ML20207N097

Responds to 881011 Ltr Re Emergency Preparedness Issues & Opposition to Restart of Facility.Commission Will Use Best Info Available W/Full Awareness of Responsibility for Protection of Public Health & Safety

ML20207N097
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	10/13/1988
From:	Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To:	Dukakis M MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF
Shared Package
ML19318H636	List: ML20207N097 ML20207N110
References
NUDOCS 8810180501
Download: ML20207N097 (2)

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!\ .m NUCLE AR REGULA*iORY COMMISSION , 3 ic I W ASHING TO N. D. C. 205$5 [

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%,f,,,/ October 13. 1988 CHAIRMAN The Honorable Michael S. Dukakis Covernor of Massachusetts Boston, MA 02133 Deer Governor Dukakis:

I am writing in response to your letter cf October 11, 1988, concerning emergency preparedness issues and your cpposition to the restart of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The NRC staff is carefully reviewino the points raised by ycur letter and the report prepareo by Secretary Parry, and will respond separately to the Secretary.

Since the shutdown of the Pilgrim facility in April 1986. the Nuclear Fegulatory Comission (NRC) has been closely monitoring the efforts of the Eoston Edisen Company to address the technical and managerent issues at Pilgrim. As a result of ooth the December 1986 report of the Comonwealth's Secretary of Public Safety and the A79ust 1987 report published by the Federal Energency Management Agency (FEMA). nhich raised emergency preparecness issues at Pilgrim, the NRC has also been a;tively involved in monitoring improvements being made in offsite emergency prrparedness. The ARC has stated that the FEMA-identified issues are conside ed a matter of serious concern and that restart of Pilgrin will involve er nsideration of the progress toward resolution of those issues.

In carrying out hRC's evaluation of emergency preparedness, the NRC staff has specifically reviewed revised castgency plans and supporting documents held discussions with FEMA Region ! staff and Comonwealth officials, observed engoing training of emergency workers, and participated in public reetings in the Pilgrin area at which emergency preparedress issues were discussed. Addi-tienally we have rade a detemined ef fort to keep the Comonwealth apprised of our ongoing assessment of these issues. The criteria used by the agency in evaluating emergency preparedness progress at Pilgrim are the same as those used to evaluate emergency preparedness at all nuclear rewer plants and are presented in Comission regulations and in the guidance criterta of NUREG-0654/

FEMA-REP-1.

You have indicated that the Comonwealth has had no fonral NRC response to its actions regarding emergency prepareoness. The process for the review of emergency planning issues is iterative in nature and involves extensive interchange between rep 9sentatives of the state where a facility is located and the Regional Ass',tance Comittee (RAC). The RAC is corposed of staff members of the FEMA NRC, and other Federal agencies. This process includes many infomal encounters between the parties involved in energency planning.

As ! indicated to you on January 6. 1988. (in response to your letter for-warding Secretary Parry's seccnd report). the NRC is closely monitoring the implementation of irprovements in the Comonwealth's and local governments' emergency response prograns, As part of cur effor ts we have ret on rumerous y

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Governor Dukakis 2-cccasions with representatives of the Comonwealth. On August 22. 1988, members of the NRC staff ret with the Assistant Secretary of Public Safety l to discuss offsite emergency preparedness at Pilgrim.

On September 28, 1988 Boston Edisen Company formally requested NRC approval to restart the Pilgrim facility. As you know, the Cemission has scheduled a public meeting on October 14, 1988, to receive the NRC staff recomendation regarding the readiness of the plant to restart. Lieu *enant Governor Evelyn Murphy is participating in this meeting. We look forwrd to bearing her views.

In carrying out our responsibility to ultimately decide this issue, the Comission will use the best information available to us with a full awareness of our responsibility for the protection of public health and safety. We take this responsibility very seriously. We believe w are taking the necessary steps to assure ourselves that the Pilgrim plant will not restart unless and until we are fully satisfied that safe operations can be resumed ano that the public health and safety is protected.

Sincerely.

W. .

Lando W. Zech F.