ML20134E185
| ML20134E185 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/31/1997 |
| From: | Miraglia F NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | Stillman A CONNECTICUT, STATE OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9702060073 | |
| Download: ML20134E185 (5) | |
Text
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January 31, 1997 The Honorable Andrea L. Stillman Connecticut House of Representatives Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Dear Ms. Stillman:
I am responding to your letter of October 28, 1996, to President Clinton which was referred to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for response.
In your letter, you expressed concerns abou+ the NRC's oversight of aging nuclear power plants, the effectiveness of the NRC, and the safe storage of high-level nuclear waste on a permanent basis.
With respect to your concern regarding aging nuclear power plants, the NRC has performed studies to investigate issues involving plant aging.
For.the most part, all these studies find that the regulatory process has been and will continue to be successful in dealing with degradation and aging issues.
In the early 1980s the NRC recognized the potential impact of plant aging phenomena on the continued safe operation of nuclear power plants and focused its attention on how to best identify and resolve the various technical issues relating to plant aging.
In 1985, the NRC established the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program plan to investigate the phenomena of plant aging.
With industry interest in plant life extension increasing, the NRC established a Technical Integration Review Group for Aging and Life Extension (TIRGALEX),
which subsequently identified issues related to systems, structures, and components that are susceptible to aging and that could have a negative effect on safety; degradation processes; testing, surveillance, and maintenance requirements; and requirements for tvaluating residual life.
TIRGALEX concluded that many aging phenomena are readily managed and do not pose major technical safety issues not only for the current operating term, but also for a period of extended operation, provided that necessary compensatory measures are effectively implemented. Although the TIRGALEX effort has been concluded and the NPAR program is virtually complete, the NRC continues to systematically study the safety of our aging nuclear power plants in support of operating plant maintenance and plant life extension activities. These efforts look at the most recent operating experience, technical reports submitted by industry, and continuing research generated by the NPAR program.
Evidence to date from these efforts indicates that there are no new aging l
issues that are not currently being addressed by the regulatory process, f
With respect to the effectiveness of the NRC, we rely on inspection and plant 083 assessment programs to identify adverse trends in safety performance of nuclear power plants in the United States.
On the bases of inspection program
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i The Honorable A. Stillman i 4
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results, plant performance reviews, and o.ther evaluation mechanisms, including a Senior Management Meeting review process, the NRC can take appropriate action to protect public health and safety.
1 Although the overall safety performance of U.S. commercial reactors during the 1
i 1990s has been good and generally continues to improve, recent events at several operating reactors underscore a need for heightened concern and regulatory improvement.
Certain NRC assessments have found that plant deficiencies may be influenced by two closely related considerations, economic pressure to be a low-cost energy producer and lack of a questioning attitude, 1
the latter a necessary component of a proper safety culture.
With closer examination of warning signs of declining performance, and with more regulatory focus at an earlier stage, the NRC should be able to focu: licensee l
attention on effective and timely corrective actions, before the situation has 3
declined to an unacceptable status.
NRC organizational and procedural changes are now being considered and, in some cases, implemented to better diagnose and respond to declining trends in licensee safety performance.
5 Another area the NRC will improve is design-basis inspections.
Recent experience shows that the NRC stopped doing design-basis inspections too soon, relying instead on the nuclear power industry to address problems with conformance to the licensing basis and maintaining proper design control.
The i
NRC must, and does, rely on the nuclear indus'ry because licensees have the primary responsibility for the safe operation of their facilities.
- However, it is our responsibility to regulate, to set appropriate safety requirements, and to insist upon compliance with existing requirements.
In this regard, NRC staff is returning to an increased use of inspections to review actual design-basis documentation and its use in plant modifications and operation.
We have requested submissions from all operating reactor licensees regarding their plant design control programs and will use this information in planning these inspections.
In a broader context, the NRC is presently engaged in a Strategic Assessment and Rebaselining of all NRC activities.
A principal outcome of this process will be a new strategic plan that will establish a framework to guide future NRC decision-making.
A key strategic issue is the Operating Reactor Oversight Program and the Role of the Industry.
Although the Commission is currently considering these issues, the Commission's preliminary view is that the'NRC should continue its ongoing comprehensive review to identify any areas that need to be strengthened.
This would entail developing mechanisms to provide for a systematic reexamination of the reactor oversight program to ensure its continued effectiveness.
You expressed concern regarding the resolution of the safe storage of high-level radioactive waste on a permanent basis and that temporary onsite storage at nuclear plants has been going on far too long. As directed by Congress, the Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating whether it is feasible to construct a disposal facility for high-level nuclear waste deep underground at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
The NRC is providing regulatory oversight to ensure adequate orotection of public health and safety.
Even though a license
The Honorable A. Stillman ~
i application for a repository will not be submitted before 2002, we are already working closely with DOE to identify potential safety issues and steps needed to resolve them.
On the basis of what we know today, a deep geologic repository seems to be a technically feasible solution to the problem of permanently disposing of spent fuel and other high-level radioactive waste in the United States.
Until a repository for safe disposal becomes available, the Commission has found that there is reasonable assurance that high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel will continue to be managed in a safe manner.
The Commission also found that there is reasonable assurance that spent fuel generated at reactors can, if necessary, be stored safely and without significant environmental impact for at least 30 years beyond the expiration of the currently-licensed reactors' operating licenses in the reactors' spent fuel storage basin, or in either onsite or offsite independent spent fuel storage installations.
I hope this information is responsive to your concerns.
Sincerely,
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Acting Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l
l cc:
- Is. Sue J. Smith Director, Agency Liaison Room 6, OE0B The White House Washington, D.C. 20500
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Distribution:
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HThompson, EDO EJordan, ED0 JBlaha, EDO PNorry, EDO HMiller, RI CPaperiello, NMSS 0-A23 FMiraglia, NRR 4
AThadani, NRR RZimmerman, NRR BSheron, NRR 0-7D26 WTravers, NMSS 0-6F18 TMartin, NRR DMatthews, NRR PMilano, NRR
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I (HE WHITE HOUSE WAS H I N GTO N l
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SUE J.
SMITH i
DIRECTOR, AG IAISON
SUBJECT:
REFERRAL OF CASEWORK l
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- I am forwarding the attached letter to your office for appropriate action.
Please send us a copy of your written response or your telephone report along with the writer's l
original correspondence and envelope to the following address:
l l
Ms. Sue J. Smith Director, Agency Liaison l
Room 6, OEOB I
The White House
-Washington, D.C.
20500 4
l If you have any quistions, call my office at 202/456-7486.
Thank you for your help.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING ROOM 4000 HARTFORD, CONN. 06106-1591 REPRESENTATIVE ANDREA L.STILLMAN THIRTY EIGHTH DISTRICT VICE CHAIR 5 COOLIDGE COURT ONIN WE WATERFORD. CONNECTICUT 06385 MEMBER HOME 20 3 8568 CAPITOL (860) 240-8585 TOLL FREE 1-800 842-8267 October 28, 1996 The Honorable William J. Clinton President United States of America 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. President:
Thank you for the opportunity to meet you on October 7,
in Stamford, Connecticut at the Business Leaders Forum.
It was an honor to be a part of that event and chat with you for a moment.
I am one of the small business owners in Connecticut that supports your business initiatives, as well as a member of the Connecticut General Assembly, and running for re-election on your ticket.
When we met I handed you one of my cards with some notes about the concerns we have in Connecticut in reference to the. safety of our 4 nuclear energy power plants, 3 of them are in my legis.Lative district and all of them are on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission watch list.
I understand that all the nuclear plants are being scrutinized by the NRC, under the direction of Dr. Shirley Jackson, who toured our plants and met with the public on August 6,
1995.
She made it clear that she is making changes at the NRC under her new leadership and we were encouraged by her visit.
Be that as it may, there are concerns that the NRC and the nuclear power industry have been too cozy and the NRC has created many of the problems by not being objective and scrutinizing the power plants more closely.
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The Honorable William J.
Clinton October 24, 1996 Page 2 Also, as the plants are being decommissioned over the next 10 years one unplanned immediately, the issue of the permanent storage of high level nuclear waste must be addressed and resolved now.
The temporary on site storage at the nuclear plants has been going on far too long.
I am urging you to place high on your _ priority list a _ stud _Qi the 3
uafsty of_our_ aging nuclear _ energy _plantsn._the_e_f fectiveness__of thh E; and --a_ resolution of. how-we_can.. safely _ store _our_ high_ ley _ql j
- nucleary aste_on a_ permanent basis,_, I know you are threatening to veto the latest bill on permanent storage if it comes to your desk.
Thank you for your consideration.
i Sincerely,
.pff Andrea L.
Stillman State Representative i
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l The Honorable A. Stillman.
You expressed concern regarding the resolution of the safe storage of high-level radioactive waste on a permanent basis and that temporary onsite storage at nuclear plants has been going on far too long. As directed by Congress, the Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating whether it is feasible to construct a disposal facility for high-level nuclear waste deep underground at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
The NRC is providing regulatory oversight to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety.
Even though a license application for a repository will not be submitted before 2002, we are already 4
working closely with DOE to identify potential safety issues and steps needed to resolve them. On the basis of what we know today, a deep geologic repository seems to be a technically feasible solution to the problem of permanently disposing of spent fuel and other high-level radicactive waste in the United States.
Until a repository for ' safe disposal becomes available, the Commission has found that there is reasonable assurance that high-level radioactive waste and 1spent fuel will continue to'be inanaged in a safe manner.
The Commission also found that there is reasonable assurance that spent fuel generated at reactors can, if necessary,' be stored safily'and without significant environmental impact-for:at*least 30 years'beyond the expiration of the currently-licensed reactors' operating ' licenses _ in the reactors' spent fuel storage basin, or in s
either onsite or offsite independent spent fuel storage installations.
I hope this,information:is responsive to your concerns.
t Sincerely, Original signed 17 p J. Miraglia
-rank J. Miraglia, Acting Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l
cc: Ms. Sue J. Smith Director, Agency Liaison Room 6, OE0B The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 DOCUMENT NAME: A:\\GT97001.LTR Distribution (see next page)
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