ML20125A753

Ack to J Carter Forwarding Statement Adopted by Village Council Urging NRC Not to Consider Con Ed Request for Addl Nuclear Waste Storage Until Safe Waste Storage Plan Developed.Statement Forwarded to ASLB for Consideration

ML20125A753
Person / Time
Site:	Zion  File:ZionSolutions icon.png
Issue date:	07/26/1979
From:	Eisenhut D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Legg W AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
References
NUDOCS 7908170204
Download: ML20125A753 (4)

Text

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ff. UNITED STATES y j ".,,(f( gg NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555

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and 50-304 Mr. Wilbur S. Legg Village President The Village of Winnetka Winnetka, Illinois 60093

Dear Mr. Legg:

Your letter of June 7,1979 to President Jimmy Carter has been referred to me for reply. Your letter forwarded a statement adopted by the Winnetka Village Council which referred to Commonwealth Edison Company's proposed expansion of the spent fuel storage capacity at the Zion Nuclear Station.

I would like to thank you for your interest and stated concerns regarding the proposed modification at the Zion Station and the pennanent safe storage of nuclear waste. Your statement has been forwarded to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, which is considering the licensee's proposal, for its consideration.

Sincerely,

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Darrell Eisenhut, Acting Director Division of Operating Reactors l

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The Honorable Jimmy Carter, President [3, N9' b '.

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Dear President Carter:

Enclosed is a statement unanimously adopted by the Winnetka Village Council urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission NOT to take action on Commonwealth Edison Company's re-quest for_ additional n_ucley ,yaste storage capacity at its

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q Illinois. nuclear facility unti L the NRC and other agencies develop a sa'fe plan for storage of nuclear waste.

It is our hope that this statement will be included in the record of proceedings for the hearing the NRC will be con-ducting in Zion on this subject next week.

This statement epitomizes the feelings of frustration with federal regulation so prevalent in local government now.

Winnetka depends upon the Zion plant of Commonwealth Edison for a major portion of the electricity it distributes to its citizens. In this statement, the Council has made a Hobson's choice to risk loss of this source of electricity in 1982. It did so to avoid what it perceives to be a greater risk which could be created after 1982 by increasing the density and mass of spent nuclear fuel stored at the Zion plant. It regards this choice as one which it should i not have been compelled to make. If the federal government had either permitted the owners of nuclear plants to develop safe storage facilities, or had pursued its own vigorous program to develo- the facilities, the Council'sWe statement strongly would have been unnecessary. It did neither.

urge the federal government now to follow both these courses to the extent eccnomically feasible in order to provide safe permanent storage facilities by 1982.

Sincerely, MV I-Wilbur S. Legg Village President WSL:1p

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On June 5, 1979, the Winnetka, Illinois Village Council unanimously adopted the following statement to be sent to the Nuc1 car Regulatory Commission, the Attorney General of the State of Illinois, President Carter, Senators Percy and Stevenson, and Congressman Mikva.

1. Winnetka is one of the local communities which shares the benefits of nuclear energy as part of the I Commonwealth Edison service area and one that lives I in the shadow of potential ?lant problems due to the geographical position and sharing of Lake Michigan resources.

THEREFORE we feel a special responsibility to enter into thoughtful debate of the nucicar waste issue,

2. Some Winnetka citizens brought this issue to the t

Village Council, recommending action on opposition to storage capacity expansion at Zion. This prompted extensive meetings and open discussion over a period of time.

THEREFORE we feel special responsibility to bring our position to the attention of the Nucicar Regulatory Commission.

3. Winnetka's debate included examination of the issues of transit, of temporary and permanent storage and the policies of the utility industry and of the state and federal government.

THEREFORE we feel our position is based upon thoughtful and conscientious analysis.

4. Winnetka is NOT OPPOSED TO Tile CONCEPT OF NUCLEAR ENERGY GENERATION as a transition between fossil fuel generation and solar or other source generation. However, it is apparent that the elements of the nuclear genera-tion process have not been given balancedattention. The waste element, in particular, suffers from inadequate attention and cannot be ignored any longer.

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THEREFORE we feel that our prim'e energies must be focused on solving problems of the waste element and its sub-elements: transit and temporary and permanent storage.

5. Winnetka believes that our failure of attention to the waste element has been a political and administra-tive failure.

THEREFORE we feel that our principal focus must be reorganization of the political and administrative structures and responsibilities for managing the wasce element.

6. Winnetka believesthat this structure and responsi-bility must be shared by the utility industry, the state government and the federal government, with local govern-ment participating through advisory councils consisting of local representatives concerned with land use and safety / health issues; with utilities participating through responsibilities for researching, developing, constructing and operating transit and storage facilities; with state government participating via responsibility for monitoring the performance of utility operations; with federal government participating through responsibilities for approving and licensing utility operations and for develop-ing guidelines for utility operation.

TilEREFORE we believe that the NRC political and admini-strative structures ought to be expanded and exhorted to act immediately to accomplish the safe storage of nuclear wastes.

CONCLUSION: The compaction at Zion will not be necessary until 1982. Our witnesses indicated that substantial Icad time wa not necessary (even though more costly) . We urge that no action be taken by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission until the federal and state government and the utilities and their respective advisory committees produce a safe plan for nuclear waste storage. We urge that this situation be continually monitored by all interested parties. The Village of Winnetka pledges its limited resources to the development of the program outlined in this statement.

1 A Winnetka citizen shall be appointed to monitor the nuclear waste storage situation and report back to the Council at regular intervals. We suggest the first report be submitted by December 15, 1979.