ML20136H496

Intervenor Exhibit I-TMIA-17,consisting of Undated Article, TMI Aides Said to Have Waited to Tell of Hazards

ML20136H496
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	11/28/1984
From:	Burnham D NEW YORK TIMES
To:
References
SP-I-TMIA-017, SP-I-TMIA-17, NUDOCS 8508200361
Download: ML20136H496 (2)

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cf the Me:s ipolitan Edinn Company, the Mr. Mehler, asked rather this week

' 4 operat:r ti the reactor, siid in response about th? report tI his July conversation.

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' t3inquirl . that he bc!!cved c!ficials had said thstit was som:what inse

• given the Government all significant in.

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he confirmed the company's curate concembut

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formation as soon as it was available. sbout an explosion.

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<31 W The incident at nree Mile Island is the 4 w worst actilent that has cecured in the Declines to Answer Question r , When asked whether his answer con-

-d civilfsaursof nuclear power.

i - firmed the understandmg that hydrogen

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The special group is not schedu!cd to make its report public until the end of rsa that ou!!no e 's s

• 12. Anc'her Investigatory group, the ter on the telephone because he had al.

ready ten questic..ed about it by Mr.

U.S. Investigators Distiftbed b y 'at.P1esident's Commiss!cn on the Accident Three Mile Is!snd, is holding its fina! Rogown's specialinvestigative team.

fset of closed meetings this weekend be. It was not until more than 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />

,: . Testimonyindicating Utility . tore submitt after the conversation described by Mr.

its rep rt to Presteent M**'"-** ' ' * * " '

Knew Data Show0d POfil l'*"*"* '"""a" "h ' * "'h' or early Friday m' 'ornmgthat 5d'Y Metro.

"*8 Barbara Jorgenson. public information pohtamson told be Nuclear Regula.

director of the President's commission, By DAVID BURNIIAM issid today that there would be no com. tory Commissfort that the company ~

thought the core had been uncovered,ac. .

semenese vunnme -. ment about the report yesterday in ne cordmg to the memory of both cornpany ,

' New York Times that the commission and Government officials.

WASHINGTON. Oct. M ~ Federst in

, vest!gsto". have obtained testimeny Indl.. ' had voted to recommend a morstenum Ed n oki = i is o l cating that some supervison at the nree on the construction of new reactors until in c arge of e e n Its proposals for improving nuclear operstlons at the crippled reactor, said

. Mile Island nuclear power plant fully safety had been adopted. he was sure that officists at Dree Mile.

comprehended on the first day of the ne moratorium, recommendation, Island had not decided that the core had

reactor accident there that the possible been uncovered until late nursday and ,

consequences were more serious than which could be reversed in meetings had imr..ediately passed on their conclu..

they were reporting to the Government. today, Sunday and Monday, would be a sien to the Government.

!considersble blow to the development of The investigsters are attempting to nuclear power in the United states even -

p.

determine whether some officials atthough the the panel's recommendation are

. reactor may have violated an ambfgious advisory. Such a recommendation would l .

. Federal requirement that they report

'dsngerous conditiens to the Government support the members of Congress seeking

• a morstenum isw and further discourage -

withm h hours after they are noted. B;tt, Wall Street from investing in nuclear !

• beyond the questien of legal liability, powerplants. 8=

i most experts agree that public sup;crt ne testimony about the first dsy of the

[% l the expectatien tha t both the Industry andfor nuclear power rests in 1stge accident was given by Drtan Mehler. s b{ '., Government regulators will rbergfo tth i hshift supervitor at the Dree Mile Isised '

• . and candid.

reactor nes r Hs rnsburg, Ps. Mr. Mehler The testimony tearing on the under. initia!!y discussed what some officists l standing cf officists at the Three Mile Is.

knew about the seriousness of the acci.

. land reacter on March 23, the first day of dent in a conversation with a Federal in.

'the accident, was recently obtained by: vestigstorJuly6.

the independent invest 1gstive group es.

Pumps Were AlreadyTurned On tablished by the Nuclear Regulatcry ~

Cornmission. De group, which is some. Accordmg to the notes of the investiga.

what akin to a spects! prosecutor, is tor, which have been obtained by The headed by Mitche!! Rogovin, a Washing. day . Times. Mr. Mehler said that on Wednes.

ton tawyer. afternoon, the first day of the sect.

dent, he was ordered not to turn on a set Accuracy ofinstruments of pumps that provide oil to '.he reactor coolant pumps. De order came after a Because of a combination of techn!cs! small exp!cslon of hydrogen in the reac.

and human failures, the reactor core did tothad been noted.

not receive enough cooling water to keep Mr. Meh!ct told the invest!gstor that he the fuel rods from melting, a!!owing told the supervisors that it was too late radicactivity to escape. He supervisors j, because he had stready turned them on.

received manyindicaticas in the first few hours that the core had lost a significant **Then someone said. *Well that means we don't have any more , hydrogen in amount of water, atteidmg to carher sc. mm, cenotes show, counts, which also rep 0rted that the cifi. Nuc! car experts said that Mr. Meh!ct's cists did r.ct believe the readmgs that account. if accurate, showed that at least sorne of theirinstruments provided. ' someof theMet'opolitan Edisonofficists

• The testimony pbtsmed by Mr. Rogo. were worried that turnmg on the pumps vin's staff, however,'Is the !!rst sugges. might cause an explosion because of the presence of hydrogenin the reactor, tion that the off!clals believed their in. Virtually the only way this hydrogen

] strurnents and understood the sfgmfi. could hsve been formed. the experts ssid.

cancecf theindicators. was if the uranium fuel rods had lost a

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sigmficant amount of the wster that is de. >

8508200361 841128 signed Io keep the fuel from melting. The 3 PDR ADOCK 05000289 react;on in the core that created tne hy.

O PDR drogen atso crested the radioactivtty that escaped into the resetor buidling, some of

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which was vented mto thesir outside. ,

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