Monday
Dec212020
NUCLEAR AGENCY SLAMMED FOR FAILURE TO WEIGH HOUSE BILL 6 REPERCUSSIONS IN PERRY NUCLEAR PLANT EXTENSION: Energy Harbor wants to operate the already dangerously age-degraded atomic reactor another quarter-century into the future
December 21, 2020
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NUCLEAR AGENCY SLAMMED FOR FAILURE TO WEIGH HOUSE BILL 6 |
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Energy Harbor wants to operate the already dangerously age-degraded atomic reactor another quarter-century into the future |
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| NORTH PERRY, OHIO -- On Friday, December 18, 2020, two groups advocating safe, renewable non-nuclear energy formally notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission of their petition challenging a license extension the NRC granted the owners of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in northeastern Ohio. In the petition, six ratepayers and residents who live near the 1268 Megawatt-electric nuclear plant criticized NRC studies that justified 7.7 additional months of operation to Perry at the end of its 40-year license in 2026. They claim the agency pointedly ignored increasing concerns over the plant’s economic stability. Energy Harbor, the owner of Perry and another nuclear generation station, Davis-Besse near Oak Harbor, Ohio was bailed out by a state law passed in 2019 which allows some $1.3 billion to be collected from electricity ratepayers across the entire state until 2027, expressly to keep the plants open and operating. That law, known as House Bill 6, passed narrowly by one vote and became even more controversial in July 2020 when the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Larry Householder, and four other Republican Party operatives were indicted on federal bribery and racketeering charges arising from passage of HB 6. Public pressure and opposition have mounted as additional evidence of corruption has emerged. The chairman of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission, a longtime lobbyist for FirstEnergy, the former owner of the nuclear plants, suddenly resigned in November following an FBI raid believed to be connected to the ongoing bribery investigation. The General Assembly is presently in “lame duck” session and several proposals related to repeal, replacement or deferral of action on House Bill 6 are under consideration as public demands to repeal the law increase. Five of the six plaintiffs in the NRC complaint are members of Beyond Nuclear, located in Takoma Park, Maryland, and the sixth is president of Citizen Power, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based organization. Both groups advocate for an end to nuclear power generation on grounds of safety and cost, and for the immediate development of safe energy generation, energy efficiency and conservation. Their concerns center around environmental and safety reports compiled by agency staff to justify the license extension, which the plaintiffs claim completely ignore the economic uncertainties that have plagued Energy Harbor for years that have been compounded by the bailout scandal. “Extending the license of this dangerous dinosaur should not be considered, but if it is, there must be a comprehensive evaluation of the physical plant to ensure public safety and prove that the plant is profitable and not going to cost ratepayers more money,” said David Hughes, president of Citizen Power, Inc. Mr. Hughes’ summer residence is 4 miles downwind of the Perry Plant. "The NRC has completely ignored the precarious financial situation and mismanagement of Energy Harbor and its predecessor," said Connie Kline, a Beyond Nuclear member whose home is 17 miles from Perry. “Despite a half dozen lawsuits, EH has refused to open its books for audit or to testify before the General Assembly. For years, the NRC has waived and deferred inspections, maintenance, repairs and upgrades at Perry which pose potentially serious safety consequences while tons of lethal radioactive waste pile up on the shores of Lake Erie. Shortly after passage of HB 6, EH authorized an $800 million stock buyback. Ohio must strengthen renewable energy and efficiency, quickly phase out and close Perry and Davis-Besse, and retrain workers in plentiful, high-paying energy jobs of the future." “Where’s the sanity clause in this controversy?” mused Terry Lodge, Toledo attorney representing the plaintiffs. "The agency can’t be allowed to feign ignorance and rubber stamp a license extension when the fate of this aging nuke hangs in the balance of the largest bribery and racketeering scandal In Ohio’s history.” “FirstEnergy actually notified the NRC in 2018 that Perry was going to be permanently closed in 2021, but canceled that when the bailout became law,” noted Kevin Kamps, Radioactve Waste Specialist at Beyond Nuclear. “Energy Harbor wants this license extension to lend the appearance that Perry might operate until 2046. The public won’t stand for it, because guaranteeing safety at a 34-year-old atomic reactor becomes economically doubtful and may even be out of reach.” -30- |
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| Beyond Nuclear is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization. Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abolish both to safeguard our future. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic. The Beyond Nuclear team works with diverse partners and allies to provide the public, government officials, and the media with the critical information necessary to move humanity toward a world beyond nuclear. Beyond Nuclear: 7304 Carroll Avenue, #182, Takoma Park, MD 20912. Info@beyondnuclear.org. www.beyondnuclear.org. |
