ML20087A342
| ML20087A342 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 05/05/1995 |
| From: | Lautenberg F SENATE |
| To: | Taylor J NRC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20086E884 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9508040281 | |
| Download: ML20087A342 (5) | |
Text
ft;-iR-M.n;i16fM 10.'illid a192100
. ? 0f0/ f.fJ FAAM R. LAUTEN8 ERG APPROPRATIONS BUDGET swvinowsNT A'e Pueue weaus Enitti States #tilatt m--
WA&MINGTON. DC 20810-3002 wgLsom coupssa May 5, 1995 Mr. James Taylor Director Nuclear Regulatory Commission 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852
Dear Mr. Taylor:
I am writing on behalf of William Pettit, Vice-Connander of Thurston Elmer Wood Post #198 located in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.
Mr. Pettit is concerned about the recent release of radiation at the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lcwor A.lloways Creek Township.
As you know, the Hope Creek facility recently experienced an accidental leak that contaminated several vehicles, including one which subsequently crossed state lines and was recovered in Delaware.
Mr. Pettit reports that county officials Were not directly notified of this incident.
Mr. Pettit requests that the plant in question be monitored and the occurrence investigated.
I have enclosed a copy of his correspondence for your review.
I would appreciate any information you can provide to assist with Mr. PettiL's concerns.
Pleans notify me of your findings.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely, FRLikam Enclosure EDO - - 000348 meem U
D m
s@ m a,, w 2 m
,m gggeoeov-us 950B040201 950707 PDR ADOCK 05000354
- ** '" N# P"
H PDR
e*C THURSTON ELMER WOOD POST #198
~ 51 Hand Avenue & Dias Creek Road Post OfTice Box 577 Cape May Court House, New Jersey 08210 FOR GOD AND COUNTRY April 12,1995 Senator Frank Lautenberg 506 Senate Hart Building Washington DC 20510
Dear Senator Lautenberg:
7 e
Once again, on behalf of the officers and members of the Thurston Elmer Wood Post #198, I am writiEg to you because of our serious concern pertaining to the recentraccidental release of radiation at the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station in L'ower Alloways Creek Township.
Over the last two years, I have written to the office of many elected officials in an effort to bring this matter to their attention. You have noted your concern and so had former Congressman Hughes but now that he has retired from office interest has waned.
It may have to be up to you and your office to personally contact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and deterime what is the problem at this station. As you will note from the copy of the enclosed news article, liquid radioactive materials pscaped, contaminating several vehicles and sprayed Sn a truck that whs then allowed to leave and go to
]
It has been reported that the truck may have left behind a trail of radioisotopes as it headed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I am sure you will agree with me that this is shocking. Even more shocking was the reported fact that Cumberland County officials did not learn about the radiation release until they heard it on the noontime news.
This accident is not only a threat to Cape May County but to the neighboring counties of Atlantic and Cumberland and to the states of-Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Salem plant #1 has had a history of various problems. The plant must be monitored. Please do not let them wait until a disaster happens.
We, the officers and members of Post 198 and the citizens in this area await the results of your findings.
)
I W
M. Pettit Vice-Commander AN ORGANIZATION OF WARTIME VETERANS SERVICING ALL VETERANS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS
\\
1
4 7-qs 8,0. t're ss Hope Creek X-plant accidentally releases. radiation
.d
..I e
,i s i '.
O Material described as 'radioa'ctive wastewater' is spewed into went through a. chimney de - The truck, owned by Air Prod.. An NRC official said when i
the tir, so' me of it coating a truck that drives into Delaware.
signed to vent radioactive gases, ucts, a company in Delaware Citya liquid dried, there was a dust and why a sta'cif monitor failed to that supplies Hope, Creek + with'.;of particulate matter made us By RICHARD DEGENER,'.
detect the release.
hydrogen gas, may have;left be-- cesium, cobalt, rine and possi
'"ti'on 'es'lf WedriesdAy? morning".. The Nuclear Reg' latory Coin-hind a trail of radioisotopes as it ~other materials on the truck.
r u
poses no' threat.to the public but inission also wants to know why a headed over the Delaware Stan w eer
, raises ; soine'.. questions' about. truck..spraye'd, with. the ra-Memorial Bridgs'.',',2 O
. QSee Nuclea;r, Pag;e A4' g e n,v LOWER ALLOWAYS ' CREEK,g. plant operations, NRC officials ' dioactive materials was. llowed a
',0 ne...n.a. s..,. -
TOWNSHIP 'An accidental re 'said onThursday.
's.
foreJanybody knew it.was con.
le se cf radiation at the Hope.. Chief among the q'uestions is.' to leave and go to Delaware be-E Cumberland County officials say they should have bee Cre:k Nuclear Generatin'g.Sta-l,'why liquid rad.ioactive materials i taminated.
the radiation release in nearby Salem County. - Page A4.
.. i
.-t t..; nq
.e i g
~ '
3g7..
4
_o i
1 w -
the highest level of contamina-with the Atlantic Electric Co., w.
t 1
f
' 'M QSp tion found was less than 1 mil-said in a statement that the truck m di i
EE w QGm a lirem per hour and NRC guide-driver drove away at 9A0 a.m.
i lines allow public exposure of Wednesday before the area of g g~g{
100 millirems annually.
contamination was known.
tri Dricks said it would take 100 "The alarms went o!T before ju 1
hours or exposure " standing the truck len but we didn't know i
releaSCS there with your tongue hanging the source or pathway. Then we mi looked at the truck log to see pe out" to be hurt.
raC.iation A NRC press release issued what trucks leR the area," said toi late in the day said testing on the Camp.
soi l
(Continued from Page A1) roof of the plant near the stack Nuclear watchdog groups -
and on adjacent vehicles found spent much of Thursday seeking answers.
When the truck was tested in levelsof 6 milliremsperhour, The NRC is investigating the PSE&G also owns ' the two Delaware, it had radiation on it ir.cident and has a five-member Salem Nuclear Generating Sta-but it isn't known how much it had when it len the plant. Hope team at the plant, including tion reactors on the site, which resident inspectors, a have come under fire from Creek officials said it is only threehealth physicist and a specialist watchdog groups and the NRC speculation to say it released ra-for recentincidents.
diation on public roadways.
in plant operations.
Hope Creek has an excellent "The Air Products truck was "We will look at whether any traced to Delaware City, federal operating ' guidelines trackrecord.
"It's not Chernobyl but defi-I Delaware, where very low levels were violated and how this hap-nitely some serious errors were of loose surface contamination pened," said Dricks.
at made," said Michael Mariotte of The accident happened were detected on the trailer. The about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, said the Nuclear Information and Re-l vehicle was decontaminated at the Delaware City location and Dricks, but it was not reported to source Service in Washington.
l NRC until Wednesday He stressed that it is rare to re-the driver of the truck and an as thesistant were checked and were evening because the not found to have been contami-contamination did not exceed al-nated." read an NitC statement.
lowable limits on-site.
off-site radiation limits.
However, Dricks said when "We expect the NRC to im esti-Neither the NRC nor the plant PSE&G realized there was conta-gate this and quite possiUy fine operator, the Public Service Electric & Gas Co., would say mination off-site and it exceeded the utility atsome point dow how much radioactive material allowable limits, then the utility road. This is a major league reported to the NRC within the screw-up," said Mariotte.
was released. NRC ofricials are A rate of 100 millirems per stressing that the contamination four-hourtime period required. spokeswoman year, said Mario PSE&G is being cleaned up and does not Michaele Camp said the stack to one fatal cancer case in every NRC spokesman Victor Dricks alarm may not have gone off be-285 pe endanger the public.
said they believe the only radia-tion that leR the plant site was on short burst. Ultimately s er radiation monitors at the plant" alerted us that there were dioactive gases are scheduled so the truck that went to Delaware.
l as "a very low level of radiation." some hot spots," said Camp.
impacts are minimal but this was He described the contamination Early in the day, Dricks said PSE&G, which owns the plant an unscheduled release.
1 l
l
c
~Eounty not told of Hope Creek radiation leak 7,. -
the incident didn't pose a danger Salem I and Salera 11 reactors at Eg*EILEEN BENNETT to the public or personnel at the the site, the second-largest com-5 plant.
mercial nuclear facility in the BRIDGETON - Cumberland Lookabaugh said although the country.
County omeials said they news media was alerted to the in-Freeholder Douglas Fisher learned about Wednesday's ra-cident, Cumberland County of-said he also wanted the NRC "to diation release from the Hope Deials were not.
give ut both sides of the status of Creek nuclear plant on the noon-
"We would have just been an Salem I."
extra layer of carbon paper,"
The Salem I nuclear plant.also time news.
"This is a communications Lookabaugh said, referrir.g to located at Lower Alloways Creek, problem," said Freeholder Di-PSE&G notifyingthe county.
has been plagued with numerous rectorJennifer Lookabaugh,who According to Lookabaugh, problems.
said she heard about the in-PSE&G ometals said that county Wednesday's incident is the cident on a television broadcast. omcials weren't notified be-latest mishap at the troubled Lookabaugh was speaking at cause "it was a slight release" of Salem Nuclear Generating Sta-the frteholder board's agenda radiation.
tion, which has come under in-meeting Thursday.
Regardless, Lookabaugh said tense scrutiny by federal regula-She said county omeials were she has asked for a meeting with tors.
not notiDed when radiation es-PSE&G omeials and officials of "We need to hear both sides,"
caped from the riope Creek nu-the federal Nuclear Regulatory Fisher said.
"We need to hear what PSE&G clear plant, contaminating sev-Commission."We don't want this (kind of says they're de,ing, and we need eral vehicles and a building in neighboring Salem County.
news) to get out and then get big-to hear what the NRC says they Lookabaugh said omcials for ger and bigger," Lookabaugh should be doing. We have to give our residents some level of com-Public Service Electric & Gas, said.
which operates the plant, said PSE&G also operates the fo rt."
a + -
wq,m.....:, u - -
A_
- m.,
4ciress M -95
O
.e CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SYSTEh!
DOCUhfENT PREPARATION CilECKLIST This check list is to be submitted with each document (or group of Qs/As) sentforprocessing into the CCS.
- 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DOCUhfENT(S) h.
O K. laohibst
- 2. TYPE OF DOCUhfENT CORRESPONDENCE
_ HEARINGS (Qs/As)
- 3. DOCUhfENT CONTROL SENSITIVE (NRC ONLY)
NON-SENSITIVE
- 4. CONGRESSIONAL COhihilTTEE AND SUBCOhihillTEE (if applicable)
Congressional Committee Subcommittee
- 5. SUILIECT CODES (A)
(B)
(C) j
- 6. SOURCE OF DOCUh!ENTS (A) 5520 (DOCUhfENT NAbfE
)
(B)
SCAN (C)
A7TACHbfENTS (D) 0171ER
- 7. SYSTEh! LOG DATES
\\
(A) Ql! lG'5 DATA OCA SENTDOCUhfENT TO CCS l
(B)
DATE CCS RECEIVED DOCUhfENT (C)
DATE RETURNED TO OCA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORhfATION (D)
DATE RESUBhflITED BY OCA TO CCS (E)
DATE ENTERED INTO CCS BY (F)
DATE OCA NOTIFIED THATDOCUhfENTIS IN CCS COhiAfENTS:
<