Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.
Listen to the audio recording here.
Here is a breakdown of the subject matter discussed:
Start of show to 4 minute 40 second mark -- Discussion of the covid-19 pandemic situation in Michigan, where Kevin Kamps is currently based;
4 minute 40 second mark to 10 minute 30 second mark -- Discussion of southeast Michigan's Fermi Unit 2 atomic reactor as a microcosm of the covid-19/nuclear power risks;
10 minute 30 second mark to 17 minute mark -- Discussion of southwest Michigan's Cook nuclear power plant -- its Unit 2 reactor just had a pressure boundary leak, the first Notification of Occurrence in the U.S. nuclear power industry this year according to Don't Waste Michigan's Michael Keegan;
17 minute 40 second mark to 26 minute mark -- Discussion of permanent shutdowns and decommissioning to follow at three Entergy Nuclear owned reactors -- Indian Point in NY (17 minute 40 second mark to 24 minute mark), Palisades in s.w. MI, and Vermont Yankee (24 minute 5 second mark to 26 minute mark) -- including need for autopsies of safety-significant systems, structures, and components, for lessons learned application at still operating reactors of the same design elsewhere in the U.S.;
26 minute mark to 29 minute 47 second mark -- Updates on the Holtec NM and Interim Storage Partners/Waste Control Specialists TX consolidated interim storage facility Nuclear Regulatory Commission Draft Environmental Impact Proceedings, and the importance of public comments.