Waste Confidence Monthly Public Teleconferences

Greetings and Happy New Year!

In an effort to promote transparency and share information, the Waste Confidence Directorate is planning to hold monthly Status Update Teleconferences on the third Wednesday of every month from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST (10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PST).  The NRC staff will discuss the status of its development efforts related to the Waste Confidence generic environmental impact statement and rule, and provide additional background information (e.g., documents to be released, public meeting schedules) as warranted.  Interested parties are invited to participate and ask questions; however, please note that discussion in this forum will not be considered as formal comments and will not be considered in the EIS development.

The first public teleconference will be held on Wednesday, January 16, and will provide an overview of the recently completed scoping period and next steps in the Waste Confidence environmental review.  With the exception of the agenda, which is included as the last page in the meeting notice (linked below), there are no slides or handouts associated with this teleconference.

Date
January 16, 2013
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST

Description
Monthly Public Teleconference Status Meeting
Prior to the start of the meeting, please dial 1-800-857-2553 and provide the operator with passcode 3682386.

Meeting Notice

Tentative Future Dates of Teleconferences
February 20, 2013
March 20, 2013
April 17, 2013
May 15, 2013
June 19, 2013
July 17, 2013
August 21, 2013

Sincerely,

Staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Waste Confidence Directorate

PA DEP News Release : DEP Reminds Pennsylvanians that January is Radon Action Month

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
01/7/2013

CONTACT:
Amanda Witman, Department of Environmental Protection
717-787-1323

DEP Reminds Pennsylvanians that January is Radon Action Month
Free Webinar on Jan. 16 to Offer Q&A with Experts, Home Testing Tips

HARRISBURG --

As part of National Radon Action Month, the Department of Environmental Protection will present an episode on the subject as part of its quarterly webinar series, DEP at Home, on Wednesday, Jan. 16, from 7 to 8 p.m.

“Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and affects almost half of all Pennsylvania homes,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “Everyone needs to test their homes for radon.

“The good news is that a radon problem is easily and inexpensively fixed. The webinar will teach people more about this health risk and how they can protect their families.”

The webinar will feature a presentation and live question-and-answer session with Robert Lewis and Matthew Shields of DEP’s Bureau of Radiation Protection and Kevin Stewart of the American Lung Association.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally through the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. It can seep into homes through cracks in basements and foundations, and can build up inside to concentrations many times the recommended level.

Radon is responsible for an estimated 20,000 lung-cancer deaths in the United States every year, and about 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of four picocuries per liter. While radon problems may be more common in some regions, the potential exists for any home to have high radon levels.

Pennsylvania is particularly prone to elevated radon levels, and the only way to know if there is a radon problem is to test the home. DEP recommends testing all homes and public and private buildings. The best time to test is during the cold-weather months, when homes and buildings are closed and radon is most likely to build up to unhealthy levels.

Residents may hire a certified radon testing company, though it is easy to perform a radon test by using a kit that can be purchased at a home improvement store or a Pennsylvania-certified radon laboratory. Completed test kits are to be sent to a Pennsylvania-certified lab, where the samples are analyzed and the results are then sent to the resident. If results reveal radon levels above the action level, a radon mitigation system may be necessary.

Radon mitigation systems cost between $700 and $1,200 and require minimal maintenance. Most home or building owners choose to hire a radon mitigation professional to install the system.

For more information about radon, including information about interpreting test results or to find a Pennsylvania-certified radon contractor, visit www.dep.state.pa.us, keyword: Radon, or call 1-800-23-RADON.

To participate in the webinar, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click the “DEP at Home” button on the homepage. Space is limited and participation is based on a first-come, first-served basis.

Read Article

ECONOMICS VY Yankee's financial prospects seen grim

By Susan Smallheer
Staff Writer | January 06,2013

BRATTLEBORO — A financial analyst who follows the nuclear industry said that while financial information on the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant indicates it is not making money for owner Entergy Nuclear, the company may be leery of shutting the 41-year-old reactor down because it would set a dangerous political precedent.

Julien Dumoulin-Smith of UBS Securities LLC said likewise that Entergy may have calculated that shutting it down would cost more than keeping it running.
“The issue is what’s the alternative and what is the liability to retire it? Is it better to run it as a loss?” he said Friday.

Dumoulin-Smith said that Entergy, and the nuclear industry as a whole, were closely watching the Vermont regulatory fight, but that the bigger issue was the future of the Indian Point nuclear plant, which is located on the Hudson River about 40 miles north of New York City. Indian Point is also owned by Entergy Nuclear.

“It’s really all about Indian Point; Indian Point is what matters more,” he said.

The nuclear industry is being adversely affected by the “revolution” in shale gas, and the growth in the natural gas industry, he said.

Entergy spokesman Robert Williams issued a statement in response to the UBS report, and declined further comment.

“Our nuclear units are important sources of clean, reliable power, and we remain fully focused on the safe operation of the plants,” he said. “As a matter of policy, Entergy does not comment on the financial performance of individual plants.”

Dumoulin-Smith issued a report last week that raised serious questions about the future operation of Vermont Yankee, given its low cash flow, and he said that Entergy’s wholesale nuclear fleet showed “modest to negative cash flows” until 2016. Vermont Yankee is a member of Entergy’s wholesale fleet.

In a recommendation to potential Entergy investors, Dumoulin-Smith wrote: “We believe both its New York Fitzpatrick and Vermont Yankee plants are at risk of retirement given their small size.”

Dumoulin-Smith’s report remained officially “neutral” on a recommendation to buy Entergy stock.

Vermont Yankee’s legal future will be debated next week at two court hearings: first Jan. 14 at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City, and two days later at the Vermont Supreme Court. Vermont’s high court will take up a motion by the New England Coalition, an anti-nuclear group, to shut down Yankee because it is operating without a current state certificate of public good.

Yankee’s financial health has recently posed a big question mark, as Entergy Corp. chief executive officer Wayne Leonard said in 2011 during a quarterly earnings call with analysts that Yankee wasn’t even covering its capital costs.

And Entergy is known to be facing a major investment in the future when it comes to Yankee in the form of its aging condenser, a large piece of equipment estimated to cost about $100 million to replace.

Dumoulin-Smith said his report didn’t take into account the condenser issue in its financial calculations.

He did take into consideration about $80 million to be spent at the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Massachusetts for dry cask storage and re-licensing, and $130 million for wedge wire screens at Indian Point.

New York environmental officials have been battling with Entergy over the environmental effects of Indian Point’s water withdrawals from the Hudson River, with state officials saying cooling towers were needed to mitigate the environmental impacts of such large water withdrawals.

Dumoulin-Smith said the continuing low price for natural gas and the explosion of the shale gas industry was spelling financial doom for the nuclear industry, particularly the smaller, marginally profitable nuclear plants such as Vermont Yankee.

And while Dumoulin-Smith put Entergy’s other small nuclear plant, the Fitzpatrick plant in upstate New York, in the same financial category as Vermont Yankee, politics could keep Fitzpatrick online if push comes to shove.

Dumoulin-Smith said that property taxes in New York are much higher — and thus more important — to their host communities, and those communities would fight harder to keep the plants online.

He said the new generation tax, adopted by the 2012 Vermont Legislature and being fought by Entergy, could push Yankee over the financial edge.

Entergy lost the first round in its court battle over the new $12 million tax, but has appealed a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss.

“We’re looking for what creates value for Entergy shareholders,” said Dumoulin-Smith.

“The question of viability of nuclear is in doubt for small units like Vermont. Vermont Yankee is one of the smallest operating nukes in the country,” he said. “Natural gas is clearly overtaking coal, and nuclear is the next wave of potential victims.”

He added: “Nuclear is under attack.”

Special Electric Reliability Forum on January 10, 2013

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission will hold a Special Electric Reliability Forum on January 10, 2013, to hear from the state’s electric utilities that were affected by Superstorm Sandy. Although all PUC Commissioners will be in attendance, the PUC’s Bureau of Technical Utility Services will examine utilities’ pre-planning measures as the storm approached the east coast, as well as their communications with customers and efforts to restore service during and after the storm. Hurricane Sandy hit Pennsylvania on, October 29, 2012. At the peak of the storm, 1.2 million Pennsylvanians were without power. Throughout the course of the event, over 1.8 million Pennsylvanians lost power at one time or another with 90 percent of customers having their power restored by November 3, 2012.

"The Atomic States of America" is available for pre-order on iTunes and will be available on January 15th.

The Atomic States  of America, the Sundance 2012 competition film is available for pre-order on iTunes and will be available on January 15th.

http://www.sundance.org/nowplaying/film/the-atomic-states-of-america/

In 2010, the United States approved the first new nuclear power plant in 32 years, heralding a “Nuclear Renaissance”. But that was before the Fukushima accident in Japan renewed a fierce public debate over the safety and viability of nuclear power.

The Atomic States of America journeys to nuclear reactor communities around the country to provide a comprehensive exploration of the history and impact to date of nuclear power, and to investigate the truths and myths about nuclear energy.

From the gates of Three Mile Island, to the cooling ponds of Braidwood, IL, the film introduces people who have been on the front lines of this issue for decades: community advocates, investigative journalists, renowned physicists, nuclear engineers, Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors, and former government leaders.

Based in part on Kelly McMasters' book “Welcome to Shirley”, about growing up in the shadow of the Brookhaven National Lab on Long Island, the film explores the evidence for serious health consequences documented by people living in Shirley, as well as near other nuclear facilities. Their concerns call into question who can be trusted to provide truthful information, and how much influence the nuclear industry has over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its decisions.

As the nation stands at the crossroads of a possible Nuclear Renaissance, The Atomic States of America inspires informed discussion on the safety, viability and future of nuclear power in the United States.

REVIEWS
In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, The Atomic States of America casts a timely inquiry into the viability of nuclear energy.”
–Outside Magazine

“A stimulating, well-made piece. A sobering documentary about the dangers of nuclear reactors and a downsized Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”
–Hollywood Reporter

“Reasoned and worth engaging…The film builds a convincing statistical case about cancer and nukes.”
-Variety

"Potent, emotionally powerful, and highly revealing, …does an outstanding job of opening our eyes to the reality of nuclear power. Acutely topical....The Atomic States of America convincingly encapsulates both the history of this allegedly clean source of energy and our collective denial of a potentially looming disaster at our aging sites.”
–Sundance Film Festival

TMI - Audit of Exelon Generation Company, LLC's Management of Regulatory Commitments (TAC NO. ME9240)

THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 - AUDIT OF EXELON GENERATION COMPANY, LLC'S MANAGEMENT OF REGULATORY COMMITMENTS (TAC NO. ME9240)

Download ML12348A353

Waste Confidence Scoping Meeting Summaries and Transcripts

Greetings,

Meeting summaries for the November public meeting webcasts and the December webinars, as well as transcripts for the December webinars are now available in ADAMS:

· November 14 scoping webcast meetings summary (ADAMS Accession No. ML12339A281):  http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1233/ML12339A281.pdf

· December 5 and 6 scoping webinar summary (ADAMS Accession No. ML12356A293):  http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1235/ML12356A293.pdf


· December 5 webinar transcript (ADAMS Accession No. ML12355A174):  http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1235/ML12355A174.pdf

· December 6 webinar transcript (ADAMS Accession No. ML12355A187):  http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1235/ML12355A187.pdf

These documents can also be accessed on our Waste Confidence website:  http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/pub-involve.html#arch

Please note that the scoping period for the Waste Confidence EIS ends on Wednesday, January 2.  Electronic comments can be submitted via Regulations.gov through 11:59 p.m. eastern standard time on Wednesday.  (Please see http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd/pub-involve.html#mtgs for the comment mailing address and fax number.)

Sincerely,

Staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Waste Confidence Directorate