ML19344E392
| ML19344E392 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 08/15/1980 |
| From: | Snyder B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Yerger R AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008280512 | |
| Download: ML19344E392 (8) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
[
g( h NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION n.
j~g WASHINGTON, D. C. 20$55 C
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AUGUST 1 5 1980 Mr. Robert E. Yerger 9 Belair Drive Dillsburg, Pennsylvania 17019
Dear Mr. Yerger:
Your letter to President Carter, Governor Thornburgh, Senator Schweiker, Senator Heinz, Representative Goodling, Senator Hopper, and Representative Geesey regarding Three Mile Island was referred to me for response.
I regret that this answer has been delayed for so long. The accident and its conse-quences 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.
Except for releases to the Susquehanna River of liquids containing only low or nondetectable levels of radioactivity, the release of contaminated water is not currently permitted. The Commission authorized use of the EPICOR-II water treatment system for processing the waste water stored in tanks in the auxiliary building. We do not currently permit the discharge of water pro-cessed by the EPICOR-II system. The disposal of the water processed by EPICOR-II is addressed in the programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) on the decontamination and disposal of radioactive waste at Three Mile Island. Copies of the PEIS are being made available for public comment.
As a result of releases containing only low or nondetectable levels of radio-activity, the levels of radioactivity in the Susquehanna are indistinguishable from existing background levels at public water supply intakes from the river.
These levels have been confimed by independent measurements made by the NRC.
l the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
i Information about the accident made available to the public was confusing for l
a number of reasons. Some problems were attributable to the sources of infor-mation, some to the way in which information was made available to the press, and some to how the press reported the infomation it obtained. NRC's infor-mation was not always complete nor, in some instances, wholly accurate.
We recognize the importance of ma.:ing complete and accurate infomation avail-able to the public. Consequently, we have made specific plans for providing infomation to the public for such potentially serious accidents as occurred at Three Mile Island. These plans include making the availability of public infomation part of NRC's and the utilities' emergency response planning. Under this policy, the utilities must provide offsite locations for newscenters. We t
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Mr. Robert E. Yerger AUGUST 1 5 1330 also plan to appoint a senior NRC official responsible for coordinating NRC information activities during an energency. By centralizing the gathering and dissemination of NRC's information, we will provide the public with relevant and timely information.
Several NRC staff task forces have been organized to identify and evaluate safety concerns that originated from the accident at Three Mile Island and that merit consideration in the licensing actions for presently operating reactors as well as for those for which operating licenses and construction permits are pending.
The task force reviews have disclosed a number of actions in the areas of design and analysis and plant operations that will be required in the short term to provide substantial additional protection of the public health and safety. All nuclear power plants in operation or under construction will be affected to varying degrees by the specific recommendations.
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, k
0W 4 -s Bernard J. fnyder, Program Director Three Mile Island Program Office Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l
3 g
j Department of Energy Washington, D.C. 20545 0CT : c 1F79 Mr. Robert E. Yerger 9 Belair Drive Dillsburg, PA 17019
Dear Mr. Yerger:
Your letter to President Carter, expressing concerns about the safety of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, has been referred to this offi~ce ~for consideration.
Inasmuch as matters pertaining to the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant are under the cognizance of the Nuclear Regulatory i
Commission, we are forwarding your letter to them for appropriate it.
action by copy of this letter.
Sincerely, Origine! FW.ed Ey J. P. Thereault John P. Thereault, Deputy Director Plans and Analysis Division Office of Nuclear Energy Programs
% '. N " cc:
L. Gossick, NRC
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