PNO-III-86-082, on 860815,R Celeste,Governor of Ohio, Announced Withdrawal of Support & Implementing Directive for Emergency Plans for Two Facilities.Ltr Sent to Lw Zech Encl

PNO-III-86-082:on 860815,R Celeste,Governor of Ohio, Announced Withdrawal of Support & Implementing Directive for Emergency Plans for Two Facilities.Ltr Sent to Lw Zech Encl

ML20203L106
Person / Time
Site:	Perry
Issue date:	08/15/1986
From:	Lickus R, Strasma J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:	Meeee
References
PNO-III-86-082, PNO-III-86-82, NUDOCS 8608220412
Download: ML20203L106 (2)

PRELIMdNARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-III-86-82 bm6 Date August 15, 1986 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by the Region III staff on this date.

Facility: Cleveland Electric Illuminating Licensee Emergency Classification:

Perry Nuclear Plant Notification of an Unusual Event Perry, OH 44081 Alert Docket Nos: 50-440; 50-441 Site Area Emergency Toledo Edison Company General Emergency Davis Besse Nuclear Plant XX Not Applicable Oak Harbor, OH 43449 Docket No. 50-346

Subject:

OHI0 GOVERN 0R SEEKS DAVIS-BESSE AND PERRY DELAYS Richard Celeste, Governor of Ohio, announced at a news conference on August 15, 1986, in Cleveland, that he was withdrawing his support and his implementing directive for the emergency plans for the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants. He has also sent a letter (copy attached) to the Connission seeking to temporarily postpone decisions on the restart of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Plant and the Full Power License for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant. The governor named a panel of three state officials to review the adequacy of emergency planning in Ohio, including the 10-mile emergency planning zone. The delay on the Davis-Besse and Perry decisions is being sought until the review panel completes its evaluation.

Region III (Chicago) received information on the governor's announcement at 1:30p.m.(CST), August 15, 1986, from the Governor's Press Office and from the licensee.

CONTACT: J. rasma L t6 FTS 388-5674 FTS 388-5667 l

! DISTRIBUTION:

l H. St. E00 NRR E/W Willste Mail: ADM:DMB gg*. 3 q

! Chairman Palladino PA IE NMSS 00T:Trans only

!Comm.Zech OIA l Comm. Bernthal ELD AE00 RES oft l

Comm. Roberts I

Comm. Asselstine SP g.3 7 Regional Offices lACRS

' SECY INP0 # aA/ NSAC hj CA RIII Resident Office PDR Licensee: 4/.'d9 -4Sp _ (Corp. Office - Reactor Lic. Only)

, e608220412 aca15 Region III

! $-1!Noo-ocaPCR Rev. November 1985

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Letter from the Office of the Governor, Columbus, OH 43215 Lando W. Zech, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Chairman Zech:

The explosion and fire at the Chernobyl power plant on April 26, 1986, has prompted a sober reassessment of nuclear safety around the world.

As 1 wrote your predecessor on May 7, Ohio has good reason to join in this reassessment, because the Davis-Besse nuclear plant at Port Clinton, Ohio, has one of the worst records in the country, and on June 9,1985, came as close to meltdown as has any U.S. nuclear plant since the Three Mile Island accident of 1979. The Davis-Besse plant has not since returned to service.

Meanwhile, a 5 pt. Richter scale earthquake occurred on January 31, 1986, centered 10 miles from the Perry Nuclear Power Plant near Painesville, Ohio. Despite my repeated requests and those of U.S. Senators Howard Metzenbaum and John Glenn and U.S. Representatives John Sieberling and Dennis Eckart, the NRC decided not to conduct a thorough investigation of the safety significance of the earthquake.

I was pleased to read NRC Regional Administrator James Keppler's remarks of July 15 which suggest that the NRC will be taking a harder look at the safety of the Perry plant before approving full-power operation.

As you know, in general the NRC has jurisdiction over safety aspects of nuclear plants, and state governments have jurisdiction over their cost. However, as a federal court reaffirmed in March,1985, state governments do have jurisdiction over proposed evacuation plans for nuclear power plants. I strongly disagree with the reasoning of the Commission's July 24th decision, which suggests that a utility evacuation plan prepared without state or local participation, could provide adequate public protection.

Both the Chernobyl accident and the earthquake raise questions about whether the evacuation plans for Davis-Besse and Perry are realistic; whether the 10 mile radius of the evacuation zone is adequate; how much time there will be for evacuation to be carried out; the nature and dispersal of radioactive releases; and the effect of an earthquake on transportation routes necessary for evacuation.

Until these and other questions are squarely addressed, neither Davis-Besse nor Perry should achieve full-power operation, i For this reason, I withdraw my support for evacuation plans for the Perry and Davis-Besse power plants, and my March 24, 1986, implementing directive, pending Ohio's review of

, evacuation plans in light of the explosion and fire at the Chernobyl power plant, and the earthquake near the Perry plant.

! Ohio's review will be completed as soon as possible, and I expect that the NRC will withhold

' the license for full-power operation at the two plants until our review is satisfactorily l completed. If not, however, I am prepared to take all steps necessary and appropriate to jpreserveOhio'srightsinthismatter.

I am asking a team chaired by Bill Denihan, Director of Highway Safety, including Tom Chema, Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and Adjutant General Ray Galloway, to i conduct this review. I am encouraging them to seek whatever expert help they require to assist them, and to provide a full hearing for the concerns of local public officials and the general public. As soon as possible, the task force will report its findings on the basis of which I will then reconsider approval of the evacuation plans.

Sincerely, Richard F. Celeste, Governor i