ML20151X941

Responds to Expressing Concerns Re Restart of Facility.Emergency Plans in Place That Include Measures for Evacuation of Plume Exposure Pathway EPZ

ML20151X941
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	08/18/1988
From:	Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To:	Dwight G SCITUATE, MA
Shared Package
ML20151X946	List: ML20151X941 ML20151X947
References
NUDOCS 8808260157
Download: ML20151X941 (4)

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• • • • • TTMartin CHAIRMAN FMjp3g}j3 FGillespie FCongell WTravers RHogan FKantor Mr. Gerald E. Dwight, Chairman LCunningham Board of Selectmen, Town of Scituate RJBarrett 600 Chief Justice Cushing Highway ED0 3841 Scituate, Massachusetts 02066 DMessburg Mcoons

Dear Mr. Dwight:

Central Files PDR I am responding to your letter of June 29, 1988, in which you expressed the concerns of the Town of Scituate's Board of Selectmen regarding the restart of the/ Pilgrim;. Nuclear Power Station. The issues you identifieo have been and will continue to be monitored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I want to assure you that the NRC will not permit the Pilgrim plant to resume operation until we determine that the licensee is ready and capable of resuming safe operations and that the public health and safety is protected.

Our determination whether to restart Pilgrim will involve con-sideration of the adequacy of emergency preparedness. Contrary to your understanding, however, emergency plans are in place that thclude measures for evacuation of the Pilgrim plume exposure pathway emergency planning zone (EPZ), which is about 10 miles in radius. Since August 1987, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the five towns within the EPZ. and the two designated reception center towns of Bridgewater and Taunton have undertaken extensive efforts to improve emergency plans and procedures as a result of FEMA findings. A location in the town of Wellesley has been tenta-tively selected as a site for a third reception center for residents of the Pilgrim EPZ. If implemented, this reception center would be designated for the citizens of the towns of Duxbury and Marshfield. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is currently conducting a feasibility study to determine whether or not Wellesley is a suitable site for a reception center. The Town of Scituate is not designated a reception center community in the revised emergency plans for Pilgrim. You may wish to centact the Massachusetts officials in charge of emergency planning for more detailed information.

With respect to your concern about obtaining the results of the health study underway on the incidence of leukemia, the NRC has concluded on the basis of the existino data that we would not be justified in delaying our determination on whether or not to 3

Originated: NRR: Hogan

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a 2-allow the restart of the Pilgrim plant pending completion of this study. The enclosed March 29, 1988 letter to Senator Kennedy provides the basis for this conclusion.

I hope this response will resolve your concerns. Concerns that are brought to the attention of NRC by local communities contribute to our efforts to protect the health and safety of the public. If you have further questions, please contact me or Mr. William T. Russell, Regional Administrator, Region I, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prus' iia, Pennsylvania 19406 (Telephone: (215) 337-5299).

Sincerely, hLandoW.

W. Z h,J

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Enclosure:

As stated i

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FROM: DUE: OJ 228 EDO CONTROL: OOO384A DOC DT: 06/29/88 FINAL REPLY:

Gerald E. Dwight, Chairman Board of Selectmen Town of Scituate, Massachusetts f'

TO:

' Chairman Zech FOR SIGNATURE OF: ** PRI ** CRC NO: 88-0651 Chairman DESC: ROUTING:

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EXPRESSES THE CONCERNS OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN Stello l Taylor IN THE TOWN OF SCITUATE IN THE MATTER OF ANY PLANNED REOPENING OF THE PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER Rehm l PLANT Russell DATE: 07/19/88 U

ASSIGNED TO: CONTACT:

NRR Murley f- , ,

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

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NRR RECEIVED: JULY 19, 1988 ACTION: DREP:CONGEL NRR ROUTING: MURLEY/SNIEZEK '

MIRAGLIA MARTIN GILLESPIE

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. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER: CRC-88-0651 LOGGING DATE: Jul 18 88 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: G.E. Dwight AFFILIATION: MA (MASSACHUSETTS)

LETTER DATE: Jun 29 88 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 Pilgrim

SUBJECT:

Express concerns of the Board 0FSelectment in the Town of Scituate in the matter of any planned reopening of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant ACTION: Signature of Chairman DISTRIBUTION: RF , Docket, OGC SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES:

DATE DUE: Aug 1 88 SIGNATURE: . DATE SIGNED:

AFFILIATION:

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'% * * . . . J CHAIRMAN March 29, 1988 The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Committee on Labor and Human Resources United States Senate Washington, D. C.

Dear Mr. Chairman:

I am responding to your February 17, 1983 letter, in which you expressed concern regarding both the process we adopted to reach a decision on the restart of the Pilgrim Power Station and the possible timing of that decision. You also offered five specific recommendations for our consideration that in your view would remedy the defects you perceive in our procedures.

The Commission ultimately must decide whether to authorize the Pilgrim plant to restart. We must do so based on the best information available to us and with full awareness of our responsibility for the protection of the public health Our and safety. We take this responsibility very seriously.

staff is carefully monitoring the progress of the Boston Edison Company in addressing the issues that must be resolved prior to restart. We believe we are taking the necessary steps to assure ourselves that the Pilgrim plant will not restart unless and until we are fully satisfied that the licensee is ready and capable of resuming safe operations and that the public health and safety is protected.

Our detailed responses to your recommendations are enclosed.

We believe that the information provided in our recent correspondence and in the enclosure to this letter eddresses the concerns that you raised.

Sincerely, od e W. (4 Lando W. Zech Jr.

Enclosure:

Responses to Recommendations cy*Q D 1L ~ ~ - .

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RESPONSES TO RECOM4ENDATIONS Recomendation 1. Until we receive satisfactory answers to the question whether there is a link between cancer and nuclear power, the Pilgrim plant should not be pemitted to restart.

Response 1. The NRC staff has reviewed the epidemiological study entitled, "Mealth 5tirveillance of the Plymouth Area,' which was perfonned by the Massachusetts Department of Health and referenced in the enclosure to your letter. The study reports detecting an increased incidence of leukemia cases in five towns in the vicinity of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. Because many factors other than the Pilgrim plant could cause this increase, the authors of the study state that the cause of the increased incidence has not been detemined. The staff agrees with the authors' statement.

The effects of radiation on living systems have been studied for decades by individual scientists as well as by select comittees that have been formed to objectively and independently asse s the risks from radiation. These studies were considered in the development of the public health and safety limits that apply to the Pilgrim plant, as well as to other nuclear power plants. The studies have not detected a statistically significant increase in cancer for doses and dose rates nomally encountered in the vicinity of nuclear power plants. However, as a prudent measure, the NRC staff assumes that there is &

linear relation between cancer and low doses of radiation. NPC limits are selected so that the statistical probability of risk is extredsly low.

We are also aware of the National Institutes of Health's involvecent in studying the adverse effects of low-level ionizing radiation. We support the I

need to further define the effects of this phenomenon, but we believe it will be several years before the results of these studies will be available. We look famard to incorporating those results into the body of data already available on this subject.

Thus, the staff has found that on the basis of the substantial data available in the area of health effects from exposure to radiation, it is not appropriate to delay restarting the Pilgrim plant pendino completion of further study to determine if there is a link between certain types of cancer and cocinercial nuclear power generation.

Recommendation 2. Until there is an evacuation plan which is approved by the Federal Emergency Management A ency (FEMA) and is acceptable to the Comonwealth of Massachusetts, the plant should not be pemitted to restart.

Response 2. The NRC will not pemit the Pilgrim facility to resume operation until corrective actions satisfactory to NRC have been taken to address the emergency planning deficiencies identified by FEMA. The NRC will give special attention to the corrective actions involving the emergency plans for schools and day care centers, as well as for special needs and transport-dependent populations in the plume exposure pathway emergency planning zone. Before allowing Pilgrim to restart, the NRC will recuire some demonstration that critical aspects of the emergency plan can be adequately implemented.

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2 Under the NRC's regulatory franiework, whether an outstanding emergency planning deficiency delays restart will depend on the gravity of the deficiency, the nature of any compensatory actions, and progress toward correction of the deficiency. Thus, it may be that restart can be authorized with some emergency planning issues not fully resolved. For Pilgrim, the restart decision will be l

made by the Commissioners.

Recomendation 3. Members of the Comission should make an on-site visit to the Pilgrim plant to assess for themselves the merits of the serious health and safety problems which have been raised.

Response 3. The Comissioners have been personally and directly involved in the consideration of the Pilgrim issues. Chairman Zech and three other Comissioners made visits to Pilgrim during 1987. One Comissionce met in State offices with State officials to hear their concerns about Pilgrim. At this time, there are no additional Comissioner visits to Pilgrim scheduled in 1988.

Recomendation 4. Prior to any consideration of whether the Pilgrm plant should be permitted to restart, Comission members should convene a public meeting to receive first-hand testimony from State and local officials and experts from the Plymouth area.

Response 4. As described in our letter of November 20, 1987, the NRC is '

holding several meetings in the Plymouth area regarding Pilgrim. These meetings are open to the public and are structured to allow the broadest possible public participation. The most recent of these meetings was held on February 18, 1988, and provided an opportunity for State and local officials, as well as members of the public, to provide their views to the staff. The comonwealth was consulted and agreed to the scheduling and purpose of these meetings but did not participate, although approximately 50 members of the public did provide coments regarding the Pilgrim Restart Plan and other matters of individual concern. We intend to conduct followup public meetings in the Plymouth area to discuss the disposition of coments and concerns raised during the February 18, 1988 meeting. The Comonwealth would be free, of course, to participate in any of these follow-on meetings if it chooses to do so, and we urge the Comonwealth and local officials to provide whatever infomation they believe should be considered by the Comission in making a restart decision.

The Comission is continuina to involve Comonwealth and local officials, and leaders of local citizens groups, with respect to the restart issues at Pilgrim. On February 9,1988, a senior member of the NRC staff met with the Massachusetts Assistant Secretary of Public Safety, State Senator William Golden, and others to discuss the Comission's approach toward the restart readiness assessment of Pilgrim. An additional meeting with Senator Golden and others who submitted a July 1986 10 CFR 2.206 Petition is planned.

In sumary, the staff has provided and is continuing to afford the opportunity for ample public participation.

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Recomendation 5. Finally, I request that in my capacity as Chairman of the Senate Comittee on Labor and Human Resources, with experience concerning, and responsibility for, the health and safety issues involved. I be given the opportunity to appear before the Comission to present information on this issue, prior to any Comission deliberation on the question whether the Pilgrim plant should be pensitted to restart.

Resoonse 5. Although the Comission does plan to hold one or more public meetings in Rockville, Maryland, concerning the restart of the Pilgrim plant, it is difficult at this time to predict when these meetings might be scheduled.

The structure for the meetings will be established at tae appropriate time and, if official and public appearances are planned, we would be pleased to have you appear before the Comission to present your views.

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=.* 20 Wale E KENNEDY innseessumme

- &lteh 6tateif Senate WASHINGTON. DC 20610 February 17, 1988 Wr. Lando W. Zech, Jr.

Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Mr. Chairman:

I am sure that Commission staff have brought to your attention the highlights of our recent Senate Labor Committee hearing in Plymouth, Massachusetts, concerning the problems involved with the proposed re-start of the Pilgrim I nuclear power plant.

You are also probably aware of the investigation which'has been launched by the National Institutes of Health concerning the possible relationship between cancer and radiation from nuclear power plants. As NIH Director James B. Wyngaarden pointed out in the attached response to my request for such a study, the NIH inquiry was prompted in part by the reports of i

increased incidence of leukemia around the Pilgrim plant. These reports were part of the testimony at our hearings.

I am concerned that the Commission may be considering a timetable for deciding whether the Pilgrim plant should be allowed to re-start which does not give adequate consideration I to the large number of relevant factors involved. I previously urged you to use your discretionary authority to provide an l adjudicatory hearing at which al] of these issues could be appropriately aired. Unfortunately, you rejected this approach, leaving the people of Massachusetts, who would stand the most to lose if Pilgrim is permitted to re-start, and their elected l

state officials, without a formal and meaningful contribution into the re-start decision-making process.

j

' In view of the urgency of this situation, and in light of my responsibilities as Chairman of the Senate Committee responsible for matters relating to the public health and safety, I want to stress the following points for your consideration:

1. Until we receive satisfactory answers to the question whether there is a link between cancer and nuclear power, the Pilgrim plant should not be permitted to re-start.

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Mr. Lando W. Zech, Jr.

page Two

< i f 2. Until there is an evacuation plan which is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is acceptable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the plant should not be permitted to re-start.

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3. Members of the Commission should make an on-site visit the pilgrim plant to assess for themselves the merits of the serious health and safety problems which have been raised.

4. Prior to any consideration of whether the pilgrim plant should be permitted to re-start, Commission members should convene a public meeting to receive first-hand testimony from state and local officials and experts from the plymouth area.

5. Finally, I request that in my capacity as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, with experience concerning, and responsibility for, the health and safety issues involved, I be given the opportunity to appear before the Commission to present information on this issue, prior to any Commission deliberation on the question whether the pilgrim plant should be permitted to re-start.

I would appreciate hearing from you at your earliest convenienct' concerning the Commission's position with respect to these requests.

Since ,

" ward M. Kenne Jn

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' Committee on Labor and Human Resources 1

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Notenalineututes of Meetm Neelenal Caneer inseques tethessa. Marytene totes The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy United States Senate Wasnington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Kennedy:

I am plea;id to respond to your letter of January 7,1988 regarding potentiet Specifically, you raised health tid.s 1ssociated with low-leven radiation.

concertes about the health consequences of nuclear power plant accidents, adverse effects related t6 nuclear power plant operations, and cancer risks If aked to radioattive f alleut from nuclear weapons testing.

• he National Institutes of Walth is actively involved in studying the adverse effects of ioniziy radiation, and we concur with your view that the risks at We know, of course, that radiation can low levels need further clarification.

cause cancer, but the biological effects of quite low levels are a subject of ,

current scientific conjecture. % cause new information relevant to the ossessment of low-level risks will be available within the next one or two years, we do not believe public discussions at this time would be as fruitful as l

they might be in the future. Our reasoning is discussed below.

The descriptive studies of leukemia clusters around the Pilgrie power plant in Massachusetts, and several plants in the United Kingdom, have led us to inittsts a large-scale evaluation of cancer deaths occurring among We persons living near are correlating count) l the over 100 reactors operating in the United States.

l rnortality data from the 1950s through early 1980s with reactor operations to determine whether the previous reports might be chance occurrences based Thison small numbers, or wnether there might be valid reasons for concern.

svaluation should be completed within abw t one year.

One of the major radioactive isotopes emitteci during nuclear power For theplant past threi operations, and from nuclear weapons testing, is iodine-131.

years we have been collaborating with Swedish colleagues This large on astud, stud patients given low doses of iodine-131 for diagnostic reasons.

will be finished within one year and will prove invaluable in estinating We have also ther possible adverse effects from this environsental contesin J

general population living downwind of the04rNevada contract. nu l

leukemia in southwest Utah cannot be ruled out at this time.

supported answers within the next year.

study with the University of Utah sheuld prov' ,

the military personnel participating at nuclear weapons tests, and have confirmed that leukemia wasNoincreased excess mortality above fromexpectation, other malignancies but a participants at one test series.

was found awng participants at any test series.

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if l PAge 2 - The rionorable Edward M. Kennedy The most serious health impact of the Three Mile Islano (TMI) accident that can be ;Jentifled with certainty is mental stress to those living near the plant, particularly pregnant wnen and families with teenagers and young children.

Although increased riska of cancer, birth defects and genetic abnormalities are potential long tenn consequences of low-level irradiation, few if any such effects are likely. The average dose of radistion to the 36,000 people living within a five-mile radius of the plant was only 2 4 meem, or approatmately what

'vight be received from natural background radiation within o (In contrast, at Chernobyl in effects that could be detected epidemiological 1y.

tne % SR the average dose to the 24,000 peopic living near the reactor was estimated as 44,000 mrem.) The h .asylvania Departmsat of Public Health, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control, however, is conducting periodic nealth and behavior surveys of the population living near TMI.

Although psychological effects are temporary in most individuals, the ultimate impact of these effects rer .nl to be fully assessed, as does the degree teThe

' wnich they may differ from those caused by other accidents or disasters.

mental stress following T41, of course, has been aggravated by the fear that a larger release of radiation might take place, with consequences that could beW 11sastrous M now exemplified by the Chernobyl &ccident.

that such aa event has not occurred in the United States, we should profit from these experiences by taking steps to minimize the risks of such accidents in th future.

Finally, within two years the National Academy of Scie radiation. We are also awaiting the publication of these scientific documents before embarking upon our next revision of the Radioopidemiological Tables mandated by Congress, it is important to stress that useful infomation about very small health eff ects, like those associated withAnvery low levels of radiation, is extremely indirect approach, such as studying dif ficult and expensive to obtain.

populations with higher-levei exposures and extrapolating the resu 1evels, tends to be f ar more productive.

l nuclear power plants would be particularly infortative because the doses, tho low, would be higher than to the general population, Byandlaw, cumulative radiation do reach levels where radiation effects might be detectable, dosas are recorded on individual workers, and we have contacted the Nucle Regulatory Commission about the value of creating aYour registry of the alm encouragement 100,000 workers they monitor each year in the United States.

and support for the development of such a registry would be invaluab greatly appreciated. ,

In closing, I appreciate your continued support for our medical research Mon I program, and I will keep you informed on developments in the area!

studies as results f rom our investigations become available. I

$1ncerely.

we yq =W ~

James B. Wyngaarden, M.0.

91 rector

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