ML20042E677

Advises of Intention to Continue Inquiry Re Quality of safety-related Welds at Plant & Requests That NRC Be Instructed to Cooperate in Endeavor to Avoid Direct Involvement W/Documents

ML20042E677
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	04/02/1990
From:	Udall M HOUSE OF REP.
To:	Carr K NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20034B608	List: ML20034B607 ML20042E677
References
NUDOCS 9004300075
Download: ML20042E677 (5)

Text

_.

I Congress of tfje Wnitch 6tates WasWngton, BC 20515 April 2, 1990 3

i I

Honorable Kenneth Carr Chairman j

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.

20555 j

Dear Mr. Chairman:

We are writing with regard to questions that have been raised as i

to whether the quality of safety related welds at the Seabrook j

nuclear plant has been established in the manner required by_the Commission's regulations.

t In late February, our staffs conveyed to the NRC information indicating that for a period pria to 1984, the radiograph review program at Seabrook had not been conducted properly.

This program breakdown created the possibility that the licensee has accepted welde of indeterminate quality.

Since February, pursuant to our inquiry into the matter, a number of requests for information have i

baen sent to the NRC.

The response to these requests has been i

[

dilatory and, in significant respects, inaccurate and incomplete.

l Thus far,

{

our inquiry has shown that NRC's inspection reports do not present an accurate description of problems which NRC staff l

knew to exist.

Because the NRC did not require a documented, l

comprehensive program to resolve the radiograph problem, there is no single report _that provides details of the deficiencies and corrective actions taken to verify weld quality.

In the absence of-a comprehensive corrective action program and report thereon, our inquiry has been forced to focus on individual welds that had a

been the subject of particular scrutiny.

Documents provided to us concerning one problem weld in a 14 inch diameter pipe in the reactor coolant _ system show a records gap.

It appears that significant difficulties were encountered in i

producing this weld; more than two years transpired between the time of initial welding activity and final approval.

Documents relating to this weld indicate that the licensee's officials were l

concerned that the problems associated with it extended to other p

welds in the reactor coolant system.

We consider this an important matter that raises serious questions as to the safety of some number of welds at the Seabrook plant.

If the Cosuaission believes the safety of these welds has been demonstrated, the information in support of this belief should be r

h

---et-wwe

+-g---+-eww-

,-w-e-gu-my-y

-v-

-m w

--wwp----yr-+ig-*-

w--eweyy-we-g g-eg -e s=n---

y---*ww--

m--www-F-

l l

Honorable Kenneth Carr April 2, 1990 Page 2 s

provided to us.

Such information, however, should consist of more than conclutcry statements of NRC staff reiterating the findings of past inspection reports.

1 In the absence of objective evidence of quality, we intend to continue our.

inquiry into the handling of this matter.

1 Accordingly, we have instructed our staffs to request documentation necessary for the conduct of this inquiry.

Such documentation is of a kind that we presume was available to NRC staff who recommended to the Commission the issuarece of the seabrook operating License.

We request that you instruct the NRC staff to cooperate in this endeavor so that it is not necessary for us to become.directly involved in requests for documents.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely, t

M M

Morris K. Udall

', E rd M. Kennedy i

. - h, {[tr V M

Peter.H. Kostmay e 5+.. - ohn F. Kerry I L il'l g-t Nicholas Mavroules Edward J. Mar ey 1

,_.,,...--..------rr-c m"

-~ ~ ~

p.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR RESULATORY COMMISSION i

In the Matter of I

l I

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW l

Decket No.(s) 50-443/444-OL HAMPSHIRE. ET AL.

1 (Seabrook Station. Units i and 2) l I

I CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE i

I hereby certify that cooles of the foregoing CARR LTR TO MARKEY W/ATCH 3/20 have been servec upon the following persons by U.S. sell, first class, except

-as otherwise noted and in accordance with the requirements of to CFR Sec. 2.'12.

)

Administrative Judge Administrative Judge

6. Paul Bollwerk, !!!

Thomas S. Moore, Chairi'an Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Board Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Washington, DC 20555 l

g Administrative Judge l

Howard A. Wilber Administrative Law Judge Atomic Saf ety and Licensing Appeal Ivan W. Smith, Chairman l

Board Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Consission Washington, DC 20555 Washington, DC 20555 Administrative Judge Administ.ative Judge Richard F. Cole Kenneth A. McCollos

' Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Washington, DC 20555 Administrative Judge Robert R. Pierce, Escuire James H. Carpenter Atoalc Safety and Licensing Board Alternate Technical Mosber U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comeission.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Washington, DC 20555 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Edwin J. Reis, Esq.

Mitti A. Young i

L Office.of the General Counsel Attorney U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Cocaission Office of the General Counsel l

Washington, DC 20555 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Cosnission Washington, DC 20555-

---m

1 Docket No.(s)50-443/444 0L CARR LTR TO MARKEY W/ATCH 3/20.

~

Diane Curran. Esc.

Thomas 6. Dignan, Jr.. Esc.

Harmon,. Curran & Tousley Ropes & Gray 2001 B Street.

N.W., Suite 430 One International Place Washington. DC 20009 loston. MA 02110 Robert A. Backus. Esc..

Paul McEachern, Esc.

Backus, Meyer & Solomon Shatnes & McEachern

!!6 Lowell Street 25 Maplewood Avenue, P.O. Box 1.

Manchester. NH 03106 Portsmouth, NH 03801 Gary W. Holmes, Eso.1 Judith H. Minner Holmes & Ells Counsel for Newburycort 47 Winnacunnet Road 79 State Street Hanoton, NH 03B42 Newburyport. MA 01950 l

Suzanne P. Egan Barbara J. Saint Andre l

City Solicitor Kopelsen and Paige. P.C.

[

Lagoulis, Hill-Wilton and Rotondi Town Counsel l

79 State Street 101 Arch Street i

l Newburyport, MA 01950 Boston, MA 02110

)

Jane Doherty Seacoast Anti-Pollution League Ashed N. Amirian. Esc.

l 5 Market Street 145 South Main Street. P.O. Box 39 Portsmouth. NH 03001 Bradford, MA 01830 George

!verson, Director George W. Watson, Esq.

N. H. 0ffice of Emergency Management Federal Emergency Management Agency r

State House Office Park South 500 C Street, S.W.

107 Pleasant Street Washingtor., DC 20472

-Concord. NH 03301 i

4 1

. Jack Do'l a n George D. Bisbee, Esq.

Federal Energency Management Agency Assistant Attorney Beneral 442 J.W. McCorssck (POCH)

Office of the Attorney General Boston, MA 02109 25 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301 I

w

.-----,r

+,

I Docket No.(sl50-443/444-OL

~

CARR LTR TO MARKEY W/ATCH 3/20 i

i i

I Suzanne Brelseth John Traficente, Esc.

I Board of Selectmen Chief. Nuclear Safety Unit Town of Hampton Falls Office of the Attorney General Drinkwater Road One Ashburton Platei 19th Floor Hampton Falls, NH 03844 Boston, MA 02108

+

l Peter J. Brann, Esc.

Allen Laspert Assistant Attorney General Civil Defense Director Office of the Attorney General Town of Brentwood State House Station, #6 20 Franklin Street Augusta, ME 04333 Exeter, NH 03833 William Armstrong' Anne Goodaan, Chairman Civil Defense Director Board of Selectmen i

Town of Exeter 13-15 Newmarket Road 10 Front Street Durham, NH 03024 Exeter, NH 03833 R. Scott Hill-Whilton Esquire Michael Santosuosso, Chairman Lagoulis, Hill-Whilton 6 McGuire Board of Selectmen 79 State Street South Hampton, NH 03827 Newburyport,, MA 01950 t

Stanley W. Knowles, Chairman Norman C. Katner i

Board of Selectmen Superintendent of Schools P.O. Box 710 Schuol Administrative Unit No. 21 North Hampton, NH 03862 Alumni Drive Haspton, NH 03B42 Sandra F. Mitchell The Honorable Civil Defense Director Gordon J. Humphrey Town of Kensington ATTN Janet Colt Box 10, RR1 United States Senate l

East Kingston, NH 03827 Washington, DC 20510 1

Dated at Rockville, Md. this 23 day of Apri! 1990

{

OffIEiof

'ihe'ConAIiiIon e

m

~m w

+

-m

.