ML20126D322

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Urges Congress to Maintain Close Oversight of NRC Activities to Keep Sys of Safety Regulations from Unraveling.Situation at Plant Aggravated by NRC Decision to Authorize Plant to Operate for Wks While Diesel Generators Dismantled
ML20126D322
Person / Time
Site: Grand Gulf, 05000000
Issue date: 05/29/1984
From: Gilinsky V
NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To: Udall M
HOUSE OF REP., INTERIOR & INSULAR AFFAIRS
Shared Package
ML19263A614 List:
References
FOIA-84-459 NUDOCS 8506150026
Download: ML20126D322 (2)
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Text

  1. he - UNITED $*ATES I NUCLEAR REZULATOhY COMMISSION I

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DPrics oP THE couwssioNan May 29, 1984 The Honorable Morris K. Udall Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs U.S. House of Representatives '

Washingt n D. C. 20515 Dear Mr.

I am writing to bring to your attention the Commission's disregard of its safety regulations in a case that closely parallels that of Shoreham, on which you held a hearing recently.

After[thathearing,IaskedourstaffwhethertheGrandGulf plant, which has had diesel problems similar to those of Shoreham, met the General Design Criterion on cecrgency power supplies. The written answer I received was that it did not but that the plant wculd be allowed to operate at low power in spite of this because of the staff's view that operation at low power posed essentially no risks. This is precisely the argument the Co= mission rejectec in the more

- heavily publicized Shoreham case. There, the Ccamission made clear that any departure from the safety regulations on _

power supplies could only be made ff the strict standards for a formal exemption were met.

The situatign at Grand Gulf is aggravated by the staff's decision to authorize the plant to operate for a number of weeks while one of its diesel generators is dismantled for examination. Normally, the plant would be required to shutdown within 72 hears.

~ As I was out of town. I urged Chairman Palladino not to permit operation of the plant unless the Commission was prepared to find that an exemption was warranted. I was especially concerned because of numerous outstanding problems at the plant including the adequacy of the license conditions and the operating staff. The Chairman called a mooting on the subject last Thursday. The Commission approved the staff's courne, thereby abandoning the position it had taken in the Shoreham case. Commissioner Anselstine dissented.

During the meeting, the staf f argued, in ef fect, that a failure to comply with basic safety regulations did not in 0506150626 05o205 PDR FOIA DELLD4 459 PDR t__. . _ _ _ _... . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____._ _ _ ____ __ _.___________ _ . _ _ _ . _ _ . _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ _ _

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itself require shutdown of a plant so long as the itaff's

, seat-of-the-pants judgment was that the public was

, adequately protected. So much for having a predictable 1

system bf regulations.

. These events are symptomatic of what has been going on at the Commission. It is essential that Congress maintain closh oversight of NRC's activities to keep the system of safety regulations from unraveling .

. sin e oly, 1

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. . V or Gilinsky l ' ' '. . Commissioner ,

i cc Rep. Manuel Lujan

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