ML19338C231

Forwards 731228 Ltr from Ag Hastie Re Concerns About Proposed Const of Nuclear Power Plant.Requests Full Rept & Status of Bechtel Problem in Const of Power Plant

ML19338C231
Person / Time
Site:	Midland
Issue date:	01/11/1974
From:	Flood D HOUSE OF REP., APPROPRIATIONS
To:	Ray D US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
Shared Package
ML19338C232	List: ML19338C231
References
NUDOCS 8008050684
Download: ML19338C231 (3)

Text

-.

• DANIEL J. FLOOD 11TM Dest PameesyswANs4

.?- 4 CQ' HoME orrics:

1C1S 13sesTva Ptsen Basen BL.DG. -

- wrutas.aamme. PcansvtvasetA M coca, t em COMMITTEE: ~

Phows: Amra caos 717

' APPROPRIAT'ONS ~ ***'"

Congress of the Mm,tch' States Cnaamasan. Suncounernes on Lamon. WASHsNGTON oFrtCE3

""*""a^~=*'a'- 3I)ouse of Representatibeg . '"=,t",";"

' Easfjington, D.C. 20515 ~O5Y' *

• January- 11,~1974 ,,,,,""""n'",,

Miss HELEN M.TOMASC1K

-Dr. Dixie Lee Ray, Chairman Atomic-Energy Commission-Washington , . D . C. - 20545

Dear' Madame Chairman:

You' will find enclosed a copy of a letter sent to me by Rev. Aaron G. Hastie, Pastor of the First United Presbytefian Church of Berwick, Penna . , who is concerned -about the proposed construction of a nuclear power plant- by the Pennsylvania Power and Light Co.,

in Salem-Township.near Berwick.

I.am requesting a full report and status of the Bechtel Corporation's problem in its construction

-of a nuclear power plant at Midland, Michigan. Why -

when who-- and . by what- authority was its operations de,J.ayq{ because of unacceptable workmanship?. What is meant by that term? How was the question raised? What

~is being done to correct the situation? And by whom?

.I.am deeply. concerned because the Bechtel Corporati on is building such a plant in my Congressional-District for the Pennsylvania- Power and Light Company.

You can well imagine the feelings of the local citizens in the proposed-pir.nt area.

Strrcerely yours,

/

f

.;.c b

qQ j . bCM i

DANIEL J . , FLOOD, M r C . l

./ - ..

'DJF/y- -

1

' Enclosure c

. e l

l

[ ,, p '- 1 E80

~

060

~

- TS-SS8? _

. .. y

l N

~,

,}

..c. -

321 Z~arteville Road Berwick, PA 18603

. December 28, 1973 The Honorable Daniel J. Flood House of Representatives irashington,- D.~ C. - 20510

Dear Congressman Flood,

Thank you very much for koeping me abreast of the disposition of the nuclear power. plant in Salem Township, just north of Berwick. Your staff is to be. commended for their fine work in zeeing to it that I get information I need.

In a Nov.'16 memorandum I received from you, you made it plain that with an energy crisis on our hands, politicians do not have the will to stop nuclear power _ plants. I don't. know whether you were saying that you don't have .the will or not, but I got the message that~ frcm your -vantage point the,cctgress doesn't have the will. To me.the ~nuclesr puer question is not just a matter of politics of the _70's, it's an issue that bas to do with generations to be born, and the matter needs to be debated at that level.

Iniycur December cailing you included a 57-pge report concerning the E's initial ~ decision in giving PP&L a construction prmit. This report raises phe'fo;Llowing questions in my mind:

(1) On pge .o it is noted that the Bechtel Corporation has had experience

, .in building nuclear _ power plants with a cumulative generating capacity of 21 million kilowatt hours. On pge 43 of this report it is noted_ that the generating capacity of the Salem plant will be 13 5 billion kilowatt hours.

This job .is '1000 times larger than the total building experience of the Bechtel Corporation. In addition, 'a recent article in the Philadelphia ~In-quirer stated that a nuclear power plant in Midland, f.!ichigan,- teing built by

, the Eechtel Corporation, was being delayed because of unacceptable work:ranship.

N ~(2) Concerning the roiitine release of radio-active iodine which lodges in-children's thyroid glands through the drinking of cow's milk, I noticed that _-  !

the E's acceptable dosage level before the . issuing of the construction permit

.'was 5 millirem per year. Information received at' tha hearing revealed that the

~

amount of radio-active iodine to be released by the Salem plant was at a level of'10 millirem per year. The AEC reccamended secething be done with the plans 1

~i to get; the level'Jown to 5 millirem.~ Now, with a' change in the AiC acceptable dosage ' level to 15 millirem per year the Salem plant meets the minimum require-

conta. . I gleaned this -information from pges 31 through '35 in the Am report.

]

.f.

.j' (3) Other environ = ental factors that.I find handled by hedge words are

.[;

statements.such as this on. pge 30: "the meteorological effects of' the towers I such as fogging 'and increased precipitation will be negligible. The maximum i

1-salt. fallout from cooling tower drift will be equal to or loss than that fron

. (p.

natural;

27) precipitation. ". . . . . "will . not adversely. affect any present _ human uso"

...."no I

,  :(p. 27) ..~.."thelethal' effects and cnly local and rinor secondary effects" relative proportions of sulphate t.nd chloride will be increased i

P D**D h

.o e " D)M]U oMJ YM

$lr0 _a

~ . . . _ -. . _ _ - . _ _ _ _ _ - _ -

A w a., .

J. - , q

.  % J l

..  ;  :. +  ;

l The Honorabl'e Daniel J. Flood

• December: 28,1973 4 Page 2;of 2. .

4

.and. the bicarbonate w:.ll be reduced but no toxic chemicals will be introduced.

These changes are not expected to produce Detectable Effects . (my capitalization) on the river, ecosystem." (p. - 29) -

l c . It seemst' o me that at' the present time we have natural precipitation and since the cooling towers will create a ' salt fcllcut equal to or less.than

.i natural-precipitation, my common sense tells me we will have two natural pre-cipitations in the berwick area in terms of salt. Concerning the effect of the plant on the

• river. water and it. not adversely affecting any present' human use, I'n not exactly clear in my mind what the phrase " human use" means. It's ad-mitted that chemicals such a3 ' sulphate and _ chloride will be increased in the.

river watar and bicarbonate will be reduced, but what does all of this really 4

cean to sthe chemical balance _of the river?

i i- '

The reason these: statements are of great concern to me is that frcm what

-

I an able_ to ~ read, I think ,that independent decision sving hacn't'taken place,

-[  : and in the words of ths report .itself on pge -42, " environmental factors have

{ been given appropriate consideration in decision making along with technical j and other considerations" ...."to minimize ' environmental impacts and suitable t

environnental cost benefit analyses" (p. 42). Right frem the beginning, the ~

f environr:ent- was considered to be the expendable factor

.I with' toetrecord again my dissent to the -Salem nuclear power plant. I' 2-

' don't claim to be 'a politician, but I do believe politicians such as you are

'able to" rise- to the occasion on the great issues. Stesart Udall, one of the members of your political prty who served during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations as Secretary of the: Lsterior, has used the phrase which isn't' lvery nice,; describing his fellow Americans -- as " energy. pigs."

I. d'on't believe we need to use all the energy that we are now using.

There are other methods of production that don't have such astronomical

energy recuirements. . We need-to tighten the belt on 'orr use of energy or we- wonit be-around, and our_ children'and grandebildren won't be around either.

Sincere 1;7, M Ns a:

i-Aaron G. Fastie, Pastor j First United Presbyterian Church '

,  ; . Berwick, Pennsylvnnh ,

L 4GHirb' 4-i e

I g

, \ -

-t ,

i  %[I E

': 0, ,

t 5. l 3 >

h 4