ML20207J907

Responds to Forwarding Constituent R Barsanti Re 700 Allegations Received by Gap from 56 Whistleblowers.Allegations Identified No Substantive Safety Issues & on 880321,NRC Issued Unit 1 OL

ML20207J907
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	09/26/1988
From:	Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Fawell H HOUSE OF REP.
Shared Package
ML20207J912	List: ML20207J907 ML20207J913
References
CCS, NUDOCS 8809280176
Download: ML20207J907 (4)

Text

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, k UNB1 El.> STATES NUCLEAR REGULATOR'i COMMISSION T. rj WASHINGTON.'3 3. 20665

,,,,,+ September 26, 1988 The Honorable Harris W. Fawell United States House of Representatives Washingtet., D.C. 70515

Dear Congressman Fawell:

Thank you for your letter of August 29, 1988, and for forwarding the concerns expressed by your constituent Mr. Richard Bartanti regarding an investigation of the South Texas nuclear power plant. Mr. Barsanti refers to over 700 allegations received by the Government Accountability Project (GAP) from 56 '

whistleblowers from the nuclear industry and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Concission (NRC). In addition, Mr. Barsanti states that "Houston Light and Power [HL&P] wants the plant licensed and operating without the review normally required when complaints have been made."

In January 1987, GAP informed NRC that it had begun investigating allegations concerning the safety of the South Texas Project (STP). GAP received reports from approximately 75 current and former employees of STP alleging irregularities in the construction of the plant. To my knowledge, none of the allegers is or was employed by NRC.

In November 1987, an agreement was reached between NRC management and GAP staff that permitted the NRC staff to review GAP's allegations. To obtain detailed infornation, an NRC Safety Significance Assessment Team (SSAT) was asserbled to review the records of GAP's interviews with the allegers and the individual allegations that GAP extracted from the interviews. NRC's review and disposition of the allegations were reported in the "NRC Safety Significance Assessn.ent Team Report on Allegations Related to the South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2,"

NUREG-1306, a copy of which is enclosed.

In sumary, review cf GAP's files identified approximately 700 allegations.

Each allegation was reviewed and evaluated for appropriate dispositior.. The SSAT determined that 170 of the 700 allegations were repetitious, 140 were not safety related, and 240 were considered either harassment / intimidation or wrongdoing. Of the original 700 allegations, 213 were possible candidates for onsite review at STP.

The SSAT reviewed these 213 allegations in detail and subsequently assigned them categories on the basis of the discipline, equipment, and shared character-istics involved (e.g., mechanical / valves / installation; electrical-splices /

Raychem). From these categories, the SSAT identified for onsite inspection those allegations that were representative of the technical concerns conveyed by the allegert 'nveloping all of the 213 allegations either specifically or generically. T. illegations were designated primary allegations and 61 i allegations that conveyed similar concerns were designated secondary allegations.

After completing its review, the SSAT concluded that the GAP allegations identified no substantive safety issues that would warrant delay in NRC's consideration of a full-power license for STP, Unit 1.

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a The Honorable Harris W. Fa,.11 I would also like to address Mr. Barsanti's statenent that HLLP wants the plant licensed and opereting without the review normally required when conplaints have been made. Before the site visit, the SSAT rade an extensive uffort to categorize the allegations and to identify those that could be safety related.

The SSAT was at the STP site from January 18 through January ??, 1988, putting in the equivalent of eight work hys. After performing the onsite inspection, the SSAT spent significantly Fore tire reviewing and evaluating inspection results and supporting data. The overall effort of the SSAT is estinated to have consured 2,910 person-hours. I telieve that the effort made to review the allegations was sufficient to thoroughly address the concerns represented by the allegations and is a good indicator of the resources NRC expends to inves-tigate conplaints about plant safety.

On Varch 21, 1988, the Coninission net to discuss the licensing of STP, Unit 1.

The allegations and the SSAT review of them were considered along with the other reviews and inspections conducted by NRC in previous years. After considering the information, the Ccamission voted unaninously to authorize a full-power license for STP, Unit 1. HL&P successfully ccapleted testing of the plant and declared it connercial on August 25, 1988.

I hope that this infornation will be helpful in responding to Mr. Barsanti's concerns.

Sincerely, gigie.'_ -ine d LY.

g t,gr A d k V Victor Stello, Jr.

Executive Director for Opeations

Enclosure:

As stated DJSIRIBUTIONw/oenclosure W ocket TUi/ NRC PDR w/cy of inccring local PDR w/cy of incoming E00 #0003931 ECO Read'ing T. Purley/J. Sniczek O. Crutchfield PC4 Reading G. Holaban/FKrebs L. Rubenstein OGC-Reckville GPA/CA (1) RMartin, RIY SFCY CRC-88-0792 V. Stello G. Dick w/cy of incoming l P. Noonan J. Calvo PD4 Green Ticlet File F. Gillespie D. Mossburg, PMAS (EC0#000391) w/cy of incoming i

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FROMs DUE: 09/19/88 EDO CONTROL: 0003931 DOC DT: 08/29/88 FINAL REPLY:

R;p. Harris W. Fawell TO:

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John Bradburne,0CA FOR SIGNATURE OF: ** GRN ** CRC NO: 88-0792 Executive Directre

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DESCt ROUTINO:

ENCLOSES LETTER FROM RICHARD BARSANTI WHO IS RMartin, RIV CONCERNED ABOUT ALLEGED SAFETY VIOLATIONS AT THE l SOUTH TEXAS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT l DATE: 09/02/88 ASSIGNED TO: CONTACT:

NRR Murley I

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS: c s

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NRR RECEIVED: SEPT. 6, 1988 r ^

i ACTION: DRSP:HOLAHAN ,

NRR ROUTING: MURLEY/SNIEZEK '

CRUTCHFIELD 'N l MIRAGLIA i GILLESPIE 'f MOSSBURG l

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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER: CRC-88-0792 LOGGING DATE:- Sep 2 88 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: H.W. Fawell--Const Ref AFFILIATION: U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES LETTER DATE: Aug 29 88 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 South Texas

SUBJECT:

Alleged safety violations at the South Texas nuc plant ACTION: L' rect Reply DISTRIBUTION: OCA to Ack

, SPECIAL HANDLING: None i

J NOTES: Richard Barsanti DATE DUE: Sep 19 88 SIGNATURE: . DATE SIGNED:

AFFILIATION:

i Rec'd Off. EDO Date i' <? U u me 3 LL .

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