ML110630216

G20110141/LTR-11-0088/EDATS: SECY-2011-0099 - Ltr Congressmen Patrick Leahy, Bernard Sanders, Peter Welch Ltr. Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Process

ML110630216
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	02/28/2011
From:	Leahy P, Sanders B, Welch P US HR (House of Representatives), US SEN (Senate), US Congress
To:	Jaczko G NRC/Chairman
Rihm, Roger, OEDO, 415-1717
Shared Package
ML11098A048	List: ML110630216
References
G20110141, LTR-11-0088, SECY-2011-0099, CORR-11-0050
Download: ML110630216 (5)

Text

EDO Principal Correspondence Control FROM: DUE: 03/21/11 EDO CONTROL: G20110141 DOC DT: 02/28/11 FINAL REPLY: Senator Patrick Leahy Senator Bernard Sanders Representative Peter Welch TO: Chairman Jaczko FOR SIGNATURE OF :** PRI **CRC NO: 11-0088 Chairman Jaczko DESC: ROUTING: Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Process (EDATS: SECY-2011-0099)

Borchardt Weber Virgilio Ash Muessle OGC/GC Dean, RI Satorius, RIII Miller, FSME Burns, OGC Schmidt, OCA DATE: 03/02/11 ASSIGNED TO: EDO CONTACT: Rihm SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS: Please prepare response in accordance with OEDO Notice 2009-0441-02 (ML093290179).

NRR, Region I, and Region III to provide input to Roger Rihm, OEDO, if required.

Roger Rihm will coordinate response with OGC and OCA.Tera4I akV S ECYC}() 1 7&Kft C-..' ý- 5 E CV -6) 1 EDATS Number: SECY-2011-0099 Source: SECY GeneralInfomaio Assigned To: OEDO Other Assignees:

Subject:

Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Process

Description:

CC Routing: NRR; Regionl; Regionill; FSME; OGC; OCA ADAMS Accession Numbers -Incoming:

NONE OEDO Due Date: 3/21/2011 11:00 PM SECY Due Date: 3/23/2011 11:00 PM Response/Package:

NONE Other 0 Iformation Cross Reference Number: G20110141, LTR- 11-0088 Staff Initiated:

NO Related Task: Recurring Item: NO File Routing: EDATS Agency Lesson Learned: NO OEDO Monthly Report Item: NO Proes Inomto Action Type: Letter Priority:

Medium Sensitivity:

None Signature Level: Chairman Jaczko Urgency: NO Approval Level: No Approval Required OEDO Concurrence:

YES OCM Concurrence:

NO OCA Concurrence:

NO Special Instructions:

Please prepare response in accordance with OEDO Notice 2009-0441-02 (ML093290179).

NRR, Region 1, and Region 1il to provide input to Roger Rihm, OEDO, if required.

Roger Rihmi will coordinate response with OGC and OCA.DocmeltI Infor matio Originator Name: Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Bernard Date of Incoming:

2/28/2011 Sanders, Rep. Peter Welch Originating Organization:

Congress Document Received by SECY Date: 3/2/2011 Addressee:

Chairman Jaczko Date Response Requested by Originator:

NONE Incoming Task Received:

Letter Page 1 of I OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET Date Printed: Mar 01, 2011 11:11 PAPER NUMBER: ACTION OFFICE:-11-0088;GC LOGGING DATE: 02/28/2011 AUTHOR: AFFILIATION:

ADDRESSEE:

SUBJECT:

ACTION: DISTRIBUTION:

LETTER DATE: ACKNOWLEDGED SPECIAL HANDLING: SEN Patrick Leahy,, Bernard Sanders, and Rep. Peter Welch CONG Gregory Jaczko Urges the NRC to ensure a safe and expeditious decommissioning process at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant Signature of Chairman RF, OCA to Ack 02/28/2011 No EDO should coordinate response with OGC... Commission Correspondence NOTES: FILE LOCATION: DATE DUE: ADAMS 03/)1X/2011 DATE SIGNED: EDO --G20110141 Con reo of !te Sniteb btatto February 28, 2011 The Honorable Gregory B. Jaczko Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001

Dear Chairman Jaczko:

We write to you today to urge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to ensure a safe and expeditious decommissioning process at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant at the time the plant ceases operations.

Immediate decommissioning will assure Vermonters that the plant is being disassembled safely, and will provide an opportunity for current plant employees who are most knowledgeable about the facility to work to safely decommission it. The idea that Entergy, the owner of Vermont Yankee, will seek decades of delay before fulfilling their commitment to cleaning up Vermont Yankee is unacceptable.

Entergy has several times publicly indicated its preference for the use of the so-called"SAFSTOR" method of decommissioning. "SAFSTOR" would let Entergy off the hook for clean-up, waste disposal, and remediation of the plant site in Vernon, Vermont, for years or even decades. Entergy Vice President Jay Thayer testified to the Vermont Senate Finance Committee that "if the plant closes in 2012, (Yankee) would remain in safe-store for a period of time most likely, most likely in a 15- to 20- year time frame." While Entergy may prefer leaving the plant to sit like an abandoned factory because it has not saved the necessary funds to fully decommission the plant, this is not the safest option for Vermonters.

Unfortunately despite its name, the "SAFSTOR" option does not guarantee safe maintenance.

The Dresden One facility in Illinois, while it was in"SAFSTOR," had a frozen pipe burst when the heat in the building was shut off. This leaked 55,000 gallons of radioactive water in the containment building.

According to reports, had the leak not been discovered-by a night watchman after several days, additional frozen pipes could have burst and caused a serious radiation release. All of this happened at a plant that still had other operating reactors and a full complement of engineers and personnel on-site to address the situation.

The use of "SAFSTOR:'

at Vermont Yankee, if approved by the NRC, would be a rare and unwelcome exception. "SAFSTOR" may be more commonly used at sites with multiple reactors, where there would remain a full complement of site personnel.

Vermont Yankee is a single reactor site, and similar sites including Maine Yankee and the Connecticut Yankee plant, both were approved for the "DECON" option. This meant immediate decommissioning activities took place after operations ceased. It is important to note that under the "DECON" option there remains significant flexibility, and according to NRC regulations, the decommissioning schedule and activities can be changed as necessary to respond to conditions and to protect the health and safety of workers and the public.The Connecticut Yankee plant selected "immediate dismantlement because it was the most practical and environmentally responsible option." As you know the Vermont Senate, in an overwhelming bi-partisan vote, has declined to authorize the issuance of a Certificate of Public Good for continued operation of Vermont Yankee beyond its sunset date in 2012. Immediate decommissioning at the time the plant ceases operations would allow Vermont Yankee to utilize its current employees' knowledge of the plant and their technical skills. According to Connecticut Yankee, immediate dismantlement was selected in part because it allowed for "use of current plant employees who were trained and knowledgeable about the facility." Connecticut Yankee found that among the disadvantages of "SAFSTOR" is the fact that "few, if any, personnel familiar with the facility are available at the time of decontamination (up to 60 years after plant shutdown)." The safe decommissioning of Vermont Yankee is an issue of enormous consequence for Vermont. Therefore we request a meeting with the entire Commission, as soon as possible, to discuss the NRC's oversight of Vermont Yankee and the decommissioning process. We will also invite Governor Shumlin to join this meeting, because the state has a vital interest in the safe and immediate decommissioning of the plant.For all of the reasons stated, we respectfully request that the NRC require immediate dismantlement of Vernont Yankee at the time its operations cease, and look forward to discussing this with the Commission soon.Sincerely, PATRICK LEAHY BERNARD SANDERS PETER WELCH United States Senator United States Senator United States Representative