ML070660213
| ML070660213 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Harris  |
| Issue date: | 03/19/2007 |
| From: | Klein D NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Kinnaird E State of NC |
| Patel C, NRR/DORL/LPL2-2, 415-3025 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML070660243 | List: |
| References | |
| CORR-07-0046, G20070149, LTR-07-0153, TAC MD4667 | |
| Download: ML070660213 (2) | |
Text
March 19, 2007 The Honorable Ellie Kinnaird North Carolina Senate Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Dear Ms. Kinnaird:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your February 23, 2007, request for NRC participation in a public meeting to be held on March 22, 2007, regarding a petition on Shearon Harris nuclear power plant and fire safety compliance.
Specifically, you requested NRCs participation so that the public and elected officials can hear NRCs position regarding certain issues raised in the petition.
The petition on Shearon Harris fire safety compliance was filed on September 20, 2006, by Mr. John D. Runkle (attorney for the petitioners) on behalf of the North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network, the Nuclear Information and Resource Services, the Union of Concerned Scientists, NC Fair Share, and Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (the Petitioners).
NRC is reviewing the issues raised by the Petitioners pursuant to 10 CFR Section 2.206 and in accordance with established NRC guidelines. See Management Directive 8.11, Review of Section 2.206 Petitions at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/petitions-2-206/md 08-011.pdf. As part of the Section 2.206 process, the NRC staff conducted a public meeting on November 13, 2006, to give an opportunity to the Petitioners to further explain the petition and provide additional information to the NRCs Petition Review Board. Although NRC has no plans for further meetings with Petitioners, NRC will accept any additional information that the Petitioners or other members of the public may have pertaining to the issues raised by the Petitioners. If that information is provided on or before March 22, it will be included in the proposed directors decision. In accordance with the Section 2.206 process, the staff will provide an opportunity to the Petitioners and other members of the public to comment on NRC's proposed director's decision. The proposed director's decision will be made public through NRC's document management system, ADAMS. The NRC staff will consider all comments received, including those received after March 22, before making its final decision and issuing a final director's decision.
In addition to the issues raised by the Petitioners, your letter expressed concerns about the protection of nuclear power plants against acts of sabotage or terrorism. The NRC staff is addressing this and other security issues industrywide in a proposed rulemaking entitled Power Reactor Security Requirements (RIN 3150-AG63; 71 FR 62644). The comment period on this rulemaking has been extended until March 26, 2007. The staff is also addressing these issues on a plant-specific basis. NRC is performing a detailed review of the specific plans and strategies each plant has in place to respond to a wide range of events (including the impact of an aircraft) which were required by an NRC order issued in February 2002.
Commercial nuclear power plants in the United States are inherently robust structures; our studies show they have been constructed with adequate protection to withstand a hypothetical attack by an airplane. I believe that NRC has taken significant steps to increase security at the Nation's nuclear power plants and is taking similar steps to incorporate these lessons into the licensing of the next generation of reactor designs. NRC is committed to ensuring the continued protection of the public health and safety, the environment, and the secure use and management of radioactive materials.
I hope this response has been helpful. If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Jim Dyer, the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Dale E. Klein cc:
John D. Runkle Attorney at Law P.O. Box 3793 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515