ML19338D187
| ML19338D187 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 08/15/1980 |
| From: | Snyder B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Goodman G AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8009220049 | |
| Download: ML19338D187 (4) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES g
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...e AUGUST s1980 Mr. G. Scott Goodman RD #1, Box 587 Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022
Dear Mr. Goodman:
Your letter to President Carter about the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear station was referred to me for response.
With regard to your comments concerning the possible future operation of Three Mile Island, the Commission has ordered that a public hearing be conducted to determine whether TNI-1 should be ' operated and, if so, under what conditions the restart would take place. Prior to start of the hearings, the NRC staff will conduct a review of technical information concernira the restart of Unit 1.
As part of this review, the NRC staff will conduct mec' s with the licensee in a
the presence of the public, and the public will be given the opportunity to raise questions and to make statements. During the hearing, the technical issues that are appropriate to assure the public health and safety will also be addressed.
In addition, tne Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has indicated that NRC should con-sider the psychological impact of future operation on the nearby communities. A copy of the Commission Order that outlines the issues to be considered is enclosed for your infomation.
As for Unit 2, the licensee has not yet submitted to the NRC a proposal for overall plant recovery, although the licensee is conducting feasibility studies.
It is not possible at this time to determine when such proposals for recovery may be submitted or how much time will be needed for the required reviews and approvals in connection with Unit ?'s recovery.
I would note, however, that the licensee's authority to operate Unit 2, except for those actions necessary to keep the reactor shut down, was suspended by Order of July 20, 1979.
With regard to your desire for the Federal Government to assure full responsibility foi cleanup procedures at TMI, the NRC was created by Congress to regulate the commercial use of nuclear energy. Thus, while it is outside the authority of the Commission to physically manage decontamination operations at TMI-2, we intend to fully implement the regulatory process in determining the acceptability of those operations as conducted by the licensee. Presently,15 Commission professional representatives'are at the TMI site. Their task is to review all proposed cleanup plans, including the review and approval of detailed operating procedures, and to maintain surveillance of those operations that NRC has authorized. No future ac-tions can be taken at the site without the NRC's review and approval.
You comment that NRC should phise out nuclear power plants. NRC's primary re-sponsibility consists in the licene'.;;, inspection, and enforcement of regulations for nuclear power plants in the interest of public health and safety and for the 8009220O D
o-Mr. G. Scott Goodman protection of the environment. Changes in NRC's regulatory responsibilities can stem from the public's will and the resulting Congressional action.
Regaravng your concern about potential health effects, a team of investigators from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare calculated the doses to the people living within 50 miles of the Three Mile Island site and estimated the number of new cancers that would result from the exposure to the radioactivity that leaked out of the plant. The team reported their work in a report entitled, " Population Dose and Health Impact of the Accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station" (NUREG-0558). They concluded that the offsite collective dose associated with radioactive material released from March 28, 1979, to April 7,1979, represents minimal risks (that is, a very small number of additional health effects to the offsite population). Also enclosed for your information is the summary of NUREG-0558.
I appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued protection of the health and safety of the public, not only at Three Mile Island, but also at all nuclear power plants.
Sincerely, h
v' d'S Bernard J. Snyder, Program Director Three Mile Island Program Office Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
1.
Order and Notice of Hearing of Augi:st 9,1979 2.
Summary of NUREG-0558 e
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