ML121600585

D. Lochbaum Email Transmitting Letter Dated 6/7/12 Regarding Emergency Response Capability at Pilgrim During Labor Issue

ML121600585
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	06/07/2012
From:	Lochbaum D Union of Concerned Scientists
To:	Bill Dean NRC Region 1
Shared Package
ML121600590	List: ML121600585
References
EDATS:Region1-2012-0171
Download: ML121600585 (1)

Text

From: Dean, Bill Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 6:13 PM To: Matakas, Gina; ODaniell, Cynthia Cc: Lew, David; Roberts, Darrell; Wilson, Peter; Miller, Chris; Clifford, James; Jackson, Donald

Subject:

FW: Pilgrim's emergency response capabilitiy Attachments: 20120607-pg-ucs-nrc-emergency-response-during-labor.pdf Please get this letter into ADAMS as a public letter and also get a tasking out to DRS (working with DRP) to develop a response to Dave. Thanks.

Bill From: Dave Lochbaum [1]

Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 12:00 PM To: Dean, Bill Cc: Screnci, Diane; Lampert, Mary

Subject:

Pilgrim's emergency response capabilitiy Hello Bill:

Attached is my letter to you regarding the recent labor issues at Pilgrim. I don't plan to also put a hard copy in the mail, but would be glad to do so upon request.

I worked as a consultant at a nuclear plant in Mississippi when an NRC inspector asked one of the managers at the site, who held an SRO license from the NRC and would man the control room in event of a strike by the plant's operators, to show him the remote shutdown panel. This manager tried several times to find the remote shutdown panel without success. It was an eye-opener for me --- the manager might be able to step in and cover for operators with the plant on auto-pilot, but would likely come up short if challenged with doing more than keeping his hands off the controls.

I'm not suggesting that the contingency workers at Pilgrim would be unable to find the remote shutdown panel. But I've not seen in the NRC's inspection manual or past inspection reports that the agency ensures that contingency workers would know what to do upon finding and entering the room, or know what to do upon staffing the Technical Support Center (if they found it), or the Emergency Operations Facility, etc.

Hence, my letter. How does the NRC make sure that the public will be protected if an emergency occurs at a nuclear plant when so many of its highly trained and qualified workers cannot perform their duties?

Thanks, Dave Lochbaum UCS