ML19338D442

Responds to Re TMI Accident & Subsequent Ventilation of Radwaste.Potential Physical Impact on Public from Using Any Proposed Method for Removing Kr-85 Is Negligible

ML19338D442
Person / Time
Site:	Crane
Issue date:	08/22/1980
From:	Snyder B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Glantz C AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
Shared Package
ML19338D443	List: ML19338D442 ML19338D445
References
NUDOCS 8009230216
Download: ML19338D442 (5)

Text

_ _. __-.

3-a

[f A

4

' I f

en e U

~:

/

~

ggi %Wn f

tw-

~ n20 So f J}

Mrs. Charles Glantz

'?

223 Berk Street.

~. C Easton, Pennsylvania :18042

.A..

~ j

Dear Mrs. Glantz:

Your letters to the Nuclear Regulatory Connission and to Mr. Vollmer expressing,- L your concerns about' nuclear energy were referred to me for response. I regret ^ ^

that this answer has been delayed for so long. 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.

3 Infomation about the accident made available to the public was confusing forJa ^ C number of reasons.. Some problems were attributable to the sources of information, some to the way in which istfomation was made available to the press, and some to, how the press reported the infomation it obtained. NRC's information: Was notJ 1.

always complete nor, in;some instances, wholly accurate.

W 4.%

A3., c We recognize the'importance of making complete and accurate infomation availablej to the public. Consequently, we'have made specific plans for providinglinfome ;

tion to the public for such potentially. serious accidents as occurred at Three; @1 Mile Island. These' plans include making the availability of public infomationt ;

-part of NRC's and the utilities' emergency response ~ planning. Under this ' policy,X the utilities must-provide offsite locations for newscenters. We also plan to f t l

appoint a senior NRC official responsible for coordinating NRC infomation' activ-,

ities during an. emergency. By centralizing the gathering and dissemination _ of" NRC's infomation, we will provide the public with relevant and timely infonnelion.

1 With regard to your concern about the purging of the radioactive krypton gas from the reactor building of TMI Unit 2. Metropolitan Edison Company subsitted to NRC j

a " Safety Analysis and Environmental: Report" (November 13,1979) in which it'.evalu-ated alternative methods for the disposal of the krypton gases, such as purging-and cryogenic processing, and selective absorption. NRC also evaluated alterna-tive methods for disposal of the krypton gas to detemine what effect decontamina-i; tion would have on workers, on the public health and safety, and on the environ'-

1 ment. Based on its evaluation, NRC issued an environmental assessment (NUREG-0662 and. two addenda) for public connent on March 26, 1980, and received approximately 800 connents. These comments were considered in the staff's preparation of the

" Final Envirornental Assessment for Decontamination of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 Reactor Building Atmosphere" (NUREG-0662), vols. I and 2, copies of which are i

enclosed for your infomation.

From this process have energed the following NRC staff conclusions:

- M "**-*J !! d'

!! M i h 5;:-t r i ;21' 27 ; i ;

f the proposed strategies for renoving._ thekrypton-80isneg11M_.1. t.

j sumaaes a >

nave >

.m........

Foros AEC 518 (Rev.9 53) ABCM 0240 W u. s. sovs===sar ramvme orricas teve s** s **

8 00923 o g

g

~. }'.

M' n.c y

e 4:

y

%f.

~

% yu h

I.

1 3

c l "; $ '

Mrs.. Charles Giantz '

,e

-:2 -

~,,

~Q g%

i

.o__

, Q -Q*,

..c >,

The. potential psychological impact is likely to grow the longer it;.

,.]9

. takes to reach a decision, get started, and complete the process.

t6

.., fn

- The purging method is the quickest and the safest for the workers w.?

on Three Mile Island to accomplish.

, f.MM l

Overall, no significant environnental impact would result from. u'se W33:g,:ty L

e 9:

. of ag of the alternatives discussed in the assessment.

u{.gp Section 7 of volume 1.provides the detailed infomation you active doses from the release.

e c.gf the Commission issued an Order for Temporary ModificationiM.hi$

/n4 On June 12, 1980, of License, authorizing controlled purging of the krypton-85 from the reactorM%

building atmosphere. In a separate Memorand.ca and Order, also issued on June 94; C

Actual ventings:/S 12, 1980, the Commission discussed rational for its decision.

11, 1983. The..

operations began on June 28, 1980, and wert completed on July doses resulting from the purge were well within those predicted in section 7.1 C l

of volume 1 of NRC's final environmental assessment. Copies of both Commission _.

',7 4g2 issuances are also enclosed.

N With regard to'your concern about the release of contaminated water, exceptifor$

releases to the Susquehanna River of liquids containing only low or nondetectableN a

i levels of radioactivity, such releases' are not currently pemitted.. The Com :,g mission authorized use of the EPICOR-II water treatment system for processing m the weste water stored in tanks,in the auxiliary building. We do not currentlyy.;

' permit the discharge of water processed by the EPICOR-II system. The disposal: 1g i,

of the water processed by EPICOR-II is Mressed in the programmatic environmental!

i impact statement (PEIS) on the decontamination end disposal of radioactive wasteN' j

at Three Mile Island. Copies of tiie PEIS are being made available for publici i

comment.

^

4 As' a result of releases containing only low or nondetectable levels of radio.

~

activity, the levols of radioactivity in the Susquehanna are indistinguishable from existing background levels at public water supply intakes from the river.

These levels have been confirmed by indepandent measurenents made by the NRC..

the. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

A team of investigators from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environmental t

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 *eported their work in a report entitled, " Population Dose and Health Impact or the Accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station" (N' REG-0558). They concluded that! the offsite col-J 2

1ective dose associated with radioactive material released from March 28, 1979, to April 7,1979, represents minimal risks (that is, a very small number of ad-aitionai neaitn orrects to tne orrsite popu ation). Aiso encioseu for your in-

~

o ic4ernat.fon_.is_tba sunnary_of_NUIEh0558-.

e_..

cars >

Ferne ABC 318 (Rev. 9 33) AECM 0240 W u. s. oovsamas,=v >=m7mo orric s seva.eae. nee

+

.,y. en

,-,yr -pyn

_ me x

~. m

~

i

' y, eR;9

}

~

'O m

y, 1

A

(, WJ "ltf,,j-

..l*

~

s 3-4L TNK.

MrsA Charles Glantz 3.

a r3:q -

z.

s.

c ' %q.f l

j

_ t, i.

RM, te,

~ ' ~

j Regardin(your. comments about the managment of nuclear waste, the goal of thD %

j U.S. Nuc' ear Weste Managment Program is to provide assurance that existing andQ%

future nuclear waste from military and civilian activitie l

fuel from the once-through' nuclear power cycle, can be' isolated from the bio a

' sphere so' as to pose no significant threat to public health and safety 'and:to M

j the environment. The NRC is responsible for providing the framework of criteria G and regulations that will ensure that the disposal methods develope

.s I

types of radioactive waste are censistent with the achievement of this.goa1loff safe, long-tem waste di.sposal.

~jf gp j

w a..

ot.

m i

The MtC's authority.to license and regulate the storage and disposal of.'radiohjMj the Energy. Reorganization Act of 1974, and the National Environmental P active wastes is derived from three statutes: the. Atomic Energy Act of 1954, j

M i

Act of 1969. 'To implement this authority and to provide guidance to the U.S.q, e 4

i Department.of Energy (DOE), the industry, and the public, the NRC is developing :Ns i

new or revised. regulations for such storage and disposal. Theseregulations:willd require conformance with a fixed set of minimally acceptable performance standardsJ j

for weste management activities while providing for fle logical approach..

~

g

.: ( -

,. fgg e,

The DOE's responsibilities concerning radioactive waste disposal. are limiteditoW:(

i high-level wastes.and only those low-level wastes produced as part of DOE'slprogg l

grams. Their responsibility does-lnot include commercially generated low-levelid y n.;O J W i

' ' '^j wastes..

4

,ggh

~ _

- a j

With regard to your comment 'about phasing out nuclear power plants, MRC's primaryV responsibility consists.in the licensing, inspection, and enforcement of regulapj.

l tions for nuclear power plants 11n the interest of public health and safety and= form.

the protection of the environment. Chenges in NRC's regulatory responsibilities [

can stne from the public's will and tha resulting Congressional action.

,:n With respect to alternative methods of energy production, such as solar, wind n

• i and geothemal, the DOE is the federal agency responsible for their research and. -

j development. NRC considers these alternative methods of energy production in~ its assessment of the environnental. impact of each nuclear power plant as part of the agency's overall review of each utility's application for a construction permit i

or an operating license. To date, we have detemined that alternative methods 'of energy production are neither-technically nor economically feasible to provide' the required enount of power at the time it is needed.

Regarding utility rates, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), in a

{

decision and order of June 15, 1979, ruled that costs of damages caused by the accident at Three Mile Island would not be included in the present rate base for j

customers of Metropolitan Edison and the Pennsylvania Electric Company. These i

customers will, however, be responsible for costs associated with purchasing power to replace power that the TMI facility would have provided. The Pennsyl-vania PUC. reaffirmed this decision in an order of May 23, 1980, orric e >

2 4

DAYS &

Forma ABC,313 (Rev. M)) AICM 0240

1. u. s. oavsmamany pointime orric s: s.74.sae. nee

=s.

m a

-T me

.+ - -. -

,.,-----9 en-~p,p979m

.r%p.q.,y yyp_,,,.

-,,_y

_c-49y,yg,..g7%,,-p-y_,-

.p.,ag,.g,%,y%.

.y.-,ww,qepy, eg,qp.w-weg--i.9.g.w--.=p.geF

i

• e

,, q-,

.~

m e

• . =

1w *

,M

@,M

+ g ;h g a

ti' 4.c

.9kpf '

Mrs. Charles Giantz.

qdn o.

hhN',

In the same order. it also ruled that TMI Unit I be removed from the Metropoli.tani C Edison ~andxPennsylvania Electric Company.ste bases.. As a result, their custo@:;l

- mers will be' free of all maintenance. *aterest, and capital cost expenses.asso-g.

4 ciated with Unit 1.

Should Unit 1.be returned to service, costs associataditthw its' operation would 'of, course.' become part' of the rate structure.

' T M'W p

r

.o-.

s While we $re, of course. ' concerned about-financial. impacts on consumers. the'MRC's l

primary responsibili.ty is the assurance of public health and safety.. State publjicj

. utility commissions and the7ederal; Energy Regulatory Connission'have primaryire=? i sponsibility 'regarding the rates that consumers' pay for' electricity. They.shoul' Q d

t be-able to provide infomation for. your use.

j K.

gg With regard to your-consents concerning-the pemanent shutdown of TMI, the Com- &

.e-

.,x;d

~

mission has ordered.that a public hearing be conducted to detemine whethecAIM should be operated and.;1f so, under what conditions the restart would take place.t Prior to start of the hearings, the NRC staff'will. conduct a review of technica1GQ infomation concerning the restart of Unit 1.

As part of this review,.the NRCS in. the. presence of the public.-ibHI[,

staff 'will conduct meetings with.the licensee ise questions and to make statemen the public will be given the opportunity to ra During the be"' 1. the technical issues that are appropriate to assure the.ipublic!!

' health us wy will also.be addressed.. In addition the Atomic Safety and. Li$

censing Board has indicated that NRC.should consider the' psychological impa future operation on-the nearby communities. ~A copy of the Consission Orderf thets l

outlines the issues to be considered is also enclosed for your infomation. F, '

i 1

s

..m%

As fo'r Unit' 2. the lice $s'ee has nSt yet submitted to the NRC a proposal forhov~ek

~

all plant recovery..although the licensee is conducting feasibility studiesWit7 l

1s not possible-at this time to detemine when such promsals for recovery mayLhe:.

sutaitted or how much time will be needed for the required reviews and. approvals ~

4 in connection'with Unit 2's recovery. I'would note, however, that the licensee's?

~

authority.to operate Unit 2.'except for those actions necessary to keep the reac 1 tor shut down, was suspended by Order of July 20, 1979.

_ j ',.;

~c s q^

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.

@ K.3 m;.,

- Sincerely,

-J l

Bernard J. Snyder. Program Director Three Mile Island Program Office Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosures:

1.

NUREG-0662. vols.1 & 2 2.

Order for Temporary Modification of License of 6/12/80 l

3.

Manorandum and Order of 6/12/80 4

summary of mmw-udes Order and. Not Ice _of_ Heating.of.8/.9/19 _.

summans

• ons*

Foran AEC.)l8 (Rev. 9-53) AECM 0240 1T u. s. eovannuaw r.mtme oprices e.74.eas.t.e y

._.,.4,

,.,_,_.._._,..,-,,_.,,.,_,__,yy,

,_m.__.,.

n -

.. n

.m

.,,.n.,,,

n._ m,,

..g

. ~ ~

~

,.y.

3,.;

• e c;-

....,,.t, v,.

~

g

-.,b

,,u's:q :4 fM.7 g.

t 1C M

)b

+

y...

.5 y i e.? ~ ;.

s 5 '2

%Yk.94M

. 5

~

~

2 Y

Mrs. Charles Glantz-k.

5-w w, 3

~., -

q.,,fy.g...,

7 g '. (,

$ *. e.

r_

g ":

..,... w A ' % s '~... n. AL, --

w_

r a v.,.v. s.

. : uw.y.

~

. - ~

y> pgearqh,.i., s:

p2

s -

3 ;,

... _ w m.. y.n n

Q. MLl

.. - n..u m d,

Md.

DISTRIBUTION t

1 s

Docket 50-289

- A f

, g{p g:'gg

.PDR n

n*.

v. s. s.:

~

..'. Mw. et.. y e.

M '.M... A.. 4 LPDR

'*C E

5

.. TERA-

<~

'a s<..

W.

,s$, l;3,,e m., n.'@a.c..,G.,

NRR rIf f.

,m y.

g

o. P.,u..w, y,v...

,.. 'W;,% 7 Mod TMI P0 r/f 4

N,., Q.Q 1.}. D %,A@t TNI Site r/f'

~

's-s'

.I> g 4 '3 BSn er

...u,'

a. }m n -

- +

..N; w.n,-, n6,,

A 9b

-JCollins

t W

Ma c %v.,,.;. %p~e e.;y.7 s

DBrinkman' i

. g

.W01iu

o.,V c. n..q.O*>

1 r

• p'3. y g. '

. L ';r%g,Q y,%, : rpnsh'\\. g;flf.

... D.,

.v

.i a = y #,

_ '*, s.ag $u

s,YY,

. Q,';),Q j

-g j, '.

q y_. t v

t n

f. '

a

,. ~.: av ),' 'h.s,*': *

--).

. f.

,t

, g h-y g-... **p t,

~

.,, g

.~ ah.m,

- %i$~d m g! ?.e m e.

.n # ew ew...

.a ramo.n.

., (;

-(

.. cg4gggqyg:;.

f.,p&gy p

.,,;s,--

,.<,..~,, r, 3 %y %

t s: _s

+-"ig.

,,{

. " " ~. w,vm w

c.

me i

,,4

,,.,, m.a

~~..

. w.,;

w&

.+

,,J

<n,'

s,9 :

t

- re 's.,j, v.y,

1 3.

s*'..

..m y,..J+

i!

..-f

>,e <..x. m e a

es

TMI/TFh%Q ~ TNI/TF4/6 TMI P0 o,,,e s,

WO11u:bmf

' 0Brinkman BSnyder

~ ~ ~ = = >

u._

04TE h Forms AEC 318 (Rev. 9 5)) AECM 0240 TT u. s.novsmansant pas = time omen sere.ese sos t

w y

y

.