Ohio Nuclear Engineer Convicted of Lying About Cracks in Reactor

At Oak Harbor, Ohio, 21 miles southeast of the city of Toledo, lies the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, where a hole the size of a football was discovered in the head of the nuclear reactor vessel in March 2002. Today, a federal jury in Toledo convicted a former reactor coolant system engineer at the facility of lying to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the safety condition of that reactor vessel head. "Today, after hearing all the facts, a federal jury convicted Andrew Siemaszko for concealing the truth from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," said Ronald Tenpas, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "The effectiveness of the NRC's regulation and the safe operation of the nation's nuclear power plants depends on honest and forthright information."

NBC5.com

Nuke Fight Nears Decisive Moment

The Vermont Legislature will make history in a vote expected as early as January on whether to allow the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to continue operating after 2012. Never before has a state taken such a vote. "This is a tremendous opportunity for us," said Deb Katz of the Citizens Awareness Network, an antinuclear group based in Shelburne Falls. "But it's not going to be easy."

Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone's throw from New Hampshire. A serious accident or act of sabotage at the reactor would kill thousands, and leave hundreds of square miles uninhabitable. Like all nuclear power plants, Vermont Yankee contributes to global warming. The cost of storing nuclear waste makes nuclear power more expensive than solar, wind, or any other source of electricity. So people from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont are working with Katz's group and other organizations, telephoning and going door to door in legislative districts throughout Vermont, encouraging voters to contact their state legislators.

The Valley Advocate

Epstein to speak at September AIA event in Philly

The Delaware Valley Green Building Council & AIA Philadelphia's Committee on the Environment invite you to a lunchtime presentation on Nuclear Power: Is it the Resurgence of an Economic and Environmental Boondoggle or the Savior for Global Climate Change? Thursday September 25, 2008 from 12:00-1:00 The core meltdown at Three Mile Island Unit-2 (“TMI”) beginning on March 28, 1979 ignited a fierce debate about the role of commercial nuclear power. In the three decades following the Accident, Americans have held been exposed to a mercurial flow of information on the future of nuclear power as a safe, “clean,” and economic energy source. There are unresolved questions associated with nuclear power production that continue to bedevil the industry: “Where is the waste going to go?” “Where is the water going to come from and who should have access to this commodity?” And, “What’s Wall Street’s take on this?” In the last decade, the emergence of global warming, security, and an experienced workforce have altered the debate on the future of nuclear power. Speaker: Eric Epstein is the Chairman of 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. Location: The Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia PA 19107 Time: 12:00 – 1:00 (Bring Your Own Lunch) Cost: $5 for AIA/DVGBC members, and $10 for Non-Members Registration is Required. Please visit http://www.aiaphiladelphia.org/events to register online Continuing Ed. Credits: This program is worth 1.0 AIA LUs (HSW). Contact Michelle Wolfe at wolfe@revisionarch.com with questions.

Shutdown of reactor threatened

The owners of the Oyster Creek nuclear power station, now in the middle of a contentious relicensing battle, may close the plant if the government requires the installation of cooling towers, a company document shows.

Exelon Corp., Oyster Creek's owner, said the cost of cooling towers could "negatively impact" a decision to keep the oldest commercial nuclear plant running. The statement came last month in an Exelon filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Asbury Parks Press

Entergy deal good for shareholders; others wary

Power provider Entergy Corp. is advancing its plans to spin off nuclear plants that generate free-market electricity, a deal that may be a boon for shareholders but a potential burden for taxpayers, according to critics. If approved by regulators, Enexus Energy Corp., to be based in Jackson, Mississippi, will become a separate, publicly traded company in the next several months. Stockholders of New Orleans-based Entergy would receive Enexus shares on a pro-rata basis. The exact number has not been determined. But there is concern over debts of as much as $4.5 billion that the new company would take on, including up to $3.5 billion paid to Entergy for the plants and other assets. There is also the dismantling or mothballing of nuclear reactors at the end of their life spans, hich critics say Enexus may be unable to pay. That could leave taxpayers with billions in cleanup costs should the company become insolvent. The plants range in age from 32 years to 37 years.

International Herald Tribune

Sen. Joe Biden on Nuclear Power

TMI info center moves to Chester County

The office that AmerGen Energy will use to give out information about a nuclear emergency at Three Mile Island moves to Chester County next week. The move means local news organizations will have to send reporters to Coatesville, about 65 miles away, if they want face-to-face access to plant experts. AmerGen will close the center in Susquehanna Township off Interstate 81. The location is the same used by AmerGen's parent company, Exelon Corp., to handle emergencies at its Peach Bottom and Limerick plants. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which requires plant owners to maintain information centers outside a 10-mile radius of the plant, did not object to the change. The move also drew support from state and local emergency management agencies. But the watchdog group Three Mile Island Alert opposed the change, saying it will put unnecessary distance between the company and the community and have a chilling effect on news coverage. The Coatesville facility will offer wireless Internet service and access to phone lines and copy/fax machines once the center is activated on Tuesday, AmerGen officials said.

The Patriot News