shall try to be optonistic at this point, although it is difficult. Perhaps we can turn this ercund. !!any forr.or workers in the nuc1cer field have 1cohed honestly at the documnts regarding daraces done by nuclear encrcy and they have taken a rcral stance, and have adritted they were wrcng to over support such c ncnstrosity. They have endeared therselves to citizens like nyself in dring this. Although their nistekes are snricus ones, they have tu'rned and rode very heroic atterpts to step this befcre it vestreys nore of this werld. They have stcpped playing the car.e cf pNter and politics, and instead chosen nerality end truth. Uill you please 2. de the sare before it is tco late? l Legislate that no utility shall ever apin have the license to kill that has been given to then by the price-/indersen Act. 4 Start a carpaign for energy conservation, including cutbacks en , g" ' H - useless electrical devices, and providing econonic benefits for these a, - who use less electricity. Stress that the fedorel and state govemrents put rore noney'into the research and use of solar pceer. ~, J, cp the censtructicn of all new nuclear, energy plants. C1cse down j.' .,,7' - all plants that have.a historj of accidents end/cr sefety violettens. Conand that the utility cenpanies, and not the taxpayers be respons'ible for the darace they have dene, provide no governrental renies for the u. a< rassive expensos of this accident. perhaps the utility ccrpanies will voluntarily turn away fror nuc1 car enercy, because it is too expensive. Open up the top-secret files and educate the citi:: ens alcut the dancers a - that are lurking in thei'r back yards. Take on honest lock at these ~ ~ (ccunents. Is nuclear energy reclly safc? fine....then shew us the decurents. as proof. I' it is not safe....take an hcnest look at these decurents yourscif cnd carefully consiocr what your stance is-l' ate your decision and live f. with it. +- s [ t .).F 3 _ L. l $$.fh,, [ [ L.- !,Il Y l N l . v. =a: c ' Lkk M. ?y 'LW' - ' O I~ .?.
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. -...... ~ t I ar. ashing you tn give the citizens fair and henc'st enswers. '.'e are not peasants o' l'edieval Eurere uho woulc'n't understrnd or ' den't deserve to I:nry. !!e are steckhniders in this revernrent called a derecercy. Trcr what I have learr.ed in the re Ty yecrs cf Arericen llistorf, Uc are to have a say. Either th2 histcrj bnc!.s vere lying, and ve actually live in a Totalitarian sec'ety, or the :istory cf this country has been a story cf ren and unrer built'ing a cetmtry whero pensin ccn have a say.....cnly te hrve the present vey ccvern ent destrcying tSat. ~ If you all can't ralto e perrenal resper.se to ryself and other people nf this country, ral:o it a point to respend to these issues in your next batch of canpaign issors. And pleano spare us the pu$lic relations bullshit. Road ny le,.ter acain ant' respond to the fcclincs behind the werds. I need ansvers, and I need hencst enes l'eny cther citizens in this country are askinc for the sarc thincs. Are you a roral perscn? Oc you trv to raise ycur children rcrally, and with a sense of doing rha: is best? Then innh care'ully at ycurself . -cnd what you stand fer. 'tr.Le ycur decisiens in gnverntent reflect ynu and your beliefs. Say ne to corruptien and bic business centrol. Perhaps there is so ruch cerruptien that one ccncrcssran or congressweren can't ral:e a difference. That is v'1y I ar sending this letter te so rany of you. You are the enly enes who can nahe a difference. Ife are tryinc, but honestly don't kne'.t if you are listeninc to us. Are you listening? 4 ' r Sincemly. ? gg { &z j s 3 1 ,+ t flancy B. !!cn ;er b _s e N s. K-aad1%n 3M.. capi cant m f a.h? ha,o q h.au. jXV fo<L; man ha-n ouy cu ha.ue.'hea.n. L Z e
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