ML042810274
| ML042810274 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Davis Besse  |
| Issue date: | 10/05/2004 |
| From: | Christie R - No Known Affiliation |
| To: | Diaz N NRC/Chairman |
| References | |
| G20040674, LTR-04-0625 | |
| Download: ML042810274 (2) | |
Text
7r OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET Date Printed: Oct 06, 2004 09.24 PAPER NUMBER:
ACTION OFFICE:
/ oe"44 LOGGING DATE: 10/05/2004 To:l0Nex, NMez Mef. 6?0o0014 AUTHOR:
AFFILIATION:
ADDRESSEE:
SUBJECT:
ACTION:
DISTRIBUTION:
LETTER DATE:
ACKNOWLEDGED SPECIAL HANDLING:
Richard Christie C
~DEDMRS DEDH Nils Diaz DEDM AO Aging nuclear power plants..urges the increase in safety supervision of re-licensinDg orexisting nuc reactors...
CPA Appropriate RF 09/26/2004 No Made publicly available via SECYIEDO/DPC NOTES:
OCM #6052...EDO....coordinate with OGC as appropriate FILE LOCATION:
ADAMS DATE DUE:
DATE SIGNED:
3018 Old City Park Road 0 OCT -5 111 9: 43 Moab, Utah 84532 September 26, 2004 Dr. Nils J. Diaz, Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs Washington, D.C. 20555-0001
Dear Dr. Diaz:
Aging nuclear power plants present a significant health and safety risk for the public and environment due to fatigue and corrosion. As a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, I urge you to increase the safety supervision of re-licensing of existing nuclear reactors across the country, not weaken it. The re-licensing process must include the full and meaningful participation of members of the public such as myself, involvement which the NRC has itself found enhances safety levels by pointing out errors of commission and omission in draft proposals.
If existing nuclear reactors are to be re-licensed for 20-year terms, they should have to meet current safety standards, and have strong aging-management programs to detect infrastructure failures from fatigue and corrosion before these manifest themselves in high risk of radioactive containment failure.
As you are aware, the Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Toledo, Ohio, was found in 2002 to have a large corrosion-caused hole in the metal pot used to contain its nuclear fuel. Only a 3/16ths inch stainless steel veneer, installed for an unrelated purpose, prevented loss of coolant. According to your own agency report, Davis-Besse was as little as two months away from a nuclear reactor coolant failure. Warning signs of problems were documented as ignored by the NRC. It was public oversight of these failures by the UCS which helped force closure of the plant until critical safety problems were fixed, and then caused the same problems to be looked for and corrected in 68 other plants on an accelerated schedule.
The NRC has recently revised rules for re-licensing nuclear power plants to curtail public participation, eliminate public viewing of internal plant documents, and cross-examine plant managers concerning issues found in this review. This is a giant step backwards for nuclear safety, and needs to be reversed.
Sincerely yours, Richard Lance Christie