ML20148D833

Responds to Re Evacuation Plans for Areas Surrounding Facility.Regulations on Emergency Planning Have Been Expanded to Include Requirements for Evacuation Planning to Distances of 10 Miles Before Issuances of OL

ML20148D833
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	09/26/1980
From:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Wilde F AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
Shared Package
ML20148D840	List: ML20148D833 ML20148D843
References
NUDOCS 8010100110
Download: ML20148D833 (2)

Text

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4 ItEC

.Ao UNITED STATEA // <[ d

- NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

g. W ASHINGTON, D, C. 20555

.. p .

%, % s j; SEP 2S is:r Mrs. Frederick E. Wilde 5 Hoodlawn Avenue -

i Hampton Falls, New Hampshire 03844

Dear Mrs.~ Wilde:

Your letter to Mr. Wayne Kerr, Director Office of State Progr ams, U. S. Nuclear l

Regulstery Comission, related ta evacuation plans for areas currounding the Seabrcok Station has been referred to me for reply. You expressed concerns about the ptential consequences of nuclear acciderits to you as a nearby resident andi tnen e.tplained your further. concern that decisions regarding the Seabrook Stat on may not be in accordance with your vote.

Under the present statutes, the NRC has developed a detailed set of regulations and procedures for use in determining whether a proposed nuclear power plant will be constructed and operated in accordance with the statutes, and hence whether it can be licensed. Construction perr'its for the Seabrook Station were issued on July 7,1976 after a detailed review by the NRC staff and an extensive hearing in which many members of the public made statements for the Atomic Safety and Lici:nsing Board (" Licensing Board") to consider. Other local groups intervened with specific contentions on which the Licensing Board considered and ruled. Decisions of the ,

l Licensing Board were reviewed by the Atomic Safetj erd Licensing Appeal Board and '

by the Commission. Before an operating license can be issued, members of the local

.public will again be afforded an opportunity to participate and intervene as a party to the proceeding. Through these procedures, concerns of local citizens are taken into ccasideratien in licensing decisions of the NRC. Hawever, they must be consid-ered along with many other factors, including the need for electrical power by a widely distributed population.

During the construction permit review and hearing for the Seabrook Station, popu-lation density around the site and evacuation feasibility were evaluated and consid-ered. The Comission ruled that decisions on the acceptability of emergency planc for evacuation beyond the low population zone could be deferred to the operating license stage of review.

Since construction permits were issued for the Seabrook Station, the Commission has and is continuing to reassess its regulations for inclusion of results of its continv*ng review of operating reactor experience, and in particular the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 on March 28, 1979. Regulations on emergency planning have been expanded to include requirements for evacuation planning to distances of about 10 miles. The Commission has also directed the staff to take steps to identify plants under construction where either additional features or other actions misht be THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS POOR QUAUTY PAGES 8010100 ll O _

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l Mrs. Frederick E. Wilde warranted which cou'ed prevent or mitigate the consequences of serious accidents.

As an example, such additional features or other actions may be warranted when evacuation of the general population is taken ir,to consideration. ,

l The staff's review of Seabrook relative to expanded emergency planning require-ments began a year ago. Reviews by the Federal Emergency Management Aaency (FEMA) are also underway. Results from both reviews will be considered in reaching a i I

decision on issuance of operating licenses. Thus, the NRC staff does not consider the difficulty of evacuation planning as the only criterion in licensing decisions.

As already indicated, other criteria include the acceptability of features to prevent and re.itigate the consequences of serious accidents.

It should also be noted that during the operating license review,it is the Nuclear Regul' a tory Cearnission's policy to hold selected meetings in the area of the plant site where the public will be invited to attend and to participte in the form of questions and comments during selected portions of these meetings.

I trust that this discussion helps you to understand that regulations and procedures do exist, and are being reassessed, to assure that evacuation planning and other plant features will be thoroughly reviewed and evaluated prior to a decision on issuance of operating licenses for the Seabrook Station.

Thank you for expressing your concerns.

' Sincerely, f

kis -

w

[, Harold R. Denton, Director F Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 5

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