ML20209D704
| ML20209D704 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/02/1986 |
| From: | Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Roth W SENATE, GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20209D708 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8609090412 | |
| Download: ML20209D704 (3) | |
Text
{{#Wiki_filter:- ? POR ur Y 'o UNITED STATES g y 8 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION o i1 -{ ,I wAsMNGTON, D. C. 20555 %..... / cuAmuaN September 2, 1986 The Honorable William V. Roth, Jr., Chairman Committee on Governmental Affairs United States Senate Washington, D. C. 20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
i In response to your request of July 14, 1986, for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's views on S. 2571, a bill which would establish the National Commission on United States Nuclear Safety, I am providing the following comments. Ij The primary purpose of this bill is to establish a national commission which would report to Congress and the President on the Chernobyl accident and its implications for domestic nuclear i reactor safety. The commission would be composed of twelve members, selected for their expertise in the fields of nuclear physics, engineering, health sciences, emergency planning, law and government. None of the commission members would be government employees. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reviewed this proposed legislation and does not believe that its enactment is necessary in view of efforts which are now underway. A coordinated nationwide effort is currently underway to determine the facts 4 and assess the implications of the Chernobyl acc~ident. That effort involves the relevant Federal agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the i l Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of State (DOS), as l well as noted scientists and engineers from national l laboratories and academic institutions, and two industry-based groups, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INP0). The goal of this i effort is the same as the purpose of S. 2571. Thus, in our opinion, the establishment of a special commission is + unnecessary. l The first phase in the study of the Chernobyl event will be i devoted to fact-finding and to determining the causes and consequences of the accident. A report on the relevant facts is expected about December, 1986. The NRC is providing overall administrative coordination for the fact-finding work. A second 1 phase will consist of an assessment of the implications of the i accident for U.S. policies and practices in such areas as i reactor safety regulation, emergency preparedness and response, energy technology, environmental protection, nuclear power plant operation, and reactor safety analysis. This assessment will be B609090412 860902
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O ' I pursued separately by each organization involved for its own area of interest and responsibility. The organizations will ~ coordinate with other groups in areas of related 4 responsibilities and special expertise. In addition to the coordinated effort, the NRC has formed a special task force to follow up on Chernobyl and to assess its implications for the NRC. A senior management oversight group has also been formed to guide and observe the task force's assessment. The target date for the task force report to the Commission is February, 1987. The report is intended to identify any areas requiring prompt regulatory action as well as any areas needing more detailed study. A two-stage process is being followed in the preparation of the report on the fact-finding efforts. The tirst stage, now in progress, is the preparation of a draft factual report, reflecting the limited information available at this time. It will identify information gaps and questions as well as organize the known facts. This preliminary draft is being generated to assist the U.S. delegation in preparing for the 1986 International Atomic Energy Agency meeting to be held later this month in Vienna. Soviet representatives are expected to provide further information on the Chernobyl accident at this meeting. The second stage will be a final factual report. This report will draw heavily on the information to be obtained through the Vienna meeting. It will encompass facts with a direct bearing on the accident and its possible U.S. implications. Its scope will be limited to factual information. It will include inferences to facts not directly known, but will not include any evaluative analyses or judgments as to implications.
- Rather, the factual report will provide a basis for the subsequent assessment of implications.
The reports will be submitted to the Congress and made available to the public. In view of the activity described above, the NRC sees no need at this time for establishment of a special commission such as that envisioned in S. 2571. If Congress passed S. 2571, the regulatory and paperwork burden that would be imposed is difficult to estimate. The unprecedented nature of an independent study of a foreign accident such as Chernobyl, the latitude that the commission would have in structuring its study, and the range of possible implications create the difficulties in developing an accurate estimate. The closest analogy to the work of the commission of S.2571 is the Special Inquiry to Review and Re Island Accident ("Rogovin Inquiry") port on the Three Mile instituted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shortly after the 1979 accident. The Special Inquiry Group reported its findings in January 1980. That cost was approximately $1.8 million (in 1980 dollars). The D
. i bulk of the resources devoted to the inquiry was NRC staff contributions (about 60 people for six months). For the reasons stated above, the regulatory and paperwork burden of S. 2571 may well differ substantially from the Rogovin Inquiry figuref* Commissioner Asselstine disagrees with this response. He supports enactment of S. 2571. Thank you for this opportunity to provide our views. If I may be of further assistance to you on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, hwLv. (A. Lando W. Ze h, J Chairman I O}}