ML19294B942

Forwards F Romano,Of Air & Water Pollution Patrol,791228 Ltr Re Conduct of NRC Investigation Into Quarry Blasting Near Facility.Requests Comments

ML19294B942
Person / Time
Site:	Limerick
Issue date:	01/09/1980
From:	Schweiker R SENATE
To:	NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML19294B936	List: ML19294B942
References
NUDOCS 8003060435
Download: ML19294B942 (5)

Text

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'?JCnifeb Stafes Senale W AS HINGTON. D.C. 20SIO January 9, 1980 E-.....

To: 'uclear Regulatory Commission ..

' ~ ~ ' " - ~

1717 H St eet, N.W.

Washington, D. C. 20555 I.I I,

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FF O:4: Eichard S. Schweiker ."..

United States Senator g .,....--

Because of the desire of this of fice to be responsive -

to all inquiries and communications, your consideration of the attached is requested. ..

?'.EAS E T Y TO O ESEND WI"HIU 2 WEE 7S C7 YOUD rrCEI?T OF .

~9?S CEOUES". YCW 7'NDI:!';S A?:D VIEN'S, IN DUCLICATE, ALONG ..-..

FI"? TT URN CF TUIS :4EMO PIUF ETCIOSUPE, WTI.I. 37 A??DECIATED. _"-"'

4any thanks.

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P.SS:cs ..._

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800306

'"4"' AIR and WATER

.. , 'f' ollution Patrol

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BRUED AXE, PA.

l. .

l December 28, 1979 .

I L

Senator Richard Schweiker '

[.

Senate Office Building ,

Washington, D.C.

Dear Dick:

Enclosed copy is self-ex,-anitory and I hope you can improve

. o my chances of a response from the ?mC.

Season's greetings, J~ - < /> C~L . .- _

Frank R. Romano, Cha .2an  ;

FRR/ cap e

AIR and WATER Pollution Patrol BROAD AXE, PA.

December 28, 1979 NEUS RELEASE

Contact:

Carol Palmer 646-1057 Nine months af ter the Montgomery County Air and Water Pollution Patrol asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a new look at the foundation rock upon which the Limerick reactor containment building now overlays, a meeting was held Tuesc y, December 18, at Philadelphia Electric's Information Center at Limerick.

Frank R. Romano, Chairman of the Air and Uater Pollution Patrol, had re-quested that suitable examinations and tests be made to determine whether or not blasting, which has been on-going for the past five years, had an adverse ef fect on cracks already known to be present in the foundation rock, and whe-ther such blasting had affected proper setting of concrete that could ulti--

mately result in cracked walls and pipe supports in the reactor containment building, which now overlays those cracks.

At the group's year-end meeting, Romano pointed to newspaNr reports which indicated the " decision that there was no adverse effect was not made by the NRC, but was " based on data supplied by Philadelphia Electric".

Romano charged that the meeting was improper because, instead of bringLng in a disinterested third-party geology expert, the NRC, which not only regu-lates but promotes reactors, brought in its oun " acting" geologist-consultan :

who, based on data supplied by Philadelphia Elcetric, and without any inspec-tions or tests, decided that " blasting of quarry rock beneath the site of the Limerick nuclear power plant posed no threat to the plant's operation".

"How does he know...what tests did he run to be sure that cracks known to be under the containment building uere not affected by the dynamite blast-ing which not only shakes homes surrounding the reactor site, but also shakes ~

the reactor building even more", said Romano.

Romano has written Senator Schweiker and Congressman Coughlin asking that they intercede to have the NRC invalidate any decision based on that December 18 meeting.

Co=menting on EEM!3EIuunusuuuunusty the December 22 NRC announcement, four days after the above meeting, that it had found a significant error in compu-ter calculations used to compute vibratory motion due to ground movement (uhich occurs in rock blasting) that could close plants in operation or under construction for repair, Romano said, "those errors apply to Limerick and the

data supplied by Philadelphia Electric. Nou a real investigation rather than j a charade will be ordered, and I want a copy of the test nethods they will use."

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