ML20113F132
| ML20113F132 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Seabrook  |
| Issue date: | 05/13/1996 |
| From: | Zeliff B HOUSE OF REP. |
| To: | Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20113F111 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9607080345 | |
| Download: ML20113F132 (6) | |
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CCWutNT LINE SM ALL SUSINESS 1400 NH19596 May 13,1996 E Mait rentf enr. house gov www nn.e... no.s. ao Shirley Ann Jackson, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission One P.ite Flint North Building, i1555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852
Dear Chairman Jackson:
Recently I received the enclosed correspondence from an individual who lives in the vicinity of the Seabrook, New Hampshire, Nuclear Plant. He is concerned with both the enclosed article regarding an alleged radiation " spike" recorded south of the plant and with the long term plan of the NRC to insure that competition in the electric industry does not lead to
" cost cutting initiatives" by the plant which would jeopardize safety and health.
I would appreciate our explanation of both issues. Please respond to my office at 1 10 Longworth.
Sincerely, 0
bid Bill Zeli Member Of Congress WHZ/dgs enclosures 5/16...To EDO to Prepare Response for Chairman's signature....
Date due Comm: May 31.....Cpy to; Chairman, RF, OCA to Ack.. 96-0511 9607080345 96o628 PDR CCMMS NRCC PeiNTto os micyct'.D PArt#
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The Honorable Bill Zeliff 1210 Longworth House OfYice Building Washington, DC 20S15-2901 I
Dear Representative Zeliff,
As a resident of Rye Beach, I am increasingly concerned by the risk of mishaps, or worse, at Seabrcc,k Station. I enclose a copy of an article from the Wall Street Journal which, I think you will agree. gives cause for grave concern about the management and operation of the power plant.
Without questioning the wisdom and prudence of building a nuclear power station in Seabrook, I need not remind you that the poor performance of Public Service Company of New Hampshire offers little con 0dence that the plant was soundly constructed. Moreover, misgivings about the i
construction of the plant have, from time to time, been confirmed by allegations and fMdings of flawed materials and workmanship. As the plant ages, both reason and experience suggest that its safe operation will increasingly require exemplary management.
Consequently, [ am troubled to leam that Northeast Utilities not only routinely operated Millstone 1 in an unsafe manner but also " willfully" misled the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the plant. Apparently NU knowingly violated operating procedures and falsified regulatory reports in order to foreshorten the time the reactor was out of service and so minimize its operating costs.
As you know, the gathering momentum toward a more competitive market for electric power in New Hampshire will augment pressures on NU to control its operating costs. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that the safe operation of Seabrook Station be maintained as NU copes with the challenges of a changing energy market. Needless to say, the reckless and dishonest j
conduct ofNU at Millstonc 1 does not inspire confidence.
- In light ofNUs demonstrated failure to honor its obligations what steps have you, perhaps in concert with other members of the congressional delegation, taken to ensure that the company manages and operates Seabrook Station in compliance with all the ngulations and procedures of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? In particular, I wish to be anured that you are doing all
- you can to ensure that nothing will be done to diminish either the financial resources nor the regulatory authority of the NRC.
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I appreciate the desire not to encumber business with unnecessary regulation. But, as a licensed securities dealer,I also know from experience that, without appropriate regulation and effective l
enforcement, son.e individuals and some corporations may be tempted to endanger the safety and prejudice the interests of the public. Unfortunately, NU has shown itself to be a fess than responsible and honorable corporate neighbor. I trust you will do everything in your power to forestall any risk to your neighbors the Seacoast from the conduct of Northeast Utilities.
I I look forward to hearing what you are doing to ensure the safe operation of Seabrook Station.
Sincerely, i
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Thomas J. Sedoric i
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The Wall Street Journal-April 18,1996 Northeast Utilities, Workers Violated Procedures at Nuclear Plant, NRC Says By Ross Kerber Sta5Reponer of The Wall Street Jo tmal A Nuclear Regulatory Commission inves*igation has found that emcloyees at Northeast Utilities operated the company's Millstoe.e nuclear plant without proper engineering studies, and that the company " willfully" filed misleading reports to the government about the plant.
The findings, by the NRC's Office ofInvestigations, weie confirmed yesterday by an agency official. They stem from allegations of corporate misconduct and poor oversight by the NRC made by one of the utility's engineers. In public petitions filed last year he charged the utility was routinely overloading a spent-fuel cooling pool in order to minimize the time the Millstone 1 reactor was out of service.
The NRC is now considering whether to levy penalties against the Berlin, Conn., utility, said Joe Gilliland, an NRC spokesman Agency ofTicials declined to say whether the report has been tumed over to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.
Anthony Castagno, a spokesman for the utility, said the company hasn't seen the NRC's report and couldn't comment on it until executives have reviewed it.
All three reactors at the Millstone plant, at Waterford, Conn., have been ordered closed by the NRC until the company can prove they are safe to operate. Northeast Utilities says it will spend at least $130 million on replacement power costs through the summer. Some analysts believe the costs could be higher because of a possibly prolonged period before the reactors are restarted and because power shortages could push prices higher.
The findings were first described in detail at a public hearing in Waterford last week by Ernest Hadley, an attorney who represents George Galatis, the engineer at the plant who filed the petition. But Mr. Hadley said he couldn't discuss how he had come to see the findings, and declined to make a copy of them available.
On Wednesday, the NRC official, who asked not to be identified, said Mr. Hadley's description of the findings was accurate. Mr. Gilbland, the NRC spokesman, said that the agency is investigating where Mr. Hadley got his infonnation r2
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05/21<96 Tl'E 15:14 FAX 2022254370 CONG ZELIFF DC IG 005 ef ng' Book Ne'ws Article http // update.wsj com/insp-buVbb7st. 9!WJ04/022158+159t&trme:04/02+2150 The NRC resiew found that employees at Millstone knew they were violating the company's operating guidelines when they moved the entire fuel core of the Millstone 1 reactor into its cooling pool in one step, rather than moving it in stages Investigators also found that the company knowingly filed false documents about the procedure to the agency.
In addition, the ins estigators found, other employees hid the fuel core issues at Millstone from managers, and managers failed to ensure they had proper reporting procedures in place. Mr. Hadley didn't identify the employees in his description of the report.
Mr. Gilliland said the agency couldn't oflicially discuss the report's findings because they will be used in determining whether to fine the utility or to seek criminal charges.
Generally, such findings would be released at the time such penalties are announced.
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In a letter to the NRC, Assistent assured ourselves that there is no Attorney General James R. Mllhey correlation with our settvities and stated he was not satisfled with the with whu they say they saw," a commission's esplanation of what spokesman for Seabrook Station, Rob williams, said. "The bottom Inne happened at Seabrook station.
"We are extremely concerned that is, we did not have any abnormst ra-I the public has not been given a full distion levels here."
accounting of what cecurred on the station officials have not seen the 29th of November..l. We are con-watchdog group's data,"so we have corned that an adeo,uate independent no way of validsting their spike down review has not been conducted," Mil-there," Williams said. "We're not key's letter states. "We have been questioning the validity of the spike.
tofd that in that lacident, the NRC but we're saying the plant releases accepted the results of the plant's in-wouldn't have created increases tornal review, despite the fact that it even at our site bounderles."
are that the engineer in charge On Nov. 29, station employees of hat review was not even aware of were completing a four week long re-I ap the plant's starttip/ shutdown bypass. fueling.Wdliams said.That morning, Wil venting, a likely source of any re-plant had normal filter vomilations lease tnto the environment."
were being tracked by the The commission didn't do a thor-that ough job at documenting its investi. plant's computer monitors. Those gation, a Massachusetts state nucle-ventilations produce about t/t0.000th er engir..... Jim Muckerholde, said, of the radiation a person would receive from natural radiation in the Becoues of M11 key's concerns, an NRC radiation controlInspector w!!! environment, W!lliams said.
return to the power plant on May 29, one of the monitors was out of ser-vlee for 28 minutes due to a Muckerholde said.
transformer failure, Williams said, Even if Seabrook Station is not the Other monitnrs checking ventila-cause of the radiosetive " spike" C-to tion samples found that radlallon says it recorded There was nothing levels were well below the 11eensed documented that he could find to limit and even below the limit the show the did an adequate job, Muckerhe esaid.
plant is required to detect, he said. I "I can feel confident, but I think "We are allowed to continue vent lt's important to have objective evi-lation under regulationn as long as compen.*atory actions are provided,"
dance," Muckerholde said.
awe hau '..,oked into things and Wi!!iams snid.
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