Susquehanna: Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 - Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action

Download: ML12144A166

Markey, Boxer Release GAO Report: NRC Earthquake, Flooding Risk Assessment Not Adequate

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.”

Read article

SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL DRIVES GROWING FEAR OVER PLANT IN JAPAN

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.

Read article

Seven Injured in Nuclear Submarine Fire

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.

Read article

Peach Bottom: Request for Use of Neutron Absorbing Inserts in Spent Fuel Pool Storage Racks

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

DEP Announces X-ray Registration Fee Amnesty Program

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.

Read article

Request for Withholding Information From Public Disclosure for Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station

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

U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage

From FAS:

Regardless of the outcome of the ongoing debate about the proposed Yucca Mountain geologicwaste repository in Nevada, the storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF)—also referred to as “highlevelnuclear waste”—will continue to be needed and the issue will continue to be debated. Theneed for SNF storage, even after the first repository is opened, will continue for a few reasons.First, the Obama Administration terminated work on the only planned permanent geologicrepository at Yucca Mountain, which was intended to provide a destination for most of the storedSNF. Also, the Yucca Mountain project was not funded by Congress in FY2011 and FY2012, andnot included in the Administration’s budget request for FY2013. Second, even if the plannedrepository had been completed, the quantity of SNF and other high-level waste in storageawaiting final disposal now exceeds the legal limit for the first repository under the NuclearWaste Policy Act (NWPA). Third, the expected rate of shipment of SNF to the repository wouldrequire decades to remove existing SNF from interim storage. Accordingly, the U.S. NuclearRegulatory Commission (NRC) and reactor operators are considering extended SNF storagelasting for more than 100 years.

The debate about SNF typically involves where and how it is stored, as well as what strategiesand institutions should govern SNF storage. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and resultingdamage to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, caused some in Congress and NRC toconsider the adequacy of protective measures at U.S. reactors. The NRC Near-Term Task Forceon the disaster concluded it has “not identified any issues that undermine our confidence in thecontinued safety and emergency planning of U.S. plants.” Nonetheless, NRC has accepted anumber of staff recommendations on near-term safety enhancement, including requirementsaffecting spent fuel storage and prevention and coping with station blackout. NRC is notrequiring accelerated transfer of SNF from wet pools to dry casks, but the SNF storage data fromthe last several years indicate that accelerated transfer has already been occurring.

As of December 2011, more than 67,000 metric tons of SNF, in more than 174,000 assemblies, isstored at 77 sites (including 4 Department of Energy (DOE) facilities) in the United States locatedin 35 states (see Table 1 and Figure 5), and increases at a rate of roughly 2,000 metric tons peryear. Approximately 80% of commercial SNF is stored east of the Mississippi River. At 9commercial SNF storage sites there are no operating nuclear reactors (so-called “stranded” SNF),and at the 4 DOE sites reactor operations largely ceased in the 1980s, but DOE-owned and somecommercial SNF continues to be stored at DOE facilities. In the United States, SNF is storedlargely at nuclear reactor sites where it was generated. Of the 104 operating nuclear reactors inthe United States, all necessarily have wet storage pools for storing SNF (wet pools are requiredto allow for a safe “cooling off” period of 1 to 5 years after discharge of SNF from a reactor). Wetstorage pools are used for storage of approximately 73% (49,338 out of 67,450 metric tons ofuranium, or MTU) of the current commercial SNF inventory, whereas the remaining 27% (18,112MTU) of commercial SNF is stored in dry casks on concrete pads or in vaults. As wet storagepools become filled to capacity using “dense packing” storage methods, dry storage isincreasingly being used, although there are 27 sites with 36 wet storage pools with no dry caskstorage capabilities.

This report focuses on the current situation with spent nuclear fuel storage in the United States. Itdoes not address all of the issues associated with permanent disposal of SNF, but rather focuseson the SNF storage situation, primarily at current and former reactor facilities for the potentiallyforeseeable future.

Read article

Fukushima: Prioritization of Response Due Dates for Request for Information

Prioritization of Response Due Dates for Request for Information Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 50.54(f) Regarding Flooding Hazard Reevaluations for Recommendation 2.1 of the Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights From Fukushima

Download: ML12097A509

NRC Public Meeting Post-Fukushima Orders Re: response to extreme natural events

Opportunity to participate by phone - NRC Public Meeting Post-Fukushima Orders Re: response to extreme natural events- hardened vents, spent fuel pool instrumentation

Download: PDF of Announcement

ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR PAD REINFORCEMENT PIPING FOR RAW WATER SERVICE

BRAIDWOOD STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2; BYRON STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2; CLINTON POWER STATION, UNIT NO.1; DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3; LASALLE COUNTY STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2; LIMERICK GENERATING STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2; OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION; PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNITS 2, AND 3; QUAD CITIES NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2; AND THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 ­ REQUEST TO USE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL CODE CASE N-789, "ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR PAD REINFORCEMENT OF CLASS 2 AND 3 MODERATE ENERGY CARBON STEEL PIPING FOR RAW WATER SERVICE, SECTION XI, DIVISION 1" (TAC NOS. ME7303, ME7304, ME7305, ME7306, ME7307, ME7308, ME7309, ME7310, ME7311, ME7312, ME7313, ME7314, ME7315, ME7316, ME7317, ME7318, ME7319)

Download: ML12121A637

Fukushima Enforcement: Memorandum and Order (Scheduling Oral Argument)

Before this Licensing Board are the petitions of Pilgrim Watch, joined in separate petitions by Beyond Nuclear, seeking a hearing with regard to two orders entered by the NRC Staff in the wake of the March 11, 2011 catastrophic accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The first order is addressed to all operating boiling water reactor licensees with Mark I and Mark II containments and modifies, effective immediately, their licenses with regard to reliable hardened containment vents.1 The second is addressed to all…

Download: PDF

NRC To Discuss Emergency Response Rulemaking

NRC To Discuss Emergency Response Rulemaking May 23 in Rockville, MD.

Download: PDF of Announcement

TMI: NRC Component Design Bases Inspection Report

Three Mile lsland, Unit 1: NRC Component Design Bases Inspection Report 05000289/2012007

Download: ML12129A062

TMI: Administrative Technical Specification changes

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 - Issuance of Amendment Re: Administrative Technical Specification changes (TAC No. ME7357)

Download: ML121080437

Peach Bottom: NRC EVALUATED EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE

PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION: NRC EVALUATED EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE - INSPECTION REPORT NO. 05000277/2012503 AND 05000278/2012503

Download: PDF

Why Fukushima Is a Greater Disaster Than Chernobyl and a Warning Sign for the US

From Truthout:

With a half-life of 30, years, Cs-137 gives off penetrating radiation, as it decays. Once in the environment, it mimics potassium as it accumulates in biota and the human food chain for many decades. When it enters the human body, about 75 percent lodges in muscle tissue, with perhaps the most important muscle being the heart. Studies of chronic exposure to Cs-137 among the people living near Chernobyl show an alarming rate of heart problems, particularly among children. As more information is made available, we now know that the Fukushima Dai-Ichi site is storing 10,833 spent fuel assemblies (SNF) containing roughly 327 million curies of long-lived radioactivity About 132 million curies is cesium-137 or nearly 85 times the amount estimated to have been released at Chernobyl.

The overall problem we face is that nearly all of the spent fuel at the Dai-Ichi site is in vulnerable pools in a high risk/consequence earthquake zone. The urgency of the situation is underscored by the ongoing seismic activity around NE Japan in which 13 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 - 5.7 have occurred off the NE coast of Honshu in the last 4 days between 4/14 and 4/17. This has been the norm since the first quake and tsunami hit the site on March 11th of last year. Larger quakes are expected closer to the power plant.

Last week, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) revealed plans to remove 2,274 spent fuel assemblies from the damaged reactors that will probably take at least a decade to accomplish. The first priority will be removal of the contents in Pool No. 4. This pool is structurally damaged and contains about 10 times more cesium-137 than released at Chernobyl. Removal of SNF from the No. 4 reactor is optimistically expected to begin at the end of 2013. A significant amount of construction to remove, debris and reinforce the structurally-damaged reactor buildings, especially the fuel- handling areas, will be required.

Read article

Summary of April 10, 2012, Public Meeting with Exelon Generation Company

SUMMARY OF APRIL 10, 2012, PUBLIC MEETING WITH EXELON GENERATION COMPANY, LLC REGARDING ITS FUTURE SUBMITTAL OF TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION CHANGES OF LICENSED OPERATOR ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS (TAC NOS. ME8163, ME8164, ME8165, ME8166, ME8167, ME8168, IVIE8169, ME8170, ME8171, ME8172, ME8173, ME8174, ME8175, ME8176, ME8177, ME8178, ME8179).

Download: PDF of Summary

Susquehanna: NRC Integrated Inspection Report

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station - Susquehanna - NRC Integrated Inspection Report 05000387/2012002 and 05000388/2012002

Download: ML12123A026

TMI: NRC Integrated Inspection Report

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 - Three Mile Island - NRC Integrated Inspection Report 05000289/2012002

Download: ML12122A131

Nuclear Safety Advocates Accuse Industry And Regulators Of Foot-Dragging On Basic Safety Measure

From Huffington Post:

From her home, Mary Lampert, 70, has a clear view of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, which sits just across the Duxbury and Plymouth Bays in coastal Massachusetts. The proximity, Lampert says, lends itself to a good deal of contemplating "what ifs." Among these: what if the Pilgrim plant experienced a meltdown like the one that unfolded just over a year ago in Fukushima, Japan?

"I live just six miles from that plant across open water," says Lampert, a staunch advocate for tougher oversight of the nuclear power industry. "It always comes down to public safety versus the cost to industry of implementing something."

So it has been, Lampert argues, with one seemingly straightforward emergency feature: Requiring a filtered vent in the concrete containment buildings surrounding nuclear reactors like the one at Pilgrim.

Read article

Peach Bottom: Issuance of Amendments Re: Revise Actions for Reactor Coolant System Leakage Instrumentation

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 – Issuance of Amendments Re: Revise Actions for Reactor Coolant System Leakage Instrumentation (TAC Nos. ME6008 and ME6009)

Download: ML120940055

Crippled Fukushima Reactors Officially Closed

From Japan Realtime:

It’s official: Japan now has four fewer nuclear reactors than it did the day before.

That’s because on April 19, one year, one month and one week after Fukushima Daiichi units 1 through 4 lost power and either melted down or blew up, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. formally announced it had taken them out of service forever, never to be restarted ever again.

JRT readers may be wondering why it took so long for this to happen. After all, by the end of March 2011, most of the fuel rods of units 1, 2 and 3 had melted, while explosions had destroyed the reactor buildings at units 1, 3 and 4. The radiation around most of those units is still so high that people can’t go inside.

Tepco says its board of directors had actually bitten the bullet and decided to decommission the units last May. But they only started on the paperwork needed in December, after the government had declared the crisis stage of the Fukushima Daiichi accident to be over.

Since this wasn’t a routine power-plant decommissioning, it took about three months for the company to confirm what the right procedure under Japan’s electric utilities law was, says Tepco spokesman Yoshikazu Nagai. Tepco submitted the paperwork on March 30 of this year, and it took effect 20 days later. Bureaucracy has now caught up with reality.

Read article

Susquehanna: Issuance of Amendment Re: Temporary Change to Unit 2 Technical Specifications 3.8.7 and 3.7.1

Susquehanna: Issuance of Amendment Re: Temporary Change to Unit 2 Technical Specifications 3.8.7 and 3.7.1

Download: ML12096A158

NRC Moving, May 14 2012

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region I, located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is moving effective May 14, 2012.

Download: PDF of announcement

Susquehanna: Issuance of Amendment Re: Temporary Change to Unit 2

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES), Unit 2 - Issuance of Amendment Re: Temporary Change to Unit 2 Technical Specifications 3.8.7 and 3.7.1 to Allow Implementation of Multiple Spurious Operations Modifications on SSES Unit 1, 4160 V Busses

Download: ML12096A158

TMI operated safely in 2011, NRC says

From Press & Journal:

Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 reactor operated safely in 2011, despite unexpected wear on radioactive water-carrying tubes in its new steam generators and amid public fears of nuclear catastrophe after the meltdown of Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichireactor, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

A series of inspections uncovered no significant safety issues, said David Werkheiser, one of two resident inspectors at TMI, during an annual open house on Wednesday, April 11 at the Londonderry Twp. municipal building.

A handful of tubes in TMI’s 2-year-old steam generators were rubbing together, causing wear that surprised NRC officials.

The damaged tubes were discovered during a routine refueling and maintenance of Unit 1, an event that takes place every two years.

Damage was found on 257 of the 31,194 tubes in the generators – thinned alloy walls that could have led to a rupture and release of radioactive steam into the turbine building. Seven were removed after the damage was discovered by Exelon Nuclear, the plant’s Chicago-based operator.

Read article

DEP Fines Radiographer $33,000 for Radiation Protection Act Violations

From PA DEP:

The Department of Environmental Protection has received $33,000 from NVI LLC based in Gray, La., as a result of a consent assessment of civil penalty for violations of the Radiation Protection Act in Wyalusing, Bradford County.

NVI conducts radiographic testing at temporary job sites in Pennsylvania to determine if there are flaws in building materials and welded pipelines.

“Companies that operate radiological equipment in Pennsylvania must be accountable to the provisions of the Radiation Protection Act,” DEP South-central Regional Director Rachel Diamond said. “Its regulations protect the safety of workers, and the department is committed to their enforcement.”

NVI notified DEP on Nov. 1, 2011, that an employee had received radiation exposure above the annual occupational dose due to a radiation source being unlocked and unshielded. Although the worker presented no immediate health effects following the incident, the employee was restricted from working around radiation sources to prevent additional exposure.

DEP reviewed a 30-day report submitted by NVI that revealed the company had also failed to check survey equipment to ensure proper functioning, did not conduct a visual inspection of the survey equipment at the job site and failed to follow proper emergency procedures. DEP issued a notice of violation on Dec. 20, 2011.

The report documented corrective actions taken by NVI to address the violations and verified that NVI is now in compliance.

Read article

Allegations of pet deaths after radiation exposure are supported by top university’s re-analysis of Three Mile Island data

From ENENews:

Originally the nuclear industry and government reports in the United States concluded that the maximum gamma dose to a member of the general population there was about 1 mSv and that the Three Mile Island meltdown would not result in detectable health effects.

But Dr. Steve Wing and colleagues re-analyzed data from the TMI Public Health Fund. The result: “Increases in cancer incidence after the 1979 TMI incident were greater in areas estimated to have been more exposed to accident plumes. … These associations were stronger, in particular for all cancers and leukemia. …Findings support the allegation that people in the area who reported erythema (skin redness), hair loss, vomiting and pet deaths at the time of the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear melt down were not suffering from emotional stress, but rather were exposed to high level radiation.”

Read article

Forthcoming Meeting with Exelon Nuclear to Discuss Future Fleet Submittal

Forthcoming Meeting with Exelon Nuclear to Discuss Future Fleet Submittal

Download: ML120860290

DEP Fines Radiographer $33,000 for Radiation Protection Act Violations

From PA DEP:

The Department of Environmental Protection has received $33,000 from NVI LLC based in Gray, La., as a result of a consent assessment of civil penalty for violations of the Radiation Protection Act in Wyalusing, Bradford County.

NVI conducts radiographic testing at temporary job sites in Pennsylvania to determine if there are flaws in building materials and welded pipelines.

“Companies that operate radiological equipment in Pennsylvania must be accountable to the provisions of the Radiation Protection Act,” DEP South-central Regional Director Rachel Diamond said. “Its regulations protect the safety of workers, and the department is committed to their enforcement.”

NVI notified DEP on Nov. 1, 2011, that an employee had received radiation exposure above the annual occupational dose due to a radiation source being unlocked and unshielded. Although the worker presented no immediate health effects following the incident, the employee was restricted from working around radiation sources to prevent additional exposure.

Read article

Exelon's 'Nuclear Guy': No New Nukes

From Forbes:

Nuclear power is no longer an economically viable source of new energy in the United States, the freshly-retired CEO of Exelon, America’s largest producer of nuclear power, said in Chicago Thursday.

And it won’t become economically viable, he said, for the forseeable future.

“Let me state unequivocably that I’ve never met a nuclear plant I didn’t like,” said John Rowe, who retired 17 days ago as chairman and CEO of Exelon Corporation, which operates 22 nuclear power plants, more than any other utility in the United States.

“Having said that, let me also state unequivocably that new ones don’t make any sense right now.”

Read article

TMI: Request to use a Later Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2; Byron Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Clinton Power Station, Unit No. 1; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3; Lasalle County Station, Units 1 and 2; Limerick Generating Station, Units 1 and 2; Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station; Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units and 3 Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; and Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 - Request to use a Later Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section XI, “Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components”.

Download: ML120820266

TMI: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORT

THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION: NRC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORT NO. 05000289/2011501

Download: ML12088A153

SUSQUEHANNA: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORT

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION: NRC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORT NOS. 05000387/2011501 AND 05000388/2011501

Download: ML12088A088

Peach Bottom: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORT

PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION: NRC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORT NOS. 05000277/2011501 AND 05000278/2011501

Download: ML12088A018

EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants

From the EPA:

WASHINGTON – Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA’s proposed standard reflectsthe ongoing trend in the power sector to build cleaner plants that take advantage of American-made technologies, including new, clean-burning, efficient natural gas generation, which is already the technology of choice for new and planned power plants. At the same time, the rule creates a path forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating or units that will start construction over the next 12 months.

“Today we’re taking a common-sense step to reduce pollution in our air, protect the planet for our children, and move us into a new era of American energy,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Right now there are no limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be able to put into our skies – and the health and economic threats of a changing climate continue to grow. We’re putting in place a standard that relies on the use of clean, American made technology to tackle a challenge that we can’t leave to our kids and grandkids.”

Currently, there is no uniform national limit on the amount of carbon pollution new power plants can emit. As a direct result of the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling, EPA in 2009 determined that greenhouse gas pollution threatens Americans’ health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes in our climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health and the environment.

The proposed standard, which only applies to power plants built in the future, is flexible and would help minimize carbon pollution through the deployment of the same types of modern technologies and steps that power companies are already taking to build the next generation of power plants. EPA’s proposal is in line with these investments and will ensure that this progress toward a cleaner, safer and more modern power sector continues. The proposed standards can be met by a range of power facilities burning different fossil fuels, including natural gas technologies that are already widespread, as well as coal with technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Even without today’s action, the power plants that are currently projected to be built going forward would already comply with the standard. As a result, EPA does not project additional cost for industry to comply with this standard.

Prior to developing this standard, EPA engaged in an extensive and open public process to gather the latest information to aid in developing a carbon pollution standard for new power plants. The agency is seeking additional comment and information, including public hearings, and will take that input fully into account as it completes the rulemaking process. EPA’s comment period will be open for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

Read article

Peach Bottom: Notice of Public Meeting with Exelon on April 25, 2012

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station - Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station - Notice of Public Meeting with Exelon on April 25, 2012

Download: ML12080A033

Issuance of Order to Modify Licensees with Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events

Issuance of Order to Modify Licensees with Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events

Download: ML12054A735

Request for Information: Insights From the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident

Request for Information Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 50.54(f) Regarding Recommendations 2.1, 2.3, and 9.3, of the Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights From the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident

Download: ML12053A340

Issuance of Order to Modify Licenses with Regard to Reliable Hardened Containment Vents

Issuance of Order to Modify Licenses with Regard to Reliable Hardened Containment Vents

Download: ML12054a694

Issuance of Order to Modify Licenses With Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events

Issuance of Order to Modify Licenses With Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events

Download: ML12054A735

All Plants: Issuance of Order to Modify Licenses

Issuance of Order to Modify Licenses With Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events

Download: ML12054a735

TMI: Notice of Public Meeting with Exelon on April 11, 2012

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 – Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Notice of Public Meeting with Exelon on April 11, 2012

Download: ML12072A335

Susquehanna: Individual Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Unit 2 - Individual Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment to Facility Operating License, Proposed No Significant Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity for Hearing (TAC No. ME8152)

Download: ML12068A419

Susquehanna: Notice of Public Meeting - Annual Assessment Meeting - March 21, 2012

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2: Notice of Public Meeting - Annual Assessment Meeting - March 21, 2012

Download: ML12066A064

Summary of December 7, 2011, Meeting with Exelon

Summary of December 7, 2011, Meeting with Exelon Re: Proposed Amendment Request to Implement an Extended Power Uprate

Download: ML120270288

Susquehanna: Notice of Public Meeting - Annual Assessment Meeting - March 21, 2012

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2: Notice of Public Meeting - Annual Assessment Meeting - March 21, 2012

Download: ML12066A064

Japan decontaminates towns near tsunami-hit nuclear plant, unsure costly effort will succeed

From Washington Post:

Workers in rubber boots chip at the frozen ground, scraping until they’ve removed the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of radioactive soil from the yard of a single home. Total amount of waste gathered: roughly 60 tons.

One down, tens of thousands to go. And since wind and rain spread radiation easily, even this yard may need to be dug up again.

The work is part of a monumental task: a costly and uncertain effort by Japan to try to make radiation-contaminated communities inhabitable again. Some contractors are experimenting with chemicals; others stick with shovels and high-pressure water. One government expert says it’s mostly trial and error.

The radiation leak has slowed considerably at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, nearly one year after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami sent three of its reactors into meltdown. Work continues toward a permanent shutdown, but the Japanese government declared the plant stable in December, setting the stage for the next phase: decontaminating the area so that at least some of the 100,000 evacuated residents can return.

Experts leading the government-funded project cannot guarantee success. They say there’s no prior model for what they’re trying to do. Even if they succeed, they’re creating another problem they don’t yet know how to solve: where to dump all the radioactive soil and debris they haul away.

Read article

The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety in 2011

UCS is releasing today 1at 11am the attached report and stand-along executive summary on the NRC and nuclear plant performance in 2011. It's the second in a planned annual series of reports. Chapter 2 summarizes the 15 near-misses at U.S. nuclear plants last year. They occurred at 13 different plants because Palisades and Pilgrim each scarfed up two each. Both are Entergy plants; hmmm. Chapter 3 summarizes positive outcomes achieved by the NRC last year. Topping the list were the measures NRC took in 2010 that helped prevent flood waters from topping barriers around the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant last June. Chapter 4 summarized negative outcomes by the NRC last year. CDBI's topped that list. Here in Tennessee, they might be mistaken for Charlie Daniels Band Inspections, but the NRC calls them component design basis inspections. The NRC looks at a very very very very small group of items for insights on the owners' broader progams. But the NRC treats their CDBI findings as if they'd turned over every rock and peeked into every closet. The owners only have to fix the small number of violations identified during the NRC's very very very very small audit. The owners do not have to repair the gaping holes in their own testing and inspection regimes that prevented them from either finding or fixing the problems until NRC pointed them out. Eight of the 15 near-misses last year involved items within the scope of CDBIs. If the NRC doesn't start taking CDBI findings in proper context, they will never induce the programmatic fixes necessary to drive the number of near-misses downward. Instead, we'll have nuclear groundhog days featuring near miss after near miss. Chapter 4 also notes that the NRC is aware of 47 reactors operating despite violations of fire protection regulations and 27 reactors operating despite seismic hazards being greater than their seismic protection levels -- 8 reactors are on both lists. Safety IOUs protect no one. Chapter 5 points out what NRC needs to do -- enforce it's own regulations. They did so at Fort Calhoun. They have not done so at many other reactors. Thanks, Dave Lochbaum UCS

Download: UCS Annual Nuclear Safety Report

New SRBC Regulations

The Commission's Project Review Regulations, condified at 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 802, 806, 807, and 808, contain the standards and procedures used by the Commission for the review and approval of water resources projects, and for related enforcement and oversight activities.

Download: Final Rulemaking