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New York Times

NRC Indicates Security Problem At Three Mile Island

Inspectors spotted a security problem at Three Mile Island during a recent inspection, according to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission report released on Wednesday, but officials are only offering vague descriptions of just what the issue was. Diane Screnci of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the agency examined the issue as part of a routine security inspection of Unit 1 that was completed last month. A preliminary report characterized the problem as being of moderate to serious significance. Screnci said she couldn't provide any details because federal rules prohibit the disclosure of nuclear plant security deficiencies.

WGAL

Say no to nuclear power

Californians might have thought the subject of nuclear power was laid to rest in 1976, when the state banned construction of new plants. But 32 years is a long time, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can now be counted among a rising number of people who think that the threat of global warming provides a good reason to reconsider our distaste for radioactive waste.

Los Angeles Times

Nuclear Relapse: Three Mile Island at 29

by Eric J. Epstein The nuclear industry has announced it can cure global warming and make America energy independent. The problem is the numbers don’t add up, and our cars don’t run on uranium pellets. Don’t be fooled again by the same people who brought you electricity “to cheap to meter.” Ask your friendly nuclear power plant to answer four questions: 1. Nuclear waste: Every nuclear reactor produces 30 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste per year. This is nuclear garbage without a forwarding address sitting in a swimming pool in your backyard. Three Mile Island is home to hundreds of tons of spent fuel, and a melted reactor that has not been decontaminated or decommissioned. An island in the middle of a river that empties into the Chesapeake Bay is not an ideal nuclear waste site. When is the nuclear industry going to solve the problem they told us not to worry about 40 years ago? Think about it: Would you buy a house from a developer who promised to install a sewer line 40 years after you began flushing? 2. Greenhouse gases: Nuclear fuel production in America creates chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The enrichment of uranium in Kentucky releases large amounts of CFCs which are more damaging as a global warmer than carbon dioxide. CFCs remain the primary agent for stratospheric ozone depletion. The production and importation of chlorofluorocarbons was banned as part of a global treaty (the Montreal Protocol; 1987), and by the federal government (Clean Air Act amendments; 1990). CFCs were supposed to be phased out, but the chemical can still be used until supplies run out. From the moment uranium is mined, milled, enriched, fabricated and transported it releases large quantities of airborne pollutants. What is the nuclear industry’s plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions? 3) Water and fish kills: Communities and ecosystems that depend on limited water resources are adversely affected by nuclear plants which draw millions of gallons a day and return the back wash at elevated temperatures. Every year millions of fish (game and consumable), fish eggs, shellfish and other organisms are sucked out of water sources and killed annually at Peach Bottom and Three Mile Island. During the 2002 drought, 34 counties were designated as “drought emergencies” and another 31 were placed on “drought watch. Last fall, 53 counties were placed on “drought watch.” In both instances, Dauphin, Lancaster, and York Counties (where Three Mile Island and Peach Bottom are located) were placed on the “list” due to precipitation deficits. Yet both plants were exempted from water conservation efforts. Should nuclear power plants continue to be exempt from drought restrictions? 4. Cost of fuel: The price for uranium ore rose every month in 2007 peaking at $120 a pound. Nuclear fuel, which currently sells for $74 a pound, is predicted to crest at $95 later this year. This was the same “low-cost” fuel that sold for $7 a pound in 2001. America imports 84% of its nuclear fuel from “dependable foreign allies” like Russia and Kazakhstan as well as Australia (when their mines aren’t flooded). Why is America transferring a foreign oil dependency for an expensive, foreign nuclear fuel dependency? Memory is a funny thing: It only works when activated. It’s your wallet. It’s your river. It’s your backyard. Sincerely, Eric Epstein, Chairman, TMI-Alert, Inc. Harrisburg, PA 17112 717-541-1101 Three Mile Island Alert , Inc., a safe-energy organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and founded in 1977. TMIA monitors Peach Bottom Susquehanna, and Three Mile Island nuclear generating stations. Mr. Epstein is also a member of the American Nuclear Society.

The Power Plug

The Maryland General Assembly has an opportunity to shave a possible $1.5 billion off the future bills of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers. Lawmakers need to take it. Not only would that be a welcome reversal of recent trends, but it also might finally put to rest one of the most nagging concerns from the state's 1999 deregulation. At issue is how much BGE customers should be on the hook for the eventual decommissioning of reactors at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant owned by Constellation Energy Group, the utility's parent. Under the negotiated agreement, ratepayers are responsible for as much as $5.2 billion in cleanup costs by 2034. That's a lot of money - and it's not entirely clear whether so much is really needed. Constellation officials have informed the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the shutdown is likely to cost $3.7 billion. Legislation backed by the Maryland Public Service Commission would essentially cap ratepayers' liability to that new estimate. And if approved, BGE customers would see the savings as early as 2016, when some project a surcharge will have to be added to monthly bills to augment the amount already set aside for decommissioning.

The Baltimore Sun

NEW NRC SENIOR RESIDENT INSPECTOR ASSIGNED TO LIMERICK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in King of Prussia, Pa., have assigned Gene DiPaolo as the new senior resident inspector at the Limerick nuclear power plant in Limerick, Pa. He joins NRC Resident Inspector Carey Bickett at the two unit site, which is operated by Exelon Nuclear.

DiPaolo began his NRC career in 1997 as a project engineer in the Region II office in Atlanta. He has worked as a resident inspector at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama and at the McGuire plant in North Carolina. He also was the senior resident inspector at the Brunswick nuclear plant in North Carolina. Most recently, he has worked as a senior project engineer in the Region I office in King of Prussia, Pa.

Prior to joining the NRC, DiPaolo held a variety of positions at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in upstate New York, including nuclear plant engineer at two different prototypes and a reactor systems engineer for Navy Los Angeles class attack submarines. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering and marine transportation from the U.S, Merchant Marine Academy in Kingsport, N.Y.

AGene DiPaolo has the experience and commitment to safety that will help the NRC ensure that Limerick conducts operations with the highest safety standards to protect people and the environment,” said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins.

Each U.S. commercial nuclear plant has at least two NRC resident inspectors. They serve as the agency's eyes and ears at the facility, conducting inspections, monitoring major work projects and interacting with plant workers and the public.

The Limerick resident inspectors can be reached at 610/327-1344.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

US Government Loan Guarantees For New Nuclear Plants Too Small

The U.S. government's $18.5-billion federal loan guarantees falls short of the $500 billion needed to build the country's next generation of nuclear powered reactors over the next decade, the commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday.

The loan guarantees would only be enough to finance two to three nuclear reactors and could ultimately hinder companies from building all the new units they apply for, said the NRC's Gregory Jaczko.

"It's a far cry from what's needed," said Jaczko. "Congress is supportive, but have decided not to provide more federal loan guarantees - there's a disconnect there, so financing would have to happen without federal loan guarantees," he added.

The U.S. is on the verge of a nuclear power revival after 30 years of no new build and companies say the loan guarantees are crucial to get the first wave of new plants up and running.

Morningstar