20 year reactor license extensions just assumed

A 2009 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the costs of long-term high-level radioactive waste management and "disposal" assumed that every single operating reactor in the U.S. would have its requested 20 year license extension rubberstamped by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, resulting in a grand total of 153,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste in the U.S. by the year 2055. The amount of high-level radioactive waste that had been generated by commercial atomic reactors by the spring of 2010 was 63,000 metric tons. GAO's assumption, given on page 54 and elsewhere, states: "Current reactors will receive, if they have not already, a 20-year licesen extension and will operate until the end of their licensed life." The NRC has obliged this assumption thus far, rubberstamping 66 reactor operating license extensions thus far. 16 additional extensions have been applied for, and NRC's decision is pending. And yet another 16 future submittals of renewal applicationns are expected beyond that.

Environmental coalition defends intervention against Davis-Besse license extension

On May 16th, Toledo attorney Terry Lodge and Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear filed a rebuttal against an appeal by FirstEnergy. In early May, FirstEnergy had requested the five Commissioners at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission overturn an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruling of April 26th. The ASLB had granted a hearing to the environmental intervenors opposed to Davis-Besse atomic reactor's proposed 20 year license extension. The ASLB admitted for hearing renewable energy alternatives to Davis-Besse's extended operation, namely wind power and solar photovoltaic power, combined with compressed air energy storage to mitigate intermittancy. The ASLB also admitted for hearing portions of the environmental coalition's challenges against FirstEnergy's Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives (SAMA) analyses, charging that calculations of casualties and costs resulting from a catastrophic radioactivity release had been underestimated by the company. Events at Fukushima bear this out. In fact, Davis-Besse has had more brushes with major accidents than about any other atomic reactor in the U.S. (including the 2002 hole-in-the-head fiasco, see photo, below left), a horrendous history that can only get worse now that the nuclear power plant is 35 years old.

"U.S. Regulator Lets Industry Help with the Fine Print"

The infamous Davis-Besse "red photo," showing boric acid crystal and rust "lava" flowing off the severely corroded reactor lid, in NRC's possession long before the public learned of the hole-in-the-head fiascoAs part of its ongoing "Nuclear Crisis" series in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, investigative journalist John Sullivan with ProPublica has cited the NRC's complicity with FirstEnergy at Davis-Besse as the poster child for industry influence over the supposed safety regulator. Beyond Nuclear, in coalition with Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Green Party of Ohio, has challenged Davis-Besse's proposal for a 20 year license extension. In his article, Sullivan also describes the Nuclear Energy Institute's influence over NRC on the critical safety issue of license extensions. Since the year 2000, NRC has rubberstamped 66 of 66 nuclear utility applications for 20 year license extensions; 16 additional reactors, including Davis-Besse (as well as Seabrook in New Hampshire, which Beyond Nuclear is also challenging), stand poised for NRC rubberstamped license extensions. This, despite the fact that NRC's Office of Inspector General has busted the agency staff for "cutting and pasting" entire sections of nuclear utility assessments on license extension risks directly into NRC safety evaluation reports and environmental impact statements, then calling the analyses "independent." In addition, NRC OIG busted NRC staff for destroying working documents which led to decisions to approve license extensions once the rubberstamp had been completed.

"Activists to state case on Davis-Besse license," Toledo Blade

Davis-Besse's infamous "red photo," showing boric acid crystal and rust "lava" flowing from reactor lid.Tom Henry at the Toledo Blade has given advance coverage of tomorrow's Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety (sic) and Licensing Board oral argument pre-hearing in Port Clinton, Ohio, near Davis-Besse atomic reactor. Beyond Nuclear, along with allies Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Green Party of Ohio, have submitted four contentions against First Energy Nuclear Operating Company's proposed 20 year license extension: (1) wind as an alternative; (2) solar photovoltaics as an alternative; (3) wind and solar combined as an alternative; and (4) severe underestimation of the casualties and costs that would result from a catastrophic radioactivity release. On February 18, 2011, the ASLB ruled in favor of FirstEnergy's motion to strike, and ordered the environmental coalition to "strike" long sections of its "Combined Reply" rebuttal against the utility's and NRC staff's attacks upon its intervention. This included a backgrounder about Davis-Besse's many close calls with disaster over the past 34 years, compiled by Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps. According to various federal government spokespeople, from the NRC to the Department of Justice, Davis-Besse's hole in the head fiasco of 2002 was the worst incident at a U.S. atomic reactor since Three Mile Island Unit 2's 50% core meltdown in 1979.

"Major offshore wind initiatives" viable alternative to 20 year license extensions at dangerously degraded old atomic reactors

Today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar unveiled large-scale plans for the rapid development of off-shore wind in the U.S. As stated in their media release: 

"Under the National Offshore Wind Strategy, the Department of Energy is pursuing a scenario that includes deployment of 10 gigawatts of offshore wind generating capacity by 2020 and 54 gigawatts by 2030. Those scenarios include development in both federal and state offshore areas, including along Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts as well as in Great Lakes and Hawaiian waters. Those levels of development would produce enough energy to power 2.8 million and 15.2 million average American homes, respectively."

10,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2020, and 54,000 megawatts by 2030, shows that wind power is a viable alternative to 20 year license extensions at dangerously deteriorated old reactors. Beyond Nuclear has made that exact argument in proceedings before Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety (sic) and Licensing Boards at Seabrook, NH and Davis-Besse, OH.