We almost lost Detroit but we've still got Fermi 1

On October 5 it will be 50 years since the Fermi 1 prototype liquid metal fast breeder reactor, located near Monroe, MI, suffered a loss of coolant accident and partial meltdown that narrowly missed turning into a major catastrophe, as recounted in John Fuller's landlmark book, We Almost Lost Detroit.

But as a warning to those who think a shut down reactor then vanishes, the Fermi 1 reactor (pictured) still sits on site, essentially mothballed.

Beyond Nuclear will be participating in events next month in Detroit to mark the anniversary and expose the fact that emergency planning, while no longer virtually non-existent as it was 50 years ago, remains woefully inadequate and deeply flawed. People living and working within the Emergency Planning Zones of all reactors -- including the still operating Fermi 2 reactor at the same site and the same design as those that melted down at Fukushima Daiichi -- remain dangerously under-protected. Subscribe to the Beyond Nuclear Bulletin to hear more about the Detroit conference -- hosted by the Alliance to Halt Fermi 3 -- and the on-going challenge to close Fermi 2 and block licensing for the proposed Fermi 3 reactor.