ML20127M048
| ML20127M048 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Yankee Rowe |
| Issue date: | 11/02/1992 |
| From: | Steinbring G CITIZENS AWARENESS NETWORK |
| To: | Selin I, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20127C376 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9301280092 | |
| Download: ML20127M048 (2) | |
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- Sod-- 2 275-CITIZENS AW ARENESSTETWORK PO Box B3 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 (413) 625-9881 November 2, 1992 Commissioner Ivan Selin Nuclear kegulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
-1 Dent Comm2ssioner Selini We are seeking your intervention to end a practice ot
-excessive private accesr. by the nuclear-industry to your statt, access which circumvents public review and input of many issues critical to public protection against rndsatson exponure.
What we have seen since December of 1991 when Yankee spent-over two months pressuring your statt to approve very relaxed
" restart cr2teria" for Yankee Rowe and relaxed embrittlement standards for the industry-as a whole, 1s-a continuation:of-private contact with you and your staff that co2ncides with-obv2ous subsequent alterations in NHC policy, sneluding'the rewriting, by Yankee Atom 2c, of an NRC gener3c letter;on reactor vessel integrity.
This preterential' access.to you and your statt requires us to ask you to show us-why we should trust NRC' oversight et Yankee-Rowe decommissioning when Yankee Atomic is allowed to have such undue private int 3nence.
Specifically,.chortly niter' Yankee:was-tound to be exerting its influence over " restart criteria" torithe Howe reactor, your statt allowed Yankee Atomic to ed2t NRC genersc letter-92-01 2n such a way as to delete any reterences to Yankee's-attempts to minimize NRC scrutiny of reactor vessel-embrittlement.
!!o s t recently, Yankee has been allowed to: terminate its ottsite (community) emergency pinn-after-the N H C-._ d e te rmi n e d (even after'an NRC statter asked for the information) that-3b seismic evaluation of the fuel; pool war. not necessary and thnt the only " credible," rather than potential,'tuel pool
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accident would be the dropping ot n' f uel rod-resulting only Nu in on-site contam1 nation.
As far as we know,-the NRC has not Euw investigated the range of potential fuel pool accidents at
&N Yankee Bowe before' making this judgement to halt the nmo protection to our communities that did exist in otisite f $-
emergency preparedness plans.
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L om "N W We are also concerned that the reactor is being allowed to jfgf carry on a wide range of decontamination techn$ ques, many-wh2ch continue to release radionuclides into the Deertjeld
>tu River.
The Deerfield 1s a river along which are several 1 n which_over' 500,000- people shallow drinking water wellsjand 1
M RAnlh LRm aceGA9Aen there are
e s
along the river.
As you may know, this river cuts a deep river valley, to there is a marked tendency for airborn emissions to stny in the valley and f or any aerosolization et radio 2sotope6 to-also remain in the valley, We had high hopes last year, but we are appealing to you once again to began making your year old promise ter greater public input a reality.
We are asking that you h< further decontamination work at Yankee Rowe and hold full public hearings that also outline f:afety mear.urer being taken to protect unrkers and the public trom the possible. range of spent tue) poni accidents.
We will deepen our scrutiny of Yankee /NRC documents and continue to raise our concerns until your agency begins to protect rectetor communities more pro-actively.
Although we are sensitive to the $ssues in our immediate backyard, we_ teel it is most important that you finally and completely address reactor vessel problems and stop the continuing experiment with the at-least 74 potentially unsate and out-of-compliance embrittled reactors nationwide.
We are hoping for your immediate and complete response.
Sincerely, Gai) D.
Steinbring, President c
Hon. Peter Koctmayer Hon. John Olver Hon. John Dingle Hon..Ted Kennedy Hon. John Kerry Hon. Ed'Harkey Hon. Bernie Sandert Gov. William Weld Commissioner David Mulligan, Mass. Dept. of Public Health A. David hodham, Director Hass. Energency Mngmnt. Agency Carol Amick, Director, Mass. Low Level Waste.Hngmnt. Board Selectboards within and adjacent to the 10-mile EPZ zone
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