ML20235Y870
| ML20235Y870 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | South Texas  |
| Issue date: | 03/05/1987 |
| From: | Geiger J HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO. |
| To: | Garde B GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20235Y741 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-87-624 NUDOCS 8710200513 | |
| Download: ML20235Y870 (3) | |
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l The Light NE f Houston Lighting X: Pour itO. Box 1700 Houston Texas 77001 (713)228-9211 March 5, 1987 RECEfVED Ms. Billis Garde Director of the Midwest Office M09W l
bovernment Accountability Project i
3424 N. Marcos Lane J. h,...,3 BERG Appleton,- Wisconsin 54911
Dear Ms. Garde:
l This is to summarize our discussions during the last week or so l
l regarding the investigation and disposition of concerns about the South l
Texas Project (STP) brought to our attention by the Government l
AccountabilityProject(GAP).
l In previous discussions I advised you that HL&P is unwilling to depart I have from our basic SAFETEAM approach to handling such matters at STP.
I offered several enhancements / modifications to that basic approach in rasponse to your suggestions.
I also committed to be intimately involved in GAP-forwarded matters to assist in lessening any apprehension you.or your l
clients may feel about the effectiveness of SAFETEAM. Lastly I reiterated my offer to have a sample of such investigations and results subjected to review by a third party that I would select for this purpose.
)
As to drafts of reports of investigations, I advised you, and I believe i
it is well reedgnized in sia11ar circumstances elsewhere, that if persons i.
preparing drafts of reports know that their drafts may be divulged to third parties, especially GAP, this could have a " chilling effect"on the I believe that a similar philosophy.is reflected in investigative process.
Where investigations of serious airline and other transportation accidents.
matters of public safety are concerned, we simply cannot take that chance.
To address your concern, I suggested that, in connection with matters Ii brought to our attention by GAP, I would assure that SAFETEAM provided a i
response letter which included a more. detailed description of the-i li investigation process and rationale for the investigation conclusions than l
is routinely provided to concerned employees at the conclusion of typical SAFETEAM investigations. We agreed that I would,' by way of example, review i.;i a letter to a concerned employee in a case already closed and expand it to J
reflect the type of additional material wa would furnish under a possible
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understanding with GAP.
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Houston Lighting & Power Q>mpany l
Ms. Billie Garde March 5, 1987 Page 2 1
I think it is imperative, however, that we set a deadline for conenencing investigation for matters of concern to enployees represented by l
GAP or matters brought to our attention by GAP. We are genuinely concerned that matters possibly affecting the safety of a nuclear power plant not become the subject o! grotracted procedural discussions. That risk is unacceptable to us; we also believe that the NRC would likewise be concerned; and finally, that GAP's interest in safety would be poorly l
j served.
We have agreed to meet again on Monday, March 9,1987. At that time I will give you a sample of the expanded letter we would propose to use to inform a concerned employee represented by GAP of the results of the investigation of his/her concern.
I am prepared to work with you as late as required next Monday and, if necessary, into Tuesday to review this material and get your agreement.
I trust that, if we agree to try an investigation under the ground rules I've described, you will simultaneously provide me with at least one allegation which you believe represents a significant safety concern and which we can begin to investigate.
If this demonstration is successful, I would expect that all other similar matters of which GAP is aware will be insnediately brought to me for consideration, investigation and disposition under these ground rules.
If this cannot be arrarged and you advise us that matters possibly important to safety remain undisclosed, it would be our intention to ask for an appropriate investigation by government officials. Conversely, at any time that you believed our investigations were inadequate and we could not otherwise agree on corrective measures which provide assurance that such matters are properly investigated, we would expect you to refer such matters immediately to appropriate NRC officials.
I want to underscore that HL&P is deeply committed to assuring that STP is reliable and safe. We therefore intend to press for the prompt identification and resolution of any concerns related to safety which may be in the possession of any persnn.
I look forward to meeting with you and initiating this program next week.
cerely yours, J. E.
Iger JEG:dbe l
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Houston Lighung & Power Company i
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Ms. Billie Garde March 5,'1987
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March 19, 1987 ST-HL-AE-200000 File No.: G02
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Mr. Robert D. Martin Regional Director, Region IV
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission l
611 Ryan Plaza, Suite 1000 Arlington, Texas 76011
SUBJECT:
NEGOTIATIONS WITH GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT RE: LETTER FROM J. H. GOLOBERG TO R. D. MARTIN DATED 03/09/87 l
Dear Mr. Martin:
l To follow up my letter of March 9, HL&P has had discussions and correspondence with Ms. Billie Garde of GAP since January 26th in an effort I
to obtain her cooperation in providing an opportunity for the SAFETEAM to investigate any concerns about nuclear safety which are known to GAP.
GAP identified a number of preconditions to providing information to SAFETEAM, and we have labored diligently to develop an acceptable basis for l
agreement.
Our efforts have been unsuccessful. GAP recently has not attended scheduled meetings for their benefit and HL&P telephone messages to GAP are unanswered. We regretfully conclude that C# has no interest in proceeding further with these discussions (see attached letter).
In discussion and in correspondence, we have reminded Ms. Garde of her obligation to identify any nuclear safety concerns of which she may be aware to ourselves or to the NRC. To the best of our knowledge, she has not done so.
3 We are aware that Mr. Victor Stello, in response to correspondence from Ms. Garde and Mr. Condit, has advised them that your office is the appropriate jurisdictional authority within the NRC to resolve any issues which they or their clients might raise. Since we have been unable to elicit GAP's cooperation, we request that the NRC exercise whatever options are available to it in order to compel GAP to make such issues known to the NRC immediately. HL&P will, of course, extend our complete cooperation to the NRC in the resolution of any matters raised by GAP.
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ilousion 1.ighting & Power Oimpany Mr. Robert D. Martin-March-19, 1987 Page 2 ST-HL-AE-200000 As we have informed GAP, it is " anomalous to us that an organization-purporting.to represent the public interest could show such little regard for that interest by withholding information of potential significance to-the public health and safety." Our overriding interest is that-the South Texas Project be completed and operated safely, and we remain committed to taking every possible step, with or without GAP's cooperation, to achieve that goal.
Sincerely, y.
J. H. Goldberg Group Vice-President, Nuclear JHG/JEG:sd Attachments cc:
Service List Stello (NRC)
J. M. Taylor (NRC)
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Houston Lighting & Power Company March 19, 1987 ST-HL-AE-200000 File No.:
G02 Page 3 l
cc:
N. Prasad Kadambi, Project Manager M. B. Lee /J. E. Malaski U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission City of Austin 7920 Norfolk Avenue P. O. Box 1088 Bethesda, MD 20814 Austin, TX 78767-8814 Robert L. Perch, Project Manager A. von Rosenberg/M. T. Hardt U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission City Public Service Board 7920 Norfolk Avenue P. 0. Box 1771 Bethesda, MD 20814 San Antonio, TX 78296 l
Dan R. Carpenter Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards l
Senior Resident Inspector / Operations U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 1717 H Street I
i Commission Washington, DC 20555 P.O. Box 910 Bay City, TX 77414 4
Claude E. Johnson Senior Resident Inspector /STP c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P. O. Box 910 Bay City, TX 77414 M. D. Schwarz, Jr., Esquire Baker & Botts One Shell Plaza Houston, TX 77002 J. R. Newman, Esquire Newman & Holtzinger, P.C.
1615 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 T. V. Shockley/R. L. Range Central Power & Light Company P. O. Box 2121 Corpus Christi, TX 78403
' i a:JHG.a06
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