Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No. I-16-025 July 29, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
NRC Proposes $7,000 Fine Against New Jersey Company for Violations at San Francisco Shipyard
The
Nuclear Regulatory Commission has cited Tetra Tech EC, Inc., for an
apparent violation of NRC requirements that occurred at the U.S. Navy’s
Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard site in California.
The agency has proposed a $7,000 fine.
Hunter’s
Point is being remediated under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, with Environmental
Protection Agency oversight. Tetra Tech was contracted by the Department
of the Navy to assist with the regulatory free-release and closure of
the radiologically-impacted buildings and sites at the shipyard, under
the Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure mandate. The NRC has
jurisdiction over the northeast portion of the shipyard. NRC oversight
involves ensuring that contractors with NRC service provider licenses,
such as Tetra Tech, are conducting remediation activities safely. NRC is
not overseeing the decommissioning of the site.
The Navy
identified discrepancies in the soil sample survey data and Tetra Tech
conducted an investigation to identify the inaccurate records. After the
company reported the discrepancies to the NRC, an NRC investigation was
conducted, which determined that two Tetra Tech workers, who worked
within NRC jurisdiction, deliberately falsified soil samples on a number
of occasions in late 2011 through the summer of 2012. When tasked with
obtaining soil samples to ascertain the amount of residual radioactivity
in certain locations within Parcel C, the workers instead obtained soil
samples from other areas that were suspected to be less contaminated
and then created documents indicating the work had been done as
expected. The company has since taken actions to prevent recurrence.
Tetra
Tech has been issued a notice of violation for failing to make surveys
within Parcel C that were reasonable to evaluate concentrations of
residual radioactivity in the soil.
“Although the NRC
investigation did not find information to suggest buildings, land or
materials were inappropriately released for unrestricted use, the
failure to perform reasonable surveys is a significant concern because
that potential did exist,” said Region I Administrator Dan Dorman.
Tetra
Tech is not required to respond to the notice of violation because the
company has already provided information on the reason for the violation
and the actions taken to prevent recurrence. The company has 30 days to
pay the proposed civil penalty or to request in writing that all or
part of it be withdrawn.
Download PDF
Saturday, July 30, 2016
NRC Proposes $7,000 Fine for Georgia Firm for Violations Involving Radiography Work
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No. I-16-024 July 28, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
NRC Proposes $7,000 Fine for Georgia Firm for Violations Involving Radiography Work
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing a $7,000 civil penalty for a Georgia-based company for failing to comply with agency requirements while performing industrial radiography work at a job site in Virginia.
On Oct. 20, 2015, a radiographer for Applied Technical Services (ATS) Inc., of Marietta, Ga., was using radiography equipment to check on a pipe weld at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Langley Research Center when the NRC conducted an unannounced safety inspection and identified several concerns. Issues found during that inspection also triggered an investigation by the NRC’s Office of Investigation.
Based on the results of both the inspection and investigation, the NRC has identified three violations of NRC regulations: 1) a failure to post conspicuous radiation or high radiation signs to establish a clear boundary in an area where industrial radiography was being performed; 2) a failure to conduct a radiological survey of the camera guide tube after taking a pipe weld image; and 3) a failure to comply with a condition of the company’s nuclear materials license from the State of Georgia that requires continuous direct visual surveillance of the radiography work to guard against unauthorized entries into the radiation area.
ATS is a consulting engineering firm that holds nuclear materials licenses from both the NRC and Georgia. Georgia, as an NRC Agreement State, issued the company a license allowing it to perform radiography work within its borders and in other Agreement States. When the firm is working at federal facilities, such as the NASA site, it falls under the jurisdiction of the NRC.
The NRC is also issuing a Severity Level III Notice of Violation to the radiographer for deliberately failing to post warnings in the area where the industrial radiography was being performed.
“Contrary to NRC regulations, radiography work was being performed in this case without the proper precautions in places. These steps are required for the protection of both the public and those performing the activities,” NRC Region I Administrator Dan Dorman said. “While no one was harmed by this breach of requirements, the lack of adherence to these important requirements is unacceptable.”
Download PDF
No. I-16-024 July 28, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
NRC Proposes $7,000 Fine for Georgia Firm for Violations Involving Radiography Work
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing a $7,000 civil penalty for a Georgia-based company for failing to comply with agency requirements while performing industrial radiography work at a job site in Virginia.
On Oct. 20, 2015, a radiographer for Applied Technical Services (ATS) Inc., of Marietta, Ga., was using radiography equipment to check on a pipe weld at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Langley Research Center when the NRC conducted an unannounced safety inspection and identified several concerns. Issues found during that inspection also triggered an investigation by the NRC’s Office of Investigation.
Based on the results of both the inspection and investigation, the NRC has identified three violations of NRC regulations: 1) a failure to post conspicuous radiation or high radiation signs to establish a clear boundary in an area where industrial radiography was being performed; 2) a failure to conduct a radiological survey of the camera guide tube after taking a pipe weld image; and 3) a failure to comply with a condition of the company’s nuclear materials license from the State of Georgia that requires continuous direct visual surveillance of the radiography work to guard against unauthorized entries into the radiation area.
ATS is a consulting engineering firm that holds nuclear materials licenses from both the NRC and Georgia. Georgia, as an NRC Agreement State, issued the company a license allowing it to perform radiography work within its borders and in other Agreement States. When the firm is working at federal facilities, such as the NASA site, it falls under the jurisdiction of the NRC.
The NRC is also issuing a Severity Level III Notice of Violation to the radiographer for deliberately failing to post warnings in the area where the industrial radiography was being performed.
“Contrary to NRC regulations, radiography work was being performed in this case without the proper precautions in places. These steps are required for the protection of both the public and those performing the activities,” NRC Region I Administrator Dan Dorman said. “While no one was harmed by this breach of requirements, the lack of adherence to these important requirements is unacceptable.”
Download PDF
Missing Portable Nuclear Gauge Recovered in Connecticut
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No. I-16-023 July 27, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
Missing Portable Nuclear Gauge Recovered in Connecticut
A Connecticut company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that a portable nuclear gauge reported stolen early Tuesday has been recovered. The gauge, which was located by police
Tuesday afternoon at a pawn shop in Bridgeport, Conn., was not damaged.
An inspector from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection traveled to the shop Tuesday to inspect the gauge. Once the inspector confirmed the device was undamaged, it was returned to its owner.
The NRC is following up on the event. This includes an NRC inspection being conducted today at the offices of HAKS Material Testing Group in Bridgeport.
On Tuesday morning, HAKS Material Testing Group reported to the NRC that the gauge was stolen from a technician’s vehicle while it was parked in Bridgeport. The vehicle’s trunk was broken into, chains securing the gauge in place were cut and it was removed.
The gauge is used for such industrial purposes as measuring the density of soil at construction sites. It contains small amounts of radioactive material that is shielded within the device when it is not in use.
Download PDF
No. I-16-023 July 27, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
Missing Portable Nuclear Gauge Recovered in Connecticut
A Connecticut company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that a portable nuclear gauge reported stolen early Tuesday has been recovered. The gauge, which was located by police
Tuesday afternoon at a pawn shop in Bridgeport, Conn., was not damaged.
An inspector from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection traveled to the shop Tuesday to inspect the gauge. Once the inspector confirmed the device was undamaged, it was returned to its owner.
The NRC is following up on the event. This includes an NRC inspection being conducted today at the offices of HAKS Material Testing Group in Bridgeport.
On Tuesday morning, HAKS Material Testing Group reported to the NRC that the gauge was stolen from a technician’s vehicle while it was parked in Bridgeport. The vehicle’s trunk was broken into, chains securing the gauge in place were cut and it was removed.
The gauge is used for such industrial purposes as measuring the density of soil at construction sites. It contains small amounts of radioactive material that is shielded within the device when it is not in use.
Download PDF
Nuclear Gauge Reported Stolen in Connecticut; Recovery is Sought
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No. I-16-022 July 26, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
Nuclear Gauge Reported Stolen in Connecticut; Recovery is Sought
A Connecticut company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that a portable moisture-density gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material has been stolen.
HAKS Material Testing Group, of Bridgeport, Conn., reported that the device was stolen early on Tuesday, July 26, from a technician’s vehicle while it was parked in Bridgeport. The vehicle’s trunk was broken into, chains securing the gauge in place were cut and it was removed.
The device contains small amounts of cesium-137 and americium-241. The gauge is used to make measurements by projecting the radiation from the two radioactive sources into the ground and then displaying the reflected radiation on a dial on its top.
The gauge, which is stored in a robust transportation case, consists of a shielding container with a plunger-type handle protruding from the top. The handle is used to extend and then retract the radioactive sources from the shielded position. When not in use, the handle is normally locked, with the sources in the retracted, safely shielded position. The rectangular base of the gauge is yellow.
As long as the sources are in the shielded position, the gauge would present no hazard to the public. However, any attempt to tamper with the radioactive sources in the device could subject the person to radiation exposure. Handling of the unshielded sources outside their container would carry a risk of potentially dangerous radiation exposure.
Anyone seeing the gauge should leave it alone and report its location to the NRC’s Operations Center at (301) 816-5100. The center is staffed 24 hours a day and accepts collect calls. An NRC inspector will be sent to the company’s offices to gather more information on the loss of the gauge.
Law-enforcement authorities are investigating the theft. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been notified about the loss of the gauge.
Download PDF
No. I-16-022 July 26, 2016
Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
Nuclear Gauge Reported Stolen in Connecticut; Recovery is Sought
A Connecticut company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that a portable moisture-density gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material has been stolen.
HAKS Material Testing Group, of Bridgeport, Conn., reported that the device was stolen early on Tuesday, July 26, from a technician’s vehicle while it was parked in Bridgeport. The vehicle’s trunk was broken into, chains securing the gauge in place were cut and it was removed.
The device contains small amounts of cesium-137 and americium-241. The gauge is used to make measurements by projecting the radiation from the two radioactive sources into the ground and then displaying the reflected radiation on a dial on its top.
The gauge, which is stored in a robust transportation case, consists of a shielding container with a plunger-type handle protruding from the top. The handle is used to extend and then retract the radioactive sources from the shielded position. When not in use, the handle is normally locked, with the sources in the retracted, safely shielded position. The rectangular base of the gauge is yellow.
As long as the sources are in the shielded position, the gauge would present no hazard to the public. However, any attempt to tamper with the radioactive sources in the device could subject the person to radiation exposure. Handling of the unshielded sources outside their container would carry a risk of potentially dangerous radiation exposure.
Anyone seeing the gauge should leave it alone and report its location to the NRC’s Operations Center at (301) 816-5100. The center is staffed 24 hours a day and accepts collect calls. An NRC inspector will be sent to the company’s offices to gather more information on the loss of the gauge.
Law-enforcement authorities are investigating the theft. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been notified about the loss of the gauge.
Download PDF
PA DEP News Release : New GIS Application and Tutorial to Help Users Find Information
New GIS Application and Tutorial to Help Users Find Information
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today released an updated version of a GIS application that allows users to learn information and download reports about oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. DEP also released a new video tutorial that explains how to use the PA Oil and Gas Well Mapping application and what information is available to retrieve. The video is available on DEP’s YouTube Channel.
“This updated Oil and Gas Well Mapping application puts information about both conventional and unconventional oil and gas wells at your fingertips,” DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. “Making such data available and easy to use promotes transparency and allows the public to generate the information they want on demand.”
Read Article
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today released an updated version of a GIS application that allows users to learn information and download reports about oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. DEP also released a new video tutorial that explains how to use the PA Oil and Gas Well Mapping application and what information is available to retrieve. The video is available on DEP’s YouTube Channel.
“This updated Oil and Gas Well Mapping application puts information about both conventional and unconventional oil and gas wells at your fingertips,” DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. “Making such data available and easy to use promotes transparency and allows the public to generate the information they want on demand.”
Read Article
Friday, July 29, 2016
NRC Issues $7,000 Civil Penalty to Acuren USA
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
*Press Release Issued Friday*
No: IV-16-016 July 8, 2016
CONTACT: Victor Dricks, 817-200-1128
NRC Issues $7,000 Civil Penalty to Acuren USA
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a $7,000 civil penalty to Acuren USA for violations of NRC regulations related to its industrial radiographic operations at a facility in Kenai, Alaska. The company is licensed to use radioactive materials in devices for making images of pipe welds.
Inspectors walking around the outside of the facility during an unannounced inspection on April 10, 2014, observed high readings on their radiation survey meters in an area without boundaries or physical controls to prevent entry by the public during radiography operations.
An initial dose estimate performed by the inspectors indicated that had a member of the public been standing next to the building during the time the radiography operations were conducted on that day, they could have been exposed to radiation in excess of NRC annual limits (100 millirem). In addition, the inspectors were concerned that over the course of a year, members of the public employed in a nearby office had the potential to receive a dose in excess of NRC annual limits. The NRC determined that no members of the public had received radiation exposures as a result of the company’s failure to establish required controls. The company has taken numerous corrective actions designed to ensure safe operations at the Kenai facility.
NRC staff met with company officials May 12 to discuss results of the NRC inspection before determining that seven violations of NRC regulations had occurred, including two that were willful. The violations were identified in an NRC inspection report issued March 24.
Download PDF
*Press Release Issued Friday*
No: IV-16-016 July 8, 2016
CONTACT: Victor Dricks, 817-200-1128
NRC Issues $7,000 Civil Penalty to Acuren USA
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a $7,000 civil penalty to Acuren USA for violations of NRC regulations related to its industrial radiographic operations at a facility in Kenai, Alaska. The company is licensed to use radioactive materials in devices for making images of pipe welds.
Inspectors walking around the outside of the facility during an unannounced inspection on April 10, 2014, observed high readings on their radiation survey meters in an area without boundaries or physical controls to prevent entry by the public during radiography operations.
An initial dose estimate performed by the inspectors indicated that had a member of the public been standing next to the building during the time the radiography operations were conducted on that day, they could have been exposed to radiation in excess of NRC annual limits (100 millirem). In addition, the inspectors were concerned that over the course of a year, members of the public employed in a nearby office had the potential to receive a dose in excess of NRC annual limits. The NRC determined that no members of the public had received radiation exposures as a result of the company’s failure to establish required controls. The company has taken numerous corrective actions designed to ensure safe operations at the Kenai facility.
NRC staff met with company officials May 12 to discuss results of the NRC inspection before determining that seven violations of NRC regulations had occurred, including two that were willful. The violations were identified in an NRC inspection report issued March 24.
Download PDF
Green Infrastructure Projects Help Pennsylvania’s Urban Communities Address Environmental Challenges
Lancaster, PA – Members of the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) to
the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), along with
legislators, local, state and federal environmental officials, today
toured eight innovative projects in Lancaster to learn how the city has
addressed environmental challenges such as stormwater management through
the use of green infrastructure.
Green infrastructure uses natural materials such as soil and plants to help increase the amount of water that’s absorbed when it rains. It is particularly beneficial in cities or towns that often have more impervious surfaces and fewer natural areas.
“Managing stormwater is one of the biggest environmental challenges our cities and towns face today,” DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. “Finding new and innovative ways to reduce water runoff will improve our local water quality as well as help us meet our goals for reducing pollution to the Chesapeake Bay.”
Read Article
Green infrastructure uses natural materials such as soil and plants to help increase the amount of water that’s absorbed when it rains. It is particularly beneficial in cities or towns that often have more impervious surfaces and fewer natural areas.
“Managing stormwater is one of the biggest environmental challenges our cities and towns face today,” DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. “Finding new and innovative ways to reduce water runoff will improve our local water quality as well as help us meet our goals for reducing pollution to the Chesapeake Bay.”
Read Article
Strange trip at Susquehanna nuclear power plant
Attached are pages from the Susquehanna Unit 2 technical
specifications, two of the single-line electrical drawings, and Chapter
13 of the FSAR. I could not find drawing E-9 Sheet 71 which has the
breakers within Motor Control Center 2B246. But drawing E-9 Sheet 20 is
attached which shows the breakers for MCC 1B246. Assuming that Unit 1
is configured similar to Unit 2 in this regard, the components in that
MCC should be identical or close. The event notification stated that
the fault on MCC 2B246 disabled a drywell unit cooler, causing drywell
pressure to increase. MCC 1B246 powers drywell unit coolers on Unit 1.
The attached pages address some of the questions posed:
1) Shift Technical Advisors are required to be on-shift to provide advise to the operators. I worked several years as an STA at Browns Ferry and the STAs at Grand Gulf reported to me when I was the Reactor Engineering Supervisor. The STAs worked 24/7, but they did not have to be in the control room at all times. Basically, STAs have to be summonable by the operators. That's typically defined as being available within 10 minutes of being called. The STAs don't have to be in the control room. But the STAs are not supposed to become "hands on." They are supposed to remain detached so as to be free to look around, gather dots, and connect them. If the STA was out in the plant trying to restore power or take steps to cope with the loss of power, the STA erred by straying from assigned responsibilities.
2) The tech specs say that the drywell pressure causes an automatic trip when pressure rises to 1.88 psig or less. The event report says that operators manually tripped the reactor as pressure neared 1.3 psig on the rise. I suspect that this is not the signal that any one bypassed because it's wicked hard to bypass this one.
3) The event report states that operators turned HPCI off after it had automatically initiated. The TMI operators turned off an automatically stated makeup system, which contributed much to that meltdown. NRC may be irked with the haste at which HPCI was turned off, but turning if off would be standard BWR procedure for such a situation.
4) Bad deed to avoid increased NRC oversight doesn't make sense. The unplanned scrams performance indicator shows some margin for another scram or two:
The attached pages address some of the questions posed:
1) Shift Technical Advisors are required to be on-shift to provide advise to the operators. I worked several years as an STA at Browns Ferry and the STAs at Grand Gulf reported to me when I was the Reactor Engineering Supervisor. The STAs worked 24/7, but they did not have to be in the control room at all times. Basically, STAs have to be summonable by the operators. That's typically defined as being available within 10 minutes of being called. The STAs don't have to be in the control room. But the STAs are not supposed to become "hands on." They are supposed to remain detached so as to be free to look around, gather dots, and connect them. If the STA was out in the plant trying to restore power or take steps to cope with the loss of power, the STA erred by straying from assigned responsibilities.
2) The tech specs say that the drywell pressure causes an automatic trip when pressure rises to 1.88 psig or less. The event report says that operators manually tripped the reactor as pressure neared 1.3 psig on the rise. I suspect that this is not the signal that any one bypassed because it's wicked hard to bypass this one.
3) The event report states that operators turned HPCI off after it had automatically initiated. The TMI operators turned off an automatically stated makeup system, which contributed much to that meltdown. NRC may be irked with the haste at which HPCI was turned off, but turning if off would be standard BWR procedure for such a situation.
4) Bad deed to avoid increased NRC oversight doesn't make sense. The unplanned scrams performance indicator shows some margin for another scram or two:
The NRC recently sent a
Chilled Work Environment letter to TVA due to about half the operators
feeling that management would retaliate against them for raising
safety concerns. Seems that in November 2015, TVA sanctioned several
operators. TVA contends that the sanctions were for misdeeds occurring
about five weeks earlier. The operators contend the sanctions were in
response to concerns the operators raised a day or two before the
sanctions were levied. Since the NRC issued its CWE letter in March
2016 after asking around, it seems that NRC believed the operators'
story instead of managements.
I relay this history
because it may apply to the morale of the work force at Susquehanna. If
the work force believes that the 10 terminations were for the wrong
reason, it won't matter if they were for the right reason.
Besides 10 seems like
way too many managers to mess up a single event. With 10 people you can
play 5 on 5 basketball. It typically only takes 1 to 3 managers to
mess up an event. They may have been wanting to trim 10 positions and
found 7-9 draftees to complement the 1-3 volunteers.
Thanks,
Dave Lochbaum
Dave Lochbaum
UCS
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Monday, July 4, 2016
NIRS TELEBRIEFING July 13: Drinking Radioactive Water--EPA proposes massive radioactive contamination levels
July 1, 2016
Dear Friends,
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly proposed to raise the allowable levels of radioactivity in drinking water a nuclear incident to hundreds of times their current limits. If this guidance goes through, EPA's action will allow people to drink water with concentrations of radioactivity at vastly higher levels.
Look no further than the current water crisis in Flint, Michigan to understand concern that the EPA will not act to protect public health in an emergency. In this case, the EPA is attempting to ensure that it would not have to act decisively to protect public health!
But there is still time to act.
Call in to the July 13 telebriefing to find out more.
You are invited to join us on WEDNESDAY JULY 13 for a national telebriefing: Dangerous Drinking Water, with presentations by leading experts and activists:
Diane D’Arrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Daniel Hirsch, Director, Program on Environmental and Nuclear Policy, University of California Santa Cruz
Emily Wurth, Water Program Director, Food and Water Watch
Moderated by NIRS Executive Director, Tim Judson
The open and free event will be on the phone, starting at 8 pm eastern, 7 pm central, 6 pm mountain and 5 pm pacific. We will reserve the second half of the program for questions and discussion.
Register to attend the July 13 telebriefing.
The program will focus on EPA Guidance that massively increases the permitted levels of radioactivity in drinking water for years after any nuclear incident that requires consideration of “protective action,” ranging from a spill, leak or transport accident to a dirty bomb or nuclear meltdown—a nuclear accident of any kind, big or small. Allowable concentrations of radioactive elements allowed to come out of your tap would rise hundreds or even thousands of times above the current Maximum Concentration Levels allowed under the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Click here to review EPA’s proposal.
Nuclear Energy is Dirty in many dimensions, but first, and foremost because of its dangerous ionizing radiation. The EPA guidance, allowing us to drink highly radioactive water is a clever effort to bypass existing limits, which the law prevents from being weakened. It is yet another way to shift liability and cleanup costs to the public from industry and government in case of a “nuclear event.” For instance, for most radionuclides the Safe Drinking Water levels are based on no more than 4 millirems a year exposure from drinking water; the proposed water PAGs would allow 500 millirems a year with no notice, and no action to limit exposure to adults. This difference protects the government and industry from any liability from massively increased health consequences.
Although EPA for the first time ever admits that those under 15 years of age are at greater risk than adults the draft PAG only pays lip-service to considering a lower level which is still enormously higher than current water limits. This is in addition to rest of EPA PAGs, which allow even more exposure from air and food.
Call in to learn more about this federal guidance and how to help stop it.
Thanks for all you do,
Mary Olson, Southeast Office Director
Stay Informed:
NIRS on the web: http://www.nirs.org
GreenWorld: (NIRS' blog chronicling nuclear issues and the transition to a nuclear-free, carbon-free energy system) http://www.safeenergy.org
NIRS on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nuclear-Information-and-Resource-Service/26490791479?sk=wall&filter=12
http://www.facebook.com/nonukesnirs
http://www.facebook.com/groups/nukefreeclimatefreemarch/
NIRS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nirsnet
NIRS on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nirsnet
Dear Friends,
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly proposed to raise the allowable levels of radioactivity in drinking water a nuclear incident to hundreds of times their current limits. If this guidance goes through, EPA's action will allow people to drink water with concentrations of radioactivity at vastly higher levels.
Look no further than the current water crisis in Flint, Michigan to understand concern that the EPA will not act to protect public health in an emergency. In this case, the EPA is attempting to ensure that it would not have to act decisively to protect public health!
But there is still time to act.
Call in to the July 13 telebriefing to find out more.
You are invited to join us on WEDNESDAY JULY 13 for a national telebriefing: Dangerous Drinking Water, with presentations by leading experts and activists:
Diane D’Arrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Daniel Hirsch, Director, Program on Environmental and Nuclear Policy, University of California Santa Cruz
Emily Wurth, Water Program Director, Food and Water Watch
Moderated by NIRS Executive Director, Tim Judson
The open and free event will be on the phone, starting at 8 pm eastern, 7 pm central, 6 pm mountain and 5 pm pacific. We will reserve the second half of the program for questions and discussion.
Register to attend the July 13 telebriefing.
The program will focus on EPA Guidance that massively increases the permitted levels of radioactivity in drinking water for years after any nuclear incident that requires consideration of “protective action,” ranging from a spill, leak or transport accident to a dirty bomb or nuclear meltdown—a nuclear accident of any kind, big or small. Allowable concentrations of radioactive elements allowed to come out of your tap would rise hundreds or even thousands of times above the current Maximum Concentration Levels allowed under the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Click here to review EPA’s proposal.
Nuclear Energy is Dirty in many dimensions, but first, and foremost because of its dangerous ionizing radiation. The EPA guidance, allowing us to drink highly radioactive water is a clever effort to bypass existing limits, which the law prevents from being weakened. It is yet another way to shift liability and cleanup costs to the public from industry and government in case of a “nuclear event.” For instance, for most radionuclides the Safe Drinking Water levels are based on no more than 4 millirems a year exposure from drinking water; the proposed water PAGs would allow 500 millirems a year with no notice, and no action to limit exposure to adults. This difference protects the government and industry from any liability from massively increased health consequences.
Although EPA for the first time ever admits that those under 15 years of age are at greater risk than adults the draft PAG only pays lip-service to considering a lower level which is still enormously higher than current water limits. This is in addition to rest of EPA PAGs, which allow even more exposure from air and food.
Call in to learn more about this federal guidance and how to help stop it.
Thanks for all you do,
Mary Olson, Southeast Office Director
Stay Informed:
NIRS on the web: http://www.nirs.org
GreenWorld: (NIRS' blog chronicling nuclear issues and the transition to a nuclear-free, carbon-free energy system) http://www.safeenergy.org
NIRS on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nuclear-Information-and-Resource-Service/26490791479?sk=wall&filter=12
http://www.facebook.com/nonukesnirs
http://www.facebook.com/groups/nukefreeclimatefreemarch/
NIRS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nirsnet
NIRS on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nirsnet
NRC Publishes Annual Report to Congress on Nuclear Security Inspections
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No: 16-038 June 30, 2016
Contact: Maureen Conley, 301-415-8200
NRC Publishes Annual Report to Congress on Nuclear Security Inspections
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made available to the public an unclassified version of its annual report to Congress detailing the previous year’s security inspection program. The report is required under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The report covers the NRC’s security inspection program, including force-on-force exercises, for commercial nuclear power reactors and Category I fuel cycle facilities for calendar year 2015.
“The report provides information regarding the overall security and safeguards performance of the commercial nuclear power industry and Category I fuel cycle facilities to keep Congress informed of the NRC’s efforts to oversee the protection of the nation’s civilian nuclear power infrastructure and strategic special nuclear material against terrorist attacks,” NRC Chairman Stephen G. Burns said.
In 2015, the NRC conducted 242 security inspections at commercial nuclear power plants and Category I fuel cycle facilities. Those included 22 force-on-force inspections, involving simulated attacks on the facilities to test the effectiveness of a licensee’s security. The NRC’s security program and publicly available results of the inspections are discussed in the report.
Whenever NRC inspectors identify a security finding during an inspection, they ensure the licensee implements appropriate compensatory measures to correct the situation. Details of security findings are considered sensitive and not released to the public.
Download PDF
No: 16-038 June 30, 2016
Contact: Maureen Conley, 301-415-8200
NRC Publishes Annual Report to Congress on Nuclear Security Inspections
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made available to the public an unclassified version of its annual report to Congress detailing the previous year’s security inspection program. The report is required under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The report covers the NRC’s security inspection program, including force-on-force exercises, for commercial nuclear power reactors and Category I fuel cycle facilities for calendar year 2015.
“The report provides information regarding the overall security and safeguards performance of the commercial nuclear power industry and Category I fuel cycle facilities to keep Congress informed of the NRC’s efforts to oversee the protection of the nation’s civilian nuclear power infrastructure and strategic special nuclear material against terrorist attacks,” NRC Chairman Stephen G. Burns said.
In 2015, the NRC conducted 242 security inspections at commercial nuclear power plants and Category I fuel cycle facilities. Those included 22 force-on-force inspections, involving simulated attacks on the facilities to test the effectiveness of a licensee’s security. The NRC’s security program and publicly available results of the inspections are discussed in the report.
Whenever NRC inspectors identify a security finding during an inspection, they ensure the licensee implements appropriate compensatory measures to correct the situation. Details of security findings are considered sensitive and not released to the public.
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NRC Amends Licensing, Inspection and Annual Fees for Fiscal Year 2016
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release
No: 16-037 June 27, 2016
Contact: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200
NRC Amends Licensing, Inspection and Annual Fees for Fiscal Year 2016
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has amended its regulations to reflect the licensing, inspection, special project, and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The amended regulations reduce annual fees for most licensees primarily due to a decrease in the NRC’s budget.
The final fee rule, published June 24 in the Federal Register, includes fees required by law to recover approximately 90 percent of the agency’s budget. A proposed rule was published for public comment on March 23, 2016.
For FY 2016, the NRC’s required fee recovery amount, after billing and collection adjustments, is $882.9 million. Approximately 38 percent, or $332.7 million, of the fees would recover the cost of specific services to applicants and licensees under 10 CFR Part 170. The remaining 62 percent, or
$550.7 million, would be billed as annual fees to licensees under 10 CFR Part 171.
Annual fees for FY 2016 decrease by 3.1 percent over last year for operating reactors, 6 percent for fuel facilities, 2.4 percent for research and test reactors, and 11.7 percent for spent fuel storage/reactor decommissioning licensees. Fees increase by 7.6 percent for most uranium recovery licensees and decrease by 18.2 percent for Department of Energy activities related to the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978.
The final rule includes several changes from the FY 2015 rule. For instance, the NRC has lowered the hourly rate of staff review time from $268 to $265 for FY 2016, and fees charged under 10 CFR Part 170 have been updated accordingly.
Another change is that the NRC will now recover the agency’s costs in responding to significant requests for information, records, or NRC employee testimony in lawsuits where the NRC is not a named party; these are commonly referred to as “Touhy requests.” The final rule will assess hourly rate fees on all Touhy requests that require over 50 NRC staff hours.
The NRC estimates the FY 2016 annual fees will be paid by licensees of 100 operating commercial power reactors, four research and test reactors, 122 spent nuclear fuel storage and decommissioning reactor facilities, nine fuel cycle facilities, 10 uranium recovery facilities and approximately 3,000 nuclear materials licensees.
Download PDF
No: 16-037 June 27, 2016
Contact: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200
NRC Amends Licensing, Inspection and Annual Fees for Fiscal Year 2016
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has amended its regulations to reflect the licensing, inspection, special project, and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal year (FY) 2016. The amended regulations reduce annual fees for most licensees primarily due to a decrease in the NRC’s budget.
The final fee rule, published June 24 in the Federal Register, includes fees required by law to recover approximately 90 percent of the agency’s budget. A proposed rule was published for public comment on March 23, 2016.
For FY 2016, the NRC’s required fee recovery amount, after billing and collection adjustments, is $882.9 million. Approximately 38 percent, or $332.7 million, of the fees would recover the cost of specific services to applicants and licensees under 10 CFR Part 170. The remaining 62 percent, or
$550.7 million, would be billed as annual fees to licensees under 10 CFR Part 171.
Annual fees for FY 2016 decrease by 3.1 percent over last year for operating reactors, 6 percent for fuel facilities, 2.4 percent for research and test reactors, and 11.7 percent for spent fuel storage/reactor decommissioning licensees. Fees increase by 7.6 percent for most uranium recovery licensees and decrease by 18.2 percent for Department of Energy activities related to the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978.
The final rule includes several changes from the FY 2015 rule. For instance, the NRC has lowered the hourly rate of staff review time from $268 to $265 for FY 2016, and fees charged under 10 CFR Part 170 have been updated accordingly.
Another change is that the NRC will now recover the agency’s costs in responding to significant requests for information, records, or NRC employee testimony in lawsuits where the NRC is not a named party; these are commonly referred to as “Touhy requests.” The final rule will assess hourly rate fees on all Touhy requests that require over 50 NRC staff hours.
The NRC estimates the FY 2016 annual fees will be paid by licensees of 100 operating commercial power reactors, four research and test reactors, 122 spent nuclear fuel storage and decommissioning reactor facilities, nine fuel cycle facilities, 10 uranium recovery facilities and approximately 3,000 nuclear materials licensees.
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Unanimous Vote Confirms Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Plant Is Definitely Closing: Beyond Nuclear, June 16, 2016
Beyond Nuclear, June 16, 2016
The Board of the Omaha Public Power District has confirmed the promised closure of its Ft. Calhoun nuclear plant in a unanimous vote. Ft. Calhoun will close by the end of the year. OPPD President and Chief Executive, Tim Burke, articulated what is becoming rapidly more apparent industry-wide: the costly nuclear plant cannot compete with cheaper sources of electricity. These days, that source is rapidly becoming wind power. "This is simply an economic decision. The economics have been going so fast the other way that we can’t seem to justify this anymore,” said 30-year board member John Green. But the financial headaches are far from over. Once shuttered, the plant must be decommissioned, a process that it is estimated will take 35 years and cost at least $1 billion.
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The Board of the Omaha Public Power District has confirmed the promised closure of its Ft. Calhoun nuclear plant in a unanimous vote. Ft. Calhoun will close by the end of the year. OPPD President and Chief Executive, Tim Burke, articulated what is becoming rapidly more apparent industry-wide: the costly nuclear plant cannot compete with cheaper sources of electricity. These days, that source is rapidly becoming wind power. "This is simply an economic decision. The economics have been going so fast the other way that we can’t seem to justify this anymore,” said 30-year board member John Green. But the financial headaches are far from over. Once shuttered, the plant must be decommissioned, a process that it is estimated will take 35 years and cost at least $1 billion.
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