ML20086L248
| ML20086L248 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pilgrim |
| Issue date: | 06/01/1995 |
| From: | Kerry J SENATE |
| To: | Rathbun D NRC OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS (OCA) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20086L230 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9507210114 | |
| Download: ML20086L248 (3) | |
Text
,
lons xsdy,"
unuc,.vam Enited $tates $tnatt WASHINGTON, DC 20510 One Bowdoin Square Tenth Floor Boston, MA 02114 (617) 565-8519 June 1, 1995 Mr. Dennis Rathbun Director, Office of Congressional Affairs U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555 Dear Mr. Rathbun I am forwarding to you a copy of a letter from Ms. Mary C.
Donald M. Muirhead, Jr. for the Citizens Urging Ott and Dr.
Responsible Energy, a citizen group from Duxbury, Massachusetts, Ms. Ott and Dr.
concerning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
Muirhead express concern with Boston Edison's misplacement of instruments containing uranium 235 on two occasions and the enforcement measures the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commision undertook to address these violations of containment integrity.
Because of the desire of this office to be responsive to all inquiries and communications, your consideration of the attached is requested.
I would appreciate your looking into this matter and sending a copy of your findings to Jennifer Miller in my Boston office.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Si
- rely, ohn F. herry nited States enator JFK/jmm 9507210114 950621 PDR ADOCK 05000293 H
< Citizens Urging Responsible Energy J
L May 12, 1995 Senator John Kerry United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Kerry:
In recent weeks Boston Edison's saga of continued management failure at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has reached such proportion that the Company was called to King l
of Prussia by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for an enforcement conference over a violation of primary containment integrity.
Additionally, the Company lost control of instruments containing uranium 235 on two occasions.
l In January an NRC Inspection report acknowledged that Boston Edison had violated primary containment integrity for a period of 30 days while operating Pilgrim at 100% power.
Technical specifications and NRC regulations specify that if primary containment integrity is violated the reactor must
)
be shutdown within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />.
Ultimately the NRC issued a R{
1evel III violation which normally carries a $50,000 fine, yet the NRC exercised enforcement discretion and did not l
fine Edison.
In March, after activists leaked information to the media, it was acknowledged that a bag of monitoring instruments containing enriched uranium 235 (weapons grade) was missing at Pilgrim.
Edison stopped all outgoing shipments of waste and laundry and a search ensued. They claimed six of the seven 7 instruments were found in the trash!
One remained missing.
A week later, in early April, the company replaced their "special nuclear materials" inventory person.
The new person discovered that a fuel loading chamber, also containing enriched U-235, normally kept in a protective cannister because it is radioactive from use in the previous refueling outage, was also missing.
Another search ensued.
Residents were assured by the NRC and Boston Edison that these "special nuclear materials" were out of the Company's control but within the site (617) 934-0498 Duxbury, Massachusetts 02331 Post Office Box 2621
perimeter.
Contrary to those reports, the seventh missing monitor was discovered at Interstate Nuclear Services in Springfield, which is the company that cleans Edison's contaminated laundry.
The missing fuel loading chamber was found in a shipment of radioactive trash Edison had shipped to Oak Ridge, Tennessee on March 10th.
There are serious discrepancies between what Boston Edison has said to the media and what has actually happened.
It is a fundamental requirement in order to acquire and keep a nuclear power plant operating license that primary containment integrity and control of "special nuclear materials" be scrupulously maintained.
The NRC says that their enforcement program promotes and protects the public health and safety by ensuring compliance with the Atomic Energy Act, the Energy Reorganization Act, NRC regulations, and license conditions.
Boston Edison's non-compliance violates not only these requirements but also the public's trust, resulting in feare for the safety of your constituents in southeastern Massachusetts.
We petition you to call for suspension of Boston Edison's license to operate the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant unless and until these critical matters are fully investigated by the appropriate government authorities.
Please let us hear from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely yours, f
~
J-m4
~
Mary C.
Ott Donald M. Muirhead, Jr. MD f
~.
- ~.. -
P A.
4 l
~
c=sanzssIONAL ccRRESPONDENCE SYSTZX Doc: MINT FREPARATION "WPETT38T tis checklist is he submitted with each document (c. group of Qs/Asl sent for.
ing ints the 1.
BRIZF DEsc2IPTION or m ccNENTt31 L_
a _.
%.d
- ra 2.
, m o,- -
sensitive tune on17)Mi non-sensitiv 2.
Doe::xzNr cournon c NGREssIcNAL ccxMI ;23 and SU3ccMKITTdEB (if. applicable) 4.
congrassional C=ami Suncommittaa i
5.
sesszc; ccnza (a)
(b)
(c) 6.
sC RC OF D0ccMENTS (a) 5520 (document name.
(b) scan..
(c)
At'Eschments (d)
Ratsy (el othair 7.
sTSTZN LQG DATES (as
/
- f, Data. ocL sent:dosument. to ces Data ocs.remaiveesdocummat (b)
Data returned to oc1 for additional infor=at (as (d)
Data resubmitted by-och to ec=
Data antared into cc3 by (a)
Data oci notified that. document is in cC2 (f) britSE*G3
-