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1 <br />February 15, 1999 <br />UNITED STATES OF AMERICA <br />NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION <br />BEFORE THE NRC STAFF <br />In the Matter of ) <br />CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT ) Docket No. 50-400 <br />(Shearon Harris Nuclear <br />Power Plant) ) <br />DECLARATION OF DR. GORDON THOMPSON <br />I, Gordon Thompson, declare as follows: <br />A. Introduction <br />1. I am the executive director of the Institute for Resource and Security Studies (IRSS), a <br />nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation based in Massachusetts. Our office is located at 27 <br />Ellsworth Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. IRSS was founded in 1984 to conduct technical <br />and policy analysis and public education, with the objective of promoting peace and <br />international security, efficient use of natural resources, and protection of the environment. <br />2. This Declaration pertains to an application by Carolina Power and Light (CP&L) for <br />an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-63, which covers the Shearon <br />Hams nuclear power plant. The staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has <br />reviewed CP&L's application and proposes to determine that the amendment request <br />involves no significant hazards consideration. The NRC has sought public comments on <br />the proposed determination.l Through this Declaration, I offer comments on the NRC <br />staff s proposed determination. I have prepared these comments pursuant to an agreement <br />by IRSS to provide technical information and other. services to Orange County, North <br />Carolina. <br />B. My Professional Background <br />3. I received an undergraduate education in science and mechanical engineering at the <br />University of New South Wales, in Australia. Subsequently, I pursued graduate studies <br />at Oxford University and received from that institution a Doctorate of Philosophy in <br />mathematics in 1973, for analyses of plasmas undergoing thermonuclear fusion. During <br />my graduate studies I was associated with the fusion research program of the UK Atomic <br />Energy Authority. <br />4. During my professional career, I have performed technical and policy analyses on a <br />range of issues related to international security, energy supply, environmental <br />protection, and sustainable use of natural resources. Since 1977, a significant part of <br />my work has consisted of technical analyses of safety and environmental issues <br />related to nuclear facilities. These analyses have been sponsored by a variety of <br />nongovernmental organizations and local, state and national governments, <br />1 Federal Register: January 13, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 8), pages 2237-2241. <br />