The 45-year-old, problem-plagued Palisades atomic reactor sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, drinking water supply for tens of millions downstreamAs reported by the St. Joe Herald-Palladium, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Investigations (OI) has launched a special probe into the leakage of up to 31.4 gallons per day of acidic and radioactive water from the Safety Injection Refueling Water (SIRW) storage tank into the control room and auxiliary building of Entergy Nuclear's Palisades atomic reactor in Covert, MI on Lake Michigan's southeastern shoreline. WSJM radio reports that Palisades' PR spokesman Mark Savage denies any safety significance.
The Associated Press has also reported on this story. A Detroit News opinion column also comments on this story, including that "The tank was being refilled when, Tuesday night, new leaks appeared, and at 9 p.m., it was shut down." Entergy Nuclear appears to be in a hurry to re-start Palisades!
In addition, as the Kalamazoo Gazette reports, the NRC is demanding a copy from Entergy Nuclear of an internal survey of Palisades' workforce, revealing a complete collapse of safety culture at the atomic reactor, including fears of retaliation and harassment for questioning management decisions or raising safety concerns. As spelled out in its letter to Entergy, NRC defines safety culture as "the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment by leaders and individuals to emphasize safety over competing goals to ensure protection of people and the environment." More.