ML20006B529

Requests Review & Comments on Encl Ltrs from Constituents Re Licensing of Plant & Procedures Followed in Licensing of Plant

ML20006B529
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	12/12/1989
From:	Cohen W SENATE
To:	Bradburne J NRC OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS (GPA)
Shared Package
ML20006B526	List: ML20006B525 ML20006B529
References
CCS, NUDOCS 9002050030
Download: ML20006B529 (4)

Text

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[WILMAM S.tOHEN 61

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WASHINGTON, DC 20510 December 12, 1989 l

Mr. John C.

Bradburne Director for Congressional Affairs U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission'

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1717 H Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C.

20555 Dear Mr. Bradburnet 3

I am forwarding to'your agency copies of letters I~ received-from.two of my constituents.regarding the licensing.of the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire.

I wouldfappreciate it if you~could review the'commentsLinL the letters enclosed, respond-to,the. concerns expressed, and!

provide me with an update of NRC activities regarding:Seabrook1 licensing.

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In addition, I understand that several Senators have re-quested a review of the procedures followed inEthe licensing of' l

Seabrook.

Could you alsof please provide me with' the LNRC's.

response to that request?

Thank you for your attention to'this. matter.

IllookLforward a

to hearing from you soon.

1 With best wishes, I am

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' William S. Cohen l

United States Senator WSC:kbd t

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Box 48-Hiram HE 04041 Senator William S. Cohen 322 Hart Senate Building Washington, D.C.

20510

Dear Senator Cohen,

youl to join -Massachusetts Senator-I am vriting'to urge Edward Kennedy.and New Hampshire; Senator Gordon-Humphrey'_in calling for an investigati6n into - the Nuclear, ~ Regulatory:

d Commicssion's apparent railroading of the ' licensing proce:c.s

-for.the Seabrook nuclear power station'.--A.Lnuclear plant no health and saf ety.

close to the Maine ~ border :is a public concern 'f or Maine citizens, as: vell as f or people in Nev'

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Hampshire, Massachusetts, and.beyond'..

As the - Chernobyl accident' _ demonstrated,.- a nuclear accident does not.' respect narrowly drawn. borders, like the ten-mile. radius evacuation zone for nuclear: plants ' in the U.S.-

.Besides, _a Nuclear-

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Regulatory Commission-whose-decision-making bodies:bla.tantly i

disregard safety concerns' raised. within_. the agency -itself '

y does not seem vorthy' Lof the. public trust. ~ that ' has been entrusted.to it.

I enclose an article about faulty workmanship atSSeabrook 3

and about substandard andlcounterfeitLpartscat Seabrook:and.

other nuclear ' plants.

I trust that you - vill' : f ind this of interest at

.this critical j unctur e --

in 'the

..Seabrook controversy.

i Thankyoufor'yourtimeandattention..tothismatter._[

Sincerely -

GI i

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c P.O.' Box 58 Hiram HE 04041-Senator William S.

Cohen 322 Hart-Senate Building t

Washington, D.C.'20510 i

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Dear Senator Cohen,

l I am writing to ' urge you to joi: Few lian.pshi r e Senator -

Gordon Humphrey and~ Massachusetts Senatcr Edward lie n;.ied y. :l a.

calling f or an investigation 'into the Nuclear : -- Re gule t e r y Commisssion's apparent railroadingsof the; licensing'procest for the. ; Seabr ook nuclear - power station.

As thel ChernobyL accident-demonstrated, 'a s nuclear' accident : does-.not-respect

.1 narrowly; drawn-bordexs, like.the ten-mile, radius; evacuation -

zone for nuclear plants in thelU.S..

The'Seabrook3 nuclear

-plant -is ~ a public health and 'sefety concern,f or ' citizens: of

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Maine, indeed - of all New - England,,and beyond..

.Besides, a'

Nuclear Regulatory Commission ' whose decision-making - bodies blatantly disregardJsafety concerns: raised within-the agency.

Itself does not seem worthy of ' the public. trust that has.

been entrusted to it.

a I enclose an-article.about faulty workmanship:at Seabrooh and about. substandard and counterfeit parts at Seabrook,and 7

findLthis. of other nuclear plants'

-I trust that you. Vill ~

Seabrook-interest at.

this critical juncture in: the controversy.

Thank you for your time and-. attentionto this matter.

-Sincerely,-

1hbRL3(Ledd Katherine'Rhoda 9

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We knfw' about evacuation and waste... -

' Nsw read about.

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.e-SEABROOK'S SAFETY PROBLEMS :

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s Mme een 100 fonest warbus at Seabrook Sudan la L convenian case (14 of cost so br), which is meh In:Ihan the '

New Hampshes have reparted.nuelser plant censuureien cost to conect the flaws. The plant is amously flowed, and it '

f violanens (list below) pointing: es the eenclusiens that '

$ would east mee to conost the fisws tien to samven 11. l 3

- the plantis too dangsmus e opemee..

. The NltC has demonspeesd est it has no buennon of

'Inses whimisblowers came forward with their infomudan proescasug the pubhc feza lhe dangers Seatwook $4stion pass..

under anungsmenes which prosset they idanuties.

Whea me pedesel emergency Management Agency (PEMA)

De Nuelser Reguissory Commission (NRC) has parfarined found in a peliminey steely that the plant's evacuados plan ;

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two in==igaal-of plant safety pmblems, at the request

. would not work, es NRC coerced PEMA to change concisions.

_j of Compassnan Nicholas Moviouise sad others, but mese

' When he NRC's Eascunve Disector found that counterfeit -

investisenens were rushed and supweekd.

defectrue pans wee buik into a mWority of US nuclear planes,

!j Neilhar investissaion addresend the most serious safety '

including Seabrook Stenon, he loweed misty standuds relhor prehism a ihe planc the massive tikse of quency enemico man enter nading anc episcing these pens. (see page 2) -

4, sad genlity control (QA/QC),. which ase legally equimd To bring the imperinnes of the safety violations to best 4

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procedwes to inswo safety ses4dants are met. Some inspecter>

.funy on policy, we ask you to call on Compen to do its own.

~ documsees were falsified. Thorough aspectors wese Ared. c

inveauguien(see pedelon).

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• The NRC has not invesugated QNQC hems at nuclear power

. Asater evenue would be to fund geneumsiy !=*r-'=='

A higidy qualiftsd company of nuclear esperts is -

piene since ths early gD's. when two nearly compissed plums -

wem

<==r=1=i because whisdebiowers esvealed widespeed

- now condmenns mich en invesugamon. A legal team composed of..

anamsys Ison four finns whh onesasive esponsnee la leignung,

i QAMC vionauens.

. agnum Senhoek samen and oest nacisar power plenis is ns plant owners hope = win fait power for sealsook Sendon. '

knowing that legal a _

ls not allowed by the NRC ans' -

' propend to flie a posaion befwe me NRC mag es expens'.

5 full power, and Congmassonal acnon would tecome som dif.

neumeny. If te NRC refuses the peduon, $e attorneys will ficult. -

appeal e es federal couns. Timisg is crucal, since secunas a

.,f IA conversion study has been done by a would-be invenor.

run power heense could prevent thosough inv=g"aa He ducovered that Scabrook can be convenal en gas, douNing les

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electncal output (from i150 to 2000) whh gas, wuh only $18 la f I

Examples of Safety Issees Raised by Seabronk Station Workers -

' Cracks leaking water in the weste process building, the primary auxiliary building, the equipment vault, and other structures are irreparabic and are increasing in number,

• Every wclder interwcwed believes that large numbers of welds in safety systems arc defective. Quality assurance inspections which gua.antee that the welds were performed correctly were inadequale, and some inspection records werc falsified.

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• When construction practices were violated, procedures were rewritten to aldow the violations to stand.

' Workers in the document control department were untra;ned. Some did not know how to read blueprints, and so put incorrect numbers on blueprints.

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' A quality assurance inspector saw a crack in the core barrel.

• Dlueprints do not match the as built plant. The NRCjudges plant safety based on blueprints, not the actual plant construction.

' ne four primary cooling pumps were not installed according to design, possibly causing stress on the welds at the reactor and the pumps. If the welds at the reactor break. it would cause a radioactive secam explosion.

• Training for wclders, clo;tricians, and other trades was inadequate,

' here are over 100 bed wclds in the radioactive pipe tunnelc The NRC said there were not a problem after examinlag records of four welds *similar" to thcae mentioned.

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• In 1986, there was a serious problem with microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) in the fue protection system, and -

l cvidence indicates the problem also exists in safety.related syseesr.s, MIC is caused by a bacteria which is nearly impossible to -

.I irradicate, it cormdes pipes, reducing their expected lifespan from 30 to 5 years, weakens welds, and can remain undetected '

until there is an accident and the backup safety systems fail. '

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• A lit cigarette fell into a four. inch electrical conduit, starting c fine which required four or five gallons of water to put out. The l

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NRC, after Deing informed of this, never found the electrical coriduit,and refused to allow the worker to show them where it is.

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• All of these problems still exist at the plant because the inspection procedwes required by law failed. Seabrook Station cannot be relied on to operate safely.

Tax. Exempt Contributines for the Indepenstent investigation may be made to Central Mauschusetts ~

Safe Energy Project. Inc., and seat to Clamshell Alliance, at the address below.

This leaflet edited & d'stributd by Clamshell Alliance, P. O,734 Concord NH 0330ll 603/224-4163,

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1 COUNTERFEIT M ATERIALS (Continued from Page 2)

In an August snoodng memorandum, the NRC ducessed te *dedica-FASTENERS: BOLTS AND NUTS non" process wherei.f components bought for aca saisty ines sue In the case of the causesr6 sit aus and botes NRC's Tom Mwley .

I uperskd in safesy applicadcas. De NRC was worried that um dsdication admiusd that the agency had known about them for two years before it process at acclear piana was not unifonn,imhcaung that the sucelen ordered es nuclear enthies to invasigam cascaded beo safety systans even though most of the couneartefud -

Of 32 famners mend tem done minar plants,11 did not satisfy the.

electrical equipment was initially commercial grade, f;evertheless, the NRC acceded to a NUhtARC request and enesspeed commmeial yade standards.' An NRC sample esat of 137 fasseners from 16 plants revealed a circuit breakers from te invesdganon.

20 pacent failwe rees, and when the Calvert Cliffs htD plant found that

. commercial grade fasuners had been used in safety syseems, a tested 1539 De August memo raised another major safety isme, one the agency

.' faser'rs; 339 failed / In light of this data, the NRC's endn downplayed by saying that many components were not used in safety famners at all nuclear planu was exceedingly W De agency sked systems. Dat is the ' balance-of plant applications,' whee a fadwe of

--ticensees to wat 10 safety and 10 non safety from their warthr,ases. Since non safety sysums could " challenge" safety sysums. De NRC is very the counterfeit fasuners scandal has been public knowledge for more than

'l narrow in disunguishing between nuclear safety systems, for which there two years, it is much more likely ihet the substandard mater:als would tie

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. are many rules and requirements,and non-safety systems. For example, found buik into lhe plane rather than in $e warehouses.

the agency afees not conskler a nacirst pent'sfire resteslen system se 6e a softry syssem. In ihe memo the NRC acknowledged a safety-reissed connection between the two types of sysums. Even so it sequired no.

For references and more leformation on counterfeit nuclear parts, action from nucleas power plant licenseesc contact We Tha People,Inc., Bos 277, Rowley MA 01969; $0a!948 795 ' 1

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