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Joe Fouchard, News Service Branch October 28, 19 M 1
Division of Public Information. HQ Rodney L. Southwick, Assistant to the Manager for Public Information, SAN c
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NF.WS COVERAGE ON 80DEGA REPORTS j
PI:RLS 1
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The attached clips are representative of the news coveraga given the ACR$ letter and Staff Analysis on the P054 application for a nuclear power reactor at Bodega Head.
Southern California coverage will not reach us until teuerrow.
Attackuments:
- 1. Clip, S. F. News call Bulletin,10/27/M (2)
- 2. Clip, S.F. Chronicle,10/28/M
- 3. Clip,.S.F. Examinar,10/28/M
- 4. Clip, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 10/27/M
- 5. Clip, Oakland Tribune, 10/27/M Harold. Price,_ REG,_HQu.w/attachs.
cc:
j Robert Lowenstein, REG, HQ, w/attachs.
Richard L. Doan, REG, HQ, w/attachs.
R. W. Daith, Comp 1. V., SAN, w/attachs.
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-from Page One and seismologists also agree r based on unverified en;:'m-l COnNICfin bracilit}.,, PtoPosed may ne! movements, horizontal orjeering principles, however
constructed at this site with vertical, c:. up to three feet! sound they may appear to 4 '
9 be." said the AEC staff re-ROpOrfS On i-reasonable assurance t hat are possible in a major port.
/
it may be operated without quake.
B O d e @ g' Ttt PG&E has stready
- The PG&E has pro ; spen t:ndue hazard tc. the health
- .osed an untrico design !ori on.t more than S3 million
- rna safety of the public.-
site preparations ~ at
- guarding against ripping! Bodega Head, including a By George Dusheck THE STAFF r e p o r t,iopen the highly radioactive from the AEC Division of nuclear pile by such violent l road along Sodega. Harbo
- and a deep pit for, the re.
The Atomic Energy Com' 11 e a c t o r Licensing, con. earth shearing. The design ( actor.
missbon has received two c!udes:
1s essentially untestable,i The PG&E dec:ined to e o n iiie t : n g recommen.
,a suitable location for the l short of a major quake.
.. Bodega Head is not dations from its own ad-
- proposed nuclear po we rl measures proposed are tm-BECAUSE the s a f e t y ! reports.
I visers on the nodega Head
..c Y '""...*"" # f n".
site for the Pacific Oas & iptant at the present state of; verifiable, the AEC staffi d
Elec'.ic Comt.any's big nu-
, ar knowledge."
l does not believe " reasonable "E
c The staf f argument n
t
.te ra egainst the atom plant at; assurance ' of safety to thel q u e.4 tio ns will be made clear power reactor.
dodega can be paraphrased!public health can be given.,
e The Adv.sor." Namit-k" "Because of t h e magniJ tee en Reactor hafeguards this way:
' tudr of the poisible consed ha.s e i n e i u l e d an i arth'
- The U. S. Geological!quen:ces of a mejor. rupture DOES E*
guakeproof cactor t.,n he.
survey and the U. S. Coastiin the reactor containment MakeYousitortof f/-
outh there.
,and Gecdctic Survey agree accompanied by failure of ai u. nrn ni n e n.-
i
- Joe AEC's own staff j a major movement of the-i wc lI/4MM
- dk'"
'likely to occur during thel emergency equ pment,. San J
v concluded the r.-k of
, ore.scole g aund, hearing
' nuclear power reactor gaf.T*2 y 1:w a ma;oc cartnq%ke la lifetime of the plant.
ishould be the subject of a me, too ::reat to j u s t i f v a big {
- Government geologists' pioneer construction effort EE
.eactar thce.
e
't u the tiret tmie the unittee nf outsi,!e ex-per*- and the AEC ' own
-:sf have disagree <. on a
". a - iwire during N re-
.v:h hu.t hi c ry m
,w.
c enerrf des elopment t
s l'. S.
T'!E NEXT mea e. the if feels can i,,
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> r.;e dtar.
sbjec.
,p t:
the a.
. h. n: armg Ta lo-H /ever, the AEC has neve ' granted a r e a c t o r,
licenre over the objections!
of i - own s Af, Tne conflicting r e e o m.
meadottons were mace pub-lie todav, That of the Ad-vuory Committee on Rea(-
ter Sa f egu ad s--con sist mg of -cientbt, ano engineer.*
rnr maustcv, gos er:tment.
anu mis err.y c e.4 e a r c h cer., cs - N s u m m e d up thS '. c,V WP '>on er s eJCtu.'
-Turn to Page 13. Col. ::
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Tues., Oct. 2 7,1964 *M
- 5. F. News Call BulleHn 13 Behind the Bodega A-Plant Dispute-The Atomic Energy Com-proposed to guard againstI Advisory Committee on Re !insistance before, but never '
mission staff earlier this it this way:
- actor Safeguards, studying after the plant's builder had b ear asked the Pacific Gas eA three foot unobdthe same problem and the made a formal application -
& Electric Company to de %-
sign its proposed Bodega learance aroundlsame proposed solu tion,!and invested nearly $4 mil-lion in
. Head nuclear power plant ; the outside of the reinforced lcame to the opposite con ~ ! struction. preliminary con-to withstand:
concrete power pile con.{ clusion-namely, that a safe !
The PG.E knew what it e An earthquake with tainment structu re, with; atom plant can be built on was doing in this instance '
twice the intensity and.. water between its wall and : Bodega Head.
-on July 23, 1003, AEC three times the accelerative the pit waII.
i The members of the ad-general counsel Joseph Hen-force of that of May 18, e
"E th ntai j vi.sory committee are emi. nessy warned the company 1940, near El Ceritro. Calif.
- Shearing earth move-nent scientists and engi-it proceeded at its own risli.
bed of sand' neers from such places as
,ments, horizontal or verti-cal. of up to three feet.
No rigid structural con Los Alamos Scientific La.
EVEN IF the AEC final-boratory, Allied Chemical ly should reject the PG&E PG&E complained it is in-j nections between the re-Corporation, Liberty Mu. Bodega Head application it credible such a quake could f actor containment structure tual Insurance, H a r v a r d, need not slow down devel-occur on Bodega Head, but }land the rest of the power Johns Hopkins, MIT, Oak opment of atomic power in it compiled with the AEC plant - turbine generator, Ridge cnd Argonne Na. California, an AEC spokes-request, submitting a new plant c,o n t r o l buildings, radioactive waste holders, tional Laboratories.
man said, ed ingenious safety system which. it said, would enable venting stack, and so on*
Each application will be NEVER BEFORE have handled on its own merits.
the hich!y radioactive nu-TIIIS IS TIIE d e s i g n they found themselves in Already there are two or c: ear pile to ride out evenlwhich the AEC staff says d i s a g r e e m e n t with the three nuclear power plants such a quake.
is novel and untried, and AEC's own internal regula-in operation in this state-The t hree - foot shearf ought not to be tried out in tory staff on a major issue, including the PG&E's oc pond the most troublesome!a large nuclear power plant.
Other atom plant sites Humboldt Bay reactor r. car prollem a:'d the company However, the AEC's own s have been shifted at AEC Eu reka.
l 1
l l
l
e YAdLM ' A-=. W The Bodega Issue
(\\
sc/vr/t<,i; ft Clashing Reports!
i On Atom Plant J
l Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s hopes for building a nuclear power plant at Bodega Head were dealt a teavy-but not necessarily fatal-blow yesterday
{
vith the issuance of two conflicting Government eport.4.
The Atomic Energy Conunission's Division of!
Nucle a r Licensing ad ;
vised, " Bodega Head is:
not a suitab'.e location for the proposed nuclear pow-er plant at the presentl state of our knowledge."'.
I But offsetting this was a -
much more optimistic con-
,clusion by the commi.;sion's A d v i s o r y Committee on Reactcr Safe;mards, a 13-
- member ageacy headed by 3 Herbert Koutr, of Brockhaven j
' Naticnal Labcratory, winner
! of last year's Ernest O. Law-
- rence Award hr physics, "The power reactor f acility!
as proposed may be cont structed at this site with rea '
s on ab1e anurance inat iti may be operated without un-!
due hazard to the hea'th and' safety of the public " the Kouts commit;ee said.
The unpre.edented pubuc disagreement, b e t w e e n the '
- two croups will ultimately be !
i resolved by tne Atomic Ener '!
gy Commission itself.
It was apparent that PG&E!
officials were surprised andj disappointed by the Atomicj Energy Comraission's staff See Page 8, Col. 4 i
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4 AEC Groups Split on Bodega i
Conflicting Reports on A. Plant F am Paec 1 putting the reactor on a bed [ No decision will be made Rosa, probably early next report. But a compary f sand and leaving threelby the commiulon untd pub-year.
s;okesman said at was too feet of space arocad the in.tlic hearmgs are held in Santa David Pesonen, executiw ect for any scientific com. sta a is beheved, would:
-secretary of the Northe:
permit three feet of ground California Association to Pw i; 7he reoort is bemg exam-movement wit h o u i serious l serve Bodega Head and Haq
- 1.ud in detail by the engl-damage' bor, commented: "If PGLM
!n c e rin t staff and consu:- T.ne Kouts committee ac-bows cut gracefully now,
, ta:"s,, the spokesman said. certed the safety proposabi they will have the public's as assuring sufficient protec i blessing Otherwise wc*
l ' It simpy makes us recog-tion for tha reactor "in the :
have to beat themin a knoc$
}nira that we have one more unLkely evnt of f a) predi down, dragout hearmg befora ihurdle to cross We have toj ed maximum carthquake ;ct-the Atomic Energy Commi.-
- n..ke sure we understand the; TWO STUDIES 4 sion's licensing board."
~
- SPution so we can see if wei The two r e p o r t s were
! c:n offer a solutior.."
l based in part on studies or
'De str ff, in its report. jthe E>dega site-a critical
!sacj it fe:t *ne proposed pow t ne by Julius Sch:xker and ler rdant 1000 feet West of the: M. G. Don;!!a of tne U. S '
'Sa5 Andreas fault zone met, vorab:e onc by Nathan M.
safe:v Gedogical Survey and a fa-i spect's except one " standards "in all re-l Newmark of the University I of '!1inois.
THE PROBLEM The Geological Survey re,
Tne diff;culty, the report: port warned that movement sM. was '. hat PGhE's p!anC couM ba greater than three ta safeguard the p; ant from; feet. In ICM the geologists '
d.: r. a ; e caused by move. said, a 6200. foot rai, road tun-
.: of fo;r.dation rack dur.,, nel near Los Gatos was off-
~
r.c an c:.riquake aad never set five feat. Like Badege be ?r testcc Head, the tunnel was in bed.
- We do not believe that 1 ! rock near the San Andreas shou!d be the subject of alfauh zone, larga nue:cc.r power reactor N e w m a r k, on the other pior,eering construction e f-l hand, said there would be "a -
fort based on unverified engi l reserve margin in almost ev-neering principles, however cry element."
sound they may appear,to "It is my considered opin-be." the staff report contin-ued.
ion that the structure and its equipment can be designed The staff said it feared essentially as proposed to re-
"Be magmtude of possible;sist the efforts of the maxi-co:iequer.c2s of a major rupJ m u ni carthquake postulat.
ture in the reactor contain ; ed," he added.
I me*t accampamed by a fail.l ure of emergency equip.
WORK IIALTED me at."
PG&E has spent rougr.ly 54 SAFETY MEASURE m l!i n on the site. It ha:ted work there shcht!v over a The ncvel approaca to year ago peninc a decision m a k i e, :;
the 91ar.t; by the Atomb Erercy Com-
? arc.'luake resistant int c.es mission
3 3 '- -
w.-,,-
.g s.= s.an,-
Two AEC ai v
Rep'o,r:ts On Bodesca By J.UIES SCsiURZ Conflicting reports on the!
potential safety of Bodega f llead as the site for a pro.l posed nuclear power plant!
were released shruttaneoui.}
ly,sesterday by the Atomic {
Energy Ccinminica.
One report, by the.iEC1 '
Advisory Commitwo on Re.j actor Safeguards, conclud(d,
that there is "reate.;abic r.s !
$ttrance" that the pr0DOSCd j reactor can be constructed and operated "witr.out unduc j hazard to the health ard i aarcty of the pubCc "
!Jul 3 4econd regori, b i 3
the AF.C's Divisior. of Ecu tor 1.ieenua:;. cent!uded that !
' Bodcya llead is not a su,t.
ab:e location for the pru-posed nucle.ir power p! ant M,
the present state of oci,
knowledge.'
Cader regula;o.;. pracc. !,
Continued on Parc J1. Col. O i
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O.F.Examturr-Page11 x
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2 degaIRe
' earthquake involving sub. ' And so the battle of experts stantial shear movement of on the safetrof Bodega Head the foundation rock...
as the site for a nuclear' d'
(Continued from Page li "A novel method is' pro.
el posed for safeguarding tIie,the issu,is still u(inuese a power P *Dt ' con nsettled.-
ures. the AEC will not de-ment along any plane at the Bodega Head reactor against But no to David Pesonen, cide finally on an application site.
differential " ground move. executive secretary of the by Pacific Gas and Electric Company until public hear-
- The committee believes ment of its foundation rock. Northern California Assocla-This is not in itself a cause tion to Preserve M ega.
ings are held and an initial that the engineering princi-for concern.
Head and Harbor.
finding is made by a three-pies and general design pro-member atomic safety and posed to incorporate them "What is of concern is the licensa'lg board.
are sound..."
lack of an experimental or He said he was " gratified PG&E applied to the corn-It is on this final point experience proof test of the at the AEC's sense of respon.
sibility, which is in sharp mission in Dec.,1962, for a that the staff of the AEC proposed novel method that could form an acceptable r permit to construct a 325,000 division of reactor licensing kilowatt nuclear power plant disagrees. Its report says in basis for the required safety' evaluation.
- "gY,g' g's atti.
part-at Bodega Bay, about 50 "Because of th'e magnitude tude,"which he described as miles north of San Fran-
"We believe that in all re of possible consequences of " cynical obstinacy."
spects except one the pro a major rupture in the re-cisco.
PG&E, which has spent $4 i
The proposed reactor site posed design of the Bodega actor containment accom-million already in site ac-lis approximately 1,000 feet nuclear power plant provides panied by a failure of emer-quisition and excavation for l west of the western edge of reasonable assurances to the i the San Andreas fault zone. health and safety of the gency equipment, we do not the $61 -million plant, said public believe that a large nuclear there would be no comment The advisory committee reactor should be the sub. until the reports are studied.
of 13 atomic experts estab.
..The one exception is the ject of a pioneering ecnstruc-
,lished by law to advise the uncertainty associated with tion effort based on unveri-
' AEC on safety matters in-the proposed design concept fled engineering principles.
to safeguard the reactor however sound they may ap-volved in reactor construc-
. tion and opera:lon, repcrted, gainst the effects of a major, pear to be.."
a
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'in part:
i "The committee has been
- advised by several consult-
> ants tbat during the lifetime '
- of t3e proposed rea ctor,.
there is a high probability that the reactor site will ex-perience at least one major o earth shock.
"There is associated with[
isuch an earthquake a reme.,te :
l possibility that the plant will:
' be subjected to the effect of (
a shearing motion in the rock on which it would be built... 'l "The applicant (PG&E) has '
proposed to design theq building to withstand up to:
- three feet of shear displace.L
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m Cotil Tues., Oct. 27,1964
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New Reports Conflici !
On Bodega A-Plant if notinnt J I nm l' age 16
_ I,l. ;,,..),,,c,.ri,, an.,o of one l
s olo s a nove! melhoil ol "f:nat. te as o g ng; ilu-rc winr contamun nt The Al l!.',
. a y.,
t ha - laHer W e I oil a higer ul Muni lo
- alue p. % on.s I '.'.slWe ' and thi-Innuosite d.u. ap, il llo..o.1 regulistory oi..H M m h/erly av.
beneath shill. is "not n, eisen rep, the lugner mtemity fg a cause fw con (ern W hal 4, of us e~
r;omtrn is the lack of any ex.,
T,, regulatory.st al t report per: mental or expertence pmof. disusses at some lem;th the test of the proposed novel meth-qte ' ions of chminating uncer.
vi mat coti r! form an accept-tah. r i'i the design of nuclear l
wie r; asis inr the required saic-plar
!: sa v.s "whether the g%)
'y e.ah aunn pethe b( nem.<
r, he gained "Ibcause ni the magnitude of from operation of the Bodega powr,le con.s:quences of a ma. nuc!ur power p! ant are high jor rupture 1.i the reactor con. enou h to justify acceptance of
- tainr.ient accompanied by a fatj. the &dded uncertainties involved ure o' emergency equipment we in the seismic design of the do r.nt beheve that a lar;;e nu.'p?snt to withstand several feet cleae power reactor should be of shear ground rrovement is, the *oracct of a picncering coa. of caurse. a matter of judg-st uc. ion cffort based on unver. mem.'
ti,cd engmeermg princ: pies, The requirement for " reason-owever sour.d they may appear able assurance" of safety " rec-to be,"
ognhcs that there is no way of Bom the regulatory staff and clim:nating ad the uncertainties; the.WRS dea! with a relatively.e.xperienced pdgment is there-new demen! of hazard at the for required '
nican caru quake-cauwd tidals The report describes the prob-li ems of evaluating'possible dam.
wave or tsunami.
PQ4 hrd d:scounted the pos ares to safegurds bui.t into the that a tsunami would plant a *.d says, "sumew here e.cr tush water higher than 15 along the hne enough tncertain-f9e: anm e mean water icve', at ties will create a situation in which the 'n o ;&nce' can no the <!c. Ilouever, a new report b '.. e l'.S. Coast and Geocetic h'22r bc. 4 he Team-Surtey recommends protection able.,
aga.n.st a 7,0-foot tsunamt.
The ACRS says it was tok.
by PG&E that the. plant "woulc wah. Wand such a tsunami safe.
ly " The regulatory staff 'ook, no iuued on that point saying the protection "does not appear (
to ciler any uiisurmountable de,
u;:n barriers."
Another area of disagreement between the utihty company and the Umted States Geologic sur..
sey is over probable intensities' of cuthquaku at tha site.
PG&E has insis:cd that the' j
maxavum ac< eleration from an.
earthquake would be one third.
ni the fnrce of gravity. The.
I' S G S has predicted a pos-l l
-4 m
\\
,. 4.4.4& / %.Asm job ;,
WMMM AEg 5
However, the U.S. Coast and y
l l0 0
Geodetic Survey and the U.S.
Geological Survey told the AEC 7
that a three foot movement un.
BOdOga S1t0 CIM der the reactor and a 50 foot tidal wave are possible an ene or i o seca -a)or d that ccid-ents could be expected to happen The Atomic Energy Commis.It said a final AEC decision during the life of the reactor sion today released four report would not be made until after "For these reasons it is our s
about Pacific Gas and Electric a public hearing had been held conclusion that Bodega Head is Company's proposed Atomic re by the AEC s safety and bcens-not a suitable location for the actor at Bodega Head. Three o', ing board.
proposed nuclear power plant at the reports said the site is un-The date of the hearing was the present state of our knowl-not set.
edge," the report said.
suitable because of the earth.
PG&E said the company The report praised PG&E for quake danger.
would have no comment pending the unusual number of fail safe The AEC's Dbision of Reactor a complete detailed study by mechanisms the company had
$' Licensng, a staff group, saidthe company s experts. 'Ihe re-designed for the plant.
These the reactor was excellent m p rt by the regulatory staff mechanisms woul,d levery wsy except for its loca-strongly criticized PG&E,s po-pkely to be vibrated by a quake, work well in, an area which is
'and the U.S. Coast and Geodetic' tion. The U.S. Geological Survey 8'tton.
It said. Dut, the report said, Bo.
TREMENDOUS DANGER dega Head is so close to the Survey also said the location is unsafe.
The bedrock at the reactor San Andreas Fault that it ts sub-Houver, the AEC's Advisory site iocation could be ripped by get to gmund rupture at the Reactor Safe-an earthquake or swept by a Committee on guards, a Ivmember consultant M foot tical wave, today's AEC tior s*
report said. The report said EXTREME FORM group, concluded, "There la scientistsjon't yet know enough "Other reactor installations reasonable assurance that the about' earthquakes to make have presented seismic design ls'.roposed reactor can be con-p sound engineering judgments
> problems but not in the extreme ruewd and operated... with-l out u:.due hazard to the health about the location.
form under the earthquake pos-
- and ufety of the public."
"Because of the magnitude of tulated by the Coast and Geo.
Washr.gton and Berkeley today. tThe reports were releasad in jpossible c detic Survey and the Geologi.
or rupture in the reactor con ca ey, as, possMe at b ainment (the shell which holds
'f'e" he reactor) accompanied by a h
en' volves around t
1 radure of emergency equipment, whetr.er the shell containing the j[ouclear power reactor should bev e do not believe tha reac:or could break. There is no " proof-test" that PG&E's
, nbject of a pioneering construc-new construction theories would j twn effort based on unverified work, it said. It would be pos-engineering principals however sible - but difficult - to build' sound they may appea,r to be,"
a mcdel to test PG&E's theories, the report said-the AEC said.
PG&E had told the AEC that "This is a kind of case, how-i the " maximum credible accid-ever, on which reasonable men ent" at the site would be a may differ. In our view the pro-j rr.ovement of ba! rock by only a posal to rely on unproven and
)
t few inches and a 15 foot high perhaps unprovable design tidal wave.
measures to cope with forces i
(big enough to tear bedrock un-der the reactor) raises a sub-stantial safety question," the
' AEC agency's report said.
i
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