News

From the Scientific American:

When he retired after 26 years as an investigator with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of the Inspector General, George Mulley thought his final report was one of his best.

Mulley had spent months looking into why a pipe carrying cooling water at the Byron nuclear plant in Illinois had rusted so badly that it burst. His report cited lapses by a parade of NRC inspectors over six years and systemic weaknesses in the way the NRC monitors corrosion.

But rather than accept Mulley's findings, the inspector general's office rewrote them. The revised report shifted much of the blame to the plant's owner, Exelon, instead of NRC procedures. And instead of designating it a public report and delivering it to Congress, as is the norm, the office put it off-limits. A reporter obtained it only after filing a Freedom of Information Act request.

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To the Editor [of the New York Times]:

Your article about the value of human life that federal agencies use in cost-benefit analyses reported that the Office of Management and Budget “recently warned agencies that it would be difficult to justify the use of numbers under $5 million” (“A Life’s Value? It May Depend on the Agency,” front page, Feb. 17).

Someone should tell the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The N.R.C. has been using the same value — $3 million — since 1995. If the agency were to increase that value to the $5 million to $9 million per life that other agencies use, it would have a major effect on nuclear plant license renewals and new reactor approvals. Plant owners would have to add safety features that the N.R.C. now considers too expensive because it lowballs the value of the lives that could be saved.

N.R.C. calculations need to be brought in line with those of other agencies.

Edwin Lyman
Senior Scientist
Union of Concerned Scientists
Washington, Feb. 17, 2011

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SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION:  NRC TRIENNIAL FIRE PROTECTION INSPECTION REPORT NO. 05000387/2011007 AND 05000388/2011007

Download ML112010427

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Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 – Issuance of Amendment Re: Approval of the PPL Susquehanna, LLC Cyber Security Plan (TAC Nos. ME4420 and ME4421)

Download ML11152A009

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THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 - FOURTH INSERVICE INSPECTION INTERVAL RELIEF REQUESTS 14R-02, 14R-03, 14R-04, 14R-05, AND 14R-06 (TAC NOS. ME4519, ME4520, ME4521, ME4522 AND ME4523)

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From National Geographic:

The world's largest nuclear energy producer, the United States, Tuesday aired its first detailed public examination of whether stronger safety standards are needed in light of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

Although the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) task force concluded that the sequence of events that caused Japan's crisis was unlikely to recur in the United States, the panel has urged a new focus on preparing for the unexpected.

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CONTACT:
Enesta Jones
jones.enesta@epa.gov
202-564-7873   
202-564-4355
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2011

 

WASHINGTON – In response to requests from stakeholders and to encourage additional public comment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period by 30 days for the cooling water intake structures proposed rule. This change will not affect EPA’s schedule for issuing a final rule by July 27, 2012.

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News from Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman
From: Emily Arsenault <Emily.Arsenault @ ag.ny.gov>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2011

New York City Press Office / 212-416-8060
Albany Press Office / 518-473-5525
nyag.pressoffice @ ag.ny.gov
Twitter: @AGSchneiderman
A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN WINS FED RULING ON INDIAN POINT, IMPACTING RELICENSING
Indian Point Cannot Ignore Severe Accident Measures & Licenses Cannot Be Renewed Before Review Of Upgrades Completed

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  Peter Crane / 6545 27th Ave. NW / Seattle, WA 98117 / kinderhook46@yahoo.com / 206-783-8485 (home), 206-819-2661 (cell)

July 18, 2011

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From the Daily Yomiuri Online:

Officials of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry have admitted they did not consider the possibility of cattle ingesting straw contaminated by radioactive substances emitted from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

"This is nothing less than a colossal blunder by our ministry. It was beyond our expectations that straw would become a source of radioactive contamination," a ministry official said.

A total of 143 beef cattle suspected of being contaminated with radioactive cesium after ingesting straw that was stored outdoors have been shipped from Fukushima Prefecture and distributed to wholesalers, retailers and consumers in various prefectures.

Livestock farmers and others in the meat industry have attacked the government for its failure to prevent the problem.

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