ML20210D091

Responds to to Chairman Jackson Referring to Ltr from New 7th Democratic Civic Club,Inc.Forwards Staff Response to W Batton,President of New 7th Democratic Civic Club,Inc

ML20210D091
Person / Time
Site:	Calvert Cliffs
Issue date:	07/22/1999
From:	Travers W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Stone N MARYLAND, STATE OF
Shared Package
ML20210D096	List: ML20210D091 ML20210D153 ML20210D174
References
NUDOCS 9907270126
Download: ML20210D091 (5)

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July 22, 1999 The Honorable Norman R. Stone, Jr.

Maryland Senate Annapolis, MD 21401-1991

Dear Mr. Stone:

I am responding to your letter to Chairman Jackson of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of June 30,1999, in which you refer to a letter from the New 7* Democratic Civic Club, Inc. In its letter, the Club cxpresses support of the renewal application of Baltimore Gas and i

Electric Company for the Calvert Cliffs plants as well as concerns about the lack of specificity f

related to the regulatory specifications for license renewal and the length of time set aside for public comment.

Enclosed is the NRC staff's response to Mr. William Batton, President of the New 7* Democratic 1

Civic Club, Inc. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

-. William D. ravers -

Executive Director for Operations

Enclosure:

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,o July 20, 1999 Mr. William C. Batton, President The New 7* Democratic Civic Club, Inc.

1936 Merritt Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21222-4628

Dear Mr. Batton:

i I am responding to your letter to Chairman Jackson of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), of June 24,1999, in which you express your support for the renewal of the operating licenses for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's (BG&E) Calvert Cliffs plants. In your letter, you also voice your belief that the Commission's regulations for license renewal lack specificity and state your concern about the length of time set aside for public comment.

BG&E submitted a license renewal application for its two Calvert Cliffs plants, which is the first such application, in April 1998. The NRC staff issued a safety evaluation report on the application in March 1999. The safety evaluation report contained a number of open and confirmatory items that BG&E responded to in a letter to the NRC dated July 2,1999. The staff is reviewing BG&E's response and plans to issue a final safety evaluation in November 1999.

On February 24,1999, the staff also issued a draft plant-specific supplement to NUREG-1437,

" Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (GEIS) for the i

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant." The staff is now considering public comments received by May 20,1999, and plans to issue e final supplemental environmental impact statement in mid-November 1999.

Regarding your belief that the Commission's regulations for license renewallack specificity, Part

. 54, " Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants," of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 54) sets forth the requirements applicants for license renewal must meet and the standards by which the NRC evaluates their applications.

Part 54 defines what types of plant structures and equipment fall within the scope oflicense renewal. The regulations next set forth the criteria for determining which structures and components within the scope of license renewaf require aging management. The applicant must demonstrate that it will manage the aging of these structures and components so that they will continue to function as intended for the license renewal period.

In reviewing the applications, the NRC staff follows Part 54 and the guidance provided in a draft standard review plan (SRP), ' Standard Review Plan for the Review of License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants," and a draft environmental standard review plan, NUREG-1555, " Environmental Standard Review Plan," both of which provide sufficiently clear, specific, and measurable review critena. The license renewal SRP is available to the public on O ]Q9UW J'

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Mr. William C. Batton..

the NRC's web site (http://www.nrc. gov), and both SRPs can be obtained from the NRC Public

' Document Room (2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555) and the local public document rooms located near each plant site. The staff is confident that the standards set forth in Part 54 and the SRPs, and which the staff applies in its review, are specific and objective.

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J Regarding your concem about the length of time (30 days) set aside for public comments, this period, specified in the Federal Register notice that provided the opportunity for a hearing regarding the renewal of the Calvert Cliffs operating licenses, was not a public comment period.

- Rather, it is a time limit generally provided in connection with licensing actions, within which an

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interested member of the public may request a formal hearing pursuant to 10 CFR Section j

2.714 of the Commission's regulations. After this period, the regulations afford a petitioner an additional period in which to identify the technical issues he or she wishes to litigate. The Commission's objectives are to provide a fair hearing process, to avoid unnecessary delays in

- the NRC's review and hearing processes, and to produce a complete record that supports agency decision making on matters related to the NRC's responsibilities for protecting public health and safety. We believe the current process achieves these goals.

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. There is also a formal process for providing input into the staff's environmental review of a license renewal application. The Commission's regulations in 10 CFR Part 51 allow for an j

opportunity to provide comments on the scope of the environmental review, and in i

10 CFR Section 51.73, require a minimum 45-day period for an opportunity to comment on the staff's preliminary environmental conclusions, set forth in the plant-specific supplement to the GEIS. Sixty and seventy-five day periods were provided, respectively, for these purposes with respect to Calvert Cliffs.

Finally, there are opportunities to raise questions on individual license renewal applications at public meetings, which are held in the NRC offices in Rockville, Maryland and in the vicinity of the facility applying for license renewal. Information provided by the license renewal applicante, as well as NRC evaluations, findings, and recommendations, are made available to the public in sucit meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss questions which arise during the staff's review of the application and an applicant's responses to these questions. And, of

. course, members of the public are free to correspond with the staff in writing.

. Because the license renewal process is new, the staff expects to make improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of reviews and will take your request as encouragement to look for i

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Mr. William C. Batton additional ways to provide for even greater public involvement. I trust the information set forth above addresses your concems. I appreciate your comments, and you may rest assured that the Commission will continue to seek improvements in its license renewal review process.

Sincerely, t

birector Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

July.22, 1999

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4 LThe Honorable Norman R. Stone,'Jr.

Maryland Senate Annapolis, MD 21401-1991 j

Dear Mr. Stone:

.I am responding to your letter to Chairman Jackson of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of June 30,1999, in which you refer to a letter from the New 7* Democratic Civic Club, l Inc 'In its letter, the Club expresses support of the renewal application of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company for the Calvert Cliffs plants as well as concerns about the lack of specificity a related to the regulatory specifications for license renewal and the length of time set aside for ipublic comment.

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Nnclosed is the NRC staff's response to Mr. William Batton, President of the New 7* Democratic J

Civic Club, Inc. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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Sincerely,

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William D. Travers Executive Director for Operations

Enclosure:

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l e The Honorable Norman R. Stone, Jr.

The Senate of Maryland Annapolis Office Presidential Wing Annapolis, MD 21401-107

Dear Senator Stone:

I am responding to your letter to Chairman Jackson of the U.S. Nuc ear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of June 30,1999, in which you refer to a letter from the Ne' Th Demeratic Civic Club, w

Inc. In its letter the club expresses support of the renewal app)ication of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company for the Calvert Cliffs plants and concern a%ut the lack of specificity related to the regulatory specifications for license renewal and the le 9th of time set aside for public comment.

Enclosed is the NRC staff's response to Mr. William Batton, President of the New Th Democratic Civic Club, Inc. If you have further questions, please o not hesitate to contact me.

Sincer ly, s

illiam D. Travers Executive Director for Operations

Enclosure:

As stated Distribution: See next page

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The Honorable Norman R. Stone, Jr.

The Senate of Maryland Annapolis Office Presidential Wing Annapolis, MD 21401-1001

Dear Senator Stone:

I am responding to your letter to Chairman Jackson of the U.S. Nuclear R gulatory Commission (NRC) of June 30,1999, in which you refer to a letter from the New 7th D moCratic Civic Club, Inc. In its letter the club expresses support of the renewal application of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company for the Calvert Cliffs plants and concern about theJa'ck of specificity related to the regulatory specifications for license renewal and the length of time set aside for public

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Enclosed is the NRC staff's response to Mr. William Batton, fresident of the New 7th Democratic Civic Club, Inc. If you have further questions, please do not' hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely, I

Willi D. Travers Ex utive Director for Operations

Enclosure:

As stated Distribution: See next page

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EDO Principal Correspondence Control FROMt DUE: 07/22/99 EDO CONTROL: G19990341 DOC DT: 06/30/99 FINAL REPLY:

Norm 2n R. Stone, Jr.

Ssncte of Maryland TOs Chairman FOR SIGNATURE OF :

• • GRN CRC NO: 99-0G17 EDO DESC ROUTING:

LICENSE RENEWAL OF THE NUCLEAR REACTOR LICENSES Travers FOR BGE'S CALVERT CLIFFS POWER PLANT Knapp Miraglia Norry Blaha Burns DATE: 07/08/99 Miller, RI ASSIGNED TO:

CONTACT:

NRR Collins SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

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