[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 230 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29552]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: December 1, 1994]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-160; License No. R-97]
Neely Nuclear Research Reactor; Receipt of Petition for
Director's Decision Under 10 CFR 2.206
Notice is hereby given that by Petition dated October 23, 1994, Ms.
Pamela Blockey-O'Brien requested that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) take action with regard to the Neely Nuclear Research Reactor.
The Petition requests that the NRC revoke the license of the Neely
Nuclear Research Reactor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, shut
down this reactor and its support facilities, and remove all
radioactive materials and contamination offsite to a government-created
``National Sacrifice area'' such as the Savannah River or Oak Ridge
facilities. The Petition also requests that the NRC withdraw all
license authority nationwide involving the discharging or dumping of
any quantity of radioactive material to all the sewers or waters in the
United States or oceans of the world, and withdraw all licenses to all
nuclear facilities, including nuclear power plants (NPPs) which operate
under as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) principles. Finally, the
Petition requests both that the NRC modify every license issued to
transporters of radioactive materials and builders of NPPs so that
these parties must put 2-foot high letters on everything transported or
built stating ``DANGER-RADIOACTIVE'' and in slightly smaller letters
``there is no safe level of radiation, any exposure can effect
health,'' and prohibit the transportation of radioactive material by
mail.
The Petition asserts as bases for the request to shut down and
decontaminate the research reactor at the Georgia Institute of
Technology that (1) a water flume comes out of the ground
``destabilizing the reactor and the ground in some way;'' (2)
``(r)adiation levels in soil and vegetation climb markedly in GA EPD
documents'' around the reactor; (3) there is no record of air
monitoring ever having been done; (4) heavy rainfall causes water to
back up in the sewer and drainage lines causing flooding of the reactor
parking lot and campus, as well as causing sinkholes, ``puff-ups'' on
campus ground, and welded-shut manhole covers to be blown off; (5)
radioactive contaminants have been routinely discharged into the
sanitary sewer from the research reactor's wastewater holding tank; (6)
should the research reactor be further destabilized, the reactor and
the tank holding cobalt-60 could ``break apart,'' causing radioactive
contaminants to ``drain into groundwater/down sewers/into the runoff
ditch;'' (7) the reactor is in an earthquake zone; (8) there is
absolutely no reason to keep the reactor operating; (9) security at the
reactor is extremely lax; and (10) in case of an accident or terrorist
attack, evacuation of the campus and downtown Atlanta would be
impossible both now and during the Olympics.
The Petition asserts as the bases for the request to withdraw all
license authority nationwide involving the discharging or dumping of
any quantity of radioactive material to all the sewers or waters in the
United States, and to withdraw all licenses to all nuclear facilities,
including NPPs, which operate under ALARA principles, that there is no
safe level of radiation and that the NRC's new sewage dumping
guidelines are totally inadequate. The Petition does not assert any
bases for the requests on the labeling and mailing of radioactive
materials.
The Petition has been referred to the Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206. As provided by Section 2.206, the
Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation will take
appropriate action on the specific issues raised by the Petition in a
reasonable time.
A copy of the Petition is available for inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room at 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC
20555.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of November, 1994.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-29552 Filed 11-30-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M
