ML052790282

E-mail from N. Sheehan of USNRC to E. Hayden of USNRC, Regarding VY News, Thursday, April 8, 2004

ML052790282
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png
Issue date:	04/08/2004
From:	Neil Sheehan NRC Region 1
To:	Hayden E Office of Public Affairs
References
FOIA/PA-2004-0369
Download: ML052790282 (15)

Text

I.1heB w:V Nes Tusay, Arl8204Pg1 I Neil Shee
,;jn - Fwd: VY News,, Thursday, April 8, 2004 L-

-

7

-. e il i

~Page 1 -l From:

To:

Date:

Subject:

Neil Sheehan Elizabeth Hayden 4/8/04 12:03PM Fwd: VY News, Thursday, April 8, 2004

Beth, Please note what the fifth item has to say about the VY meeting last week. It refers to the facilitator as a "bad clone of talk show host Phil Donahue" and a "Jerry Springer wannabe" who lost control of the meeting early on. And this from someone who's trying not to be critical of the NRC. As I said last week, I think the facilitator tried very hard to perform his duties in a trying situation. However, the end result was not good.

Neil CC:

Diane Screnci; Sue Gagner

.ci, 3A

Q0,S, S tSS tSStS ttStt,+/-,S S,

,S1,S1, t,

1t,, t,

,IatSSSSSStSSSSSSSSSSSS, t

tS,S1,S1,S-,S,S,t,S SSSS From:

"Lyman, Pat" <PLYMA90@entergy.com>

To:

"-Power Uprate" <_PowerUprate@prod.entergy.com>, "Al Chesley"

<al.chesley@netzero.net>, "Al Parker" <AI.Parker@vynpc.com>, "Alan Haumann"

<Alan.Haumann@vynpc.com>, "Alan Robertshaw" <arober6@prod.entergy.com>, "Art Wiese"

<awiese@entergy.com>, "Audra Williams' <Audra.Williams~vynpc.com>, "B. Cosgrove"

<brendan~vermont.org>, "Barbara Williams" <Barbara.Williams~vynpc.com>, "Bernard Buteau"

<Bemard.Buteau~vynpc.com>, "Bernie Jwaszewski" <Bemie.Jwaszewski~vynpc.com>, "Beth Sienel"

<bsien90@prod.entergy.com>, "Bill Lynch" <Bill.Lynch@vynpc.com>, "Boguslawski"

<john.boguslawski~adelphiabusiness.net>, "Bonnie Notte" <bnotte~prod.entergy.com>, "Bonnie O'Rourke" <borourk@cvps.com>, "Brian Cosgrove" <Brian.Cosgrove~vynpc.com>, "Brian Finn"

<Brian.Finn~vynpc.com>, "Bryan Croke" <bcroke~prod.entergy.com>, "Candy Sak"

<Candy.Sak~vynpc.com>, "Carl Crawford" <ccrawfo~entergy.com>, "Charles Edwards"

<Charles.Edwards~vynpc.com>, "Chris Hansen" <Chris.Hansen@vynpc.com>, "Chris Wamser"

<Chris.Wamser@vynpc.com>, "Christina Canty" <Christine.Canty@vynpc.com>, "CONNIE WELLS"

<CWELLS~entergy.com>, "Craig Nichols" <Craig.Nichols~vynpc.com>, "David Andrews"

<David.Andrews~vynpc.com>, "David M. Rocchio" <drocchio~thearnogroup.com>, "David Mannai"

<David.Mannai~vynpc.com>, "David McElwee" <David.McElwee~vynpc.com>, "David Pelton"

<dpelt90@prod.entergy.com>, "DEBORAH WAGLEY" <DWAGLEY~entergy.com>, "Diane McCue"

<Diane.McCue~vynpc.com>, "Dolord DeForge <Dj.DeForge~vynpc.com>, "Donald Johnson"

<djohn9l @prod.entergy.com>, "Dorothy Schnure 2" <schnure~greenmountainpower.biz>, "Dutton Christopher" <dutton@gmpvt.com>, "Ed Matson" <Ed.Matson~vynpc.com>, "Ellen Cota"

<ecota@prod.entergy.com>, "Eve Finkenstadt" <Eve.Finkenstadt~vynpc.com>, "Frank Lipinski"

<Frank.Lipinski~vynpc.com>, "G Franklin" <gfranklin@ecvtlaw.com>, "GARY TAYLOR"

<GJTAYLOR~entergy.com>, "George Thomas" <gthomas~prod.entergy.com>, "George Wierzbowski"

<George.Wierzbowski~vynpc.com>, "Gerry Morris" <gmorris~vtlobbyists.com>, "Goldsmith, Steve"

<epzsteveO1lyahoo.com>, "Greg Brede" <Greg.Brede~vynpc.com>, "Harry Sutton"

<Harry.Sutton~vynpc.com>, "Howard C Shaffer <howardmariann@juno.com>, "Kent Brown"

l lbjghY Mads;W N

I u s u

,y Aorf 8, 20"d dii aid d d d dIs d d ii a i dia d d d'

a

' 'd' dd' d'

1. House passes VY resolution - Brattleboro Reformer(Front page, above fold)

2. Group: Entergy hours too long - Rutland Herald(Region/State, Page B1, above fold)

3. Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuke shut for refuel - Reuters (Online)

4. Vt. hopes to ink hydro deal - Rutland Herald(Front page, below fold)

5. A View From the Middle - The Original Observer(Page 8)

6. Residents disagree on dam buy - Brattleboro Reformer(Front page, below fold)

7. Energy Dept. threatens no nuclear cleanup - The Republican(Nation, page 3, above fold)

8. Nuclear power plant being built in Guangdong - Google News Online VY Daily News Thursday, April 01, 2004 If you have news items to contribute contact Pat Lyman - plyma90@entergy.com Brattleboro Reformer, Thursday, April 08, 2004(Front page, on fold)

House passes VY resolution By CAROLYN LORIE Reformer Staff

d.

d.

• f LhtddhMr J Y MN!~s?, Thirtsticly', APOr 8,'2OO4 4 4 e

d4 4 d 4 4 4 4 4 d a 4 4 4 4 41 4a a 4d 4 a a d 4 4 a 4 4 4 a a 4 4d a 4 4 4 4 The Legislature, however, had no such limitations.

'What the (original) resolution sought to do, in addition to clos recommend, for the benefit of all Vermonters, the extension of the scope and depth of the inspections and evaluations. It sent a message that an independ the NRC has at its dis rooting out any prob decreased safety under an unprecedented uprate conditions, especially in context of one of the oldest operating plants," said Edwards.

Darrow said he was concerned that the House was "backing itself into a comer" by not taking a stronger position on the uprate. Because Vermont Yankee will run out of storage space sooner under the increased output, the plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear Corporation of Louisiana, will require legislative approval for dry cask storage within the next several years.

Darrow believes that allowing the uprate to happen will increase the pressure on the leg approve dry cask stor According to Darrow and Edwards, the vote split along party lines.

Carolyn Lori6 can be reached at clorie@reforiner.com.

Rutland Herald, Thursday, April 08, 2004(Region/State, page B1, above fold)

Group: Entergy hours too long

l1 7

44d.a.

a ae0d.

a

.a daA.aa *..ad~A.daad~aad.a#0aa&&a~a4dd aadeada~

dda a ad

.eAaa Sd l1 hde'hbrlV

'VM~W's'Th~ftitcdy`,AprM8,'2004 a The company is installing about $60 million worth of changes at the plant at its own risk, but in expectation of federal approval. The company has a conditional certificate of public good from the Vermont Public Service Board.

Alexander said he had already heard back from David Vito, the allegations coordinator at the NRC's Region One office. He said Vito told him the NRC had written to Entergy, asking it to comment on the overtime allegations. The company has 30 days to respond.

According to Alexander, that begs the question because the plant will be back online in about 30 days after refueling and retrofitting to accommodate the additional power production.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said he was limited in what he could say publicly about the allegations.

Sheehan said the NRC was in the process of coming up with new rules regarding overtime at nuclear plants.

He said the current guidelines were adopted by the NRC in 1982, but the NRC board voted two years ago to revise those guidelines. He said rule-making takes several years.

Sheehan said the current guidelines allowed for a 1 6-hour straight shift, not including shift turnover time.

No individual can work more than 16 hours1.851852e-4 days <br />0.00444 hours <br />2.645503e-5 weeks <br />6.088e-6 months <br /> In a 24-hour period, and no one can work more than 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> in any 48-hour period. Also, no one can work more than 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br /> in any seven-day period.

Sheehan said NRC staff had recommended changes to the current guidelines, noting that working 16-to 17-hour shifts resulted in fatigue equal to a blood alcohol content of.05, which is below the state legal limit for driving of.08.

l.de It hvarl Tl'stay' AivN 8,r2004a a a d d d d d

d d

d d a a d

• d d d A A d a d d

A d d A a d A d A d a

Reuters, 04.06.04, 10:13 AM ET NEW YORK, April 6 (Reuters) - Entergy Corp. (nyse: ETR

<http://www.forbes.com/finance/mktguideapps/compinfo/CompanyTearsheet.jhtml?tkr-ETR>

- news

<http://www.forbes.com/markets/companynews.jhtml?ticker=ETR>

- people

<http://www.forbes.com/peopletracker/results.jhtml?startRow=O&name=&ticker-ETR>

) said Tuesday its 510 megawatt Vermont Yankee nuclear unit in Vermont shut for a refueling and maintenance outage over the weekend.

A spokesman at Entergy, Larry Smith, said the unit outage would likely last about four weeks.

During the outage, Smith said the company planned to replace the high pressure turbine and rebuild the generator.

The last time the unit shut for a refueling outage was from Oct. 6-28, 2002.

The Vermont Yankee station is located in Vernon, Vermont, about 80 miles north of Hartford, Connecticut.

Copyright 2004, Reuters News Service Rutland Herald, Thursday, April 08, 2004(Front page, below fold)

Vt. hopes to ink hydro deal

lhdeharl VY Ndus 'Th fstl cy', April 8,20O4' '

a a'a a a d i d

i i a i i d

a d

d d

d a

a a a a a But there were naysayers in the audience, who if not outright opposed to the purchase, were very concerned about the tax impact of the transfer of the dams from a private, tax-paying company to the state, which they assumed would pay only a portion of the usual property taxes.

Select board members from Wilmington, Searsburg, Whitingham and Rockingham, towns which all host a dam or hydro facility, expressed concern about the loss of tax revenue and told the authority how dependent their towns were on the tax revenue from the power company. Rockingham has formed its own municipal utility and wants to buy the Bellows Falls dam from USGen. But the president of Mount Snow Ski Area, the largest employer in the Deerfield River Valley, expressed full support of the state purchase, for a variety of reasons.

Stan Hansen, who has headed Mount Snow for the last three years, said the resort was water-starved, and had been negotiating with US Gen, until it declared bankruptcy, to buy water from its Somerset Reservoir, which is part of the Deerfield River hydro system.

Hansen said that Mount Snow had a severe water deficit, and it needed to double the amount of water it had to make snow. Hansen said that Mount Snow currently had access to 250 million gallons of water each winter, while it needed 459 million gallons. He reminded the authority that Mount Snow employs 1,500 people during the peak winter season, and has 350 full-time employees.

But Hansen said it wasn't just the snowmaking water that led him to support the project. He said Mount Snow was facing a 22 percent increase in power rates over the next three years from Green Mountain Power.

Hansen said that while Mount Snow would have to build an 8,000-foot pipeline over Mount Snow to Somerset, which is on the backside of Mount Snow, it was far shorter than a nine-mile pipeline to

tt, t,

'at, t, t,t, t, t t, t, t,t, t,t, t,t, t,t, t, t,tt,t, tat, t, tt,t,t, t,t, t,t, t,t, t,it, t, t, t,t,t, t, t,t,tt,ft,t, t.,t,t, t, t t,t,t,t, t tddt, ~t, t, t, l tipeehr -'V

.1w'htsad Ap1

.,0oi d

da'da'd aj j ^d d 4 d a d d.6 'Idad 11 dja'~

4 1 d d1..........

N_

hdabr JVY flEv*s TlAifsti yA AAs 8At 200 4a a ada Smith said the state will lose baseload power when contracts with Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant expire in 2012, when the plant's federal license expires.

Contracts with the state's other large source of power, Hydro Quebec, expire in 2014.

Smith apologized to the audience for the lack of information about the specifics of the finances of the project, saying that if the general public knew what the state was willing to bid for the dams, it would put the state at a substantial strategic disadvantage. Smith noted that the state was pursuing a contract with a private partner that would give Vermont "not less than 25 percent ownership" with the option of increased ownership later.

"I have been struggling with how can we get information out and how can we get information in," Smith said. "We have to walk a fine line as an authority."

He said that the first hearing on the dam purchase, which was held in Montpelier three weeks ago, was dominated by people who supported the state purchase.

Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheererutlandherald.com.

The Original Vermont Observer, April 7, 2004(Page 8)

A View

I hi iii

• hh huh hi hi iii hhhhhIh

!hh h

huh ?!

I h

h ih h

h i

i h

h i

i h

h h

N 1,-,1

,Itt

,-,I

,t t

,t

,t

,t tste aotl1 d i 1 dii tt

,t t

t dii ii t

it i d

iii i

did di i1 ~,1 i

d d did t

ti did d,

di

, 1, di.,1 4

J L A##0&

&0&0#00

,#1 hddtrl J VY Mdw'sdThilustuiclyhiuAprlu dtL2i04 hii ih i'

L~~~i1fhkuuuuuu~tif~Uu~ruutt.u~uIudIff hh L:Lkth

~

h h

h h

hh hh*h ih h

ttki

• hh hh#

k"A~kjtk L

thhh h

• h hu hihhh hhh hi h

d

1. .ii#i#dddiddd*d&.&did

1. d&d&i

• Ad

• iid&&.##.&&d"#i*d&dd&dd#dd

.&Sdid,6.#

d&*

d&#

d#

dd&

dd&.,&

A.*dds power. There are oth

, given Entergy's power increase request, who are sa seeking an independent engineering assess Still others have faith in the technology, in the track record of their friends and neighbors in making safety an ongoing propo Given this melting pot of views, we're all going to disagree from time to time. That's fine. Let's also start showing each other a little respect. The phrases "trust fund baby" and "corporate drone" have no place in this de I'm a graduate of the Vernon Elementary School, the place where the NRC meeting was held, while my stepdaughter brought her child and other parents brought their children for kin around those soon to be school children was a poor lesson in conflict reso maybe, we all need a refresher course in sand Brattleboro Reformer, Thursday, April 08, 2004 Front page, below fold)

Residents disagree on dam buy By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN Reformer Staff WILMINGTON - Vermonters who live away from the dams along the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers want reliable, renewable energy.

0 Al hd 'h.

VY Ndvsl Thfarstldy', Aorfi 8,'20"4 d i1 d a a a1 a a a a a i a a a ad a a a a a a 1

a a a 1

a d da a a a1 a d a a "My concern is that the state would take ownership of some very old dams," said Drew Fetters, who said he has decades of experience In the electric generating industry.

He also said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licenses that are required to run the dams are extremely complex and difficult to renew. According to Fetters, the state would be liable for maintaining and possibly opening new recreation facilities if it owned the dams.

"All of these costs have to be factored in," Fetters said.

Advocates of the sale said the dams could provide Vermonters with clean, inexpensive power. They said the sale could be a historic event and the state should act quickly.

But many in the audience questioned the wisdom behind partnering with a private firm.

The dams are valued at around $500 million. A study done by an energy consulting firm recommended the state partner with a private firm for the purchase.

The Legislature gave Smith the authority to negotiate with a company for no less than a 25 percent stake in the dams.

"We need controlling interest," said Bill McKimm. "With 25 percent how could we control where the energy goes?"

"Why pursue a private partnership? What is the advantage?" asked Peter Alexander of Putney.

Smith said the state has energy contracts with Hydro-Quebec and Vermont Yankee, and a private firm

e

-~'e i ThutYst1yW Ap

`,U2004' a a a a a t

dd i d0d d d d d d

d d d i I I I I i I X X X dd iddI d

I d

a..

a a.

aa

• a~a~a.....

a

.aa a

a.

a a~

.a.. a. a

.aa a a a..a aaaa aaa On Capitol Hill and in the states facing the cleanup task, critics are accusing the department of trying to force states to accept less stringent cleanup standards to save money and finish the job more quickly. The department argues that some of the waste has a low enough level of radioactivity that it can be covered with cement ground and left in place.

Last year, a federal judge in Idaho said the Energy Department's plan to reclassify some of the waste in the tanks as "low level" and not remove it for burial violated the law. He said Congress specifically said all the waste, the byproduct of plutonium production during the Cold War, has to be treated as "high-level" waste and must be buried in a central facility, probably the planned site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

The cleanup at sites in Washington, Idaho, South Carolina and New York is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars and take decades.

But the head of the cleanup program, Jessie Roberson, told congressional committees recently that the department has no plans to spend the $350 million earmarked for next fiscal year - and probably won't even ask Congress for it - unless it is allowed to reclassify some of the radioactive waste to make disposal easier and cheaper.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., reminded her that some people have characterized the department's strategy as "blackmail" in an attempt to get the federal nuclear waste law changed and circumvent the federal court ruling. The Energy Department is appealing that court case, but would prefer Congress change the law.

"They didn't get their way in court, so now they want the law changed," Murray said in an interview.

"Everyone is for accelerated cleanup as long as it's done in a way that protects workers' safety and we don't cut corners."

Ihddhbrl J

i V

sWs'ThturstIay, Aorl 8,42004" ' ' ' ' ' '

a d d 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ofjtr~Litk

~.44~

1. i #I #I 44444.4.1 4444.

4,i jtj 44i444f..444..

4eS~.44 4444 4........

44~~~

44~~~~

Geoffrey Fettus, the lawyer at the Natural Resources Defense Council who brought the successful lawsuit challenging the cleanup plan, said there's nothing in the judge's order that prevents the Energy Department from spending the $350 million once Congress appropriates it.

"The judge's decision merely bars DOE from abandoning the waste in the tanks by calling it incidental waste," he said in an interview.

Tom Cochran, also of the NRDC, said the DOE wants to leave in the tanks material 'that in some cases is more radioactive than the material they propose to take out" and call it low-level waste by averaging its radioactivity with benign grout that will be poured on top. That's "phony science," said Cochran.

Six states have joined in urging the appeals court to uphold the judge's decision. Along with the four states where waste is located, Oregon joined because Hanford lies just across the Columbia River, and New Mexico joined because officials there are concerned a reclassification of the tank waste would result in more of it being shipped to a government repository near Carlsbad.

On the Net:

Energy Department: www.energy.gov Alliance for Nuclear Accountability: http://www.ananuclear.org

l 1J JVY rIEWs TH~tstia y', April 8, 2 0 04 1 ' ' ' 'I d 0 I

Is I a I I a I Is I I a d

a a 0 a

a I 0

a 0

a d a a I a

... t,,,,sjlI*,1kbkbdIS tks I f L L S i,-I1*i,,,,, 4i,,,, aS Ii hE hi hi I hi i hi hiIIIi htII.~.tI i~

i~ ~ii i a a iaii tjt,j.Lfr,,,,,

,kjiij Lack of generating capacity to meet surging demand has led to power rationing in eastern and southern China, forcing some factories and other businesses to suspend operation.

China generates about 80 per cent of its electricity from coal-fired plants, but is trying to shift to natural gas and other cleaner sources. - AP CC:

"Dower, Mary" <mdowereprod.entergy.com>, "Sandstrum, Sally*

<ssandst~prod.entergy.com>, "Dreyfuss, John' <jdreyfu@prod.entergy.com>

I C:\\TEMP\\GW}00001.TMP Mail Envelope Properties (407577BA.C13: 9: 35118)

P

-~nqh-i J

Subject:

Creation Date:

From:

Created By:

Fwd: VY News, Thursday, April 8, 2004 4/8/04 12:03PM Neil Sheehan NAS @nrc.gov Recipients owfl_po.OWFN_DO EAH (Elizabeth Hayden)

SFG CC (Sue Gagner)

Action Delivered Opened Deleted Emptied Fwd: VY News, 2004 Opened Deleted Emptied Date & Time 04/08/04 12:03PM 04/08/04 02:1OPM 07/14/04 12:09PM 07/22/04 01:04AM Thursday, April 8, 04/08/04 05:59PM 04/08/04 06:00PM 04/15/04 11:13AM nrc.gov kpl-po.KPDO DPS CC (Diane Screnci)

Delivered Opened Deleted Emptied 04/08/04 12:03PM 04/08/04 12:42PM 04/08/04 01:03PM 04/08/04 03:52PM Post Office owfl-po.OWFNDO kpl-po.KPDO Delivered 04/08/04 12:03PM 04/08/04 12:03PM Date & Time 04/08/04 12:03PM Route nrc.gov Files Mail MESSAGE Options Auto Delete:

Expiration Date:

Notify Recipients:

Priority:

Reply Requested:

Return Notification:

Concealed

Subject:

Security:

Size 1085 No None Yes Standard No None No Standard To Be Delivered:

Immediate

I C:\\TEMP\\GWO00001.TMP PaOe 2 I I

4 Status Tracking:

All Information