Three Mile Island Alert Newsletters, 1980
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Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/ Three Mile Island Resources Title: Three Mile Island Alert Newsletters, 1980 Date: 1980 Location: TMI-TMIA Contact: Archives & Special Collections Waidner-Spahr Library Dickinson College P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 717-245-1399 [email protected] SLAND i 1 V i Three Mile Island Alert February, 1980 Cobalt & Turkeys Collide by MikeT Klinger late Sunday evening, January 13, treatment of radiation exposure on 1-80 north of Pittsburgh, a These reports, she assured me, tractor trailer carrying radio were inaccurate. active cobalt pellets destined Alot of questions remain for use in. a NYC hospital collided unanswered. Why was the story with a trailer load of turkeys. played down so quickly? Why did On Monday morning WHP news the leaking cannister later_____ initially reported a broken cannister was emitting substantial amounts of radiation, .65 Rem/hr. to 4.0 Rem/hr.--"a major health hazard," according to Warren Bassett, administrator of nearby Brookville Hospital. WHP's coverage of the accident decreased and by mid-morning, ’ the story was no longer broadcast. A fifteen-mile stretch of 1-80 was closed off as state police waited for a DER radiation become "a crack in the trailer expert before getting close compartment"? Why was there su< to the truck. The DER expert a large discrepancy in the was stranded due to bad weather figures? Why and how did a and didn't get to the scene "major health hazard" in the until later in the day. The morning become "slight" by the initial dangerous readings of time it hit the Evening News? .65 R/hr. to 4.0 R/hr. was What if the accident had been supposedly taken by non-specified worse? And finally when will "authorities’'; civil defense DER, Civil Defense and State personnel later measured the Police authorities provide for radiation at less than 2 precise management and an escor' millirems/hr. I called Margaret for the shipment of radioactive Reilly, Chief of Environmental substances and prohibit shipment Rescurces--Bureau of Radiological of those potentially deadly Heal.th, on Monday afternoon and substances in dangerous weather she explained that the initial conditionsp readings were inaccurate in this case the cobalt was because the unnamed authority to be used beneficially for the had to be "convinced" on how to treatment of disease. But there properly read the instrument. are thousands of pounds of much Ms. Reilly said also that news more deadly plutonium and other papers in the area were report |Dead1ine Next Issue: Feb.l^ C0nt ing persons coming in for 1 carcinogenic wastes produced assets, service areas and rate each year by this country's payers under a new corporate en .operating nuclear reactors-- tity. Met-Ed is currently scram wastes so unstable that modern bling to meet its financial obli ..scientific technology has not, gations, having its cash flow dis and will not, be able to determine! astrously impaired by the TMI-2 how to safely store it for the accident. thousands of years required. A PUC ruling on Met-Ed’s re Enlarging of on-site storage quest for an additional $55 mil facilities, like that which has lion in rate relief will follow been done at the under construc the fitness investigation and the tion Berwick Nuke is hardly TMI-1 decision. If this ruling a satisfactory answer. No state goes against Met-Ed, highly un in the Union wants the wastes, likely with Susan Shariaman and and even if they did we don’t Linda Talliaferro on the PUC, it know how to safely ship them. will be comforting for Met-Ed to And yet "experts" continue to know they have the stalwart rate try and tell us that nuclear payers of GPU’s fist in Johnstowr power is safe. Maybe they should to turn to. ask the turkeys on 1-80. The American Nuclear Insurers Co. reports having paid over GPU’s Shell Game 1.3 million dollars so far to by: Jim G< '-nrJ. ey TMI evacuees for expenses and General Public Utilities, par wage losses. Eligible families ent of Met-Ed, Pennelec, and Jer- were those within a 5-niile radius f sey Central Power and Light, is who evacuated after Governor resorting to fancy footwork to Thornburgh’s advice to pregnant stave off the lingering shocks women and pre-school children. of last March 28th’s "normal ab This comes nowhere near erration." Its latest move in compensating all affected area volves creation of a subsidiary residents or local municipalities (GPU Nuclear Corp.) to operate But still we can't help wondering and maintain its nuclear plants how the $1.3 million in insur at TMI and Oyster Creek, NJ. Sim able liabilities affects the ultaneously, GPU merged the man industry’s "clean, safe and agement of Pennelec and Met-Ed. economical ’’ formula. The surprise announcement was made at the PUC investigation of Krypton Update Met-Ed's fitness to retain its operating license and the contin- In recent issues of "The uation of the TMI-1 reactor in Alert", we reported on the the ratebase. Commissioner John threatened release of 2 million son chastised Met-Ed a week earli cubic feet of Krypton 85 gas er for failing to apprise the PUC from TMIA 2‘s containment of the impending merger. The move building into the atmosphere. was characteristic of GPU/Met-Ed Met Ed submitted a proposal abruptness and penchant for sur to vent the gas into the prise. atmosphere under controlled Met-Ed (50% TMI owner) and Pen conditions to the NRC in mid- nelec (25% 1MI owner) serve a com December. ■ The NRC has requested bined total of over 800,000 cus additional data in response to tomers. Nearly twice Met-Ed*s the company's proposal. The current number of ratepayers will information requested is (1) be affected by the merger. The Whether Met Ed has considered management merger leaves the fin other alternatives (2) A cost ancial , structure of both GPU sub and schedule for the alternatives sidiaries unchanged. However, fu and (3) Specific design features ture merger developments may of both the venting operation arise which would combine the ‘2 and alternatives. (cont.) In late December, Met Ed PUC Input announced that small amounts of the Krpyton 85 gas are In early January Governor leaking from the containment Thornburgh appointed Susan building into the crippled Shanaman. to chair the PUC. Many reactor's non-nuclear system. of you will recall that Shanaman's When contacted by this reporter, appointment to the PUC in .Sandy Pollen, Met Ed's public November, 1979 was opposed by a relations representative, stated number of anti-nuke and consumer that as of now about enough to groups. Shortly after the fill a nail polish bottle has January appointment, the Patriot leaked out. He also added that reported that one of Shanaman’s at the present rate of leakage, goals included dev eloping "energy it would take about 2,000 years "plans of action." She mentioned for all the gas to leak out of conservation, coal use and the containment building. alternative energy sources as areas to be addressed and said When Robert Arnold announced the PUC will work closely.with this leakage, he said,"I consider federal and state government, it to be of no consequence. I. consumers and utilities to only mention it to point out develop the energy plans. the tremendous sensitivity of It's up to us to make the anti our instruments." nuke consumer heard in this By announcing this small planning process. Write to leakage, I think Met Ed is Shanaman today. Her address is: trying to pressure the NRC Susan Shanaman, Chair into a prompt, favorable and Public Utility Commission cheap decision for Met Ed-- P.O. Box 3265 venting the gas into the Harrisburg, PA 17120 .atmosphere. In late November, Joel Roth of THIA, wrote a letter to Legislation President Carter opposing this Presidential commissions venting. We ask you to do the generally have about as much same. Also contact your effect as a temperence union representatives and senators. member at a brewery picnic. The U.S. House of Repre sentatives drove that message heme once again as they voted for passage of the NRC auth orization bill without any changes in the NRC structure or without any moratorium to keep the commission from act ing until such changes were made. In the most publicized of all the moratorium measures, the Markey Amendment which would have called a halt to licensing of new plants for a six month period, went down to a heavy defeat 135-254. The Pennsyl vania delegation split was a little less overwhelming, 10-12 (with 3 non-voters). Local congressmen voted unan 3 imously for the Markey Amend ment.) nient-. The nearest legislator place on the 11th, 12th and to vote "nay" on Markey was 13th. conservative Congressman Bud The closing address will be Shuster, representing Perry given by Sam Love, writer-acti 'and parts of Cumberland coun vist, co-founder of Environ ties. mental Action and one of the Congress did pass, however, principal organizers of Earth an amendment which requires the Day. NRC to evaluate all operating Additionally, there will be nukes within 120 days to see a series of films shown during how well they conform to NRC the three days. Included are safety-related regulations. "Dr. Strangelove," "Fail-safe," Also, it requires the NRC’to and "Hiroshima, Mon Amour." identify all generic safety For more information about problems within the same period.