Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Final Decision, T. Saporito, (6/17/15)

UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

June 17, 2015

Mr. Thomas Saporito, Consulting Associate Saprodani Associates

Dear Mr. Saporito:

This letter responds to the petition you filed in 2011 to then Executive Director for Operations of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission R.W. Borchardt. You filed your petition under Section 2.206, "Requests for Action Under this Subpart," of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 2.206) on March 12, 2011, and supplemented it with additional information on April 14, 2011, April 16, 2011, and May 25, 2011. In your petition you requested that NRC "ORDER [sic] the immediate shut-down of all nuclear power reactors in the U.S. which are known to be located on or near an earthquake fault-line." You cited the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident in Japan as the rationale for and basis of the petition.

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Nuclear update: Peach Bottom, Talen Energy and TMI

Three Mile Island

Feb. 3, 2015 – The NRC issued a report on its quarterly inspection for the three month-period ending Dec. 31, 2014. No findings were identified.

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station

Feb. 4, 2015 – The NRC issued its report of its quarterly inspection of Units 2 and 3 for the three-month period ending Dec. 31, 2014. No findings were identified.

April 20, 2015 – The NRC issued a report on its request for seismic hazard reevaluations at Unit 2 and 3. “Based on its review,” the report said, “the staff concludes that the licensee conducted the hazard reevaluation using present-day methodologies and regulatory guidance, it appropriately characterized the site given the information available, and met the intent of the guidance for determining the reevaluated seismic hazard. … Further, the licensee’s reevaluated seismic hazard is acceptable to address other actions associated” with recommendations.

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Monday, June 29, 2015

Flight 93 National Museum will open to the public on September 10th, 2015

IN REMEMBRANCE...

The National Park Service announced yesterday that the Flight 93 National Museum will open to the public on September 10th, 2015, a day before the 14th anniversary of the terror attacks.  The center will be located in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County (about 75 miles from Pittsburgh).  The $26 million visitor center will include a permanent exhibit, walking trails and an overlook that will let visitors see the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 from a distance.

Go to Website

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Attorney General Healey urges Congress to step up safety at nuclear power plants

Healey calls for better security at decommissioned sites and sites like Pilgrim that store spent fuel
ARTICLE | News | June 19, 2015 05:00 AM | By CapeCodToday Staff

Keeping in stride with her predecessor, Attorney General Maura Healey has called upon Congress to increase the safety at the country's nuclear power plants, particularly those that are decommissioned and those that store spent fuel. In a letter Thursday, Healey urged Congress to pass three bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Edward Markey, according to a release from the AG's Office.

In a letter to US Senator James M. Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Ranking Member Barbara Boxer, Healey wrote, "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has long had an obligation to develop meaningful long-term solutions to the current on-site storage of nuclear waste in facilities across the country, yet it has failed to do so."

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Radioactive leak reported at Peach Bottom Plant

Saturday, June 20, 2015

"No danger" from decades of Pa. nuclear leaks? By Ray Wallace




The nuclear industry is self-reporting these repeated uncontrolled radioactive leaks to groundwater under an industry-led “voluntary initiative” program. In our view, voluntary reporting is not a reliable or acceptable substitute for a comprehensive regulatory program aimed at protecting water resources.

-- From the Executive Summary of “Leak First, Fix Later: May 2015” at this current site: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/356082/26211375/1431107955223/LeakFirstSummary_May2015.pdf?token=pCtJ4Mq0yC15OZLocnFVxfeMisc%3D

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Considerations in Licensing High Burnup Spent Fuel in Dry Storage and Transportation

This Notice document was issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

For related information, Open Docket Folder

Action
Draft regulatory issue summary; request for comment.

Summary
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking public comment on the draft regulatory issue summary (RIS) addressing considerations for licensing high burnup spent fuel in dry storage and transportation. The purpose of this RIS is to provide information on some approaches acceptable to the NRC for demonstrating compliance with regulations in applications for issuance of dry storage cask certificate of compliance (CoCs), independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) licenses, and CoCs for transportation packages involving high burnup spent fuel (HBF).

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Saturday, June 20, 2015

PA DEP News Release : DEP To Host Public Hearing Regarding Proposed Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant In Luzerne County

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/19/2015

DEP To Host Public Hearing Regarding Proposed Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant In Luzerne County


The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host a public hearing to take testimony from residents regarding an application filed by Moxie Freedom Energy, LLC of Virginia for an air quality plan approval to construct and operate a 1050-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Salem Township, Luzerne County.

The hearing will take place on Tuesday, July 7, from 6-9 PM at Berwick High School, 1100 Fowler Avenue, Berwick, PA, 18603.

“Natural gas-fired power plants are a relatively new concept in this part of the state, so it is important that residents be allowed to voice their opinions on the permitting process with projects like this one,” said Mike Bedrin, Director of DEP’s Northeast Regional Office in Wilkes-Barre.

PA DEP News Release : DEP Assesses $8.9 million Civil Penalty against Range Resources for Failure to Repair Leaking Gas Well

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/16/2015

DEP Assesses $8.9 million Civil Penalty against Range Resources for Failure to Repair Leaking Gas Well

HARRISBURG, PA -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has notified Range Resources-Appalachia, LLC, of Fort Worth, TX that it intends to assess an $8.9 million civil penalty against the company, and has directed Range Resources to prevent methane and other substances from escaping from a leaking gas well and polluting groundwater and a stream in Lycoming County.

On May 11, 2015, DEP ordered Range Resources to submit a plan to remediate the defectively cemented gas well. However, the company failed to submit a satisfactory plan that made necessary repairs to prevent further leaks and pollution.

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Act Now: Protect the most vulnerable from radiation!

Dear Mary,

ACT NOW!
Protect the most vulnerable from radiation exposure

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering rewriting its radiation exposure regulations, which currently do not protect developing children or pregnancy. These life stages are known to be uniquely vulnerable to radiation, and protecting them will protect everyone. Tell NRC to protect the most vulnerable from radiation exposure. Deadline is Monday, June 22, 2015. Read and sign the letter here.

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MARCH FOR OUR CHILDREN: 6 moments from Day 1 on the road to the Statehouse


MARCH FOR OUR CHILDREN: 6 moments from Day 1 on the road to the Statehouse

Follow the first day of the four-day "March for Our Children," organized by Massachusetts Downwinders, “a collaborative of individuals and groups across New England and beyond, sharing ideas, actions and support for the closing of Entergy's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.” The walk culminates Tuesday with a 1 p.m. rally at the Statehouse.

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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Pilgrim Report Released

June 8, 2015: Groups call on EPA and DEP to terminate Pilgrim’s water permit

On June 8, 2015, a state-wide coalition of twenty-four public health and environmental groups issued a call to state and federal regulators to terminate Entergy’s Clean Water Act permit for its outdated “once through” cooling water system.

The groups’ request is based on a new report documenting Pilgrim’s destruction of marine life and pollution of Cape Cod Bay. With the report, Cape Cod Bay Watch released thousands of pages of internal agency documents exposing the fallacy of Entergy’s “permit” that allows the pollution to continue.  All documents are available below

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More taxpayer billions for another nuclear power plant on the Susquehanna River?



PPL has submitted an application to construct and operate a new nuclear power plant at its Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant site along the Susquehanna River in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pa.

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The NRC [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] staff's preliminary environmental recommendation is that the license could be issued....

The ... conclusions are cursory, fatally flawed, and reek of regulatory negligence. There is no approved reactor design. There is no approved consumptive water use permit. There is no money.

TMI-Alert will request a formal audit by the Government Accountability Office to determine if regulatory collusion and willful manipulation of data has taken place....

PPL ... needs a federal subsidy of $4.5 billion or 80% of the projected cost of the project. This "nuclear loan" is guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury (that is - taxpayers), and the real cost, based on overruns in Florida and Texas, is actually $10 billion!

-- From testimony given before the NRC by Eric Epstein, Chairman, TMI-Alert, Harrisburg, Pa. A copy of his June 4, 2015 document is attached.

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Why build another plant if we still havent solved the issue of where the waste is going to go?
-- Eric Epstein quoted in Power plant owner moves forward with plans for reactor, by Elizabeth Skrapits, at this June 5, 2015  site of Hazelton, Pa.s Standard Speaker:
http://standardspeaker.com/news/power-plant-owner-moves-forward-with-plans-for-reactor-1.1893430

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For more information about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and submitting comments (by July 7, 2015) on the PPL application, go to this website:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NRC-2008-0603-0028

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