ML19341C776

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Provides Governor W/Info Re State Liaison Officers to Provide Communication Channel Between State & NRC in All Aspects of NRC Programs.Governor Should Appoint Officer
ML19341C776
Person / Time
Issue date: 02/10/1981
From: Ahearne J
NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To: Orr R
INDIANA, STATE OF
Shared Package
ML19341C777 List:
References
NUDOCS 8103040168
Download: ML19341C776 (2)


Text

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UNITED STATES

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j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION f

W ASHINGTON. D.C. 20555 3.s /

February 10,

[%rSSlos OFFICE OF THE CHA tMAN A

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The Honorable Robert D. Orr 7 v.s, Eg 2 0

klgg/gg7Aq Governor of Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 C

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Dear Governor Orr:

q In 1976, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ado' M 6ommendations suggested by State organizations, including the National Governors' Association, for streamlining the siting and environmental review process for nuclear facilities. One recommendation was that the States appoint a single person to act as a liaison officer to NRC to improve Federal / State cooperation. All Governors have responded and we now have 51 State-appointed liaison officers - 50 States and also the Comonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The NRC staff works closely with the appointed State Liaison Officers (SLO) on all aspects of our programs, including transportation of radioactive waste, siting, environmental matters, decomissioning, emergency response, notification and waste disposal. The State Liaison Officer provides a comunication channel between the States and the NRC; is the key person in the State to keep the Governor informed on regulatory or emergency matters of interest to the Governor; keeps other State officials informed on regulatory or emergency matters as appropriate to their interests and/or responsibility; and provides information to NRC on State issues.

I believe the designated State Liaison Officer can be valuable to you.

Periodically, there is a need to get word to the Governor on a regulatory matter which might have high interest.

I would want you to be completely,

informed as early as possible and before your office received calls from the media or the public.

For example, shortly before the Three Mile Isla93 accident, the NRC ordered the shutdown of a number of nuclear power plants due to concern for inadequacy of the design to withstand earthquakes. Concerned for the impact on ratepayers in the States served by those facilities, the NRC informed the Governors of those States by informing the State Liaison Officers. Also, more recently we notified the Governors through the SLO's of the approved routes through their States for shipments of irradiated reactor fuel and the date this information was going to be made p"blic.

Governor Bowen had designated Mr. Ralph C. Pickard, Assistant Comissioner for Environmental Health, Indiana State Board of Health, as the Indiana liaison officer. Therefore, I encourage you to appoint a State liaison officer.

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The Honorable Robert D. Orr For additional information, your staff may wish to contact Wayne Kerr, Director of our Office of State Programs.

His telephone number is 301/492-8170.

We look forward to having a continued close working relationship with Indiana.

Si ^cerely, /

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' John F. Ahearne Chairman

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