Markey letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on hydrogen explosions/vents
February 7, 2013 
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."
Markey's congressional district is just 8 miles downstream from the Vermont Yankee GE BWR Mark I located on the Connecticut River in Vernon, VT. Massachusetts also "hosts" the Pilgrim Mark I near Boston. Both Mark Is are owned and operated by Entergy Nuclear. Beyond Nuclear's "Freeze Our Fukushimas" pamphlet lists all 31 GE BWR Mark Is and IIs in the U.S.