ML20084F394

Forwards Responses to Util 840416 Notification of Satisfaction of Commitments Q,R,S,T & X,Per Section 4(d) of 830330 Stipulation.Response to Positions Requested as Soon as Possible

ML20084F394
Person / Time
Site:	Byron
Issue date:	05/01/1984
From:	Chavez D, Morrison P DEKALB AREA ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSIBLE ENERGY, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ROCKFORD, IL, SINNISSIPPI ALLIANCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (SAFE)
To:	Bielawski A COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO., ISHAM, LINCOLN & BEALE
References
OL, NUDOCS 8405040114
Download: ML20084F394 (9)

Text

l iTI 56 - ys-$ 6 L 1 47 - 99T o G DOCKETED U3NRC Sinnissippi Alliance L for the Environment 326 North Avon Street Rockford, Illinois 611@ ifAY-3 A11:13 Lii2l? EEC::i ,. -

Mr. Alan Bielawski Isham, Lincoln & Beale

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May 1,'198'4 Suite 5200 Three First National Plaza Chicago, II. 60602 Re Byron Station Stipulated Emergency Planning Commitments

Dear Alan:

In accordance with Section 4(d) of the Stipulation, dated March 30, 1983, signed by the parties to the Byron Operating Li-cense Proceedings, Intervenors DAARE/ SAFE and the Rockford League of Women Voters hereby respond to Commonwealth Edison? s notifica-tion to Intervenors, dated April 16, 1984, of Commonwealth Edison's belief that it has satisfied Commitment Q, R, S T, and X. Please find set forth in the attached pages Intervenors responses to each Commitment notification.

Pursuant to the Stipulation Intervenors will petition the Board for a hearing within fifteen days hereof, if Cormnitments Q, R, S, and T are not satisfied.

The Intervenors respectfully request a response to the Inter-venor positions as soon tas possible.

Very truly yours, 8405040114 e40501 PDR ADOCK 05000454 O pop Mc- G hydW tA ag.g On Behalf of Rockford legal representative I League of Women Voters DAARE/ SAFE cca (with Attachment) @

Richard Rawson Judges Smith, Cole, and Calliham: Jane Whicher q

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l COMMITMENT Q Demonstrate that the public has received and will continue to receive on a periodic basis education-al information on radiation.

l Response: '

The information provided by Commonwealth Edison to the Interven-ors in a letter response dated April 16, 1984, fails to provide suf-ficient information to allow the Intervenors to determine whether Commitment Q has been satisfied, or is deficient on its face in the following respects:

1. Commonwealth Edison's response to Commitment Q iden-l tifies the public " Emergency Information" brochure to be the Byron Station Public Information Brochure. Sections seven and eight of this brochure contain argumentative and inappropriate promotional statements which fail in any way to educate the public as to the operations of nuclear power plants or the effects of radiation

2. The distribution and proposed method of redistrib-ution of the " Emergency Information" brochure, as set forth in paragraphs five and six of Commonwealth Edison's response, is limited to business and residential custom-ers of Commonwealth Edison and does not reach signific-ant numbers of the public.

Attached to this letter is a two-page document labeled " Attach-ment A" which sets forth an alternative to sections seven and eight of the " Emergency Information" brochure. This discussion of the i

operations of nuclear power plants and the effects of radiation is presented in a more obje$tive fashion for the purposes of educating the public.

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reen cis NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS [ n ti V

Commonwealth Edison generates electricity fuel rods that are arranged into fuel assemblies.

for people in northern Illinois using power plants These assemblies stand vertically in a round at thirteen locations. Four of these use uranium ' luster called the core. The core is encased in a c

as fuel; they are nuclear power plants. These very thick steel capsule, or vessel. The whole i four plants produce as much electricity as all of assembly is called a reactor. Since a very dilute Edison's coal power plants, or almost half of all form of fuel is used, a reactor could never the electricity Edison generates. For northern explode like an atomic bomb, no matter what Illinois to have a bright economic future, plans went wrong with it.

s must be made to assure that we continuega"badequate supplies of electrici include two new power plants, both nuclear, waste products result. Casal power plants have which will become operational over the next few smoke, slag and ashes aswaste. Nuclear power years. /rufenal cIeIcte,1) plants collect wastes in the fuel pellets.

(nta tena t dele feel )

These waste products (are) hazardous and must be kept sealed away firom our environment.

All large power plants work by boiling water to make high pressure steam, which spins tur- This is why the uranium. fuel pellets are sealed bines connected to large electric generators. The inside the fuel rods and the fuel rods are sealed big difference between nuclear and coal power inside the reactor. Even the whole reactor, with plants is that a nuclear plant splits uranium all of its piping, pumps, amd other systems, is atoms, instead of burning coal, to make heat to sealed again inside an airtight steel and concrete boil the water. builrling called a contaiennent.

Uranium is a very concentrated fuel. One It is (un)likely that this t:riple safety seal could uranium pellet (the size of a person's fingertip) be penetrated. But ifit we:re, some of the waste can release as much energy as half a ton of coal. products could escape to the environment.

Uranium pellets are stacked inside?long, thin These wastes are radia=eeiive, which means that

., each waste particle emits radiation.

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l RADIATION '

Radiation is energy that can travel through (ntde/ deife'ed )

the air, such as light, heat, and radio waves. One type, nuclear radiation, comes from radio- .

active material, which is part ofeverythingin us It takes radiation doses of over 20,000 milli-and around us. Nuclear radiation, like radio rem, received within a day, to produce identi-waves, is invisible, silent, tasteless, and odor- fiable effects i:n the body. Very large radiation less. Just as a photographer measures light levels doses (over 100,000 millirem) may be directly with a light meter, radiation workers measure harmful or eve:n deadly if received over a day's nuclear radiation with special instruments. time, but the same doses stretched over many years may not. Federal regulations allow work-Like many things in our lives, radioactive ers at U.S. nuclear facilities to receive up to material has the potential to harm people if 5000 millirem of radiation in the course of a handled carelessly. But decades of experience year's work.

have shown that the safe application of radio-active material, in medicine and industry as well as in electricity production, can benefit our Radiation levels are constantly monitored society.

both inside and outside each nuclear facility.

These measurements show that a person living The amount of radiation dose a person ab-for an entire year right at the fence of(a routinely sorbs is measured in millirem. The average nuclear power plant would receive less than 1 oper Illinois citizen gets from 60 to 120 millirem of millirem of radiation.(,wenar deta,sj ating) radiation each year from the natural environ-ment. This is called natural background radia-tion. In addition, each year the average person receives about 70 millirem from medical and dental X-rays and other procedures, and about If a nuclearplant accident were ever to occur, 25 millirem from the naturally occurring teams of specially-trained personnel would be radioactive atoms in his or her own body. sent to get even more detailed radiation readings r all around the plant. In most cases, there would There are no identifiable health effects from be no excessive radiation. But if the accident these low levels of radiation, but scientists ' were serious, and could expose members of the believe that any amount of radiation, no matter public to 1000 millirem or more of radiation, how small, carries some risk.(mmenos det,#,.O state plans call for protection of the public by taking shelter indoors or by evacuation.

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i COMMITMENT R Demonstrate that the public has received and will continue to receive on a periodic basis accurate information regarding the protective measures to be taken during an emergency.

Response

The information provided by Commonwealth Edison to the Interven-ors in a letter response dated April 16, 1984, fails to provide suf-ficient information to allow the Intervenors to determine whether Commitment R has been satisfied, or is deficient on its face in the following respects:

1. Section one, paragpaph three; section two, paragraph fours and section four, paragraph three of the public

" Emergency Information" brochure appended to Commonwealth Edison's response to Commitment Q identifies AM-1440 WROK

, as the sole source of media information and instructions i to the public. No mention is made or listing given of TV j or other radio ( AM/FM) stations in the EPZ as alternate-sources of information and instruction, including FM-WZOK.

2. Section three, paragraph two of the public "Emer-gency Information" brochure identifies AM-1440 WROK as the sole source of media instruction. No further reference is made of alternate sources of media inforunation and in- -

structions.

3 Section three, paragraph two of the public "Emer-gency Information" brochure fails to prov.ide adequate in-formation with respect to school evacuation proceedures to enable the public to accurately follow the paragraph's instruction.

i 4. Section three, paragraph two of the public "Emer-gency Information" brochure fails to provide adequate in-formation with respect to boaters and those fishing on the 1

Rock River to enable the public to accurately follow the paragraph's instruetion.

5 Section three, paragraph five of the public "Emer-

! gency Information" brochure fails to provide adequate in-formation with respect to actions to be used to avoid un-neccessary exposure during emergency transit, to enable

!' the. public to safely evacuate as directed in paragraph one-of section three i

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6. Section five of the public " Emergency Information" brochure fails to provide adequate accurate instruction to effectuate preparedness for entire households.

7 The distribution and proposed method of redistrib-ution of the " Emergency Information" brochure, as set forth in paragraphs five and six of Commonwealth Edison's response, is limited to business and residential custom-ers of Commonwealth Edison and does not reach signific-ant numbers of the public. .

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i COMMITMENT S Demonstrate that the public has received and will continue to receive on a periodic basis accurate information regarding special measures with respect to handicapped individuals to be taken during an emergency.

Response: .

The information provided by Commonwealth Edison to the Interven-ors in a letter response dated April 16, 1984, fails to provide suf-ficient information to allow the Intervenors to determine whether Commitment Q has been satisfied, or is deficient on its face in the following respects:

1. Commonwealth Edison's response to Commitment S of Contention 7 " fails" to " demonstrate that the public has recieved and will continue to recieve ora a periodic basis accurate information regarding special mieasures with re-spect to handicapped individuals to be taken during an emergency." The response merely discloses Commonwealth Edison's mechanism for identifying handiicapped individ-uals. The " Emergency Information" brochture identified in paragraph two of Commonwealth Edison's response to Com-mitment 5 provides no information regardling the above-said special measures.

2. The distribution and proposed method of redistrib-ution of the " Emergency Information" brorchure, as set forth in paragraphs four and five of Comsmonwealth Edison's response, is limited to business and res.idential custom-ers of Commonwealth Edison and does not reach signific-ant numbers of the public.

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E C0!O1ITMENT T Demonstrate that' adequate information has been made available and will be available on a periodic basis to transient populations.

Response

The information provided by Commonwealth Edison to the Interven-ors in a letter response dated April 16, 1984, fails to provide suf-ficient information to allow the 'Intervenors to determine whether

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Commitment T has been satisfied.

Intervenors have undertaken a spot check proceedure to determine more precisely Commonwealth Edison's method of brochure distribution to the locations listed in its response, including instructions given by Commonwealth Edison represent,a$1Yes do operators of recipient lo-cations at tifne of distribution. TNe spot check process is also dir-ected to the sufficiency of the.quanity of brochures provided to each' Q~ -

recipient location. Intervenors,are not satisfied at this time that the selective listing of locations provided by Commonwealth Edison in its response is systematic oI' : complete.

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4 COfG1ITMENT X Demonstrate that there exist appropriate agreements and arrangements between Edison and those individuals and organizations who will provide emergency services to the Byron facility.

Response

Intervenors acknowledge reciept of Commonwealth Edison's response letter dated April 16, 1984, and agree with Commonwealth Edison that Commitment X is satisfied.

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