ML041460004

G20040318/LTR-04-0295 - Sen. Judd Gregg Ltr. Re. Independent Safety Assessment of Vermont Yankee (Board of Selectmen for the Town of Hinsdale)

ML041460004
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	06/04/2004
From:	Reyes L NRC/EDO
To:	Gregg J US SEN (Senate)
Ennis R, NRR/DLPM, 415-1420
Shared Package
ML041450513	List: ML041460004
References
FOIA/PA-2005-0031, G20040318, LTR-04-0295, TAC MC3078
Download: ML041460004 (2)

Text

June 4, 2004 The Honorable Judd Gregg United States Senator 125 North Main Street Concord, NH 03301

Dear Senator Gregg:

I am responding on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to your letter dated May 4, 2004, in which you forwarded a copy of a letter from the Board of Selectmen for the town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire. In their letter, the Selectmen of Hinsdale expressed concern for the safety of their towns residents, relating to a request by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., to increase the generating capacity of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (Vermont Yankee) by 20 percent. They also asked that your office support the request for a comprehensive independent safety assessment of the facilities.

The NRC sent a letter to the Vermont Public Service Board on May 4, 2004, in response to their request for an independent engineering assessment. I am enclosing a copy of that letter, which describes our plans to use an improved engineering inspection at Vermont Yankee. The NRC staff has concluded that its detailed technical review, combined with its inspections prescribed by the reactor oversight process, as enhanced by a new engineering inspection, is the most effective method of determining whether Vermont Yankee can safely operate under uprated power conditions. We believe this approach is responsive to the Public Service Boards request, and therefore is also responsive to the request of the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire.

For current information on the NRCs review of the proposed power uprate, please see the Vermont Yankee webpage on the NRCs website at www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/vermont-yankee-issues.html.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Luis A. Reyes Executive Director for Operations

Enclosure:

Letter to the Vermont Public Service Board

The Honorable Judd Gregg June 4, 2004 United States Senator 125 North Main Street Concord, NH 03301

Dear Senator Gregg:

I am responding on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to your letter dated May 4, 2004, in which you forwarded a copy of a letter from the Board of Selectmen for the town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire. In their letter, the Selectmen of Hinsdale expressed concern for the safety of their towns residents, relating to a request by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., to increase the generating capacity of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (Vermont Yankee) by 20 percent. They also asked that your office support the request for a comprehensive independent safety assessment of the facilities.

The NRC sent a letter to the Vermont Public Service Board on May 4, 2004, in response to their request for an independent engineering assessment. I am enclosing a copy of that letter, which describes our plans to use an improved engineering inspection at Vermont Yankee. The NRC staff has concluded that its detailed technical review, combined with its inspections prescribed by the reactor oversight process, as enhanced by a new engineering inspection, is the most effective method of determining whether Vermont Yankee can safely operate under uprated power conditions. We believe this approach is responsive to the Public Service Boards request, and therefore is also responsive to the request of the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire.

For current information on the NRCs review of the proposed power uprate, please see the Vermont Yankee webpage on the NRCs website at www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/vermont-yankee-issues.html.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Luis A. Reyes Executive Director for Operations

Enclosure:

Letter to the Vermont Public Service Board DISTRIBUTION: G20040318/LTR-04-0295 PUBLIC RidsEdoMailCenter SBurns/KCyr, OGC RidsOcaMailCenter LReyes RidsNrrWpcMail SECY (LTR-04-0295) HMiller, Rgn I SCollins RidsNrrAdptKJohnson RidsNrrPMREnnis DRathburn, OCA WKane HMiller, Rgn I CBixler, Rgn I CPaperiello AHowe NRR Mail Room PNorry RidsNrrDlpmLpdICHolden RidsOgcRp WDean RidsNrrPMBPham RidsOpaMail RidsNrrOdJDyer RidsNrrLACRaynor RidsRgnIMailCenter RidsNrrAdptBSheron PDI-2 Section Reading File RidsNrrPMAMcMurtray Package No.: ML041450513 Incoming No.: ML041280377 Response No.: ML041460004 Enclosur No.: ML041170438 OFFICE PDIV-2/PM PDI-2/LA PDI-1/PM VY/SC PDI/PD NAME BPham CRaynor DSkay AHowe CHolden DATE 5/25/04 5/25/04 5/25/04 5/25/04 5/25/04 OFFICE DLPM/D ADPT/NRR D/NRR EDO OCA NAME LMarsh BSheron JDyer Reyes DRathbun DATE 5/25/04 5/27/04 5/28/04 6/04/04 6/04/04 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY