ML20216G338
| ML20216G338 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee, Haddam Neck, Maine Yankee File:Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co icon.png |
| Issue date: | 03/10/1998 |
| From: | Daley M NEW ENGLAND COALITION ON NUCLEAR POLLUTION |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM) |
| References | |
| 2.206, NUDOCS 9803190342 | |
| Download: ML20216G338 (2) | |
Text
..e.
.NeN England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution,Inc.
Box 545, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301 Phone (802) 257 0336 March'10,1998 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 ATTN: Document Control Desk The New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution asks that NRC consider the fol-lowing public health concern and request for remedial action under the provisions of 10CFR2.206:
We are deeply concerned by recent revelations that radioactive wastes have been disposed of in ordinary landfills instead of in regulated, licensed radioactive waste disposal facilities designed to protect the public and the environment from conta-mination.
There appears to be a pattern of violatYof low-level nuclear waste disposal con-trols at New England nuclear power facilities. Revelations that radioactive materials, including fill and building materials, were released by Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Station for off-site use, have been followed by the equally disturbing discovery that Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station had over a number of years sent radioactive rubbish of undetermined concentration and isotopic makeup to the Wiscasset, Maine, municipal landfill. The Wiscasset landfill has since been closed and capped presenting the possibility that radioactive materials there may not be retrievable even at such time as they may be found leached into local aquifers, We note that the Maine discovery came instant upon the denial by Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company of even the possibility of sending radioactive materials off-site, such denials being made at a March 5,1998 public meeting of the community advisory board. The denial was immediately contradicted by Mr. Pat Dostie, a state nuclear safe-ty inspector who was aware of the illegal dumping in 1986. Despite being made aware of the matter at the time, Maine Yankee failed to notify the NRC, or take remedial actions.
These previously unidentified concerns were uncovered during site characteri-zation work preparatory to the decommissioning of these facilities. These discoveries call into question the adequacy of the programs designed to safe guard the public from the unique hazards associated with the generation of electricity by nuclear fission.
In the interest of restoring public confidence and securing the maximum protec-tion of the public from the harmful effects of radiation, the New England Coalition believes the conservative response to the evidence available would be to assume that
. other licensee radioactive materials control programs, and of NRC oversight of these programs, have been subject to similar breakdowns in quality control.
g Specifically, we are concerned with the potential for any similar lapses at the 9
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station.
b The following steps, at minimum, should be taken immediately to provide the necessary public assurance that unregulated dumping has not occurred:
- Nhhfl llh tT" 98o3190342 98031o I
PDR ADOCK 0500o213 H
PDR Ed u ca tin g the Pu b lic in ' Clea n Alternatives to Nuclear Po w er J
.-.0-NECNP, page 2, March 10,1998
,1. NRC should undertake an NRC inspector-conducted search of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation's disposal records similar in scope to those that led to the discovery of the problems at Connecticut Yankee and Maine Yankee.
- 2. NRC should undertake an independent assay of local landfills that could have received shipments of trash from from Vermont Yankee since operations began at the plant.
It should be understood that the New England Coalition believes that an enu-meration of past NRC performance reports about the licensee's radioactive materials handling programs will not serve, in this case, to provide the necessary assurances.
A concerned and potentially endangered public should not have to wait until decommissioning begins to learn if unregulated dumping of radioactive materials to the local environment has occurred. Additionally, the prompt identification of contamina-tion, should any exist, gives the maximum hope that any necessary remediation efforts will occur before significant migration into the soil and groundwater has taken place.
Sincer ','"p.m j
Wlichael'J.
- ley, Trustee a Legislative epresentative, NECNP p.s. To assist us in our ongoing efforts to monito the health and safety implica-tions of the operations of Vermont Yankee, we request that NRC place the New England Coalition on the service list for this reactor.
)
_m_,________