ML19345E038
| ML19345E038 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 11/15/1980 |
| From: | Tucker J PENNSYLVANIA VOICE OF ENERGY |
| To: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| ISSUANCES-SP, NUDOCS 8012230003 | |
| Download: ML19345E038 (2) | |
Text
,
Pennsylvania Voice of Energy R.D. #2 Box A402 Dallastown, Pa.17313 DOCET NUM"E.9 9
November 15, 1980 PROD. & UTIL FAC.,
..... 18 g c)
\\
Mr. John F. Aheame i
- '?/J.C Chaiman Commissioner Se s
$~ p,'[ km
~
U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission b,
497 1717 H. Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C.
20555 g
. r
'C".,
/
SUBJECT:
Docket 50-289SP 4#
- s TIE Unit 1 Middletown, PA
/ty to The Pennsylvania Voice of Energy is a group of citisens concemed about the effects which a lack of energy will have on our families, our society and our way of life. Some of our members live in the area served by the Three Mile Island Plant. We advocate conservation, the utili::ation of all estab-11shed energy sources and the development of altemative energy sources consistent with the technical economic supply and environmental limitations of each.
Currently, the restarting of Unit 1.at Three Mile Island has been forbidden pending extensive public hearings which are expected to take at least a year and a half. However, the Kemeny Co= mission Report on the accident at Three Mile Island has been made public and for all the agoni::ing that we have gone thmugh, what did it say? Among other things, it said that:
{
l.
"The Fundamental cause of the accident was operator error" (See page
- 10) and 2.
"The most serious health effect of the accident was severe mental stress which was short lived." (See page 13)
Furthemore, it also stated that:
l "On the bases of present scientific knowledge, the radiation doses received by the general populaticn as a result of the accident were developnental ibe=,will be no detectable, additional cases of cancer, so small that there e
o Mities or general. health consequences of the accident at Thro'e%.~e Island."
In effect, although a very serious accident occured i.nd many mistakes took place, nobody was hurt. Other B & W reactors in nuclear power plants of similar vintage and design as well as the other operating plants are per-
- d.tted to operate all over the country.
These plants are being, or will be modified with appropriate technical fixes leamed from TIE-2 to make them even safer. Why then do we have to wait for 11/2 years of public hearings to restart TMI-l if short-term " Lessons Learned" fixes are implemented as required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission prior ho$
~ ~~
to restart?
,9 3
. _. _ - 0 L
8 012230cgg
Pennsylvania Voice of Energy R.D. #2 Boy. A402 Dallastown, Pa.17313 There is nothing to be gained by political delay by those who have learned to "USE" the system. In fact, with the starting of TMI 1, there is a distinct economic advantage to those custmers of Metropolitan Edison Co. who can effect a savings in their monthly electric bills.
As with the Titanic, those with the most to lose are below the waterline.
These are the poor and those on fixed inemes. For them, the additional costs, without TMI-1, imposes a severe mental stress in an attempt to meet their electric supply expenses.
Chauncy Starr, Vice Chaiman of the Electric Power Research Institute, puts it very well when he tells us that "What is needed is a broader perspective that recognise,s that political and social risks often out reigh perceived technological risk and its uncertainty.
Thus in the case of energy, supply malnutrition may be a more serious risk than the en11 uncertainties of our existing energ diet." TMI is a case in point. It is simply unconscionable I
that we are now suppressing the use of one of America's two most abundant resources (coal and nuclear energy) at a time when oil pricing is out of control and our energy supply is vulnerable to foreign influences.
I Energy is used for the basic necessities of life. It puts food in our stomachs, provides jobs for our people, provides opportunity for our children and hope for those who want to impmve their position in life. Survival demands that we shift fra an oil economy to the use of other fuels and for the first time in our history, we do not have 50 or 60 years for a leisurely shift.
Today we import almost half of our requirements or approximateV 9 million barrels of oil every day. Electricity through the use of uranium and coal l
can conserv non-renewable resources such as oil for special applications.
The 636 millien barrels of oil burned in 1978 to make electricity could have been converted into 16 million gallons of gasoline.
That would be enough for 23 million average cars for one entire year.
l Our quality of life with an over-incraaning number of people and a decreasing I
availability of non-renewable resources danands a policy of " choice by l
inclusion" and not a " choice by nreinsion and a14=4nntion." This is a cac: palling reasm for including nuclear energy in our overall energy mLI.
l Finally, we would like to demonstrate to this board that there is a constituency for a balanced National energy policy, rather than the appearance of a tendancy toward negativism. All there appears to be are spokesmen against things and what is left is thoroughly anemic-too little, I
too late.
Let us act now in a rational, educated manner for the continued improvement l
of our energy supply. A good place to begin is with the restart of TMI-1.
.k%
A L.-
John. J. Tucker.
l President i
\\
. _ _ _