ML19340F158
| ML19340F158 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 01/07/1981 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Veach A AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8101210087 | |
| Download: ML19340F158 (5) | |
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TT JAN 7 1521 z-a fi Mr. A. C. Veach 230 Melinda Drive cd
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York, Pennsylvania 17404 P/
Dear Mr. Veach:
This is in reply to your letter of September 26, 1980, to President Carter about the effect of the accident in March 1979 at Three Mile Island Unit 2 on the cost of electricity to customers of Metropolitan Edison Co. and the need for federal assistance.
Enclosed is a copy of a letter of July 3,1980, from the Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs and Policy to the Chainnan of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. This states that there is no statutory authority for any fom of direct federal financial aid to assist in clean-up and recovery costs associated with the accident at Three Mile Island.
It does refer to proceedings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that would provide for a discoun.t for Metropolitan Edison in purchasing power while the TMI plant is down. This was subsequently approved by FERC.
As you know, the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 also caused Unit 1 to be shut down until its safe operation can be assured and has necessitated the purchases of electric energy by Metropolitan Edison from other utilities. Enclosed is an item from a recent report of the U.S. Department of Energy that discusses these purchases.
Special arrangements were made with utilties outside the PJM power pool to provide lower-cost power on an "as-available" basis. This is said to have saved the cus-tomers of the GPU System, of which Metropolitan Edison is a part, over $114 million from the date of the TMI accident through May 1980, compared to prevailing contrac-tual arrangements within the PJM power pool. However, at times during the summer heat wave in 1980, these special arrangements were cancelled to enable the supplying utilities to meet their own high demands for electric power.
The resumption of operation of Three Mile Island Unit 1 is the subject of a hearing by an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. That hearing started on October 15, 1980. The Commission has determined that satisfac-tory completion of certain short-tem actions and resolution of various specified concerns are required to provide reasonable assurance that the facility can be operated without endangering the health and safety of the public. The Commission has also determined that certain long-term actions are required to be completed as P00R ORIGINAL i
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O Mr. A. C. Veach promptly as practicable and that reasonable progress on the completica of such actions prior to restart is required in order to provide reasonable assurance that the facility can be operated safely over the long tem. The Commission's primary commitment is to a fair and thorough hearing and decision. Given this overriding imperative, it is the Commission's expectation that the Board will conduct the proceeding expeditiously. The decision on resumption of operation will be made by the Commission after the hearing is completed.
Sincerely, Cr: :: ~- :::p
_ li..I. Cr,t:a Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
1.
Ltr. of July 3,1980 2.
Recent Report of the U.S. Department of Energy DISTRIBUTION Docket 50-320 NRC PDR LPDR Tera NSIC HRDenton EGCase PFi ne GZech/TJCarter TMI R/F BSnyder 200RORGNA!.
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Gen. Counsel O Cong ti.. son O soi.citor O Public Aff. irs O secretarv inspector 8s Auditor Policy Evaluation A.C. Veach incom,n, F rom-230 Melinda Dr.
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9/26/80 Connents on financial impact of TMI-2 sub ect:
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gr;;gc a sm September 26, 1980
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United States N.R.C.
Mr. John F. Ahearne, Commissioner Washington, DC 20555
Dear Mr. Ahearne:
As an electric utility racepayer in Pennsylvania, I an extreniely concef ned about the financial impact the accident at TMI is now having, and t.ill have in the future, on all of us.
Those of us who are paying the hi;;h cost of replacement power and f ace the necessity of paying for the costs of cleanup of TMI-2 are begging for your help.
The increased bills are creating financial hardships on many citizens.
I feel it is unfair for us to bear the burden of a disaster of this proportion when a part of the responsibility for nuclear generation falls squarely on the fed-eral government.
It is no less an economic disaster than floods, droughts, the Chrysler dilemma, tornadoes or volcanic eruptions, for all of which the government has provided financial help.
The speeded-up return to service of TMI-1, undamaged in the accident, would also provide great financial relief to those of us who are suffering sharp in-creases in our bills while being deprived of its outstanding record of econom-ical generation.
Residents of Maine recently v 2d not to close the " Maine Yankee Nuclear Plant", which would cost the consumers an additional $140 million the first year it was not operating.
The volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens released radioactive gases "many times more significant" than did the Three Mile Island reactor during the accident in March 1979.
This is the finding of a study by the Batel19 Pacific Laboratories. The study, which is scheduled to be published in Science magazine, found "rather i
high concentrations" of several radioactive isotopes as far as 225 miles from I
the volcano after its initial eruption on May 18.
The Batelle study said the May 18 eruption released an estimated three million curies of radon gas.
By comparison, the TMI accident released about 2.5 mil-Lion curies of xenon gas. However, the study noted that "the health ef fects from radon on a curie-for-curie basis are nbout a thoucand times more exten-sive than those from xenon."
Your help is absolutely essential to insti ute financial help for the cleanup of TMI-2 and to get TMI-l back to work for all of us.
The delays are no long-er justified or understandable, and the costs are not tolerable for us.
f, l.0 h i A. C. Veach 230 Melinda Drive York, Penna.
17404
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