ML20003A357

Comments by Acorn That Alternative Means to Nuclear Power Exist to Reduce Imported Oil Use.Nuclear Reactors Should Not Be Built in Areas W/High Population.Util Is Building Facility Only to Justify Enormous Rate Increases

ML20003A357
Person / Time
Site:	Limerick
Issue date:	01/20/1981
From:	Clarkson L, Mcgowan M, Matthew Smith AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8102030550
Download: ML20003A357 (3)

Text

- - . - .__ _- - - . - .-.. - - - ._. . - . - _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ - _ _ _ - - . ._ . - - . - . _ . . . . _ . .

. l

, i Pennsylvania  !

i '

l ' ACORN

January 20, 1981 325 N. 13th St., 8th flr.

~

Philadelphia, PA 19107 i

(215) 925-8322 l

{

j Harold Denton l Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i i

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission  ;

7920 Norfolk Ave. '

Bethesda, MD

Dear Mr. Denton:

1 Thank you for taking the time to meet with us yesterday. l It was especially considerate of you to give us so much of your l time when we were so late. Our understanding of the ou'come of l the meeting is as follows:

1) You instructed Mr. Sells to apply the guidelines '

recommended in the " Report of the Siting Policy Task Force" to the Limerick nuclear power plant site. Mr. Sells will give us the results of this exercise.

2) You stated that it is your personal belief that the planned generic proceeding to address the generic question of the operation of nuclear reactors in areas of high population density should include public hearings in the New York, Chicago l and Philadelphia areas. You stated that you would so recommend l 4 to the C:;mmic, ion, and that you would send us a letter confirming l j the above.

I We would like to point out that the NRC staff has been l ordered by the Commission to " prepare, as a matter of high priority l a paper setting forth options for adressing this generic issue.  !

We hope that your recommendation will find its way into this paper.

We are grateful for yu r advice about intervening in the operating license case. We do have a question remaining in this regard. We have heard that PECO's application for an operating

=

license will not be accepted until after the so-called " Risk l A ssessment Study" is completed. We would like to know whether Pennsylvania Associa.:on of Co nmunity Organizations for Reform Now

, an. ,=a. .ee - % ,n

. @b s o

, b)( .

J

Harold Denton Pg. 2 this is son and we would like to know how long, realistically, you expect it to be before hearings to take testimony on substantive issues in the operating license case are in fact helds and how long it will be before any decision is reached in the matter.

For your information, we would like to re-state our position on the Limerick nuclear power plant:

1) There are alternative means of insuring adequate electricity for the PECO serv 4.ce area, and replacing the use of imported oil, which would be far less expensive to the energy consumer.

2) Human understanding of the probability of massively destructive accidents resulting from nuclear power plant operation is still inadequate for there to be reasonable assurances of safety to the surrounding population. Studies purporting to show otherwise are products of wishful thinking. No-one knows how to assign probabilities to many of the possibly dangerous events which can happen at nuclear power plants. We can, however, be certain that the population near Limerl;k is high, and that prompt evacuation of the area, and management af food and water cont:.mina-tion, is impossible. PECO's claims to 9he contrary are fraud.tlent.

3) The only reason Limerick is being built is because PECO can use the plant to justify enormous rate increases, as it is already doing.

4) The NRC should halt construction of Limerick immediately, inasmuch as the question of allowing nuclear plants to operate in areas of high population density is now officially open. It is contrary to common sense to permit the money of PECO ratepayers, most of whom have no surplus income, to be used for construction of a plant which may never be allowed to operate.

We look forward to receiving your letter confirming the commitments you have made. We hope that all of our future dealings can be as friendly and constructive as yesterday's meeting.

sh 1 Mary Ellen Smith Ming McGowan Lucille Clarkson i

t