ML20245B211

Responds to Re Emergency Response Plan & Request Re Pending Petition Concerning Facility.Nrc Awaiting FEMA Results of self-initiated Review of Overall State of Emergency Preparedness Before Responding to Petition

ML20245B211
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	05/21/1987
From:	Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To:	Studds G HOUSE OF REP.
Shared Package
ML20234A759	List: ML20234A752 ML20245A685 ML20245B211
References
CON-#387-3913 2.206, NUDOCS 8705290163
Download: ML20245B211 (2)

Text

ho*E.DEEEf&d83 (2,za 8il D/p m ,9'o UNITED STATES

! *i ,, n NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGT V J, D. C. 20555 Og{ED

% / '87 HAY 21 PS :57 CHA N May 21, 1987 i

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The Honorable Gerry E. Studds United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

.0 ear Congressman Studds: i I am responding to your April 7, 1987 letter concerning the emergency response plan for the Pilgrim nuclear power station.

You also requested information on a pending petition regarding i

that facility.

The current emergency response plans for Pilgrim were submitted in response to NRC requirements which date from November 1980. For ,

nuclear power plants which held a license to operate at that time,  ;

as was the case with Pilgrim, the NRC based its findings regarding  !

I emergency preparedness on consideration of: (1) upgraded i licensee, state and local government emergency plans that substantially met the requ,irements; (2) a review of the or, site plans by the NRC; (3) a comprehensive appraisal conducted by the NRC at the operating reactor site to verify the implementation of )

the licensee's plan; and (4) the evaluation of a ,ioint exercise involving the licensee, state and local governmental organization. These reviews and appraisals were conducted j between 1980 and 1982. The onsite portions of such exercises were i

observed by the NRC while the offsite portions were observed by  ;

the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA provided the NRC with its assessment of the exercises. Consideration of the emergency plans, this series of evaluations, and associated corrective actions resulting f rom the evaluations, constituted the l means by which the NRC determined there was an adequate level of emergency preparedness at this and other nuclear power plants with operating licenses. Since that time, the Pilgrim plant has I .

participated in emergency preparedness exercises where onsite and offsite response capabilities were demonstrated and evaluated 3 by the NRC and FEMA. On four separate occasions, FEMA has i

reported to the NRC the adequacy of offsite response capabilities.

It is apparent that the Town of Plymouth Committee on Nuclear  ;

Matters has expended a considerable effort in reviewing the various documents involving emergency preparedness around Pilgrim.

As the report addresses issues of offsite preparedness, I am forwarding a copy to FEMA in connection with their ongoing review af offsite emergency preparedness issues at Pilgrim that is being conducted.

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The pending show cause petition regarding Pilarim is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations and is  !

currently under review. The relief sought by the Petitioners was based on allegations of the following: (l' nemerous deficiencies in licensee management, (2) inadequacy of the existing radiological emergency response plan, and (3) inherent deficiencies in the plant's containment' structure. Issues (1) and (3) are under review by the NRC staff. For issue (2), the NRC staff has forwarded the Petitioner's emergency response concerns to FEMA for their review and evaluation. 0n December 22, 1986, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Secretary of Public Safety sent l FEMA a copy of the Office of Public Safety report entitled, i

" Report to the Governor on Emergency Preparedness for an Accident )

at the' Pilgrim Nuclear Pcwer Station." In addition, the Office of Public Safety recently requested FEMA Region I to review a report entitled, " Evaluation of Offsite Emergency Preparedness in the Area Surrounding the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station," prepared by the Impe11 Corporation for Boston Edison Company. FEMA is also conducting a self-initiated review of the overall state of emergency preparedness. The results of.these reviews are i necessary before NRC responds to the petition. When a decision j is reached regarding the NRC response, I will promptly inform j you. J l

Commissioner Roberts did not participate in this response.

Sincerely, hm cv. lx .

Lando W. Z e c , J r()

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