TMI Update: Jan 14, 2024

Did you catch "The Meltdown: Three Mile Island" on Netflix?
TMI remains a danger and TMIA is working hard to ensure the safety of our communities and the surrounding areas.
Learn more on this site and support our efforts. Join TMIA. To contact the TMIA office, call 717-233-7897.

    

"The Uranium Widows"

When evaluating nuclear energy, the industry generally ignores the human or monetary costs.  The front end of the nuclear cycle is the mining and milling of uranium.  This dirty operation spreads radioactive contamination which has resulted in entire towns being bulldozed into oblivion.  Miners have contracted a host of serious medical problems and many have died of cancer.  Read The Uranium Widows which tells the story.  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/13/the-uranium-widows

By admin at Tue, 01/23/2024 - 00:49

Last year the world built more renewables than it has in nuclear

Last year was a bumper year for renewable energy according to Canary Energy.  Altogether, the world added more than 500 GW of wind, solar, hydro, and other renewable electricity generating capacity.  And we will do it again next year and the year after.
 
 
 
By contrast, according to USEIA, the world has a TOTAL of 376 GW of nuclear generating capacity.
 
By admin at Sat, 01/20/2024 - 12:35

Peach Bottom and Three Mile Island-2 Cleanup Trusts Are Underfunded

By admin at Sat, 01/20/2024 - 07:27

NRC Proposes $9,000 Civil Penalty Against Geotechnical and Materials Engineers

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: III-24-002 January 19, 2024
Contact: Prema Chandrathil, 630-829-9663
 
NRC Proposes $9,000 Civil Penalty Against Geotechnical and Materials Engineers
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $9,000 fine to Geotechnical and Materials Engineers, Inc. for a violation of NRC requirements associated with the control of NRC-regulated material.
 
The violation involved the failure to control and maintain constant surveillance of a portable moisture density gauge containing radioactive material or to use two independent physical controls to secure the gauge. The gauge is used for measuring the moisture content and density of soil and aggregate.
 
The NRC was notified by the company that a gauge was struck and damaged by a bulldozer at a temporary job site in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on March 22, 2023. The technician then walked away from the gauge, failing to secure it from being removed from the site by an unauthorized user.
 
Following an inspection at the company’s office in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the NRC documented the proposed violations in a November inspection report.
 
Geotechnical and Materials Engineers responded to the violations, documenting actions it has taken to prevent recurrence of the violation.
 
The company has 30 days to pay the proposed penalty, contest the penalty in writing, or request alternative dispute resolution with the NRC to resolve this issue.
 
By admin at Fri, 01/19/2024 - 13:01

Regarding Zion, La Crosse, Kewaunee, TMI-2 Reactors and ISFISI ownership control

January 26, 2023
 
Russell G. Workman
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
EnergySolutions, LLC
299 S. Main Street Ste 1700
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
SUBJECT: ENERGYSOLUTIONS, LLC – REQUEST FOR THRESHOLD DETERMINATION
 
Dear Mr. Workman:
By letter dated November 23, 2022, as supplemented by letter dated January 13, 2023,
EnergySolutions, LLC (EnergySolutions) requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) make a threshold determination that a corporate transaction involving
companies upstream of the indirect majority owner of EnergySolutions would not result in a
transfer of control of Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-39 and DPR-48 for Zion Nuclear
Power Station (Zion), Units 1 and 2, respectively, and the general license for the Zion
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI), Possession Only License No. DPR-73 for
Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2 (TMI-2), Possession Only License No. DPR-45 for La
Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (La Crosse), and the general license for the La Crosse ISFSI, and
Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-43 for Kewaunee Power Station (Kewaunee), and
the general license for the Kewaunee ISFSI; Radioactive Materials License No. 39-35044-01;
and Export Licenses XW010/04 and XW018/01 that would require prior NRC approval under the
applicable NRC regulations.

The NRC staff has completed its review and concludes that the corporate transaction, as
presented in the request, will not constitute a direct or indirect transfer of control under the
applicable NRC regulations of the NRC licenses held by EnergySolutions and its wholly-owned
subsidiaries and will not result in foreign ownership, control, or domination issues. Therefore,
EnergySolutions does not require prior NRC approval for the corporate transaction. The
enclosed safety evaluation documents the NRC staff’s review and conclusion.
 

Zip of 5 documents

39-35044-01 633678 EnergySolutions, LLC (Change of Control)
By admin at Fri, 01/19/2024 - 07:26

Peach Bottom Granted Exemption from Security Requirements

By admin at Wed, 01/17/2024 - 13:30

NRC to Hold Pre-Decisional Enforcement Conference with an Indianapolis-based Healthcare Company

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: III-24-001 January 16, 2024
Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng, 630-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil, 630-829-9663
 
NRC to Hold Pre-Decisional Enforcement Conference with an Indianapolis-based Healthcare Company
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a pre-decisional enforcement conference Jan. 18 with representatives of Community Health Network, a multi-site healthcare services provider, to discuss proposed violations associated with radiological controls required during hospital operations at its facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
The meeting will take place from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Central time at the NRC’s Region III office at 2443 Warrenville Road, Suite 210, in Lisle, Illinois. It will be open to the public except for discussion on security-related information. The meeting notice has information on how the public can participate in the open portion by calling into a toll-free teleconference line or joining online.
 
The NRC identified three proposed violations of NRC requirements during a routine inspection. One involved the licensee’s failure to prepare a written directive before the administration of a medical isotope. The second involved the hospital’s apparent failure to monitor the occupational exposure from radiation sources to its workers and failure to require the use of individual monitoring devices. Details of the third proposed violation, which is security related, will not be made publicly available.
 
During the enforcement conference, hospital representatives will have the opportunity to provide their perspective or additional information regarding the issues before the agency makes its final enforcement decision. The hospital representatives also can discuss corrective actions it has taken or planned to address the issues and prevent recurrence.
 
No decisions will be made during the meeting. The NRC will review the information and make a final determination approximately 60 days after the conference. The decision will be publicly available.
 
By admin at Wed, 01/17/2024 - 13:23

NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Oral Argument on Perry License Renewal

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 24-003 January 12, 2024
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Oral Argument on Perry License Renewal
 
A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold oral argument virtually on Jan. 30 on a petition requesting a hearing on Energy Harbor Nuclear Corp.’s application to renew the operating license of Perry Nuclear Power Plant, near Perry, Ohio, for an additional 20 years.
 
The oral argument, scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, will allow the Board to ask questions about the admissibility of two proposed contentions from petitioners Ohio Nuclear- Free Network and Beyond Nuclear challenging safety and environmental aspects of the application. The Board will hear argument from representatives for the petitioners, Energy Harbor Nuclear, and the NRC staff.
 
The public will have listen-only access to the oral argument by dialing 301-576-2978 and entering the passcode 510 048 948, followed by the “#” sign.
 
The Board is composed of three administrative judges from the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel. Boards conduct adjudicatory hearings on NRC licensing and enforcement actions, and they are independent of the NRC staff. A Board’s ruling may be appealed to the Commission, the five-member body that sets NRC policy.
 
By admin at Fri, 01/12/2024 - 14:17

NRC Proposes $35,000 Civil Penalty to Radiation Solutions

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: IV-24-003 January 12, 2024
CONTACT: Victor Dricks, 817-200-1128
 
NRC Proposes $35,000 Civil Penalty to Radiation Solutions
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $35,000 civil penalty against Radiation Solutions of Sugar City, Idaho, for two violations of NRC requirements associated with its use of radioactive materials.
 
Under its NRC license, Radiation Solutions is authorized to install, repair and provide other types of services on devices that contain radioactive material.
 
One of the proposed violations involves the company’s failure to confine radioactive materials to the locations and purposes authorized in their licenses. The other violation involves deliberate misconduct by a company official who permitted Radiation Solutions to take possession of radioactive materials not authorized in its license.
 
The violations had no adverse impact on the health and safety of the public.
 
Details of the apparent violations were documented in an October 2023 inspection report. The company responded to the NRC during a pre-decisional enforcement conference in December 2023.
 
The NRC made its enforcement decision after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the apparent violations and considering any actions the company may have taken to comply with NRC regulations.
 
The company has 30 days to pay the fine, dispute it, or request involvement from a neutral third-party mediator to resolve the issue.
By admin at Fri, 01/12/2024 - 14:12

NRC, FERC Commissioners to Meet Jan. 25 in Washington, D.C. to Discuss Grid Reliability, Reactor and Cybersecurity Issues

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 24-004 January 12, 2024
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200
 
NRC, FERC Commissioners to Meet Jan. 25 in Washington, D.C. to Discuss Grid Reliability, Reactor and Cybersecurity Issues
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will meet Jan. 25 to discuss grid reliability, operating reactors, advanced reactor activities, cybersecurity and other topics. This continues a tradition of regular joint meetings between the two agencies going back nearly two decades, apart from a brief interruption during the pandemic.
 
The meeting, hosted by FERC at its headquarters, will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern time in the Commission Meeting Room, 888 First St. NE, Washington, D.C. The agenda and link to watch the meeting live are available online.
 
Staff from both agencies and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation will brief the NRC and FERC Commissioners at the meeting.
 
By admin at Fri, 01/12/2024 - 14:08

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