ML20235F569

Forwards MG Weber Re Possible Nuclear Disaster at Facility.Prompt Action Required

ML20235F569
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	06/15/1987
From:	Kelley S PRESIDENT OF U.S. & EXECUTIVE OFFICES
To:	NRC
Shared Package
ML20235F534	List: ML20235F532 ML20235F569
References
NUDOCS 8707130443
Download: ML20235F569 (11)

Text

THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE REFERRAL JUNE 15, 1987 TO: N'UCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ATTN: ~ INSPECTOR. GENERAL I

ACTION REQUESTED:

DIRECT REPLY, FURNISH INFO COPY REMARKS: ALSO REFERRED TO ENERGY-DESCRIPTION OF INCOMING:

ID:

'503612 MEDIA:

LETTER, DATED MAY 27, 1987 4

TO:

PRESIDENT REAGAN FROM:

MR. MILAN G. WEBER PRESIDENT THE MILAN G. WEBER ASSOCIATES, INC.

POST OFFICE BOX 81 DEERFIELD IL 60015'

SUBJECT:

CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE NUCLEAR DISASTER AT BRAIDWOOD 1

PROMPT ACTION IS ESSENTIAL -- IF REQUIRED ACTION HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN WITHIN.9 WORKING DAYS OF RECEIPT,.PLEASE TELEPHONE THE i

UNDERSIGNED AT 456-7486.

j i

RETURN CORRESPONDENCE, WORKSHEET AND COPY OF RESPONSE j

(OR DRAFT) TO:

AGENCY LIAISON, ROOM 91, THE WHITE HOUSE,-20500' SALLY KELLEY 1

. DIRECTOR OF AGENCY-LIAISON-Ofg713ObbkO

$l6 PRESIDENTIAL CORRESPONDENCE i

k)

The Milan G. Weber Associates, n c.

c M AN AoEMENT CONSULTINo $1NCE 1964

'1 Deerfield, Illinois 60015 '

• Area Code 312/945 3673 P.o. Box 81 27 May 1987 l

The President

]

The White House Washington, DC 20500 1

Dear Mr. President:

)'

I am not an anti-nuclear activist. In fact, I was the one who drafted, for the /

Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan which first enun- ~

f hiated the policy,- since then abandoned, - of Massive Retaliation if the So-viets were to begin adventuring into Western Europe.

My military high level planning taught me to have a healthy respect for the nuclear environment, as well as the need for extreme care in handling nuclear -

items. Much of this respect and care, still vital elements of our military who deal with nuclear matters, is being neglected by those in charge of commercial reactors,-including the government people who are in a regulatory role.

Recently, twenty four highly trained professional quality control inspectors

{

placed their careers on the line to tell about the shoddy construction, harrass-ment of quality-control inspectors, and exceptionally lax emergency prepared -

[i ness inherent in the work done on the Braidwood nuclear reactor here in Illinois.

l iThe Atomic Safety and Licensing. Board allowed the granting of a license to 1

7 operate, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the license. The vote d

on the Board was two to one. The dissenting Member, the Chairman, felt so I

j strongly that Braidwood was not safe that he took the highly unusual step of

, submitting a strongly-worded dissent in writing.

j If a person sues another for a sum of money or if a man is being tried for com--

mission of a crime, such persons are entitled to a unanimous verdict,- not 2 to 1, I

but unanimous. Here,in the Braidwood case, we are not dealing with a paltry sum of money or a possible prison sentence. We are dealing with a possible Chernobyl-scale catastrophe that could put at risk a large part of our country - and,possibly, foreign lands.

The possible effects of such a catastrophe are so tragic as to af-feet the food supply, the lives, and the later generations of a large part of humanity.

We must nor accept a verdict wherein there is a one in three probability that the reactor IS NOT SAFE. We must have CERTAINTY in a case like this. We urge.ihat you cause the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to change its ruling so that Braidwood is not allowed to operate. This is your watch, Mr. Presid Sincerely e

W

/A Milan G. Weber r-r President MGW/ak encl: Memo to Midwestern Governors OUR ACQUISITIONS / MERGERS DEPARTMENT CREATES SYNERGISTIC SITUATIONS

The Alilan G.

Weber A.aociates, Inc.

vtNicivlN1 C oN S UL11N c i thC E 1964

• Oct Coc U2 W 3673

. Sed..c

/ *e i KO15

$ o Ecs f) r ME440R-A#DuMJG& T H E GOV 9 N Oc c or mnw r e r n u em a mre

Subject:

A Nuclear Disaster Might Well Happen Here.

If a nuclear accident were to occur in one of the reactors in Illinois, it would place at risk the people of your state, as well as other states bordering on Illinois.

In fact,it might well place at risk a number of other states, as well as foreign lands.

The decision by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to allow the granting of a license to operate the Braidwood plant is the most irresponsible ruling we have ever heard of by a governmental body. The following decision by the Nuclear Re-gulatory Commission to grant the license was equally as Lad. We are ashamed that-these bodies have no respect for human life and no regard for the public interest.

They took these actions by a vote of 2 to 1. The dissenting member, the Chairman of the ASLB, felt so strcngly that the Plant is not tafe to cperate that he took the highly unusual step of submitting a strongly-worded dissent in writing.

Tw enty four trained Inspectors had complained about shoddy construction, harass-ment of quality-control inspectors and lax emergency preparedness. We are not dealing here with one automobile causing the death of a driver, and the remaining million auto-mobiles being recalled. We are dealing with the possibility of a Chernobyl-scaleacci-dent which might make thousands of square miles unsafe, where plant and animallife in the food chain can be rendered unsafe for years to come, where the seeds are planted for cancerous growths to be evidenced decades later by the premature deaths of thousands upon thbusands of human beings and the later generations, as yet unborn, suffering because of the greed of one Company and the casual disregard of humanity by the regulating author-ities.

i If a person sues another for a sum of money, or if a person is tried for a crime which e

might mean a year in jail, such persons are entitled to a unanimous verdict by a jury.

I h

Not two out of three, but unanimous. Also, in the Braidwood case, the majority opinion said l

that "there is reacenable msurance that the plant is safe". In our view, the results can g

be so catastrophic that a reasonable assurance !r not enough. There must be certainty when the fate of a good part of humanity is concerned. We do not even come close to such certainty. In fact, judging by the Board's action, there is a one third probability that the 5;

plant is NOT SAFE.

Not only is the Reactor, itself, of questionable safety, but the Company that will operate it has not distinguished itself by exemplary stewardship of the reactors it i

now operates. The NRC has found many violations of nuclear safety measures committed by the Commonw ealth Edison Company. They have, for exemp3e, installed e

seals in the containment structure which could not j' - s a primary containment test -

and their fine w as increased because they did not take complete and prompt corrective a ct ion. (It will be recalled that improper seals caused the Challenger disaster.) Also, they have several times allowed improper access to their critice.1 area, - in ef fect calling to ten orists to come in and do their thing. So, we have a situation here where we have demonstrated incompetence combined with an unsafe structure.

Fortunately, the Federal Gm ernment is not the last word on this. The Illinois Commerce Commission can judge that the facility should not be operated. With our Governor on re-cord as saying that Illinois is a State with surplus electrical power, there is no need for operation of the Eraidwood plant.

We l>elieve that this is a situation which is serious enough to warrant many of the State,'-

^

s-

- - u m my w r e m e m w u m uy r - - m u - o mr y -

gulatory Commission to grant the license was equally as bad. We are ashamed that these bodies have no respect for human life and no regard for the public interest.-

They took these actions by a vote of 2 to 1. The dissenting member, the Chairman of the ASLB, felt so stror. gly that the Plant is not sr.fe to cperate that he took the highly unusual step of submitting a strongly-worded dissent in writing.

Tw enty four trained Inspectors had complained about shoddy construction, harass-ment of quality-control inspectors and lax emergenc', preparedness. We are not dealing here with one automobile causing the death of a driver, and the remaining million auto-mobiles being recalled. We are dealing with the possibility of a Chernobyl-scaleacci-dent which might make thousands of square miles unsafe, where plant and animal life.

in the food chain can be rendered unsafe for years to come, where the seeds are planted for cancerous growths to be evidenced decades later by the premature deaths of thousands upon thbusands of human beings and the later generations, as yet unborn, suffering because j

of the greed of one Company and the casual disregard of humanity by the regulating author-

itles, f

~

If a person sues another for a sum of money, or if a person is tried for a crime which e

might'mean a year in jail, such persons are entitled to a unanimous verdict by a jury.

Not two out of three, but unanimous. Also,in the Braidwood' case, the raajority opinion said that "there is reawnable nsurance that the plant is safe". In our view, the results can be so catastrophic that a reasonable assurance is not enough. There must be certainty -

when the fate of a good part of humanity is concerned. We do not even come close to such certainty. In fact, judging by the Board's ' action, there is a one third probability that the plant is NOT SAFE.

Not only is the Reactor, itself, of questionable safety, but 'the Company that will operate it has not distinguished itself by exemplary stewardship of the reactors it is now operates. The NRC has found many violations of nuclear safety measures committed by the Commonwealth Edison Company. They have, for exemple, installed seals in the containment structure which could not pass a primary containment test,-

i and their fine w as increased because they did not take complete and prompt corrective a ct ion. (It will he recalled that improper seals caused the Challenger disaster.) Also, they have several times allowed improper access to their critical area, - in effect calling-E to ten orists to come in and do their thing. So, we have a situation here where we have demonstrated incompetence combined with an unsafe structure.

Fortunately, the Federal Government is not the last word on this. The Illinois Commerce Commission can judge that the facility should not be operated. With our Governor on re-cord as saying that Illinois is a State with surplus electrical power, there is no need for operation of the Braidwood plant.

We believe that this is a situation which is serious enough to warrant many of the State,8-c ertainly, as a minimurn, those in the Midwest. -to tal e-action within theii means to pre-vent Braidwood from operating. So far, Governor Thompson has not been inclined to be other than cozy with Commonwealth Edison. We believe, however, that, if some of the' Midwest Governors would approach him on this important matter, he would be reason-able and w ould cause the cancellation of Braidwood's authority to operate.

We, therefore, ask that, in the interests of safety for the people of your State, you ask Governor Thompson to use his influence to cause this cancellation. A

^

.i Sincerely, e

.e Milan G. Weber

' President MGW/ak i.

Ref. EDO 2949 Qiurley[

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY cy *-

Davis, RIII CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER:

CRC-87-0732 LOGGING DATE: Jun 19 87 ACTION OFFICE:

EDO AUTHOR:

M.G. Weber g'

AFFILIATION:

IL (ILLINOIS)

(I LETTER DATE:

Jun 9 87 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 Braidwood

SUBJECT:

NRC's approval for operation of the Braidwood Reactor ACTION:

Appropriate C

DISTRIBUTION:

Docket SPECIAL HANDLING: None b

NOTES:

M DATE DUE:

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DATE SIGNED:

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The ' Milan G. Weber ' Associates, Inc.

)/

MAN AGEMENT CONSULTING $1NCE 1964

~

Deerfield, Ilknoic 60015 Area Code 312/945-3673 -

P.o. Box B1 1

9 June 1987 The Honorable Howard Baker -

Chief of Staff to the President The White House Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. Baker:

Permit me to say, at the outset, that your work in your new job is being greatly admired here in the State of your late Father-in-Law.

I I am enclosing a copy of a letter I wrote to the President on the subject of nuclear safety. (Please note that I am not an anti-nuclear kook.)

My purpose in writing you is to express the hope that you might do something that will cause this matter to get full consideration. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted approval for operation of -

the Braidwood Reactor less than twenty four hours after its approval by the Atomic 1

Safety and Licensing Board..

Considering that the Chairman of that Board strongly views the Reactor to be unsafe and said so vigorously in a dissent to the Board's action, it seems to me that the automatic action on the part of the NRC is not an indication that snfuty was given much consideration.

We are talking about the possible contamination,if an accident occurs, of the part of Illinois where Senator Dirksen lived,- b'ut much more. We are talking about risking the lives of untold millions. We are talking about a Chernobyl-scale accident. We are talking about a possible unsafe structure combined with demon-strated incompetence of the operator of the reactor. (See enclosures.)

We must assume from the action of the Board that the structure has a one-third probability of being unsafe.

I urge that you cause the NRC to withdraw its hasty approval and give the Braid--

wood matter the earnest consideration it deserves.

Sincerely,

\\

Milan G. Weber a

President.

MGW/ak encls OUR ACQUISITIONS / MERGERS DEPARTMENT CREATES SYNERGISTIC SITUATIONS

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e M A N AGFMEh! CONS ULTING 5 tNCE 1964 4

Deerfield,1119o4 60015

• A*ee Code 312/9 6 3673 P o som B1 27 May 1987 j

r The Pre'sident The White House Washington, DC 20500

=

Dear Mr. President:

u I am not an anti-nuclear activisi. In fact, I was the one who drafted, for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan which first enun-ciated the policy,- since then abandoned,- of Massive Retaliation if the So-m_'-

viets were to begin adventuring into Western Europe.

My military high level planning taught me to have a healthy respect for the nuclear environment, as well as the need for extreme care in handling nuclear items. Much of this respect and care, still vital elements of our military who l

deal with nuclear matters, is being neglected by those in charge of commercial reactors,-including the government people who are in a regulatory role.

Recently, twenty four highly trained professional quality control inspectors placed their careers on the line to tell about the shoddy construction, harrass-

[

ment of quality-control inspectors, and exceptionri.11y lax emergency prepared-ness inherent in the work done on the Braidwood nuclear reactor here in Illinois.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board allowed the granting of a license to operate, and the Nuc1c: - Regulatory Commission granted the license. The vote on the Board was two -

one. The dissenting Member, the Chairman, felt so strongly that Braidwo:

aas not safe that he took the highly unusual step of

=

submitting a strongly-i. crded dissent in writing.

If a person sues another for a sum of money or if a man is being tried for com-mission of a crime, such persons are entitled to a unanimous verdict, - not 2 to 1, 5

but unanimous. Here,in the Braidwood case, we are not dealing with a paltry sum g

of money or a possible prison sentence. We are dealing with a possible Chernobyl-

[

scale catastrophe that could put at risk a large part of our country,- and.possibly, g

foreign lands.

The possible effects of such a catastrophe are so tragic as to af-e feet the food supply, the lives, and the later generations of a large part of humanity.-

$E

' We must nor accept a v.alict wherein there is a one in three probability that the E

t reactorIS NOT SAFE. We must have CERTAINTY in a case like this. We urge that R

you cause the Nuclear Regulatory Cofhmission to change its ruling so that Braidwood

[

is not allowed to operate. This is you watch, Mr. Presi

{

g E

Sincerely 8-Milan G. Weber r

-r President m

5 MGW/ak L

encl: Memo to Midwerimrn Governors OUR ACQUISITIONS / MERGERS DEPARTMENT CREATES SYNERGISTIC SITUATIONS a

=

4

Thh )1ilan G.' Weber As.

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Act 6301- +

A'e e C oue 3 i. ; 3673 MEMOR A!;DUM FOR THE GOVERNORS OF MiaWESTERN STATES f,

Subject:

A Nuclear Disaster Might Weil Happen Here.

I

~

i If a nuclear accident were to occur in one of the reactors in Illinois,it would place at risk the people of your state, as well as other states bordering on Illinois.

In fact, it might well place at risk a number of other states, as well as foreign lands.

The decision by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to allow the granting of a license to operate the Braidwood plant is the most irresponsible ruling we have ever heard of by a governmental body. The following decision by the Nuclear Re-gulatory Commission to grant the license was equally as bad. We are ashamed that these bodies have no respect for human life and no regard for the public interest.

]

They took these actions by a vote of 2 to 1. The dissenting member, the Chairman of the AFLB, felt so strongly that the Plant is not safe to cperate that he took the -

highly unusual step of submitting a strongly-worded dissent in eriting.

L.

Tu enty four trained Inspectors had complained about shoddy construction, harass-ment of :cality-control inspectors and lax emergency preparedness. We are not dealing.

i bere with one automobile causing the death of a driver, and the remaining million auto-J mobiles being recalled.~ We are dealing with the possibility of a Chernobyl-scaleacci-1

~ dent which might make thousands of squarc miles unsafe, where plant and animallife

,4 in the food chain can be rendered unsafe for years to come, where the seeds are planted for cancerous growths to be evidenced decades later by the premature deaths of thousands upon thbusands of human beings and the later generations, as yet unborn, suffering because of the greed of one Company and the casual disregard of humanity by the regulating author-ities.

If a person sues another for a sum of money, or if a person is tried for a crime which might mean a year in jail, such persons are entitled to a unanimous verdict by a jury.

Not two out of three, but unanimous. Also,in the Braidwood case, the majority opinion said that "there is reasonable assurance that the plant is safe". In our view, the results can be so catastrophic that a reasonable assurance is not enough. There must be certainty I

when the fate of a good part of humanity is concerned. We do not even come close to such certainty. In fact, judging by the Board's action, there is'a one third probability that the plant is NOT SAFE.

Not only is the Reactor,itself, of questionabic safety, but the Company that will operate it has mot distinguished itself by exemplary stewardship of the reactor it I

row operates. The NRC has found many violations of nuclear safety measures

]

committed by the Commonwealth Edison Company.' They have, for example, installed seals in the containment structure which could not pass a primary containment test,-

1 and their fine w as increased because they did r.ot take complete and prompt corrective i

metion. (It will be recalled that improper seals caused the Challenger dhaster.) Also, j

they have seseral times allowed improper access to their critical area,-in effect calling to terrorists to come in and do their thing. So, we have a situation here where we have i

demonstrated incompetence combined with an um.afe structure.

Fortunately, the Federal Government is not the last w ord on this, The Illinois Commerce Commission can judge that the facility should not be operated. With our Governor on re-i cord as saying that Illinois is a State with surplus electrical power, there is no need for operation of the Braidwood plant.

We believe that this is a situation which is serious enough to warrant many of the State,*--

certainly, as a minimum, those in the Midwest -to take action within their means to pre-vent Braidwood from operating. So far, Governor Thompson has not been inclined to be other than cozy with Commonwealth Edison. We believe, however, that, if some of the Midwest Governors would approach him on this important matter, he would be reason-able and would cause the cancellation of Braidwood's authority to operate.

We, therefore, ask that, in the interests of safety for the people of your State, you ask j

Governor Thompson to use his influence to cause this cancellation.

Sincerely, Milan G. Weber

+

President MGW/ak

l 4

i Tiw.Uilan G. ',Wbcr 4s.

s. I n c.

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4 sm o.. c e, r.

e MEMOR AUD'JM FOR THE GOVERNORS OF MlJWLSTERN ST ATES

Subject:

A Nuclear Disaster Might Well Happen Here.

)

)

1 l

If a nuclear accident were to occur in one of the reactors in Illinois,it would place at risk the people of your state, as well as other ststes boscring on Illinois.

In f act,it might w ell place at risk a nuraber of other states, as a ell as foreign lands.

The decision by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to allow the granting of a license to operate the Braidwood plant is the most irresponsib!c ruling we have j

ever heard of by a governmental body. The follow mg decision by the Nuclear Re-1 gulatory Commission to grant the license was equrG as bad. We are ashamed that these bodies have no respect for human life and ro regard for the public interest.

They iook these actions by a vote of 2 to 1. The dissenting member, the Chairman of the MLB. felt so strongly that the Plant is not ufe to opere.e that he took the highly unusual step of submitting a strongly-w orded dissent in w riting.

Ta c nty fou-trair+d Irapertors had complained about shoddy c construction, haras.s-me nt of g Jit yscr. trol impcs tors and lax emcrgency preparedness. We are not dealing here with one automoble causing the death of a driver, and the remaining million auto-1 moMic > 1 n g recalled. We are dealing with the possibility of a Chernobyl-scaleacci-

]

dcnt v bich rnigh mAe tlwands of quarc ralles unsafe, where plant and animallife in the food chain enr. be rendered unsafe for ye ars to come, where the seeds are planted t

for car.c erous rowths to be evidenced decades later by the premature deaths of thousands j

s upon thbuunds of ha.ncn beings and the later generations, as yet unborn, suffering because 1

of the greed of one Ccmpany and the casual disregard of humanity by the regulating author-f it ies.

If a grsor sues another for a sum of money, or if a person is tried for a crime which might mean a year in jail, such persons are entitled to a unanimous serdict by a jury.

q Not t w o c at of three, but unanimous. Also, in the Erald wood c ase, the majority opinion said I

11 at "thre is rc asonale assurance that the I ant is safe". In our view, the results can 1

l be se c catastrophic that a reasonable assurance is no'. enough. There must be certainty then the f ate of a good part of humanity is concerned. We do not even ecme close to such

e rtainty. In fact, judging by the Board's action, there is a one third probability that the plant is NOT SAFE.

Not only is the Rcactor, itself, of questionable safety, but the Company that will rpe rnie it has net distinguished itself by exen.plary ste urdship of the reactors it aw operates. The NPC has found many viciations of nuclear safe ty me aures ccaruit ted by the Commoanalth Edison Cr,mpany. They have, for cumple, installed j

seals in the containment structure which could not j nes a primary contair ment test. -

.md the ir fira w <s ivrcated beccese ti cy did : ot take comp! rte and p umpt corrective e c t ion. Ut u ill 1.e reenlled that improper seals cmied the Challon er disaster.) Also, e

thy haw seural tiw allow ed improper ac ceu to t.eir critical erea,- in effect calling i

to terrorists to come in and do thcir thing. So, w e have a situation here w here w e have de monstrated incompetence c omlined m.ith an umafe structure.

Fortunately, the Federal Got mment is not the last w ord on this. The Illinois Commerce Comminion can judge tbt the facility should not be operated. With our Governor on re-cord as saying that lilinois is a State with surplus electrical pow er, there is no need for opeution of the Braidw ood plant.

We believe that tHs is a situation which is serious enough to warrant many of the State,"-

certainly, as a minimum, those in the Midwest -to take action within their means to pre-vent Eraidwood from operating. So far, Governor Thompen has not been inclined to be othr than cozy with Commonwealth Edison. We bebeve, I om ever, that, if some of the Midw est Governors u ould approach him on this importent matter, he would be reason-able and t culd cause the cancellation of Braidwood's authority to operate.

We, therefore, ask that,in the interests of safety for the people of your State, you ask Governor Thompson to use his influence to cause this c cancellation.

]

Sincerely, ek~

s 4 Milan G. Weber President MGW/ak

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