ML19331D150

Submits Info Urging Commission to Order Full Scale Adjudicatory Hearing on Safety Concerns Resulting from Steam Generator Tube Degradation

ML19331D150
Person / Time
Site:	Point Beach
Issue date:	08/20/1980
From:	Loftus T WISCONSIN, STATE OF
To:	Ahearne J, Gilinsky V, Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
References
NUDOCS 8008270383
Download: ML19331D150 (2)

Text

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Tost LOFTUS

,b - STATE REPRESENTATIVE 46th Assembly District

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VICE-CHAIRS!AN:

State Capitol Committee on Health &

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SocialServices Tdephone: 608 266-3780 ~- - Chairman, Subcommittee

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Committee on Energy Tdephone: 608-837 8420 ns nmentalProtection M AOISO N . St:erint Committee, Health Planning Council 53702 August 20, 1980 0  %  %

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Comissioner John F. Ahearne  %" )N 2S D4 Comissioner Victor Gilinski Comissioner Joseph M. Hendrie g b%fwyM Comissioner Peter A. Bradford

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Comissioner's Office Nuclear Regulatory Canmission Washington, D. C. 20555 DOCKET NUMBER g., g 4 g D M u co... m xw u % n ._

Dear Commissioners,

Faced with the primary role of assuring safety in the operation of nuclear powered electrical generating facilities, I believe it is paramount that the Comission imediately order a full scale adjudicatoIy hearing on the safety concerns resulting from steam generator tube degradation.

Beginning in August of 1979, Point Beach I, one of Wisconsin's nuclear power plants, began to experience runaway corrosion of the facility's steam generator tubes.

According to documents filed with the Wisconsin Public Service Comission, 9" of the unit's 6,250 tubes required plugging due to corrosion on August 5, 1979. Four more required plugging several days later. But the worst corrosion occurred from October 5, 1979 through August, 1980. A total of 299 tubes became inoperable.

He possible effect of steam generator tube failure on the emergency core cooling system of nuclear reactors has been a safety issue raised by NRC staff and independent studies for quite some time now. Yet nothing has been done.

He Comission's decision in May,1980 to delegate the issue of tube degradation to an Atcmic Safety and Licensing Board was also woefully inade-quate. By limiting the issues under investigation in such a manner to speci-fically exclude the very safety issues which were of concern, the Commission has effectively abdicated its responsibilities to assure safety in the operation of our state's nuclear power plants.

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NRC l-August 20, 1980 -

Page 2 Currently, the Wisconsin Department of Justice at the request of Governor 1ee Dreyfus has joined in support of an adjudicatory hearing on these safety ['g issues. I urge the en=nission to reconsider its earlier order excluding these [.

safety issues from any hearing, and to approve a rigorous and detailed examination E of the tube degradation problem in the fom of an adjudicatory hearing. He E issue demands this beme of its seriousness. The public deserves this because [,

of its concerns regarding the continued safe operation of nuclear powered e electrical generating plants in our state.

Sincerely,

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ltN E' State R6presentative  !

E TI % E s-cc: Wisconsin Environmental Decade [

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