ML20080T508

Requests Response to Issues Raised by J Morrison Expressing Concerns W/Manner in Which Regional V & Ofc of Investigation Handled Allegations of Violations at Plant. J Morrison Encl

ML20080T508
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	07/17/1983
From:	Udall M HOUSE OF REP., INTERIOR & INSULAR AFFAIRS
To:	Palladino N NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20079G392	List: ML20080T473 ML20080T496 ML20080T502 ML20080T508 ML20080T526 ML20080T552 ML20080T582
References
FOIA-83-450 NUDOCS 8310240217
Download: ML20080T508 (4)

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The Honorable Nunzio Palladino  ?. 8' Chaltman pe;;$ [f United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20S55 f'/J(.

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Ms. Jill Morrison of the Palo Verde Intervention Fund has recent.'y sent to me the attached letter e>: pressing concerns with re gard to the manner in which NRC Region V anc the NRC Office of Investigations Scve handled allegations of violations of the comission's regulations at the Palo Verde Nuclear Gencrating Station (PVNGS). In addition, Ms. Morrison states that the .NRC has not complied with its obligations under the Freedom of T.nformation Act. Similar issues are addressed in a July 14, 1983 letter to the Commission from Ms. I.ynne f.c r a a b e i , counsel for an electrician and a startup engineer -

who were formerly employed at PVNGS.

Too of ten public confidence in the NRC has been eroded by f

delayed or seemingly . incomplete NRC investigations. I am 4 concerned that the inouiry into these allegations fits that pattern.

I would appreciate a prompt response to the issues rained by Ms. Morrison in her July 3, 1983 letter to roe and by Ms. Ber-

• nabei in her July 14 letter to the Commission.

Than): you for your assistance. .g Sincerely, _.. ia o

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chairman Morris K. (Idall Comsittee on Interior

'm se of Representatives and Insular Affairs nn, D.C.

Dear Chal f . Jdoll,

cur purpose in writing is to inforet you about the NRC inspection /investication into all the s:erious mishandling of the Palo verce Nuclear tne fo11 cuing pointo about Generating t . ation egations (PV raised by workers at NGS). In support, we dake inspection fails to noet the investigation (1) investigation precedures s even the ninimura standards ofthe HRC Region V (2) Region v $ as inspect:ien and identity ot whistleblowers and :n so: .

t failed to protect the NRC cannot do anything to protect ne instances is telling workers the disregarded the their identityy (3) the MRC has Region V he.s violated Ccwnission policies relaws on and policies Acts (4) of the about inspection findings to utility pers garding proper co nunication NRO Office of Inviests.gations (OI) onnel: and (5) '

investigation. attorney's lnquiries conce rning the progress andhas 1.s11e conduct of the In view of this deconduct we are regaasting yo octabl%hing a public heari a to determine why Rur assistante in createt Office of Inventigations (O!) cannot egion V saa the newly incestigation og .Aar is docunented in thet do their jobs e.n:1 e. further feel a hearing is not appropriato et his time we winspection reports. If you vrlte a letter to the Conttissioners requesti .

ould ask that you Region V and CI by the Co::uaiscic=crs themselvang an adequate review of s or another agency.

The ?alo Verde Int.creention i'ur.d was t'esigned to for bringin9 to the attent:.on of ths e.sy arise in the cor.r.truction of P.tOS.::RC probloa.x which servehaveasarisen the nochants:s or .

t anesed that certain key electrical systra ruin rom :*. arch he of 1982 we we PVNOS, of t*,e plant :.cere amoroperly in:italled, r.eeded for the safe shutdom ,

that loternal inspect 2cn ms.: improper equip:nent as osed and We subnitted his alle94tions in thequality assurance reports . sere falsified.

S.4fety and 1icensing Baard GCLS) andform the of HRC an statt af fidavit in .*$ay. :o the Atomic At the time s

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• we submitted the affidavit we were assured by the NRC staff and the AsLa that the worker's identity unuld be kept investigation would be conducted by Region V. confidential To date, and that a through a full

. investigative report has not been claims by Region .V that comphated nor issued, despita repeated 1'.18 7, coutplet. ton of the report would be in August of given then was theU.ipremberSpring ofof1983. 1982, Noveraber 1982 and finally the last date we would add given as to why the long delay in issuing this report.that no explanation has been Region V investityators interviewed the electrician and another Bechtel QA manager who made similar charges in June of 1982. However, they did -

not go to the site to these interviews. exaunine their allegations until two months after reports, In Septzneber of 1982, before the issuance of any NRC newsletter thethat Arizonai t-Public service company ( APs) announced in it's these allegations. haa received a ** clean bill of health" from the NRC on Mr. Cunderson was floien back to the site in October of 1932 for an exit interview, at this time, the investigators told him that all the '

probicms he had described had been fixed prior t.o the NRC inspection or the specifications for the JoD had been changed so the deficiencies w ere no longer violation of the specifications.

• other problems he knew of at tbc plant t. hat Mr. Gunderson then detailed he had no*, included in his initial affidavit, None of these problems or deficiencies that he pointed our had been detected or repaired.

The electrician, Mr.

February. He critizedRobert Cunderson, revealed his identity publicly the conduct in subsequently of the NRC investigation and support of this be'..t, claim veshehe was blackballed from the nuclear industry. In nuclear industry for six months following thestar.od ha var unable to find a job within the in Nover:her he found employment release of his affidavit, -

s at a fessil fuel plant in colorado, In February, the Government Aegountability Project (GAP) inquired about the status of the investigation and how the .

utility knew of the outco:ne of tae investigation. The of investigator, to discuss the matter and hung up the telephonn, on behalf of tir.

Mr. Owen Shackelton, refused Rchnet Mr. Gunderson and a new wnrkor Xc. Wally Poyce, GAP wrote a letter to Shackelton'r.

being conducted, they superior about the manner in which investigations were received no respon>:0 months. Iast =onth at OAP't. to this letter for three 1:iquiry about the letter they were told it had been misplacad for three months and that O! was turning the matter over to the Of fice cf Inspectors and Avditors (OIA). In addition, GAP subitted a Freedo:. of Infortuation Act -

in **. arch to receive all docoments concerningallegations, manager's the invuot2 gation w* have yet of .atr. Gundr=.rson's and the Dechtel QA YOI;. request. to receive any documents through this .

The CI recort has yet in be isiued, although a special inspect 2on report was fcund in the Public Document Roon dateri April 22, 1993. This report suMtantiates W. '

Genderson's alleq.** anni of falsified records and indicates there are hardware: and docunentation problers et that demonstrate 'tiulity assurance oroM em. the plant he following items were ,

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deterxtined to be substantiated or require follow-up work (1) workers

.'being asked by supervisoras to falsify QA records; (2) docu:sents not I

found.on trair41ng of QC inspectors; (3) innproper splicing of class IE

. safety related cablest (4) use of other than specified insulation on high voltage terpinationsi (5) .use of one-bolt lugs instead of specified two-bolt lugn On safety motors; (G) the building of a mason wall around the bactery roora instead of a concrete wall as comruitted to in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR); and (7) improper installation of Q class cables in cabinets in the auxiliary building.

An initial review of the NRC inspection report reveals that it is little more than a paperwork invos:tigation. 'They conclude that 2:any of the facts are tria, but determine they have "no technical merit" or ere of "no safety significance". Yet in making this deter.aination they are accepting the technical justification of the APS or Bechtel wven though the construc ion work is not in compliance with their own speci"ications or those of the. FSAR. *Je will be submitting our cornatents and a full i

review of the report wi thzn the next week. --

overall, this investigation mirrors many of the other inadequate inve=ttgations that have been conducted by e.he NRC. We are requesting you assistance an detecting and correcting the misconduer with the varinus agencies involved .tn this investigation.

Thank you for your concern.

Very truly yours, s . .

'[. tll , . " ((th/fh#

.' Jill R. Morrison -

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