ML20149E283

Responds to to DOE Forwarding E Wells Ltr Re Concerns About Effect of Conventional Bomb Hitting Nuclear Reactor During War.All Reactors Required to Protect Against Radiological Sabotage,Including External Assault

ML20149E283
Person / Time
Issue date:	12/29/1987
From:	Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Lagomarsino R HOUSE OF REP.
References
NUDOCS 8801130286
Download: ML20149E283 (7)

Text

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UNITED STATES

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DEC 2 9 387 The Honorable Robert J. Lagomarsino United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 I

Dear Congressman Lagomarsino:

The letter you forwarded to the Department of Energy on October 14, 1987, from Mrs. Ethel Wells, was referred to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission for action.

In her letter, Mrs. Wells expressed concern about the effect of a conventional bomb hitting a nuclear reactor during a war.

In your fonvarding letter you requested comment on the ability of nuclear facilities to survive blasts from conventional munitions and asked what security measures have been instituted to defend against incursions from the ground or air.

The Nuclear Regulatory Comission requires all licensed operating power reactors in this country to protect against possible acts of radiological sabotage, including the threat of determined violent external assault. These requirements are published in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 73 (a copy i

ofwhichisenclosed).

1 Licensees' safeguards systems are fonnidable and they typically include (1) exterior facility; (2) physical barriers and intrusion alarms to control access to the a system of badging, escorts, interior barriers, and alanned portals to control access within the facility, and (3) armed security forces and contingency planning arrangements with local law enforcement agencies.

However, licensees are not responsible for safeguarding against the effects of attacks and destructive acts by enemies of the United States or effects arising from the use or deployment of weapons incident to U.S. defense activities, (see the enclosed copy of 10 CFR 50.13). The national defense and internal security capabilities of this country constitute our basic safeguards with respect to possible hostile acts by an enemy of the United States. While this is the case, nuclear power reactors are required to be designed and constructed to withstand external hazards such as earthquskes, floods and tornadoes. Thus, inherent strength of the structures of these reactors would afford a certain degree of protection against most conventional weapons.

I hope this information will be helpful in responding to Mrs. Wells.

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PDR COMMS NRCC Victor'SteH o, Jr.

CORRESPONDENCE PDR Executive Director fl I?{ h (

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Enclosures:

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1, 10 CFR 73.1 d0 h!

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10 CFR 50.13 1

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION RULES and REGULATIONS TT.'LE is. CMAPTER 1, C00t Of ptDE AAL fit 0ULAT10sd8 - ENE R0Y g

73,1 73,1

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PART 73 PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF PLANTS AND MATERIALS W

M*""**** #f**'"*s hNa, Yostca sabot 3 F3.1 PWrPoes aM acope.

d es ets Nr,*,T,Nr"h'r,' "*g*

(a) Purpose. This part presenbe:

th' 73.72 Requirement for a rice nouce of requirements for the estabhahment and 73 1 Purpose and sMpment of special oudear material maintenance of a physical protection Wtion[ons.

73J system wh ch wiu baW capabilities for the protect { ion of special nuclear Interpretat MM Requtument for sovsnu not$ce 73J er a protect 3on of saport a ments 73 4 Communica tions.

of special auclear saaterial low material at fixed sites and in transit and stretesse se amcance.

734 Specific exemptions.

s of plants in which spedal nuclear 734 Exemptions for certain quantibes enc TM4 Requirement for advance notice kinda of special av. lear material

• a d P'1*n or import stupments materialis used. The foUowirts design 11e naformaison soueetion requirements:

Ns'i,,'eT *p*$th$". $."Mon besis threeta. where referenced in sections of this art,thaU be oms 8pproval on the physacal protectes of Nuclea, ens,t design safegue a systems to 73JD General performance requirements, m terial.

useo Infereemset protect against acts of radiological T3.21 Requirements for the Protecoon sabotage and to prevent the theft of of Safeguards Informadon.

r3Jo V6olation spedal nudear material:

73,3 pm,,*

(1) Radio icalSobotage. (i} A Physical prasaal== el Spedal Nedear Appen&x A--United States Nuclear determined olent external assault, e,,

Mater 6alla Treast Regulatory Comaluice Regional Omces attack by stealth, or deceptive actions.

Appendix B-General CMteria for Securtry of several persons with the following 71J4 Performance capabibues for physical personnel attributes, assistance and equipment; protection of strates:c spedaj nuclear Appendix C-Ucensee Safeguards (A) way trained (including military snaterialin transit, Contingency iau training and skille) and dedicated p

73Je Transpo-tation physical protection Appen&x Mysical Protectjon of 3 ladividuals (B)inside assistance which

{svbyyms, cymponenta, and ated R o ue inTransit Trsining :: may laclude a knowledgeable indavidual

{ who attempts to efpate in a passive 73E Notincation requiremente.

Appendas E-tevens of phrsical >totecuon

. rok (e.34 rovid information), an active 73R Requiremeny for physical protection To n. Apphee in laternsuona of irredanted reactor fwlin trans1L Trsnapart of Nuclear Metartai role (e 3, cilitate entrance and exit, Phyeka! Prosarei== R" -- ^ et h ad MP'*8's F-Nadons That An parues so disable alarms and communications, Nr*mcNi$cE"N'Nessear partidpa in violent attack), or both,

1. 88

1. 8 P

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848 ' *"*3 bud b d a'uto F3.so Physical protectiort General e esPons, requirements at haed sites.

equippe with auencers and havit:3 1

7348 Performance capabLbtles for thed alta 'h Authority: Seca.13.10L to Stat am en se effective long range accuracy. (D) hand-Pb sicalprotection.

afrended, sec 147,94 Sist 700(42 US C carried eq alpment,induding 73 44 imed site physical protection eyetems-2073.2167 M 6 as a W h incapacita agentsanda losives for embeysterna, componente and procedures.

se Stat tan as amended,1343 (42 US C use as toola entry or for o erwise 732n Requirements for physical protection of heeued activtues st4L a6441 destroying reactor, facility, transporter, 73M Requirements for physical protection Section 73J7(f) also issued under ses 301,

'er container bt@ or featurn of the of beensed netivities in nuclear power Pub. L stes.94 Stat ras (42 Uit 5641 saf ards systm ud eoectors saatast redaological sabotage.

8bote). Section 7347 is hswd under ses 006, (ifl Aninternalthreat of aninside' incitiding an em! version offormuloleye 7137 Raquirements for enainal history j Puh L es-see and sec.tett es Stat Set (42 l

• • • of ledeviduah granted ensecorted

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(2) Theft orD I

S as acanes so a audsar Power facihty ce acrees

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pgese Quantitiee of Strategic Specia/ Nuclear IN A 8'*r88I*for** % Patt 3 nm are laswd neder sec. ieth es Stat on asaaalt, attack by staalth, or deceptive ee ernended (42 US C. 231[b)). Il nJo actions, by a smau group with the 73A0 Additional requinments for the 73 R Fa n 73 2 n r.73r,r m n n foUowing attributes. assistance and physical protecnon of special nuclear 73 m um. nas, and nr are tashder equipment:(A) Well tralned (induding ecc,191L es Stat 94a. as amended 142 US C Phrdcal Protect 6ce of Spedal Nucinar

• Wili)): and i173J0(cMIL 73J4lb)(ik military training and skiUs) and beatorial of Moderate and Law Seelegic 73Ja(b)(3). (hXsk and SX4).73r(s) and fbt dedicated individuals. (B)inside 73rifk n 40(b) and (d). n 46ls)l6) and fh)(2),

assistance which may include a 7347 1Jcensee amed site ar5d in-transit F330(g)l2) (3Xili)(B) a nd (h). 73.3Saf)(2). and knowledgeable individual w he attempts requirements for the physJeal protection (4)(lliXB). 73.Ftt n n M.n are iseved under

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of special nuclear matenal of moderate sec seso, se Stat S50. as amended (42 US.C and low atrategic sigruncance.

221[o. Receeds and Repeets 73.70 Records. 13.n aer ria of.a.ccoanieno. "y p m June 30,1987 w.

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,,p 6t .~ ,n .t.',. .s n e.... u.. s s.- 10 CPR Ch.1 (1 147 Edition) Nucl+er Reevletery Commissten gg i lH.12 Speere aseseydeas, (1) Whether conduct of the proposed Cusstr2cartow axo Descurrion or (s) The Commisalon may, upon ap-activities till give rise to a alanificant puesthn by any interested person or adverse impact on the environment Laczmss.s apon its cwn initiative, grant exemp-and the nature and extent of such 3 H.n Two,1 of13ceu., Lions fro'n the requirements of the impact. if ant. egulations of this part, which am (2) Whether redress of any adverse IJeenses viu be lasued to named per. sons applying to the Commiulon (1) Authorised by law, wiU not environment impact frozn conduct of therefor, and a1H be either class 104 or 2 resent an undue risk to the pubut the proposed activides can reasonably class 103. sealth and safety, and are consistent be effected should such redress be nee. rtth the common defense and securi.

sesary, 8 HJ1 Claea 164 ticemees; for medical (3) Whether conduct of the proposed th*P1 (2) The Comminaion wDI not conald.

activities would foreclose subsequent fac1 Dues.""d '****A ^^d delopment hI"" cesNfr un! adoption of alternatives;and A class 10411eense wiU be issued to (4) The effect of delay in conducting an appilcant who quaufles, for any one nt. p ircumstances are present whenever-such acth1 des on the public interest, or more of the foDostnt: to transfer or d) Appucation of the regulation in includng the power needs to be used receive in interstate commerce, manu. he parucular circumstances confUcts by the proposed faciljty, the availab!]. factun, produce, transfer, acquire, rlth cther rules or requirements of ity of alternadve sources. If any, to possess, or use. he Commtanton; or (11) Appuestion of the regulation in meet those needs on a timely basis and (a) A utinsation faciuty for use in he particular circumstances would delay costs to the appUcant ard to snedical therapy; or consumers. (bX1) A production or utilization fa. he or n a to achieve as ance mch an exempdot2 shau was p to s be underlying Putpose of the rule; or not be deemed to constitute a commit-Uon 104b of the Act prior to December ment to issue a construction permit. 19,1970; e o ot r that a During the period of any exemption ignificantly in excess of those con. granted pursuant to this paragraph (2) A production or utilization fac!D. rmpir.ted when the regulation was (b), any acthttles conducted than be ty for industrial or commercial pur. poses constructed or operated under dopted, cr that are significanUy in canted Mt in nch a manner as wnl an arrsagement *102 U2e Mministra. scess of those incurred by others m'n'mW or reduce their environmen. tion entered into under the Coopera. milarly situated; or tal impact. (iv) The szemption would result in Un hwer Reactor Demonstradon enefit to the pubuc health and safety tram, except as otherwise specift. site, naar. 3,19u; 60 FR 60777 Dec, utred by appUcable law; and sat compensates for any decrease in 12,1H5) (3 Liety that may result frozn the grant production or utuisatlon facill. ty fo Ladustrial or commercial pur. I the exemption; or (v) The exemption would provida 8 H.13 Attacks and destructive acts by on. poses hen specifically authorized by omnica of the Uansed States; and defense law,, aly temporary reDet from the appu actirtues. (c) A 'roduction or utilization facill. p g i th i > oomply with the regulation; or struct and o te a produ on or UzAtton incility, or for an amendment [ P M I &A[ 0 to such license, is not required to pro-o 1 the Act, anc which is not

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a he regulation was adopted for whic vide for design features or other eness-type spe lfled in paragraph (b) of this section t in i 60.22* cculd be in the pubbe interest t uns !or tM spe@c pm of ph ant an czemption. If such conditic uon against the effects of (a) attacks (42 U Al 31H-21H. 223t; sec.141, ma reded on exclusively for satisfyir t and destructin acts, including sabo. amended Pub.1. a3-703, sa Stat. H8 (42 UAC. 22 It sec. 301 ma ameMed. P.th 1. warraph (aX2) of this section, t1 e tare, directed art!nst the facility by 38-4H. 84 stat.1343 (43 UAC. 6841n temption may not be granted uni 1 an enemy of the United States, wheth. le Executive Director for Operatiol s er a foreign government or other FR 18145 Dec. 3. IM6; 35 FR IH59. Dec. 29. tal FR 3 5.Jan.19.1958. ma amended at 31 na consulted with the Commtulon. person, or (b) use or deployment of 1870;38 1 R 11448. Mas 8.1973; 43 FR 89H. (b) Any person may request an e, weapons incident to U.S. defense ac. Feb.17,1 ill option permitting the conduct of a tJvities. bitles prior to the issuance of a co 9 H.22 ( inas 103 Incenses; for comunercial ruction permit prohibited by 150.1 (32 FR 13445. Sept. 36,1H71 and idustrial facillues. be Commianton may grant such a nmption upon considering and be, A cl 103 lleense will be issued, to icing the fouosing factors: an a cant who Quall'les. for any one l or te of the following. To transfer ( 7' ro VA * ,y d s. ,. :. ~ ~ ...w r .~

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/*g' e tuouq'o,, ,e UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION a p, E WASHING TON, D. C. 20655 M l} ugg) Ig' / h 9 = y\\ f EDO PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDFNCE CONTROL 5 w FROM: DUE: 12/09/97 EDO CONTROL: 003315 DOC DT: 10/14/87 REP. ROBERT J. LAGOMARSINO FINAL REPLY: TO: DOE FOR SIGNATURE OF: OREEN SECY NO: 1344 E..ICUTIVE DIRECTOR DESC: ROUTINO: ENCLOSES LETTER FROM ETHEL WELLS CONCERNINO MURLEY NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ABILITY TO WITHSTAND MURRAY MUNITION OR COMPARABLE BLASTS DATE: 11/24/87 ASSIGNED TO: NMSS CONTACT: THOMPSON SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS: 1E Wan Due to Na Irector's Ottice l By _ y e7 4 4//4d3 ACTION DUE TO NRR DIRECTOR'S OFFICE Naa ReCeIveo: NOveMacR 27, 1987 ACTION: ~ DRIS:PARTLOW 9 BY how 9, /17_7 i NRR ROUTING: MURLEY/SNIEZEK 4-f -,_r_~ MIRAGLIA STAROSTECKI GILLESPIE j THOMAS BLAHl. MOSSBURG ~

'e' OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER: CRC-87-1344 LOGGING DATE: Nov 20 87 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: R.J. Lagomarsino--Const Ref AFFILIATION: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES I LETTER DATE: Nov 13 87 FILE CODE: ID&R-6 Haz Eval i

SUBJECT:

Nuclear power plants ability to withstand munition or comparable blasts ACTION: Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION: OCA to Ack SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES: Ethel Wells -- DOE Referral DATE DUE: Dec 4 87 SIGNATURE: DATE SIGNED: AFFILIATION: Pec'd Off. EDO Date _ ll J +-P 7 Time _. } >& goo --- 003315

'. ~ s ,,8QBERT'J. CAGOMARSINO COMMITTEE ON

• 197H.DittPICT, C ALIFORNIA FOREIGN AFFAIRS

$US(oww11ttl WESTERN HEM $PH(RE MF AIRS 2332,RAYOURN ButLDiNG vus CaA4wa= WaswiNctow. DC 20515 Collgregg of (IJc htteb Sptated 2 a.225-3

• i A s > ~ ~, A-C - -S CourERENCE SECRETARY COMMITTEE ON g

CONGRESSIONAL OBSERVER AF F AIRS GENEVA ARMS CONTROL TALKS MluSIjiligtOn, DC 20515 ,me.,. n... CONGRES$lONAL TASK FORCE ON INSUt AR AND INTERNAinON AL AFF AIRS AFGH ANIST AN-CO CHAIRM AN VK s C*a_4wam " *'$^AIRMglORCE 14 0etober 1987 $^oN '^a* 5 ^*o ru8c '*No S ^s ves C a.swas.-Pa.a s Mr. Theodore J. Garrish Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs Department of Energy Room 7B-138 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20585

Dear Mr. Garrish:

Please find enclosed a letter I received from my constituent, Mrs. Ethel Wells of Santa Barbara, California regarding the cecurity of U.S. nuclear facilities. I have corresponded frequently with Mrs. Wells about nuclear and arms control issues and would appreciate it if you would comment on the survivab._ili_tv of nuclear facilities from conventional munitions or comparat1e__ blasts. For 2 the_waT1s ofXreTctorFWhat. _securitv Tx a_ mp1Eh~ow_itToTg _ a r.e.ITu t _e_d_t o dif end_Ag Ai n_si. i n cu r.s i o.n s_f ~ mea,sur4s_have been_ inst ground,or_ai_r? I would also appreciate any other information you believe would be of assistance in responding to my constituent Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Sincer(ly, / } y e m k ~ 3. ro con ss jie Enclosure l i ) ni7 87073/afj

DEFI.0?ENEF.GY EXECUTIVE SECREirJh1 013131 870C719 Pilla.cl 0 4 I 'e', i g' e

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• ~b ETilEL R. WELLS 4089 L AGO DRIVE I

S A N TA B A R B A R A, C A LIFO R NI A $ 3110 September 25, 1987 L [q9 The Honorable Robert J. Lagomarsino U 2332 Rayburn Bldg. g Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Lagomarsino:

Your letter of September lith still does not address the problem of uncontrollable fall-out from nuclear explosions of any kind whatso-ever. It's the fall-out that has deterred both the United States and the Soviet Union from using nuclear weapons, not the retaliation poss-ibilities. That is what makes nuclear weapons totally useless. Conventional weapons are now also capable of creating fall-out in countries with nuclear reactors. The United States and the Soviet Union have the most nuclear reactors. The Chernobyl accident was extremely minor compared to one conventional bomb hitting a nuclear reactor. The result is uncontrollable fall-out which affects every nation on earth. We can no longer think in tenns of surviving from any war between the major nations. The basic premise must be based on cooperation to prevent an accidental nuclear holocaust so we can have the time to reconcile our differences around discussion tables, because the whole world would be the battle field in any type of nuclear explosion due to the uncontrollable fall-out. The SDI would not be a shield against nuclear fall-out. That's why I object to the huge cost of SDI, The earth has become very small. The fall-out will get us one and all.* Sincerely, O, d. '.e Ethel R. Wells ERW:jeh

• Please note enclosure confirming this considered opinion.

!fomJ#.

t . Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 x 3 t NOV I 31987 t Honorable Robert J. Lagomarsino House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Lagomarsino:

This will acknowledge your recent letter in which you referred a letter from your constituent: Mrs. Ethel Wells 4085 Lago Drive Santa Barbara, California 93110 Because the subject of your constituent's letter does not fall within the purview of the Department of Energy, we have forwarded your letter to: Mr. Frank Ingram Assistant to the Director Office of Public Affairs Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Sincerely, a# f 'bbs ?rA /4btsfMT&k Bennie Betancourt Director of Special Projects Office of the Executive Secretariat l ) .)}}