ML20202B488

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Ack Receipt of ,Summarizing 981022 Meeting on NRC Nuclear Safety Assessment of High Flux Beam Reactor at BNL
ML20202B488
Person / Time
Issue date: 12/18/1998
From: Weiss S
NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To: Johnson G
NEW YORK, STATE OF
References
NUDOCS 9901290094
Download: ML20202B488 (3)


Text

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Mr. Gordon J. Johnson Decenber 18, 1998 Deputy Bur =u Chi:f Division of Public Advocacy Environmental Protection Bureau State of New York Office of the Attomey General 120 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10271-0332

Dear Mr. Johnson:

Thank you for your November 16,1998, letter summarizing our October 22nd meeting on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) nuclear safety assessment of the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. This meeting was to ensure that we understood your assessment as stated in your September 16,1998, letter.

As stated in your letters and in our meeting, the NRC and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) agreed upon the scope of work for this nuclear safety assessment. The purpose of the nuclear safety assessment was to provide an independent NRC evaluation of HFBR safety, compliance with requirements, and potential issues for outside regulation. In our nuclear safety assessment, NRC considered the New York Attorney General's re ort,"Brookhaven National Laboratory; At the Crossroads," and the other HFBR related documunts, events, and conditions that you mentioned in your letters, as well as other HFBR related documents, events and conditions. In accordance with the scope of work, NRC transmitted our nuclear safety assessment to DOE for comments on matters of fact. NRC will then prepare a report to the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in accordance with the scope of work. We do plan to transmit this report to you as a courtesy copy. At this time, the NRC must follow this course of action specified in the scope of work to provide an independent nuclear safety assessment of the HFBR.

Thank you for sending your independent assessment to us. I understand that you have sent i

your September 16th and November 16th letters to the DOE as well. The responsibility for the HFBR, as you indicated in your letter, is DOE's. The NRC has no regulatory authority over the l

HFBR at this time. Therefore, conveying your concerns to DOE is the most effective method to ensure that the proper authorities consider your concerns.

Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY:

Seymour H. Weiss, Director 9901290094 98121s Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning l

PDR STPRO ESGN Project Directorate Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: See next page el DISTRIBUTION:

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December 18, 1998 d

Mr. Gordon J. Johnson Deputy Bureau Chief Division of Public Advocacy Environmental Protection Bureau State of New York Office of the Attomey General 120 Broadway i

1 New York, N.Y. 10271-0332 3

Dear Mr. Johnson:

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'i Thank you for your November 16,1998, letter summarizing our October 22nd meeting on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) nuclear safety assessment of the High Flux N

Beam Reactor (HFBR) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. This meeting was to ensure that we understood your assessment as stated in your September 16,1998, letter.

As stated in your letters and in our meeting, the NRC and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) agreed upon the scope of work for this nuclear safety assessment. The purpose of the nuclear safety assessment was to provide an independent NRC evaluation of HFBR safety, compliance with requirements, and potential issues for outside regulation. In our nuclear safety assessment, NRC considered the New York Attomey General's report, *Brookhaven National Laboratory; At the Crossroads," and the other HFBR related documents, events, and conditions that you mentioned in your letters, as well as other HFBR related documents, events and conditions. In accordance with the scope of work, NRC transmitted our nuclear safety assessment to DOE for comments on matters of fact. NRC will then prepare a report to the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in accordance with the scope of work. We do plan to transmit this report to you as a courtesy copy. At this time, the NRC must follow this course of action specified in the scope of work to provide an independent nuclear safety assessment of the HFBR.

Thank you for sending your independent assessment to us. I understand that you have sent your September 16th and November 16th letters to the DOE as well. The responsibility for the HFBR, as you indicated in your letter, is DOE's. The NRC has no regulatory authority over the HFBR at this time. Therefore, conveying your concems to DOE is the most effective method to ensure that the proper authorities consider your concems.

Sincerely, Vlf A

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Seym ur H. Weiss, Director Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation y

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United States Department of Energy 1,

Washington, D.C. 20585 George J. Malosh, Manager i

Brookhaven Group United States Department of Energy f

Building 464 -

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Michael D. Holland

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United States Department of Energy Building 464 3

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United States Department of Energy 19901 Germantown Road Germantown, MD 20874-1290 q-Matthew Hutmaker Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology-NE80 i

United States Department of Energy

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Dr. John H. Mart > urger, Director Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven Science Associates Building 460 j

P.O. Box 5000 t

Upton, NY 11973-5000

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Environmental Sceentist j

Division of Public Advocacy l ]

Environmental Protection Bureau 71 State of New York Office of the Attomey General 1

120 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10271-0332 l1 (i

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