the way that finally you concluded with a whimper - You did not follow the logic of all of the recomyou present to this joint committee. You reached the a moratorium was called for. You tell us that the ory Commission is in a shambles. You tell us you canat public safety is adequately protected by the existatory system. You tell us that operating procedures, personnel, and nuclear plant design are all deficient dustry, and yet you do not have the courage of your u do not have the courage of your convictions to today and tell us that you do indeed recommend a mit moratoruim. cluded, for example, that to prevent future accidents MI fundamental changes will be necessary in the Ocedures, practices, and attitudes of the NRC. You Es present organization, staff and attitudes, the NRC ll its responsibility for providing an acceptable level lear powerplants. ion has further noted that an accident like Three inevitable and, moreover, that fundamental changes • prevent future accidents as serious as TMI. You the accident was a result of poor operator training safeguard procedures and the failure of NRC and pond to clear warnings from earlier accidents. You error, the utility, the reactor vendor and NRC for ent. ouse author of the construction permit moratorium, it say I have a proprietary interest in seeing a strong from your Commission on this subject. The Interior 123 to 7 in favor of a construction permit moratorium. charged you with the responsibility over the last 6 e forward with recommendations on this subject. I ent you did not give us a clear recommendation for a ium, your report is tragically flawed and limited. It e other recommendations you make to us here. You sically to say there is something wrong with the autoer than recall it, we are going to try to repair it while g. I do not think that is a wise or logical conclusion mendations which you make to us today. I hope as we ve might be able on this matter to elicit from the indiion members their reasons for reaching your concluere were eight members that supported one or another um to tell the American people that we have to end P vidually, you would never have recommended an American people. So I am glad you recommended wha the best interest of the country. Perhaps it is not w want. To my mind, Mr. Chairman, the report is an object distinguished Americans with no axe to grind. It dese rhetoric by this group and Congress. It deserves intelli action. As I see it, the report highlights two things. First, t are operating in a horse-and-buggy age when the n arrived. They must update their management practic of our country's overall level of management expertise a Second, the Commission found that the Nuclear Re mission is a rickety regulatory structure with little emer capability. The Congress must now follow through with the recommendations to upgrade and update the NRC. we can no longer afford to have a Commission which is a group which regulates trains and trade. This requires the nuclear industry. It must be able to analyze and rea as well as regulate, and it will not work if we model it sion that is in charge or setting rates for airlines or that certain American trade practices. It appears to me you are significantly correct in ana OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. PETER H. KOSTMAY Mr. KOSTMAYER. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair I join my colleagues in the House and Senate in th the hard work that you have put in on this task. Wh or disagree, you are to be commended for the time you the citizens of this country. The report seems to be important not only because o it answers, but because of those it does not answer. M it seems contradictory to me. The Commission states not, standing alone, require the conclusion that nuclear ently too dangerous to permit its continuation and expa of power generation." On the other hand, the report ople that their safety and health are not in danger? f this report demonstrates anything, it is that Coninistration and the NRC and the industry have been at they have ignored the imminent danger associated uclear power for commercial use. Only a short time House rejected an amendment which would have licenses be contingent upon a State-developed evacis now a recommendation of the Commission, but it gly rejected by the pronuclear House. Clearly, the ent and industry have been on the wrong side of the this report will put them on the right side. r. Chairman. Thank you, Congressman. Vento of Minnesota? MENT OF HON. BRUCE F. VENTO, A REPRESENTAONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MINNESOTA ank you, Mr. Chairman. commend the members of the Three Mile Island task orts in dealing with this complex issue. of the House Interior Committee task force, I am events that occurred here. But the complexity of the red, while your report will be most useful during the the Congress and the President of our national energy a definitive study of nuclear power and its future directive of your Commission and the timeframe worked limited the scope of your review to key queswaste, liabilities for accidents in the future at existing nts were not considered. ly not the final chapter on Three Mile Island. We questions. What is the full economic impact of the the waste to be disposed of? What is the full impact and on the health of the residents? These questions tely answered at this time. In fact, it will take years n and study before we do reach final decision. ot had sufficient time to read completely your report, issues that come to mind that were inadequately e Commission. I would like to raise these issues and pond by comments during your testimony. es human errors occurred at Three Mile Island. Such I do continue to exist. It was mechanical problems ent. The design and location of the instrument panel you veryу Senator HART. Thank you, Congressman. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JERRY HUCKABY Mr. HUCKABY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I brief. I, too, would just like to say thank you for the ti you have given our Nation. I am certain that you many questions to various degrees that are not your report. I know the issue of a moratorium had many hours. And I personally feel that, in effect, torium until Congress further reacts. Just my brief review of your report: I was disap was not more emphasis on standardization as far as concerned. At the proper time, I would like to expl I want to commend you on your efforts in these Thank you. Senator HART. Thank you, Congressman. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT T. STAFF FROM THE STATE OF VERMON Senator STAFFORD. Thank you very much, Mr. It is a privilege to be here today and I look forwa in this hearing on the report issued by the Presiden the accident at Three Mile Island. As ranking mer Environment and Public Works Committee, I wou to welcome the Kemeny Commission to this hearing was given a monumental task to complete in a short I commend Chairman Kemeny and the members for the excellent work they have done in carrying I know the information they have gathered will continue our own investigation on Three Mile Islan The events at Three Mile Island on March 28 canı isolated incident. The complicated combination of tutional and mechanical failures caused the accid Island. Serious problems raised by the accident hav tions. The solutions to these problems, if they exist, v will need to be directed toward human failure, in and mechanical failure. and. r. Chairman. Thank you, Senator Stafford. Moffett, the chairman of the House Government ommittee on Environment, Energy and Natural MENT OF HON. TOBY MOFFETT, A REPRESENTANGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On behalf of the memommittee, we would like to extend our appreciation invited me to make a brief statement and attend t is good to see the House and Senate working toDomenici and I, of course, spend time doing that on ittee, and I think we ought to do much more of that. ou for this kind of coordination. to say that, in addition to thanking you, I must exany group that gets a chance to focus on one subject think all of us would be envious of that kind had the chance to speak with the chairman of the members of the Commission, I have nothing but or your work and dedication. I think that many of ou have raised are important ones and can go a long roving safety at existing nuclear powerplants. Many those that have been raised by the subcommittee leged to chair, have been raised by both Representaenator Hart in legislation that they have introduced mergency planning and siting and operator training he NRC at facilities. wever, that I would have preferred that you had put eth into your recommendations by having approved ratorium if, in fact, the recommendations are not own report on emergency planning issued in August, at existing plants be given 2 years to have proper other emergency planning procedures implemented, they be shut down. This is not really your burden. at the central question so many Americans, whether ests or in schools or in gatherings of scientists, want her we can begin to push ourselves away from the |