ML17308A236

Requests NRC Response to Questions Re Emergency Evacuation Problems at Plant Due to Local & State Govt Reluctance to Solve Problems.Newspaper Articles Highlighting Problems Encl

ML17308A236
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie
Issue date:	03/19/1987
From:	Wells B AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
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ML17308A235	List: ML17308A236
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NUDOCS 8705070056
Download: ML17308A236 (12)

Text

March 19, 1957 11ZC Jasmine Avenue Ft Pierce, Florida 33452 (30$ ) 461-0771 Adm. Lando VF. Ecch, Jr.

Chairman U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20/$ 5

Dear Admiral Zech:

Thank you for attending the recent dedication of the operator training facility for St. Lucie I and II nuclear power plants. I understand it is a fine facility, and your taking the time to come down demonstrates an interest which encourages me to write to you.

I'm convinced that the evacuation-plan required by NRC for St. Lucie I and II and accepted as satisfactory by FEMA is a disaster waiting to happen and getting worse daily. Beginning with the FPkL Draft Environmental Statement which. projected zero population growth to the year 2000 on, Hutchinson Island, site of the plants, and continuing to FEMA's acceptance of an evacuation route which would pile eziting island residents from St. Lucie County and Martin County over two inadequate Martin County bridges onto a boxed- in, two lane scenic highway with no right of way for ezpansion, down to the present St. Lucie County policy of permitting high density residential growth on the island while not planning for a bridge for twenty years, the "plan" is a pitiful attempt to meet emergency planning requirements.

Phil Rodi, the St. Lucie County Emergency Management Director, whom you met at the dedication, has protested publicly over the lack of adequate roadways The highlighted adjectives in the enclosed article'from Christian Science Monitor of Feb. 27, 1957, are the loosely quantitative words we find so difficultto deal with in many rulings on the safety of nuclear power plants. And, yes, I'm sure St. Lucie I and II are among plants whose evacuation plans have been judged "successfully tested." However, a test which includes only the personnel who work at the plant, but not the people who live in a probable evacuation area, can hardly be termed an evacuation test.

70056 870429 PDR DOCK 050003~5 AD

~ . Si Since the local and state governments know> of these evacuation problems, but seem reluctant to face reality and solve them, I am miting to ask if your agency should help.

Sincerely, Betty Lou Wells enc.C.SMonitor article cc: Phil Rodi

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" + ' tr- >tt ga "eebrook nuclear plant, overlooking Hampton Beach resort In N.H., was completed In 1986 - but debate keeps It shut strongly oppose a proposed regu-C SIR Stat~ By Donald L. Rheem Staff ssrriter ot The Christia Soferce Mortitor lation that they claim would di-minish the rights of state and l+t OVCE A. pMII, "b Washington local governments to protect pub-ViSCUSLtEOH P ~ mission and states'are debating over emergency evacuation in a packed NRG hearing room earlier this week, NRC commis-sioners heard members of Con-gress and several governors lic health and safety.

The issue centers on a regula-tion passed soon after the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant accident.

After TMI, many ofiicials and Ptltse see NONE pttge 6

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)p orial view of Seabrook: Massachusetts Qov..Oukakls (right), fighting plant startup, says emargency evacuation.is Iml q,,'on I *

• -, -.,".'.-:,-: Long bland and the.Seabrook plant in:- vanhhing ~int.." ""-' -

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s"..':-:..='-'KK

'.: -"New Hampshire"'are mostly.'ompleted; ' NRC'chairman Lando W; Red

.';=.'uttheir-Hcensihghasbeenheldupbythe', out that the cominission has not residents were surpris'ed. to.1earn,that@governors"refusal to,paiticipate in plan) 'whether" it wiH act on -

was no emergency. plan to',evac'uatej'9 ning;.;:~=,"'- '."',-'"'=-":.y,"~~-,' ".. change suggested by NRC staiF. ')

the'hee

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..'Ib remedy this'shortcoming;"-',; TheggCwouldHketo,changethe 1980I cisl"meeting was:simply anIoppc Congress passed legislation<'requiring'. rule, aHowing ne~ nuclear facilities'o'., for; the'coinmission'to hear the v emergency planning for ail'nuclear power- 'e'gin =ope'ration~'even; if-'ocal official" congressional,an'd state offIcials.

plants. Since any evacuation'pla'n,would ~,'refu'se, tocooperate.in-,'a>>utUity~ted;';In an inteinal'brieffng docume involve state and local equipment-'and~@NRC;appxovedplan:'.>>"j$ ,. pared b'y the NRC stafF, several po.

peisonnel,,Congress. made sure these offi-als would'be'involved'in.the

"',wi

.,!>>Govs:Ma>>rio'Cuomo plan itself. meeting"Ihesday that the.

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Govern'or, Cuoiiio test@ed at the NR>>C>ade to.r'esp'ond't'o,the"anticipatec

" "proposed nile, ttons t'o the ride c>>hange:;;".," '..

">>>>."-;ltd,'i

of-New York'and tutional. myonsibi1ity: of'tate gov~ emergency~ phiiinlng'"requirei8ent

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'-ing F

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Michael Dukalds of 'setts', have,-.,ments to,protect the health and safety'$fj l'.'coinfkhfi staN'.bg. NN'; gdp~

pftused to work..vri:VitiHties:in.develop-, theh'.Stixen's';" He called the NRC's pro - partici jate in such'-pl~,'so:tl

. In< the plans in the hopes of killing spe-~;posal ~hntiaHy dangerous 'l saying'-it no infnr'ir!emeijt.on, or>invasIon of ciffc power plant's.- The Shorehsm plant'redue6Yngcern for$iigcs'afety,to Qte,~>'Lap"-'ptk8gatldd",.'andli@~e'bH

'o'4 ~~ ~~ s . w~ ~ ~g '$. g g~, -.~ ." >" '"'a-",~oTh'e~pRO~~p5$ umes'";that'llob

'cials jAH'u'se'a" utiH&j's'ply'&~an, x emeigen~'thgminhdssion doeh1

'ject" utilltfes'to assume.poHce>> powi o The propose'd'chinge'would x tract from the. rights of.cithens'ani

'and-local-.governinenM to,a planning;. '."-I; f,

'urrent NRC rules>> stipulate,I,tha hear,'meqtency clear,"reactor'ca'nnot be issued a HcI operate'unless "there>> isi&sonibie ance that ad.@a%'gr'otective me can and mid be taken in tlie ever radiological, emergency.", The ru1<

ther'state that there must be'5R8s

.'5sxtc'e that they, can b' implexM n"

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8 4 Since,"-

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drat of the ptopoeed mle chsnde;She NRC'cotoplslns that "in a few cases, state or local gee'in-ments have not dS'Hoped an erne'racy

~ plan of their ownW*eepenCbd 0'ith'the

'utHity in developing'6ne

'Since stite an'd 'local'45dhls ibid hake to ca'rry out'Inc'igency plans, their refusal to cooperate with utQlles throws enough doubt ott"QN aiqulheient,that protective nieasu'&as "willbe scen" m'to t the, Issohlg'tR the/hint'8'opethe.

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!"detttIL&d tibi:Intel'hdido'tthith-

~ end Iocet othihtls eetopnottnott iethtth&

~tnt."prov'id;in'.all.other')igectsof- '

, theMh~g@iNRA'i'~Geld 'op-

',-bra5on."'WhyfHQ'es'for ~eh@Q8e'-'

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".> Under Rhcy plan' 8~

iQng'~ 46i5dtt'In"4980, that IpuNc%5@Q~o6M,S

'he'uU&ty&CeveiopmmephSe al-lhe NSO" ',

the prxqeihdcMdge',OPS, h oplesed; Umj~.'u to'Qp,ggQ,~

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-'lacnlvof 4nthe 'h'n';thkNeih5has 4nade e ~faith'and sustained" eifott cooperate Chit the plan~pen- 'et

,,sates for the lack of p

~en~

"oopies of the planaregiven to all mvelant and that t authorizes.

kauzding to one. industry source, the',

I?6K is expected to issue the new rule and:

"let the courts or Congress decide the is-

sue. "We expect the issue to go all the way to the Supreme Court," he said

N 8C:.chief,':

lauds FPL over~lant By Peter Williams N~eh Mfriter

+ 87 The chairman of the Nuclear Rregulatory. Commission praised Florida Power Sc Light Co.'for its "

.operating record at the St.'Lucie I I,;nuclear power plant Tuesday P

'i< morning but cautioned. corporate officials not to relax their efforts z,toimproyesa'fety. " -

~

Lando W. Zech Jr. visited the <

, St. Lucie nuclear power plant on ",

South Hutchinson Island,to at- i tend the dedication of a $ 1B 1 mQlion training center. Later in g the morning he flew back to his home in Falls Church, Va.

'"I A:ommend FPL on this in- P

,vestment it,'s a wise inyest- 'j ment," Zecg said. ".This.(center) j

='s a commitment that the in-

-. dustry has'madel't is not an NRC program. "You should never forget that training is a direct contributor toward safety.

"We at the NRC are very aware .that St, Lucie has established records, for. both the U.S. and the world;" he said.

",You'e got avwonderful 1ecord )

and I'm proud of 'it ... but don't $

slack up."

The new training center is )ust north of the two nuclear gower plants.

"We would like to accept that challenge to remain on top," said Ken Harris, the site vice presi dent for FPL.

The 55;820.stluare-foot two-

' story training building will house classrooms and'a reactor control room simulator. Oker'he course of this year, FPI expects about I 600 people will attend<<classes at ",

the center.

The centeris owned byFPL, ',"

'but't's part of an industry'-wide I i, effort to Chile jkprove training 'pro-the FPL training," 'edures.

pfogram~at St. Lucie meets-NRC

>standakps; ~'ZL plant'.at Point 'has- in the past 'urkeys come1lndexflre. ~-

'lf J

t

.' ~ .

The idea of a training center it Turk~ Point and St. Lucie 'oth has baden in the works for about:

four years. The center at Turkey !

Point was dedicated on Monday.

"FPL started Iong before the i industry committed Itself," said <

Ken Strahm, the executive direc- !

tor for the National Academy for i Nuclear Training.

The ma)or part of the new center wIII be the simulator. It be an exact replica of the in-,

side of the control rooms of both St. t.ucie Unit 1 and Unit G.

Through the use of computers, it can duplicate about 15,000 dif-ferent situations that an operator

.. may face.

"When we get It')nstalied, you could blindfold someone and br-Ing them 'in'ere and you wouldn't know If you were in the real control room or the simulator," one company official l said.

The simulator itself is expected to cost between $ 8 mIIIIon and

$ )0 mIQion. It Is being built by Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd. In Montreal. FPL expects delivery in August.

Vntil then,.FPL depends on a simulator in Windsor, Conn.

Students enrolled in the reactor operator program must travel I there to undergo the four weeks of simulator training they need to get a license. The same holds true for those who are already licens.

ed but must take some simulator training each year.

About four dosen FPL

! employees, industry officials,

~

public officials and represen.

tatives of the National Academy for Nuclear Tra)ning attended the ceremony. ".'.~ ~

"' chemistry technicians, instru The academy'n a~reditmg ment and control peqknnel, elec-

., agency for nuclear Industry. Of trical maintenance workers, the 10 categories of accredita- mechanical maintenance workers tion, FPL has completed work on and site technical staff and four of them. The four deal with managers.

non-licensed operators, reactor

. operators, senior reactor The number of people on the

~ operators and health physics training staff at St. Lucie has In.

technicians. creased from 37 in early 1984 to Sy the end of 1987, FPL of- 58 today. The number of students I

ficials said, they hope to be ac- trained annually has increased.

credited in the other six areas- from 80 in )983 to a prpjected 800 e shif t . Cechgical. adviser's, this year.