TMI Update: Jan 14, 2024

From Rep Markey:

Today, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) released a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) doesn’t require operating nuclear reactors to utilize the most updated method of risk analysis to assess vulnerability to earthquakes, floods or other natural disasters. The GAO report found that while the NRC has, since 1986, repeatedly endorsed and recommended the use of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA, which is a more comprehensive risk assessment method that looks at all potential causes of an accident for any particular hazard), it has not required any currently operating reactor to actually use the technique to evaluate vulnerabilities to natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods.

The threat of natural disasters to nuclear reactor safety is not theoretical. Eight nuclear reactors are in the seismically active West Coast, approximately 27 are near the New Madrid seismic zone in the mid-west, and 5 are in earthquake-prone South Carolina. Last summer, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered near Mineral, VA caused the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station to shut down after it experienced a greater seismic impact than the reactors were designed to withstand. Last summer’s flooding in Nebraska threatened the Fort Calhoun and Cooper nuclear power plants, Hurricane Irene caused the shut-down or otherwise impacted the emergency systems of at least nine nuclear reactors in August of 2011, and tornadoes caused the shutdown of several nuclear reactors in 2011.

“This report is yet another indication that while the NRC races ahead to issue or extend licenses for nuclear power plants, it has fallen behind inexcusably in addressing the safety of these very same facilities,” said Rep. Markey, top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee and senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We know what happened at Fukushima could happen here in the U.S., and we should utilize the best and latest information available to assess vulnerabilities so we can ensure the safety of our operating nuclear reactors.”

“There is simply no excuse for the NRC’s failure to require the most up to date methods to assess the threat posed by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, to our nuclear power plants,” said Senator Boxer, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “While the NRC has agreed to study the issue, action is needed now to ensure that standards are in place that best protect the health and safety of the American public.”

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From the New York Times:

What passes for normal at the Fukushima Daiichi plant today would have caused shudders among even the most sanguine of experts before an earthquake and tsunami set off the world’s second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl.

Fourteen months after the accident, a pool brimming with used fuel rods and filled with vast quantities of radioactive cesium still sits on the top floor of a heavily damaged reactor building, covered only with plastic.

The public’s fears about the pool have grown in recent months as some scientists have warned that it has the most potential for setting off a new catastrophe, now that the three nuclear reactors that suffered meltdowns are in a more stable state, and as frequent quakes continue to rattle the region.

The worries picked up new traction in recent days after the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, said it had found a slight bulge in one of the walls of the reactor building, stoking fears over the building’s safety.

To try to quell such worries, the government sent the environment and nuclear minister to the plant on Saturday, where he climbed a makeshift staircase in protective garb to look at the structure supporting the pool, which he said appeared sound. The minister, Goshi Hosono, added that although the government accepted Tepco’s assurances that reinforcement work had shored up the building, it had ordered the company to conduct further studies because of the bulge.

Some outside experts have also worked to allay fears, saying that the fuel in the pool is now so old that it cannot generate enough heat to start the kind of accident that would allow radioactive material to escape.

But many Japanese have scoffed at those assurances and point out that even if the building is able to withstand further quakes, which they question, the jury-rigged cooling system for the pool has already malfunctioned several times, including a 24-hour failure in April. Had the failures continued, they would have left the rods at risk of dangerous overheating. Government critics are especially concerned, since Tepco has said the soonest it could begin emptying the pool is late 2013, dashing hopes for earlier action.

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From Portsmouth Patch:

Seven people were injured in a fire on a nuclear submarine at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Wednesday night.

The fire occurred in a forward compartment of the USS Miami SSN 755 that is primarily used for living areas and command and control spaces. The ship's reactor was not operating at the time and was reportedly not affected. Navy officials say it's too soon to tell if the $900 million submarine will be salvageable.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. An investigation into the cause has been launched, but is expected to take a long time to complete. Officials aren't saying if human error has been ruled out or if the focus is on mechanical issues.

The fire was reported at 5:41 p.m. Wednesday, and was extinguished about 10 hours later at 3:48 a.m. on Thursday, according to the shipyard. The nuclear propulsion spaces were physically isolated early in the event from the forward compartment fire and remained safe and stable throughout the event.

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Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 - Request for Additional Information Regarding License Amendment Request for Use of Neutron Absorbing Inserts in Spent Fuel Pool Storage Racks (TAC Nos. ME7538 and ME7539)

Download: ML121250569

  Remember when Pennsylvania consumers were promised rate relief and economic prosperity as a result of electric deregulation? On August 4, 2000, Secretary of Revenue Robert A. Judge Sr. predicted future electric bills would be a costs savings’ bonanza.

  "We expect electric competition will help create more than 36,000

From Pilgrim Coalition:

Dear Supporters,

Today the NRC Commissioners voted to give Entergy its license to run Pilgrim for another 20 years. The NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko blasted his fellow Commissioners, saying this bad decision is “unprecedented” and tramples the rights of Massachusetts residents to have their concerns over safety and the environment resolved before relicensing.

Make no mistake: this fight has just begun!

Despite what the regulators in Washington, D.C. say, our state and local communities have independent powers over what happens at Pilgrim. We are organized, committed, and have the power of the grassroots. We will continue to fight the NRC and Entergy’s high paid lobbyists and lawyers with people power, backed up by our squadron of talented volunteers that includes experts, lawyers and people from all walks of life.

The NRC has backed us into a corner by denying our request for safety and environmental fixes. Its time for Plan B: decommissioning.

Call Governor Patrick and tell him: “We the people of Massachusetts do not want the Entergy-Louisiana’s dangerous reactor and its high level radioactive waste dump in our back yard. It’s time to decommission.”Here's the Governor's phone number: 617-725-4005

Spread the word, stay tuned and get in touch to find out how you can help.

Call us at 781-585-2322 or send us an email by visiting www.pilgrimcoalition.org click on contact.

Thank you for your continued support!

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From Rep. Markey:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an unprecedented move to end-run the rules allowing for full resolution of outstanding issues at America’s nuclear power plants before renewal of licenses, a vote released today by Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Greg Jaczko indicates that his was the only dissenting vote against granting the staff’s request to move forward to authorize relicensing the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Congressmen Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) decried the move by the Commission to approve the staff recommendation to bypass outstanding administrative proceedings and judicial appeals related to nuclear and environmental safety.

The current license for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station expires in June 2012, and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. has requested permission to continue operating the plant for another 20 years. Some of the pending proceedings and appeals include those referred by the NRC to its own advisory board for resolution, while others were brought forward by members of the public and the Massachusetts Attorney General.

“This vote is an unprecedented subversion of the rules governing relicensing of the nation’s nuclear reactors. It is the latest in a long series of votes that demonstrate a reckless disregard for safety and the public on the part of Commissioners Magwood, Svinicki, Ostendorff and Apostolakis," said Rep. Markey, dean of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation and senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the NRC. “The NRC shouldn’t be short circuiting the process and short-changing residents by moving forward with license approval before all the efforts to improve nuclear and environmental safety at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station have been resolved. Pilgrim’s history of safety and security issues demands full transparency and accountability in the decisions affecting its relicensing so residents can be assured that the process is fair and serves the public interest.”

Reps. Markey and Keating sent a letter to the NRC on May 4 urging the Commission not to move forward with its decision on whether to issue the twenty-year license extension for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station until final resolution on all related administrative proceedings and judicial appeals. Reps. Markey is also the author of H.R. 1242, The Nuclear Power Plant Safety Act. The legislation calls for a moratorium on nuclear power plant licenses, license extensions, and new nuclear reactor designs until an overhaul of nuclear safety to address the inadequacies exposed by the Fukushima meltdowns is completed. Rep. Markey has additionally sent two other letters related to the apparent failure of the NRC to properly consider all potential environmental impacts associated with continued operation of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.

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From Richard Watts:

I thought you might find this new book useful and a good read...Back in 2010 Vermont legislators voted to close the state's nuclear power plant, putting the state at odds with the federal government and the plant's owner--the Louisiana-based Entergy Corporation. Entergy sued in federal court and today the case is under appeal. Many think it will end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

In Public Meltdown: The Story of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant I spotlight the role of citizens and activists in forcing the vote to close the plant and look at the role of state governments in the decisions about the nation's aging nuclear power fleet.

Greenpeace's Jim Riccio said "This book should be read by all who care about their communities and the health of the planet." Vermont's former Governor, Howard Dean called it "A terrific and well-written look at what really happened in the Vermont Yankee debacle..."

See what you think. At (Amazon) http://amzn.to/w8YorsOr your local bookstore. Comments welcome...

Best wishes, Richard Watts, University of Vermont

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From PA DEP:

The Department of Environmental Protection will begin a three-month amnesty program on June 1 to help identify unregistered X-ray machines and bring operators into compliance.

“This initiative offers a limited-time opportunity for medical providers to come into regulatory compliance without suffering a penalty,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “The registration and inspection program is essential to safeguard all Pennsylvanians from unnecessary exposure to radiation while maintaining proper diagnostic quality.”

All health care providers with radiation-emitting equipment are required to register their machines with DEP. The providers are required to pay equipment-registration and inspection fees, which go toward Bureau of Radiation Protection operations.

The amnesty period will give unregistered medical facilities the opportunity to comply with current regulations. While they will be required to pay all delinquent and current fees, they will be absolved of any potential civil penalties related to registration.

The amnesty period will run from June 1 to Aug. 31. During that time, DEP’s Bureau of Radiation Protection will contact medical, dental, podiatric, chiropractic and veterinary associations to let them know about the amnesty program and reinforce details of the agency’s regulations.

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Request for Withholding Information From Public Disclosure for Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Unit Nos. 2 and 3 (TAC No. ME7538 and ME7539)

Download: ML121220271