ML23118A097

06-06-23 Letter to the Honorable Michael V. Lawler, Et Al., from Chair Hanson Regarding Holtecs Announcement to Expedite Plans to Release Over 500,000 Gallons of Radioactive Wastewater from Indian Point Energy Center Into the Hudson River

ML23118A097
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	06/06/2023
From:	Christopher Hanson NRC/Chairman
To:	Bowman J, Lawler M, Molinaro M, Ryan P US HR (House of Representatives), US SEN (Senate)
Shared Package
ML23114A209	List: ML23118A097
References
LTR-23-0113-1-NMSS, eConcurrence 20230428-20008, CORR-23-0047
Download: ML23118A097 (4)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 -0001

June 6, 2023 CHAIR

The Honorable Michael V. Lawler United States House of Rep resentatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Lawler :

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your April 21, 2023, letter in which you raised concerns regarding Holtec Decommissioning lnternational 's (Holtec 's) plans to release liquid effluents at the Indian Point Energy Center.

Specifically, your letter raised concerns about Holtec's announcement and urged the NRC to coordinate with Federal, State, and local stakeholders, including the public to explore alternatives to dispose of radioactive wastewater.

The NRC ' s regulations require licensees to manage and demonstrate that their liquid and gaseous effluent releases comply with prescribed dose limits to protect public health and safety and the environment. Licensees are also responsible for sampling, measuring, and reporting the releases. The effluent releases are required to be documented in a report submitted annually to the NRC. To date, all effluent releases at Indian Point have been a small fraction of the allowable limits for such releases, and any future releases will also be required to comply with NRC requirements.

The NRC staff appreciates its ongoing engagement with the Indian Point Decommissioning Oversight Board, including its recent presentation at the Board 's April 27,

2023, meeting. The NRC staff plans to support the next Board meeting scheduled for June 15,

2023. Subsequently, the NRC staff is planning to hold a public meeting to discuss effluent releases at nuclear power plants during both the operational and decommissioning phases,

which will provide additional information to the public on this topic. Details about this meeting will be available on the NRC's public website.

The NRC staff has d iscussed topics related to decommissioning at publ ic meetings held in the local vicinity of decommissioning plants and has answered questions from the public,

State and local officials, and Members of Congress and their staff. The agency looks forward to continuing to work with Federal, State, and local stakeholders to have meaningful dialogue on these issues.

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts and concerns. If you have any questions or need add itional information, please contact me or have your staff contact Eugene Dacus, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776.

Sincerely,

C.9~--.... _,-..

Christopher T. Hanson Identical letter sent to :

The Honorable Michael V. Lawler United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Patrick K. Ryan United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D.

United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Marcus J. Molinaro United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515