ML20062J468
| ML20062J468 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 10/10/1980 |
| From: | Snyder B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Cianciosi P AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20062J472 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8010280642 | |
| Download: ML20062J468 (2) | |
Text
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o DISTRIBUTI0t1 Docket 50-289 PDR t1RR r.f TMI P0 r/f TMI Site r/f i
BSnyder OCT1 0 aSO JCollins i
DBrinkman fis. Patrice Clanciosi W0liu 41 Jackson Avenue Endicott, flew York 13760
Dear Ms. Cianciosi:
Your letter to !1r. Denton about the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear station was referred to me for response.
I regret that this answer has been delayed. The accident and its consequences have created a substantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented me from responding to you as promptly as I would have liked.
The Commission has ordered that a public hearing be conducted to detemine whether TMI-1 should be operated and, if so, under what conditions the restart would take place. Prior to start of the hearings, the fiRC staff will conduct a review of technical information concerning the restart of Unit 1 As part of this review, the riRC staff will conduct meetings with the licensee in the presence of the public, and the public will be given the opportunity to raise questions and to make statements. During the hearing, the technical issues that are appropriate to assure the public health and safety will a'
' be addressed.
In addition, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has indicated that llRC should consider the psychological impact of future operation on the nearby communities.
A copy of the Commission Order that outlines the issues to be considered is enclosed for your infomation.
As for Unit 2, the licensee has not yet suhaitted to the flRC a proposal for overall plant recovery, although the licensee is conducting feasibility studies.
It is not possible at this time to detemine when such proposals for recovery may be suhaitted or how much time will be needed for the required reviews and I,
approvals in connection with Unit 2's recovery. I would note, however, that the licensee's authority to operate Unit 2, except for those actions necessary to keep the reactor shut down, was suspended by Order of July 20, 1979 With regard to your concern about the release of contaminated water, except for releases to the Susquehanna River of liquids containing only low or nondetectable levels of radioactivity, such releases are not currently pemitted. The Com-mission authori: ed use of the EPICOR-II water treatment system for processing the waste water stored in tanks in the auxiliary building. We do not currently pemit the discharge of water processed by the EPICOR-II system. The disposal ~
of the water processed by EPICOR-II is addressed in the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on the decontamination and disposal of radioactive waste at Three flile Island. Enclosed for your infomation is a copy of the PEIS.
THIS DOCllMENLCONTAWS__
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Ms. Patrice Cianciosi OCT10 Esa As a result of releases containing only low or nondetectable levels of radio-activity, the levels of radioactivity in the Susquehanna are indistinguishable from existing background levels at public water supply intakes from the river.
These levels have been confirmed by independent measurements made by the flRC, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A team of investigators from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environ-mental Protection Agency, and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare calculated the doses to the people living within 50 miles of the Three flile Island site and estimated the number of new cancers that would result from the exposure to the radioactivity tlet leaked out of the plant. The team reported their work in a report entitled, " Population Dose and Health Impact of the Ac-cident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station" (NUREG-0558). They concluded that the offsite collective dose associated with radioactive material released from March 28, 1979, to April 7,1979, represents minimal risks (that is, a very small number of additional health offects to the offsite population). Also en-4 closed for your information is the summary of fiUREG-0558.
Regarding your comments that flRC should phase out nuclear power plants, NRC's primary responsibility consists in the licensing, inspection, and enforcement of regulations for nuclear power plants in the interest of public health and safety and for the protection of the environment. Changes in NRC's regulatory responsibilities can stem from the public's will and the resulting Congressional action.
I apprmiate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure.he continued protection of the health and safety of the public, not only at Three Mile Island, but also at all nuclear power plants.
Sincerely, m.. 4
[ Bernard J. Snyder, Program Director Three tiile Island Program Office Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
1.
Order and Notice of Hearing of August 9,1979 2.
PEIS 3.
Summary of NUREG-0558 (r
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