NRC questions Entergy's financial qualifications to continue to operate Vermont Yankee safely

As reported by Vermont Public Radio, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has submitted a request for additional information to Entergy Nuclear, seeking to determine if the company is financially qualified to run its Vermont Yankee atomic reactor safely, and to decommission it once it is permanently shutdown. The investigation comes after Entergy reported a two-thirds decrease in the sale price of VY to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), down from $517 million to $162 million.

Vermont State Supreme Court denies NEC, for now

As reported by the Brattleboro Reformer and the Barre Montpelier Times Argus, the State of Vermont Supreme Court has rejected, for now, a lawsuit brought by the New England Coalition (NEC) on Nuclear Pollution, seeking the immediate shutdown of Entergy's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor due to lack of a valid Certificate of Public Good from the State of Vermont Public Service Board (PSB). However, NEC attorneys expressed hope that they will ultimately prevail, once the Vermont Supreme Court considers the issue ripe for their reconsideration. The PSB is scheduled to rule on whether or not to grant Entergy a new CPG this August.

Failed flood seals discovered at Vermont Yankee

As reported by the Barre Montpelier Times Argus, failed flood seals at Entergy's Vermont Yankee allowed water to flow 400 feet from the Connecticut River's edge, to the atomic reactor's switchgear room, where it was beginning to fill a manhole immediately next to safety-critical electrical cables.

The article quoted Chris Recchia, commissioner of the Department of Public Service:

“We need to wait for their report and see if it’s a newer problem or an older problem. But like the problem last week, I have concern about the aging of the system and what’s required to keep the plant running well.” (emphasis added)

If it had been a regular flood, “there could have been serious damage,” he said. “Clearly the system, and the seal, were not functioning well. Whether it was one of the new seals or an old seal, I don’t know.”

"The problem last week" to which Recchia referred was the blow out of a panel from the VY reactor building, as reported by the Rutland Herald. By Recchia's count, three systems failed in the blow out panel incident. As reported by the Herald:

'...an exhaust fan and exhaust louver in the reactor building both didn’t work as expected, and when the panel blew out, it flew onto the roof of the nearby turbine building.

According to design, the panel was supposed to be attached by a wire rope, and was supposed to fall back into the reactor building.

Recchia said that he asked the NRC whether the systems had been reviewed during the relicensing process conducted by the federal regulators.

“After all, this is believed to be original equipment on Vermont Yankee,” Recchia said.'

3.30.13: Leaks, Lies & Lawyers Parade & Rally in Brattleboro on Saturday to protest Entergy's Vermont Yankee

Come to the Leaks, Lies and Lawyers Parade & Rally on Saturday 3/30/13 in Brattleboro, VT. Join the SAGE Alliance & Bread & Puppet Theatre at 3:30 pm!

Details:
http://www.safeandgreencampaign.org/event/3-30-13-leaks-lies-and-lawyers

3.30.13 LEAKS, LIES AND LAWYERS, 3:30-6:30 PM

Harris Place, downtown Brattleboro, VT, 05301

Organizer: Safe and Green Campaign, safeandgreencampaign@gmail.com

A year has gone by since Entergy’s VT Yankee reactor went rogue on March 21, 2012. What has one year brought us? Nothing but WASTE! Now Yankee is refueling, and so it will add more waste to the already overstuffed fuel pool. MORE WASTE!

• WASTE of taxpayer money defending Vermont from FOUR new lawsuits by Entergy, plus two appeals.
• WASTE of time that could have been spent on safely decommissioning the reactor.
• WASTE of another year — now 7 years! – without a Clean Water Act permit. Another year of heating up the Connecticut River and boiling the fish, during one of the hottest summers on record.
• Another year of radioactive WASTE in the already over-crowded spent fuel pool, created in 1972 to hold 600 assemblies — it now holds 2,500!

Are we going to sit back and let Entergy’s high priced lawyers decide our energy future? No Way!

LEAKS, LIES AND LAWYERS

3:30pm Parade

Calling all artists, musicians, walkers, singers and satirists! Create a float, make a banner, bring your friends and neighbors! Entergy and the state must be shown that we are not sitting back waiting for the courts to decide out energy future. We will fill the streets of Brattleboro so our voices will be heard! No More Leaks, Lies and Lawyers!

4:30 pm  Leaks, Lies and Lawyers

At the Latchis Theatre on Main Street. Speakers, skits, and song. The program includes a legal update, what’s happening at other Entergy reactors around the US, and ways you can shut down Vermont Yankee, advocate for safe, green and prompt decommissioning.

DIRECTIONS: Map to Harris Place Bring quarters for parking.

Gather at the Harris Place  parking lot in Brattleboro at 3:30pm. We will parade around the Common and through downtown on our way to the Latchis Theatre.  Take Exit 2 off of I91 into downtown Brattleboro, Vt. Follow Route 9 into downtown. Go through the blinking red lights. Turn left into Public Parking i mmediately after the funeral home and before the traffic lights at the very bottom of the hill.  On the corner of the parking lot is Silver Moon. Drive to the far end of the parking lot and park there. From this end, it is a short walk down the hill on Grove Street to Main Street. Walk directly across Main Street to Harris Place. (TD bank is on the corner of Main St. and Harris Place.)
If you have a float to unload, you can drive to Harris Place. Same directions as above. Drive thru the parking lot, down Grove Street, and across Main Street into Harris Place.

Co-sponsored by the SAGE Alliance.

Update on April 6, 2013 by admin

The Rutland Herald has reported on the parade and rally, with more than 500 participants (see photo, left).

The SAGE Alliance has also reported on the successful, inspiring event.

Coalition of concerned citizens details concerns about Palisades with NRC Commissioner Magwood

NRC Commissioner William Magwood IVA coalition comprised of 20 concerned local residents and environmental group representatives, including from Beyond Nuclear, met with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioner William Magwood IV (photo, left) for three hours on Monday evening, March 25th, in South Haven, MI, detailing their many concerns about safety, security, public health, and environmental protection -- or lack thereof -- at Entergy Nuclear's Palisades atomic reactor on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Covert, MI (see the coalition's meeting agenda). NRC Commissioner Magwood toured the problem-plagued plant the next morning.

The coalition issued a press release.

The St. Joe Herald-Palladium has reported on the meeting, as did Fox 17 television Grand Rapids. Michigan Radio's "Environment Report" quoted Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps.

NRC Commissioner Magwood's career has been devoted to the promotion of nuclear power, first as an industry insider (including as a consultant to Tokyo Electric Power Company, infamous owner of the ravaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant), and then as head of the promotional Office of Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under both Democratic and Republican administrations. The Huffington Post has published exposés on Magwood's attempted coups against his bosses in order to take their jobs -- successfully at DOE, unsuccessfully at NRC. As also reported by HuffPost, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has vowed to block Magwood's aspirations for the NRC Chairmanship, due to Magwood breaking his promise to Reid to not advocate for the controversial Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste dump as an NRC Commissioner.

Due to his career promoting nuclear power, Beyond Nuclear led the environmental coalition effort to block President Obama's nomination of Magwood for the safety-regulatory NRC Commission in the first place, as well as the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Magwood for the position (the Project on Government Oversight launched a separate effort to block Magwood's confirmation). At the end of 2011, U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) cited Beyond Nuclear's coalition letter opposing Magwood's confirmation as she, too, criticized his broken promises to her about Yucca during his Feb. 2010 Senate confirmation hearing as an NRC Commissioner. Beyond Nuclear has also filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to NRC after receiving an anonymous tip that NRC Commissioner Magwood has been holding regular, secretive meetings with leaders of the industry's Nuclear Energy Institute, in violation of open meetings laws and regulations. However, despite filing the FOIA request on Dec. 3, 2011, NRC has not yet responded.

NRC has issued a notice and press release about its upcoming April 2nd "End of Cycle" annual performance review public meeting to be held in South Haven about Palisades. See more info. from NRC about the Apirl 2 meeting here, including its slideshow to be presented (note NRC has loaded its slides sideways).

On April 11th, Beyond Nuclear is co-sponsoring west Michigan presentations entitled "Preventing an American Fukushima" by David Lochbaum of Union of Concerned Scientists. He will present at 12 noon Eastern at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and at 7 PM Eastern at the Beach Haven Event Center in South Haven, less than 5 miles north of Palisades. In his annual report of near-misses at U.S. atomic reactors, Lochbaum has included incidents at Palisades (two separate incidents in 2011 alone) for the past two years, making it one of the worst-run reactors in the country.