ML20196B354
| ML20196B354 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Saint Lucie  |
| Issue date: | 04/01/1988 |
| From: | Filonowicz J TREASURE COAST ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION |
| To: | Cotter B Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel |
| References | |
| CON-#288-6579 OLA, NUDOCS 8806300254 | |
| Download: ML20196B354 (2) | |
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TREASURE COAST DNIRObNDRAL COALITION'
.hU' 3475 S.W. Fcrest Hills Court Palm City, Florida 34990 (305) 286-4180 1B JN 23 P2:00 FVICi o 5'
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April 1, 1988 OCKEljNG <, if,M,[
ERA M Mr. B. Paul Cotter, Chairmn Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Washington, D.C.20555 gVED JUN 231983
Dear Mr. Cotter:
l This Coalition requests that this Jetter be made a part of the hearing proceedings conducted March 29, 1988 pertaining to the ST. Lucie Nuclear i
Power Plant on Hutchinson Island in Florida. We fully support Mr. Campbell
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Rich's contentions and concerns over the "routine" approval of the axpansion of radio-active fuel storage facilities at the Plant by the Nuclear Regulatory Comission. long tem storage of large quantities of this extremely hazardous material at this site on a barrier beach island is an unacceptable threat to public health and safety and to our local environment. Further, we strongly contend that the NRC legal opinion 1
that a full-fledged environmental impact statemnt is not required is not consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and the President's Council on Environmental Quality's guidelines. We wish to cite one of mny factors which support our contention.
The original E.'I.S. and design criteria for the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant assumed an 18 foot stom surge would occur as a result of a 1000 year fraquency hurricane. This engineering assumption is no longer valid. World-wide ocean levels are rising at an increasing rate according to measurements by such scientific organitations as N.O.A.A. and the Woods Hole Oceanagraphic Institution.
The last major hurricane hit this area in 1949 and caused an estimted stom surge near the plant site of 13 +/- feet m.s.1.
Since 1949 the ocean level has risen 8 to 12 inches. Many U.S. scientists now predict that the world-wide ocean levels will continue to rise as a result of the melting of Anartic ice shelfs due to the overall vaming of the Earth's climte. Within 50 to 100 years the ocean levels will rise according to conservative predictions somewhere between 2 and 4 feet. Iess conservative estimates predict 6 to 8 feet. Obviously, such an increase in ocean levels would proportion-ately increase the stom surge elevation at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant site. The plant site, which was at an elevation of 23 feet above mean sea level at construction will in the future become a small island and be subject to wave damge and flooding when a 1000 year frequency hurricane occurs. These facts alone were sufficient reason to mandate the preparation of an EIS before any decision was made by the Nuclear Regulatory Comission and staff.
In addition, the approved safety and design criteria must be revised to reflect the new flooding and wave damage potential during a mjor hurricane.
Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties D
M['h 8806300D54 880401 PDR ADOCK 05000335 G
.t TREASURE COAST DNIROPMENTAL COALITION 34'15 S.W. Forest Hills Court Palm City, Florida 34990 (305) 286-4180 (B. Paul Cotter 2)
This Coalition vishes to malte one additional request:
The issue of long term storage of spent fuel rods on site is not unique to the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.
It is endemic to nuclear plants in the U.S.A.
The original design and safety standards, on which the approval of construction of every power plant was based, was predicated on the assumption that on site emergency fuel rod and spent fuel rod storage would be short term and justified for two reasons:
1.
A plant shutdown for repair or in an emergency requiring recoval of the fuel rods from the core; and 2.
Temporarystorage of spent fuel rods during a cooling down period prior to shipment to a reprocessing plant or central hazardous vaste storage facility.
As you vell know, the Congress, the Nuclear Regulatory Comission and the nuclear power industry through their national lobby organization (the Atomic Industrial Forum and the National Association of Electric Companies) have failed in their promise and responsibility to the Amrican People; to build the reprocessing and nuclear vaste storage facilities. This crucial decision has been allowed to becone a political football.
The tim is long overdue for the President and the Nuclear Regulatory Comission to set a firm date for terminating long term storage of hazardous nuclear vastes on Nuclear Power Plant sites. This woul' of course pose the threat of closing down all the nuclear plants in the nation and should provide the necessary political and econcmic incentives to get the long overdue legislation and appropriations through the Congress. Clearly F.P.L is not the culprit here.
We contend that no further study is justified or varranted; public hePith and safe'v dictate that a nationwide cutoff deadline be established inmediately, Sincerely, &
oseph C. Filonovic resident c.c.
Gov. Bob Martinez Senator Lawton Chiles Senator Bob Graham Cong. Tom Lewis St. Lucie County Ccenission Martin County Comission Council on Environmental Quality Secretary, Dept. of Energy Nuclear Regulatory Ccenission