Markey letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on hydrogen explosions/vents

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources CommitteeThe Office of U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-MA, pictured left), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, has circulated the following statement:

"Today, Rep. Markey sent a letter to NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane urging NRC to follow the recommendations of its technical staff and require filtered vents on some nuclear reactors in order to facilitate the prevention of the sort of hydrogen explosions that occurred during the Fukushima meltdowns. The letter also conveyed Rep. Markey’s concerns about ongoing potentially misleading statements made by some NRC personnel concerning the ability of U.S. nuclear reactors to prevent a dangerous buildup of hydrogen gas in nuclear containment structures in the event of a nuclear accident."

"Retired Duke reactor may signal more U.S. nuclear shutdowns"

As Reuters reports, yesterday's announcement by Duke that it has decided to permanently shutdown its crippled Crystal River atomic reactor with a severely cracked containment in Florida, and Dominion's decision last October to permanently shutdown its Kewaunee reactor on the shore of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin (despite a 20-year license extension rubberstamp by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission), may be but the first dominoes to fall.

The article quotes UBS energy analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith, who concluded "It's getting tougher for nuclear to compete." The UBS short list for reactors on the brink of permanent shutdown includes "Entergy Corp's Vermont Yankee in Vermont and FitzPatrick in New York, Exelon Corp's Clinton in Illinois and Constellation Energy Nuclear Group LLC's Ginna in New York," according to the article.

The article ends by questioning if Southern California Edison's San Onofre 2 & 3 in San Clemente will ever restart, given their severe steam generator tube damage. Both units have now been shut down for over a year for safety reasons.

Entergy Watch: UBS predicts "real retirement risk for units such as Vermont Yankee and FitzPatrick in '13"

Entergy Nuclear has had a rough week.

First, while 108.5 million people looked on, including 75,000 in the Superdome, the lights went out on the 47th Super Bowl in Entergy's hometown, New Orleans. The power outage lasted more than half an hour. Investigations continue as to the root cause.

Then, in a report for shareholders, dated Feb. 4th by UBS Securities LLC, UBS "reiterate[s] expectations for nuclear retirements" in the Entergy Nuclear merchant fleet, due to low to negative free cash flow. UBS highlights that "We see Vermont Yankee as the most tenuously positioned," but adds "Fitzpatrick (sic) in upstate NY increasingly appears at risk as well," and "Pilgrim could be at risk too, depending on market development in New England." The report is based on a Feb. 2nd meeting between UBS analysts and Entergy Nuclear's new CEO, Leo Denault, and the rest of the Entergy management team.

But UBS's analysis is not Entergy's only headache at Vermont Yankee. Vermont's Department of Public Service has urged the Public Service Board to deny the "rogue corporation" Entergy a renewed Certificate of Public Good (CPG), needed to operate the reactor under state law, because of its broken promises. Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance (VYDA) and Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) urge allies to contact the PSB with messages urging denial of the renewed CPG.

And the Shut It Down! Affinity Group -- its past fines paid -- has resumed its non-violent civil resistance actions, seeking Vermont Yankee's permanent shutdown.

Shut It Down! Affinity Group fines paid, non-violent civil resistance actions resume against Entergy's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor

As reported by the Brattleboro Reformer and Rutland Herald, 14 members of the Shut It Down! Affinity Group, joined by 40 protestors at a rally in Brattleboro, carried out their latest non-violent civil disobedience action against the Vermont Yankee atomic reactor, at Entergy's local headquarters office.

60 donations from several states raised the funds needed to pay off court fines imposed for a Shut It Down! action carried out last August by 6 affinity group members.

Some Shut It Down! members have been arrested two-dozen times protesting Vermont Yankee.

Asked by an AP reporter on March 22, 2012 how many times she'd been arrested at Vermont Yankee, nonagenarian Frances Crowe answered "Not enough!" She was one of 1,500 who rallied for Vermont Yankee's shutdown, on the first day of its controversial, State of Vermont-opposed, Nuclear Regulatory Commission-rubberstamped 20-year license extension. 168 were arrested that day, not only at Entergy's Brattleboro offices, but also simultaneously at its White Plains, NY offices near Indian Point nuclear power plant, as well as at its New Orleans national headquarters.

VT DPS finds that Entergy has broken its promises to the State of Vermont, urges rejection of CPG

The Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) is conducting a proceeding considering whether or not Entergy Nuclear is worthy of a renewed Certificate of Public Good (CPG) to operate the Vermont Yankee (VY) atomic reactor during a 20-year license extension. The extension was rubber-stamped by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) just days after the nuclear catastrophe began at Fukushima Daiichi, Japan, involving identical twin reactor designs to VY: General Electric Mark I boiling water reactors. VY's original 40-year license expired on March 21, 2012, but the reactor continues to operate, based on a federal judge's ruling in Jan. 2012 that Vermont had illegally encroached on NRC's exclusive regulatory jurisdiction over radiological safety, when the State Senate voted, 26 to 4, in Feb. 2010 to block VY's license extension.

Echoing State of Vermont political leaders' accusation that New Orleans-based Entergy Nuclear is "a rogue corporation," on Jan. 25, 2013, Geoffrey Commons, Director of Public Advocacy at the Vermont Department of Public Service, speaking on behalf of Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin's administration, filed a strongly worded brief in the PSB proceeding. He highlighted that "Entergy Has Breached lts Promise Not to Operate the VY Station After March 12, 2012 Without a Renewed CPG," stating:

"Reduced to its core, this issue demonstrates that Entergy, as a business, is prepared to promise whatever it takes to achieve its immediate business objectives, and, is prepared to violate such promises if honoring them would be inconsistent with subsequent business objectives."

Commons concluded:

"The Board should not issue a new CPG for the VY station to a business that conducts itself as Entergy has here. Entergy is asking that the Board permit it to profit from the operation of the VY Station, and now contends that the Board can have no meaningful say in that operation, despite the fact that Vermont necessarily will bear many costs and consequences relating to the station's operation, and despite Entergy's explicit contrary promises. This attempt to derogate the authority of the Board and the citizens of Vermont should be rejected."

The Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance has pointed out the continued opportunity to comment on the PSB's Docket #7862 regarding Entergy's request for a Certificate of Public Good:

"If you didn't get a chance to testify at the PSB's Nov. 19 public hearing there is still an opportunity to voice your support for the PSB's denial of a Certificate of Public Good for Entergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

You can send your comments to: Vermont Public Service Board; 112 State Street; Montpelier, Vermont  05620 -2701; Attn: Docket #7862.

Or email: psb.clerk@state.vt.us.

Or phone: (802) 828-2358."

Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) has provided "Nine Good Reasons for PSB to Deny Entergy a CPG," which can be used to prepare your own comments. 

Even those not residing in Vermont are encouraged to weigh in with the PSB. Revelations of Entergy Nuclear misdeeds elsewhere in the U.S. would be especially valuable, showing why Entergy should be denied a CPG to operate VY for 20 more years. 

Update on February 7, 2013 by admin

The Brattleboro Reformer has reported on this story.