More Licence for Nuclear Industry? Rayner's Cuts ''Flawed''

~65~0----------------------------------------------NEVVS-------------------------------N_ATU__ RE __ v_o_L._~_J_n __ Ju_NE __ I_~_J Nuclear Regulatory Commission UK overseas development More licence for nuclear industry? Rayner's cuts Washington changes would increase opportunities for CITING the increased maturity of the public participation. In her Senate testi ''flawed'' nuclear industry, the Reagan mony, Ms Weiss noted that there would no BRITISH Government plans to scale down Administration has begun to urge longer be automatic public hearings after a the work of four scientific units run by the Congress to streamline the procedures used plant had been built and before it was Overseas Development Administration by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission turned on. More significantly, she said, a (ODA) are criticized in scathing terms in a (NRC) to license new power plants. A change in the legal character of any hear House of Commons Select Committee Department of Energy (DOE) bill, the ings- from an adjudicatory to a' 'hybrid'' report published last week. Concluding subject of heated Senate hearings, hearing - would place "outlandish and that the severe staff and budget cuts intend proposes condensing the present two-step onerous" obstacles in the path of members ed for the four units are based on scrutinies licensing procedure into a single stage, of the public who wanted to intervene at that are "fundamentally flawed", the curbing the number and scope of public any stage of the licensing procedure. committee asks the government to suspend hearings and limiting the ability of NRC to Under hybrid hearings, intervenors its decisions and think again. impose new safety requirements once would no longer be permitted to call and The report was compiled by a subcom construction of a plant is under way. cross-examine witnesses unless they could mittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee In hearings last week, Ellyn Weiss, first prove to the commission that there (FAC) chaired by Labour MP Frank representing the Union of Concerned existed "genuine and substantial disputes Hooley. The ODA scientific units, which Scientists, said it was "unconscionable" of fact which can be resolved with carry out training and research into prob for Congress to reduce public oversight of sufficient accuracy only by introduction of lems of developing countries, have in the nuclear safety and draw the already evidence at a formal hearing". But they past two years been scrutinized by Lord blunted teeth of NRC. The most would not be allowed, before proving that Rayner, formerly the Prime Minister's ad controversial ingredient of the DOE bill is a such disputes of fact existed, to question visor on Whitehall efficiency. As a result, provision to limit the authority of NRC to utility experts or NRC staff. Such a change, scheduled stafflevels have already been cut insist on design changes once it has licensed Ms Weiss claimed, would result in wasteful to 75 per cent of the 1979 total, with further the construction of a plant. The industry litigation to establish whether a disputed reductions planned. And two of the units blames the proliferation of design changes fact was "substantial" or could be have been amalgamated. FAC says the -known as "backfitting" -for many of accurately resolved. Rayner scrutinies were concerned only with the delays and cost overruns experienced The Union of Concerned Scientists has costs, rather than efficiency, and that the by nuclear power plants. Under the new also vehemently opposed the proposal to total cost of the units (£14.3 million this bill, NRC would be allowed to impose a limit the scope ofbackfits ordered by NRC. year) is "minute" in relation to their value backfit only if it could prove that the Weiss told the committee that most to developing countries. change would "substantailly" enhance examples of back fitting did not result from One of the units, the Centre for Overseas overall safety and that the extra cost could changes in NRC regulation but from the Pest Research, has already been forced by be justified. In addition, all backfitting belated discovery of deficiencies in plant cuts to abandon its trials of the mollusc would have to be approved in person by the design. NRC Commissioner Victor icide, nicotinanilide, against the snail vec NRC commissioners - a proposal the Gilinsky, in earlier testimony, said that tor of schistosomiasis just as "success commission itself claims will result in NRC regulations had become more was imminent". This year the centre was serious administrative bottlenecks. detailed and prescriptive only because of A second major change would do away the "uneven" safety performance of the with the separate hearings conducted by nuclear utilities and their inability to New men at ministry NRC at the building permit and operating regulate themselves. PRIME Minister Margaret Thatcher's post licence stage of power plant construction. Although the administration's bill has election reshuffle, to the surprise of many, Permission to operate a new plant would be received enthusiastic support from the left Sir Keith Joseph still in charge at the granted at the same time as permission to industry, NRC has produced an alternative Department of Education and Science. build, subject only to later "certification" bill which offers some streamlining of Two new under secretaries have been - by the utility itself- that the plant had procedures but retains more licensing appointed, however, Mr Peter Brooke been built in accordance with the original hurdles and safeguards. It would leave the (left) and Mr Robert Dunn. The division of plans and would operate safely. Public scope of backfilling to the commission to hearings would be held only at the original resolve administratively, and it would licensing stage and would no longer be retain the right of members of the public to "adjudicatory", with sworn testimony and call for a hearing after a plant had been the cross-examination of witnesses. built. Like the DOE bill, the NRC Energy Secretary Donald Hodel, legislation would combine the operating explaining the new procedure, told the licence and construction permit, but an committee that by combining the operating NRC review of a completed plant would be licence and building permit, NRC would be required before it could start operation. able to make public participation more Dissenting from his NRC colleagues, ''meaningful'' as well as reassure commissioner Gilinsky said he could not responsibilities between them has not yet contractors that they would not be understand how the single-stage licensing been announced, but it is likely that Mr prevented from operating power plants procedure could be coupled with a Brooke will take over from William that had been built at enormous cost. To compulsory review of a power plant after it Waldegrave (now at the Department of the qualify for the joint permit, he maintained, had been built. "So long as the law tells a Environment) in the department's dealings contractors would have to provide NRC utility building a plant that it has a licence, with the University Grants Committee. Mr with more complete design plans early in and at the same time tells the regulators Brooke, aged 49, a graduate of Balliol the licensing procedure, giving critics of the that it is still up to them to determine the College Oxford and the Harvard Business plant "a real target at which to shoot". readiness of the plant for operation, School, was vice president of the National Critics of the bill have ridiculed the someone is being fooled", he said. Union of Students in 1955-56. Ll administration's contention that the Peter David 0028-0836/83/250650.02$01.00 © 1983 Macmillan Journals l.td N_A_TU__ ~__ v_oL_._~_~_~_J_~---~-~-3------------------------------NEVVS,-----------------------------------------------M_t formally united with the Tropical Products Soviet oceanography Institute, which specializes in post-harvest storage, to form the Tropical Development and Research Institute. The new institute, Costly neglect of plate tectonics which is still seeking a site, is planned to SOVIET neglect of plate tectonics could notable advances, including the 1976 ex save £475,000 through a "greater concen have serious economic consequences, two pedition of the Dmitrii Mendeleev, which tration of effort" and staff reductions of leading Soviet oceanologists warned yielded unique rock specimens from layers 10 per cent. FAC says the merger was not recently. In a major article in Pravda, Dr 2 and 3 of the oceanic crust, the magnetic warranted by the Rayner scrutinies, which Andrei Monin, director of the Institute of survey of the Baltic by the vessel Zarya in took "no serious account" of the value of Oceanology of the Soviet Academy of 1981 and the tectonic mapping of ore oc training and scientific information the Sciences and Dr Leonid Brekhovskikh, currence and recovery of iron-manganese units provide. It says funds for the two secretary of the Academy's Department of nodules in the neighbourhood of the Owen units were well spent and that resources for Oceanology, Atmosphere Physics and fracture by the Akademik Vernadskii in both should be increased. The merger is Geography, accused the Ministry of 1979. Very little such work, however, has widely unpopular with staff of the new in Geology of making insufficient use of re been organized from the geologists' side - stitute. cent advances in tectonics. Moreover, they one notable exception being the Bell Of the other two units, the Directorate said, the Ministry of Higher and Specializ inghausen and Gidro/og expedition of of Overseas Surveys, which produces ed Secondary Education needed to update 1979, which was a joint venture of the In specialist maps and surveys, will cease to university courses in geology, which dealt stitute of Geology of the Ukrainian SSR exist in its present form and will be merged only superficially with tectonics.

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