ML20030A260
| ML20030A260 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  |
| Issue date: | 01/09/1980 |
| From: | Drey K AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| To: | Ahearne J, Carter J, Costle D ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, NRC COMMISSION (OCM), PRESIDENT OF U.S. & EXECUTIVE OFFICES |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19344D579 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-81-163 NUDOCS 8004250062 | |
| Download: ML20030A260 (6) | |
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.residunt Jir ey Ce r, e d t o ts i s r s. A -,_j'ag e
( C h s i s t.a n, %cle a r r.sguletes y Ccei s s mn), f cuglas Ccs t le W -;nistrctor. Environ.w ntal Protection
- sency), Jacob Du.elle (Crairmn,.!Ilinois rellution Control Ceard), Chcrics Duncan, Jr., (Secretary, Department o' Ener gy), Charles Percy (U.S. Scr.a tor f ror:
Illinois), Adlai Stevenson (U.S. Senator f rom Illinois) Villica Scott (Attorney Cene.a1 of Illincis), hmes Thcmpscn (Covenor of Illituis), ec.d Charles Vcrren (Chairman, President's Council on Envircnmentcl Quality)
IF.CH: Kay Drey. 515 Vest Point Avenue, University City, Missouri 63130 t; ext raenth an experiment -- replete with known and unknown hazards -- is scheduled to take place at out nation's oldest nuclear power plant, no more than thirty highway miles southwest of Chicago's suburbs. Commonwealth Edison plans to flush cher.icals through its Dresden-One reactor to try to dissolve and re :ove an accumulation of radioactive corrosion products (crud) f rom Lithin some five railes of convoluted piping. Citizens have written to tne Huciear Regulatory Commissien ans' the Department of Energy asking that a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be preparedi at least one Illinois organization has asked for a public hearing. Instead we have been hearing for snonths mw that if an EIS is ever to be written, it will be af ter the fact, not before.
On March IS,1979; l 't.ent a copy of the enclosed letter to you (or your predecessor) listing some of t;m questions that seem to rne to be undeniably worthy of exarnination by independent scientists -- that is, by scientists other than those from one of the federal agencies, p-ivate chemical or nuclear corpcrations, research laboratories, universities, or electric ut* lities which have already committed menpower and/or financi rescurces to this fi rst in a series of proposed experioents, fr. additien, I filed a riore formal request for an EIS on March 30,1970, with the NRC and 00E. The DOE answerec expending any fiscal 3 ear 1979 funds on the project saying that since they were not (their 58.2 million subsidy was apparently contributed to Coomor. wealth Edison or Dcw The fRC answered CNaical prior to 1979), they did not feel obligated to write an EIS.
that receipt of my request had been appropriately ackncwledged in the rederal r,eoister.
I Sclieve the ott er citizens who wrote received siciicr responses.
,That is, to date there has been no public hearing, r.o E IS, ar.d r.o opportunity for independsat scientists to stud) the proprietary decontamination brew ce to reflect on Lthe immediate and long-term impacts of its use.
The project is prcceeding under the supe vision nd t.cgis of the peopic most committed to and depcndent upon its success.
10,000 to 20,000 pounds of chelating agents (comple.xing solvents) to, To allow at least be flushed through the Dresden Unit One reactor -- a 20-year-old hulk of corroded, irra. ated, brittle, leaking, man-cade, rnan-operated c.etal gadgetry -- and to bring out into the biosphere an estimated 3:50 to 1,100 poundt of radicactive wastes on the basis shutdown of of assurances f roen men d o have no alternative solutions to the peru.cnent seems to me to be clea*1y contrary to the letter and intent this prototypical recctor cf the ::aticnal Environ..antal. Act of 1969 It ic eino just ;. lair. ':I;htening, f.t.9 Pluse r ecall that chtiates have been found to be. the very acents respcnsible for of ths Ota Ridae burial the enexpectedly rapid migration of rsdioactive wastes cut Chelates also make it s.esier for radio-trenches into the unrrotected enviror.7 ant.
cc sive materiais to be absorbed by roots of grau. and vegetables - potentially then, te '.e fur ther ccacentrats 1 in the flesh and milk r.' enimals when they ce* the crass The NRC srys that gravity and Cak Tsidge's hiyh water table are redor.?ible or ;! ants.
An in0A (RE) study, homer, by peochemistt ur fcr tr.e licuid wastes' reDility tI4ere.
Cak Ridge o tic.nal Lct o-s ory, ar.d Eztt elle-Columbus 1.rbor-j y f".s Frir.:eton UnlAssit),
e t-i say chefates are resper.sible. This Inter study also says that chelates cre e m cettedly persisttnt in the caviror.ecnt. That. erns that the radioactive w&stes 3.' ' le d onto t! ct-at i'resden will re naln uncont ainabic and theref ere l' art:.easurably i-ore Even if they're t.uried
! c.nr fc.us (cr decues, t-erhaps for centurie s, porNps foreve r.
mevo.;a or Usshington -- in o.re.. wh* ch today cre cliectically dry and
-s vrn e.5:a its that the futarc will mirror the pa:.
N 1' ti cally c;reeable -- s.h t cssurances do we hat.
J.si..r s t right do.4 bave te assume that it wil:7
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