Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Bursey: Heorn JJL ; ^jj^A _ It ? a"\JK ^| ^MB^BGBW^?lW^^MvW:C fc& af X ^ \A/hitnL**r By LEROY WILLIAMS Brett A. Bursey, a former USC student activist who is now leading the opposition to the V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant Licensing, said he became an intervenor to educate the public about the dangers of nuclear power plants, but ended up educating state and local officials, also. But officials of South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., which is seeking a license to operate the nearly completed $1.1 billion ? plant, maintain Bursey's contentions are unfounded and that his role in the hearings before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is one to ' 'scare people.'' MnnHnv'c eresinn nf thp hPArines. was thp 9th nnp sinr#? they began June 22. Bursey said he filed a lawsuit in 1976 against 17 state agencies involved in emergency preparedness and found that only one state employee was aware of the potential impact of a "serious accident" involving a nuclear power plant. ^ Bursey's concern over the plant stems primarily from its w location 26 miles north of Columbia near Jenkinsville and about five miles from his home. "Emergency preparedness agencies were completely unaware that a serious accident could result in the im mediate deatn 01 4,000 people ana me slow aeam 01 w,oou, Bursey said. He said those numbers were derived from T-SHIRTS Custom Printing for Clubs & Fraternities Transfers and Lettering ?kj,, |> special Carolina Designs ^ j] I 2767 Rosewood Dr. i! Phone 254-9380 5 Mln. from Campus j| I Any 3 items Small ^ 9 or iF% IF111 I Any 11tem Large EB F6^ Summer Hours H H II Sun-Thurs 6:00-11:30 | I Fri-Sat 6:00-1:00 || Free Delivery 1 Expires: 7-18-81 y^\i7A I One Coupon per pizzaflrj ngs To Educate Reactor Safety study, which was done in the early 70's to determine the impact of a substantial radiation escape. SCE&G engineers dismissed the statistics as "absolutely untrue." Mark Whitaker, group manager for nuclear engineering and licensing? said the numbers were based on the study, but it was conducted m the Northeast is greater where population density is greater than in the Columbia ar?a. At one point during the hearings, Bursey presented as a witness Dr. Karl Morgan, a Georgia Tech professor and a pioneer in the study of the health effects of radiation. Morgan testified before the board that the plant, during its proposed 30-year life, would cause 1,700 genetic defects and 70 deaths. Bob Wharton, senior engineer in SCE&G's nuclorr engineering department, said the 1,700 figure was untrue, adding that the number was based on the "probability" of genetic defects that would be caused by the plant in its lifetime. "Morgan was playing a numbers game based on oia information and outdated studies," Whitaker said. "I have a problem with the injudicious use of numbers that are put forward as fact and that have absolutely no basis." Whitaker also disputed the 40,000 death figure, saying that it would not apply to the Summer plant because there are only 9,000 people living within its 10-mile radius.' He expressed strong doubt that anyone would die in a nuclear accident. Bursey said the genetic defect figure was taken from SCE&G's own records and that they didn't try to refute its presentation during the hearings. "The company (SCE&G) physician and the NRC physician agreed," he said. Whitaker said SCE&G has outlined every possible emergency that could occur at the plant, once it becomes operational. The result, the plant's Final Safety Analysis Report, which details solutions and precautions to every identified potential problem, is contained in more than 20 volumes. "I can't conceive of an accidentjhat would kill," Whitaker said. The plant has three defenses against radiation: ? il -i- 1 1 2 A. I it. ~ a six-incn mien sieei core nousing me piam s reciciui, ? reactor building "which could withstand an airplane crash, and no inhabitants within a one-mile radius of the plant. Bursey concedes that he can't block plant licensing, but is confident the board will, after hearing testimony, require CAROLINA WOMEN'S CLINIC ? r- n_~ -r -: wrrtj? rreyndnuy i usiing , Abortion Counseling and Services Pregnancy can be detected before missing period Birth Control Counseling and Pills Pap Test and other Female Problems j 2009 Hampton St., Columbia, S.C. Call Collect - 803-256-0128 THE ROLLS OF REPRODUCTION IBS sfi j, WE'VE COT THE TOP OF THE LINE COPIER WITH ALL THE EXTRAS, AT THE ECONOMICAL PRICE OF OUR EXTRAS INCLUDE: jm JL Spotless Legal ana Letter Si;.e l Copies Reductions Conation mm J Two-Sided Copies* Copies on or copy Colored Paper cardstock rwMHTmmi ? i ^knlr ? x/aiii* i i {/ i- ~ " ,_j w Laucio w i uui i-ciici i icau I^JIIbW/ATI J IkliXlAlMj Moo T?u"OUr?S30 7 oo 933 MAIN STREET Friday 8 30 6 00 7 99*3 8 0 7 Saturday 10:00 5 OO i Officials SCE&G to tighten emergency procedures. "My initial expectation was public education, but it has grown beyond that," Bursey said. "We educated the public and state and local officials. It will have to result in better Dlanninc'' "Before Three Mile Island, the nuclear industry and the federal government agreed that the probability of an accident was so remote, it didn't have to concern itself with it," Bursey said. The Summer hearings are the first since the NRC imposed a moratorium on nuclear plant licensing after the accident. Bursey added that prior to Three Mile Island, the NRC granted nuclear plant licenses through correspondence. But Whitaker sees another reason for the public hearing Qnri o fomnnpim; rnoHKlAnlr namo/1 Rrott Hnrcotr " TKic (imn uiiu u vvmpvi ui j i vuumivvu iiuiuvu ui viv uut ovjr . 1 uio ijrpt of hearing is a public forum," he said "People use them to scare people." % Bursey [""""Syfr"""'"'! coupon expir eb 7-19-81 M atlOp.m ^j)V^ super i; I Chili Dog | With Mustard and Homemade Chili i $1.19 ; Immmks^ f ] I ^T|| j j | ] ^tf*4 Coupon expires Kg m ,^yk$ 7-19-81 , ?!#* ' Chocolate ",0Bm J I Nut Sundae | I berveu witn ncn miiK cnucuidLe, wdinuib . ; w/ maple syrup topped w/ whipped I I cream and a cherry ^ 1 | ^ w ^ w ^ ^1 I '7 '? Coupon expires J 7-19-81 | at 10p.m. i | " ^ n/%M n a Ddl-D-V I Pork Sandwich i I Served with slaw and pickles on warm . bun, with coupon \j 99t