ML20248L609

Petition,Per 10CFR2.206,to Enforce NRC Regulations Re Continued Systemic Mismanagement Resulting in Policy of Intimidation & Harrassment by Mgt & to Revoke Licenses to Operate

ML20248L609
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone
Issue date:	02/02/1998
From:	Bassilakis R, Gunter P, Katz D CITIZENS AWARENESS NETWORK, NUCLEAR INFORMATION & RESOURCE SERVICE
To:	Callan L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
Shared Package
ML20248L598	List: ML20248L595 ML20248L604 ML20248L609
References
2.206, DD-98-04, DD-98-4, NUDOCS 9803230277
Download: ML20248L609 (3)

Text

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, MA: Box 83 shelburne Fatts, MA 01370/ 80 Davsnport Rd Rowe, MA P/F 413439-6781/8768 l CT: 54 old Turnpike Road, Haddam, CT 06438 P/F: 860445 8431 l VT: Clo Box 566 Putney, VT 05346 P/F: 802487 2646/2667 i

. NH: 7 Meadow Lane, Exeter, NH 03833 P/F 603-7724439 m, ,~ n~, y ;v p m m s w y ,-~~ m - > ~ ,,c y ~ n~,;- ~.n,m~ y n .. m ,nn w wp 7w n~~n ~~e,- y y' n %<<l ,,5, , , ,,

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w; k..,, m sn $ dln dsm a L%~<lv<. iv-~ > ~,~ w w ~ b r<, w , , wi> n .1 < I ' ~ ' r, a n,6wlu< ,w., aA ITIZENS WARENESS ETWORK February 2,1998 Mr. Leonard J. Callan Executive Director of Operations U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 PETITION FOR ENFORCEMENT, PURSUANT TO 10 CFR 2.206, TO REVOKE NORTHEAST UTILITIES' OPERATING LICENSES FOR ITS CONNECTICUT NUCLEAR l POWER STATIONS DUE TO CHRONIC SYSTEMIC MISMANAGEMENT RESULTING IN A POLICY OF INTIMIDATION AND HARRASSMENT BY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION in the interest of public health and safety, Citizens Awareness Network (CAN), and Nuclear information and Resource Service (NIRS), hereby petition the United States j Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206, to enforce the i requirement of NRC regulations in regards to continued systemic mismanagement by I senior management at Northeast Utilities (NU), the licensee of Millstone Units I,11, and Ill, and revoke the utility's license to operate. Given systemic managerial harassment of its workforce by the licensee, and orders by the Commissioners regarding the closure of four reactors in Connecticut, it is essential that enforcement action be taken. ,

l REQUESTED ACTION l l

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1. The Petitioners request the revocation of Northeast Utilities license to operate Millstone Units I,11, and ill as the result of ongoing intimidation and harassment of its workforce by NU management.

2. The Petitioners request the revocation of NU's license to operate Millstone Units I,11, and ill as the result of persistent licensee defiance to adherence to NRC regulations and directives to create a " questioning attitude" for its workers to challenge management on nuclear safety issues without fear of harassment, intimidation, or reprisals by the utility.

3. The Petitioners request that NRC refer the Nucbar Oversight Focus 98 List and the reported NU management attempt to destroy the list to the Department of Justice for investigation of a potential cover up.

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l ll BACKGROUND:

At present Millstone 1,11, lll and Connecticut Yankee were shut down by order of the NRC I Commissioners because the reactors were operating in disregard of fundamental NRC f regulations designed to assure workers and the public are adequately protected. NU violated NRC regulations, despite a continuing responsibility to assure the safety of the most vulnerable members of the public, protect workers, and safeguard its own assets.

l A root cause for NU's chronic and systemic mismanagement is harassment and l'

intimidation of its workforce on a routine and regular bnsis. The utility's choice to place profit ahead of compliance with NRC regulations create 1 an unsafe work environment.

Unfortunately this policy remains intact in the hostile environment maintained by NU management toward its workforce in its Millstone Unit til restart efforts.

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' An NU document, the Focus 98 List, dated January 11,1998, distributed on January 21

by Nuclear Oversight, directs the group to address " Areas Needing improvement" by focusing on the " inability to ' isolate' cynics from the group culture" and " pockets of negativism." This list demonstrates the sustained and unrelenting senior management pol:cy to undermine a safety-conscious workplace at the Millstone Units. Despite two years of increased regulatory scrutiny of the managerial mistreatment of its workers and the corporation's mismanagement of its employees safety concems program, a " chilled atmosphere" remains intact and entrenched.

NU's efforts to sanitize the evidence in the list, are unconvincing to CAN and NIRS. The utility's efforts to justify the corporation's exposed agenda as a mistake in language and its rush to destroy the list is evidence of an apparent campaign to create damage control rather than address the substantive issue of creating a " questioning environment" for its employees.

The controversial list was not addressed until the .New London Day reported on it, January 30*. The Nuclear Oversight group did not bring the incriminating list to the attention of either the Commission or Little Harbor Consulting Group before that time. In fact, management attempts, though unsuccessful to recall and destroy the list, constitute a potential cover up of the systemic culture of intimidation that exists at NU.

Since it has been repoded that NU management employees attempted to destroy the list, NRC has a duty to refer this apparent deliberate attempt to evade the otherwise lawful exercise of authority by NRC to the Department of Justice for complete investigation. This alleged attempt to cover up wrong doing by NRC's licensee is a potential obstruction of justice that should be fully and fairly investigated.

til ABOUT THE PETITIONERS:

Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) is a non-profit, public interest group with members located in proximity to the Yankee Rowe reactor in MA, the Vermont Yankee reactor in VT, the Connecticut Yankee reactor and Millstone Units in CT, and the Seabrook reactor in NH. We are concemed with the entire nuclear fuel cycle from the mining of uranium, the standard operation of nuclear power stations to the siting of rad-waste facilities. CAN I

represents citizens in many impacted communities that experience the economic, s

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environmental, and health consequences of the uranium fuel cycle. Since 1991, CAN participated in a variety of NRC proceedings including, hearings on reactor embrittlement and decommissioning, rulemakings, workshops, hearings on reactor embrittlement and decommissioning, and adjudicatory hearings.

Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) is a nonprofit public interest group -

whose work is related to nuclear power, radioactive waste, and renewable energy. NIRS membership is nationwide including Connecticut residents whose health and safety is prioritized by the requested actions in this petition. With an office ir. Washington, DC, l NIRS has been a participant in nuclear regulatory affairs, including rulamakings,- )

enforcement actions, and adjudications involving individual nuclear power stations since 1978.

i IV CONCLUSION:

For the foregoing reasons, petitioners ask the United States Nuclear Regulatory ,

Commission to grant the petition by immediately commencing: (1) enforcement action, as l

- detailed above, against Northeast Utilities, and (2) referral of Focus 98 List to the Department of Justice forinvestigation.

I Dated: This 2d Day of February 1998 Respectfully Submitted as: I

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Deborah Katz Paul Gunter President Reactor Watchdog Program Citizens Awareness Network Nuclear information and Resource Service P.O Box 83 142416* Street NW 4* Floor Shelbume Falls, MA 01370 Washington, DC 20036 413-339-5781 202-328-0002

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Rosemary Bassilakis Researcher f-j 1

l Citizens Awareness Network 54 Old Tumpike Road astil Haddam, CT 06438 860-345-2157 l

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