Fish Sampling Shows Widespread Problems From Nuclear Disaster
[Translate] A group of researchers from the Oregon Sea Grant released some of their findings on Pacific albacore tuna. The research group found very small levels of contamination that can be traced back to Fukushima Daiichi. The tuna were harvested off the US west coast. The project will help researchers understand the migration patterns of these tuna along with giving some ideas how contamination may be moving in the sea. Albacore are smaller fish than the large fast growing bluefin tuna that were found to be contaminated with Fukushima fallout earlier this year. The bluefin tuna caught near California in August of 2011 had about 10bq/kg of combined cesium found in their flesh. The Oregon research group was kind enough to provide us with a data snapshot to give some understanding of … Read entire article »
Filed under: US Nuclear News
US LLC Rules Allow Nuclear Power Companies To Take Profits, Dump Risk On Taxpayers
[Translate] As we have watched the Fukushima Daiichi disaster ruin lives and slowly bankrupt TEPCO, it made many in the US look at what could happen here. In the situation in Japan there was one bit of luck in the people’s corner. TEPCO as a big corporate entity had large assets and many businesses besides power generation. Even with these broad assets TEPCO is quickly running out of cash and compensation payments have just started. The remaining costs will fall to the Japanese public to pay them. In the US that bit of luck does not exist. US nuclear power plants mostly exist in a legal “get out of jail free” land of LLC (Legal Liability Corporation) ownership. While big energy conglomerates like Entergy own the bulk of the commercial nuclear power … Read entire article »
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San Onofre Nuclear Plant Accident – Updated Information
[Translate] Update: Via twitter - @SanDiegoCounty: San Onofre officials: the leaked ammonia has been contained they are now ventilating the building. There was an accident at the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California. The plant is in the NW corner of San Diego county on the ocean front. Reports state that ammonia at the plant used to purify the steam system leaked at the unit 3 turbine building. The plant is telling officials that it is on the “non-nuclear” side of the systems and that the reactor is still running. The reactor in question is a Combustion Engineering PWR. “The County of San Diego, in response to the alert, has activated and staffed the Operational Area Emergency Operations Center with county agency representatives, in order that it may be prepared should the situation … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
AP Investigative Report Finds Dangerous Problems With NRC’s Slipping Oversight
[Translate] You need to read the entire report by AP. You need to read the entire report by AP. The findings of this investigative report that has been ongoing for the last year are not just disturbing, they are frightening. The NRC has been actively lowering safety requirements and stretching safety margins as much as 78% beyond their original limits. With an ageing reactor fleet the NRC has been lowering the standards to allow these falling apart nuclear reactors to continue to operate. Instead of demanding safety compliance the NRC has worked in favor of operators and fudged the numbers on paper to allow they to then legally continue to operate in clearly unsafe states. To put all of this in an even more concerning context remember that by the NRC’s own testing … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
NRC Delays New Reactors, Old Units Struggle To Stay Viable
[Translate] The NRC had declared delays in the new reactor approval process for AP1000 and ESBWR reactor designs. They NRC wants to complete their analysis on information from Fukushima Daiichi before moving ahead with the process to possibly approve either new design. Meanwhile Nuclear power companies are forging ahead with preparing sites for the reactors they hope to build. An interesting twist in that power companies can start a project before getting approval for the reactor they intend to build. This is then frequently used to pressure the NRC because work and spending is already underway. It was a key circumstance during the initial approval process at North Anna. The Oyster Creek reactor in New Jersey, one of the oldest in the US has announced they will shut down for good in … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
NRC May Expand US Nuclear Emergency Zones To 50 miles
[Translate] The NRC is apparently considering the idea of expanding emergency zones around nuclear plants from 10-50 miles. The experiences with Fukushima and the 50 mile evacuation zone they suggested to US citizens in Japan during the worst of the nuclear crisis has caused them to reconsider the current rules in the US. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the sharing of information or promoting our work, please do so with respect to the large amount of effort and time that goes into our research and analysis. Referring to something or a quote … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Plant To Make Taxpayers Pay
[Translate] Ft. Calhoun has announced they will raise rates on customers citing part of the reason being the flood and the need to buy power to make up for the outage at Ft. Calhoun. We wrote previously that OPPD does not have the finances to cover flood repairs at Ft. Calhoun. Now OPPD wants FEMA to pay them for the $25.1 million it cost to buy power on the open market. FEMA has been primarily a program to aid home owners and small businesses with flood recovery, they would have to change FEMA rules to pay OPPD. OPPD seems determined to make the public pay for their mistakes no matter what. OPPD chose to site the plant at river level in a flood plain. OPPD has chosen to continue to run … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant To Shut Down Permanently
[Translate] Excelon, operator of Oyster Creek has announced they will permanently shut down Oyster Creek in December of 2019. They recently received a license extension to operate until 2029. Exelon did not explain the reason for the decision. During the re-licensing process opposition groups brought up that the process didn’t require any metals testing to assure the reactor vessel steel was stable enough to withstand additional years of operation. The NRC license review process states that it does not specifically look at technical limitations in relation to the 40 year time frame. “Based on the Atomic Energy Act, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issues licenses for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years and allows these licenses to be renewed for up to another 20 years. A 40-year license term was … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
US Lacks Radiation Resources
[Translate] A new study by Association of Public Health Laboratories found low numbers of states capable of doing radiation testing. “Twenty-seven percent of the respondents reported the ability to measure radionuclides in clinical specimens; 6 percent reported that another state agency or department accepted and analyzed these samples via a radioanalytical method,” the study said. “Of the Radiation Capabilities Survey respondents, 60 percent reported the ability to test environmental samples, such as air, soil, or surface water, for radiation; 48 percent reported the ability to test non-milk food samples; 47 percent reported the ability to test milk and 56 percent reported sending data for drinking water to the Environmental Protection Agency.” This issue does not just involve nuclear power accidents but also potential terrorism incidents. US officials have warned for years of potential “dirty … Read entire article »
Filed under: US Nuclear News
Genetic Defects And Birth Defects From Radiation Exposure
[Translate] The Hanford Health Information Network produced this easy to understand paper on genetic defects and birth defects based on study of Chernobyl and the Hanford nuclear site population. More in depth information can be found in the Hanford Health Information archives at Gonzanga University This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the sharing of information or promoting our work, please do so with respect to the large amount of effort and time that goes into our research and analysis. Referring to something or a quote is great, copying it all or in substantial parts … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
US Nuclear Plants Leaking Radioactive Water
[Translate] San Onofre nuclear plant was found to be leaking tritium into the groundwater. 12 nuclear plants have been found to be leaking tritium in the last year. Braidwood nuclear station in Illinois was found to have contaminated a million gallons of groundwater. At a recent NRC meeting a Georgia nuclear watchdog group said that contaminated water was leaking out of a local nuclear plant so fast it raised the level in a nearby well by 5 feet. San Onofre’s solution to the tritium contaminated water? Dump it in the Pacific ocean. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
Foreign Ownership Blocks Approval Of 2 US Nuclear Plant Projects
[Translate] The new reactors at Calvert Cliffs have been stopped and new reactors planned at a Texas project may end up stopped if some very smart Texas groups have their way. There is a clause in US law that prevents a foreign entity from operating a nuclear plant in the US. “Federal law is clear that foreign controlled corporations are not eligible to apply for a license to build and operate nuclear power plants.” The Texas project has Toshiba calling the shots and providing the majority of the ownership. Local groups voiced multiple concerns from lax concern for safety to a lack of trust in the Japanese nuclear safety model. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
NRC Meeting On GE BWR Reactors – Live Blog Transcript
[Translate] Below is the live blog transcript from the Oct. 7th NRC meeting. Comments and feedback from various members is included. www.scribblelive.com houseoffoust.com by lillymunster – 4:06 PM – Fr 07 Okt 2011 NRC meeting – live blogging - 4:05 PM Im currently trying to load the NRC meeting NRC reading through the petition and the list of names of the groups intervening There will be no time to speak at the meeting, 2 hour meeting. Some sort of feedback will be allowed via email til Oct. 14th. I missed the guys email address for feedback if anyone was able to catch it please let us know. They really should have someone easier to understand conduct the meeting. Lingham mumbles ************************************ - 4:09 PM NRC staff introducing themselves Paul Gunter, Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear, Bridenbaugh – individual, Gundersen – Fairwinds Assoc, Deb Katz, … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
NRC Violates Own Public Meeting Rules, No Public Comment Allowed, Closes Meeting Early
[Translate] Update: NIRS has issued a statement that includes their testimony before the NRC today. The NRC left meeting attendees in complete shock as they abruptly ended a public meeting without allowing any public questions or comments. The meeting was a category 3 meeting. This type of meeting intends there to be public questions and comments throughout the meeting. With 30 minutes left in the scheduled 2 hour slot the NRC abruptly closed the meeting after the operations office informed them there were 30 people waiting in the phones to possibly ask questions. No effort was made to allow those in the audience to speak. The question was not even asked if there were public questions. A category 3 NRC meeting is described as follows: This is a Category 3 Meeting: The public is … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
LiveBlogging The NRC Public Meeting Tomorrow!
[Translate] We will be liveblogging the big NRC public meeting on GE Mark 1 BWR reactors, the same design as Fukushima Daiichi. This meeting could decide the fate of all the “Fukushimas” in the US. Join us at http://scribblelive.com/Event/Japan_Earthquake5 at about 9:50 am EST tomorrow (Friday Oct 7th) to catch the live blogging of the meeting. The meeting can also be heard via phone or by live webcast via the NRC website. Rumor has it Ian Goddard might be in the audience at the meeting tomorrow! If you want to call in to the meeting to participate or listen use these numbers 1-877-553-7601 (passcode 5087356) 1-866-741-7099 (passcode 3340595) 1-866-732-2413 (passcode 8181837) This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
NRC FOIA Documents On Fukushima – We Have Them
[Translate] The NRC recently released a huge data dump of Fukushima related information. It contains emails, documents and other relevant papers covering the early days of the disaster and what was going on behind the scenes. The NRC released all the information in a very hard to use format of PDF files hidden within other files and duplicated here and there. We have pulled all of the PDF files and put them in number order by their NRC file number. They can all be found here This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
NRC Begins Releasing Thousands Of Emails On Fukushima Daiichi Response.
[Translate] The US NRC has begun releasing documents and emails related to the early weeks of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Various people have begun the epic task of reading and extracting important information out of these documents. The released documents can be found here http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/foia/japan-foia-info.html If you click into each link it will give you a list of PDF documents that contain the actual information. Various people are trying to sort and interpret what is in this huge amount of data. Joieau has a couple of good articles looking at early emails. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
Thousands Sign NRC Petition To Suspend Fukushima Style Design Nuclear Reactors
[Translate] A widespread petition has been filed with the NRC asking them to suspend the GE Mark 1 BWR reactors in the US due to having the same design as Fukushima Daiichi’s reactors. The GE Mark 1 has been plagued with critical design flaws that showed up even in the early 1970′s as these reactors were being built. As the Fukushima disaster has unfolded more and more critical systems of the design have come into question. Beyond Nuclear and a large group of co-petitioners are asking the NRC to suspend these dangerous reactors. People can still sign on as co-petitioners by going here and filling out the form. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
Ft. Calhoun Admits Failing Safety Culture, We Have Visual Proof
[Translate] In a recent interview with the Omaha World Herald, OPPD CEO Gary Gates admitted that Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Station has had a slipping safety standard. “Gates thinks there has been subtle slippage. He thinks one factor in the switch failure was a conscious falling back on the fact that the plant had redundant systems.” Plant union representative Ken Dowdy agreed. “Ken Dowdy, a union official who works as a maintenance planner at Fort Calhoun, said there are definitely management issues within the plant. “I can’t tell you leadership is wonderful but we’re in column four,” Dowdy said. “That’s where the rubber meets the road.” He declined to specify what he thinks the management issues are but said he has confidence Gates will make necessary changes.” The plant was left surrounded by river flooding, had a fire, … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
Fukushima And North Anna Show Some Similar Quake Damage
[Translate] Images of Fukushima Daiichi show some of the movement and damage around the plant. Pipe supports that shifted and concrete falling away. These damage points at North Anna were dismissed as nothing by Dominion Energy at the recent NRC meeting, citing visual inspections as sufficient. NRC inspectors brought up concerns about internal concrete cracking or cracks in the bolts inside the concrete. Many thanks to Peter for finding this issue and images. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the sharing of information or promoting our work, please do so with respect to … Read entire article »
Filed under: The Latest, US Nuclear News
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