NRC violates its own environmental protection mandate: 5 Commissioners reject renewables alternative at Davis-Besse atomic reactor

NRC file photo of Davis-Besse, located in Oak Harbor, OH, on the Lake Erie shoreline.On the eve of the 33rd annual commemoration of the Three Mile Island meltdown, the five NRC Commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to reject an environmental coalition's contention that wind power and solar power could readily replace the 908 Megawatts-electric from Davis-Besse, instead of FirstEnergy's proposed 20 year license extension at the problem-plagued atomic reactor with a cracked concrete containment. The environmental coalition put out a media release, and plans to appeal to the federal courts at the first opportunity.

NRC's Atomic Safety (sic) and Licensing Board (ASLB) presiding over the Davis-Besse license extension proceeding has ordered pre-hearing oral arguments about the latest, cracked concrete containment contention. The oral arguments will take place on Friday, May 18th, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Common Pleas Courtroom at the Ottawa County Courthouse, 315 Madison Street, Port Clinton, Ohio -- about ten miles from Davis-Besse.

Update on March 28, 2012 by admin

U.S. Rep. Kucinich (D-OH)U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Democrat-Ohio, pictured left), a long-time watchdog on Davis-Besse, immediately rose to the defense of Beyond Nuclear and its environmental allies, in a media release which stated:

“All that the four public interest groups (Beyond Nuclear, Green Party of Ohio, Don’t Waste Michigan, and Citizen’s Environmental Alliance of Southwestern Ontario) asked for was an opportunity to present evidence to show that the power output of Davis-Besse could be replaced by other sources of energy such as wind energy and solar energy. 

“The NRC’s own Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruled a year ago that these organizations should have an opportunity to present their evidence at a hearing. 

“Yesterday, the NRC’s five commissioners took a highly unusual action, overruling their own Board, and slamming the door shut on these four citizen groups, denying them an opportunity to present their evidence.

“It is critical to get this information in the public record so that the public is aware of existing alternatives. The nuclear industry knows that it can be replaced. I hope the NRC’s decision doesn’t indicate that the NRC denies transparency when it comes to examining the financial, design, construction or physical limitations of the nuclear industry.”

On March 3rd, Kucinich joined with Beyond Nuclear and its environmental allies on a media release questioning FirstEnergy's "snow job of convenience," its dubious claim that the Blizzard of 1978 caused the concrete containment cracking, and that the problem has not worsened in 35 years.

On Dec. 15th, Kucinich honored Beyond Nuclear by entering its backgrounder on the many close calls to catastrophe at Davis-Besse over the decades into the congressional record during a hearing with the five NRC Commissioners as witnesses. Kucinich said Beyond Nuclear was an organization that could be trusted and counted on for accurate and truthful information.

Update on defending Great Lakes against risky atomic reactors

Satellite photo of the Great Lakes: 20% of the planet's surface fresh water; drinking water supply for 40 million people in 8 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, and a large number of Native American/First Nations; and lifeblood of one of the world's biggest regional economiesThree weeks ago, we reported on Beyond Nuclear's efforts, in conjunction with environmental coalitions and concerned citizens, to shut down two especially risky atomic reactors on the Great Lakes shorelines that have been generating a lot of controversy recently: Palisades in southwest Michigan, and Davis-Besse in northwest Ohio.

A lot has happened since. NRC was forced to admit that Palisades has the most embrittled reactor pressure vessel in the U.S. NRC's repeated regulatory rollbacks have put it at risk of fracturing like a hot glass under cold water due to Pressurized Thermal Shock. And thanks to revelations by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, we've contended that Davis-Besse's containment cracking is so severe that its outer layer of steel reinforcement rebar is no longer performing its safety function. We joined Congressman Kucinich in challenging Davis-Besse's root cause report, which blames the cracking on the Blizzard of 1978, as a "snow job of convenience." Beyond Nuclear has helped lead an environmental coalition opposing Davis-Besse's 20 year license extension. From 2005 to 2007, Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps also helped coordinate efforts opposing Palisades' 20 year license extension, while working at NIRS. Read more.

Davis-Besse blames Blizzard of '78 for containment cracks, but critics charge that's merely a "snow job of convenience"

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)The long awaited First Energy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) "root cause analysis" on extensive cracking of the Davis-Besse concrete containment shield building was published on Feb. 28th. Astoundingly, the nuclear utility blames a severe blizzard in January 1978, and the fact that it failed to apply weatherproofing to the exterior of its containment. Asked why FENOC and its predecessors had failed to apply sealant from 1971 (when the shield building was first constructed) and 2012, FENOC spokeswoman Jennifer Young said simply it had not been required. When asked why other safety-significant concrete structures on site had been sealed, Young said their concrete exteriors appeared splotchy, so a coating was applied for cosmetic purposes.

The Toledo Blade quoted U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH, pictured left) and Don't Waste Michigan's Michael Keegan:

"Every homeowner knows you paint a house not just for decoration, but to protect it from the elements," Mr. Kucinich said, repeating his assertion that the plant should be shut down until the shield building's strength is thoroughly assessed.

And Michael Keegan, a representative of Don't Waste Michigan -- one of several anti-nuclear organizations fighting FirstEnergy's petition for a 20-year license renewal after Davis-Besse's initial operating permit expires in five years -- called the Blizzard of 1978 explanation a "snow job of convenience."

"While it may be true that the extreme weather damaged the concrete, what other assaults have occurred since that time?" he asked. "How is it that [FirstEnergy] can suggest that they'll seal it now, and the damage will be arrested? The damage goes down to the rebar and is structural."

Kucinich has long watchdogged Davis-Besse. His assertive questioning of FENOC and NRC, his revelations to the public, and his success at winning an NRC public meeting on Jan. 5th -- with the backing of NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko -- have been the main sources of information about the significance of the cracking since it was first revealed in October. Based on this information, Beyond Nuclear and Don't Waste Michigan, allied with Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario and the Green Party of Ohio, filed a cracked containment contention on Jan. 10th against Davis-Besse's proposed 20 year license extension, which it defended on Feb. 14th.

Kucinich's  Feb. 8th revelation that the outer steel reinforcement rebar of the concrete containment shield building is now considered no longer structurally functional due to the severe, extensive cracking led to the environmental coalition, represented by Toledo attorney Terry Lodge, filing a supplement to its contention on Feb. 27th.

The Port Clinton News Herald also reported on this story, and the Toledo Blade's Tom Henry editorialized:

"Even if the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepts FirstEnergy Corp.'s explanation of the cracks in the outer containment shield of its Davis-Besse nuclear power plant, the agency must look more closely at the utility's request to extend the plant's operating license...

Whether or not Davis-Besse's cracks amount only to engineering artifacts, they suggest a larger problem with due diligence. The NRC should investigate concrete industry standards and codes to determine whether Davis-Besse complies with them. The commission also needs to review critically the plant's safety analysis report.

The NRC must drive home a point it has made to FirstEnergy before: Minimal compliance with nuclear industry standards is not good enough -- especially at a plant the utility wants to operate for another two decades."

Environmental coalition supplements Davis-Besse cracked containment contention: Rep. Kucinich reveals outer rebar no longer functional

U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has long watchdogged the Davis-Besse atomic reactorThe environmental coalition opposing the Davis-Besse atomic reactor's 20 year license extension (Beyond Nuclear, Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Green Party of Ohio) has filed a supplement to its cracked containment contention. In a motion filed with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and License Board (ASLB) today, the coalition cited a Feb. 8th revelation by the office of U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH, pictured at left), which broke the news to the public that the NRC considers the outer rebar steel reinforcement layer in the Davis-Besse atomic reactor to have lost its functional effectiveness due to the extensive cracking. Despite this, NRC approved Davis-Besse's restart in early December 2011. The ASLB plans oral pre-hearings near Davis-Besse in the weeks ahead on the cracked containment contention. A copy of today's filing, with the Kucinich Feb. 8th media release, as well as an NRC inspection report dated Jan. 31st, is posted here. The NRC inspection report provides further detail on structural cracking in the upper 20 feet of the containment building. The coalition published a media release on today's filing, posted here.

NRC inspection report reveals more problems at Davis-Besse in aftermath of cracked containment

A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection report dated Jan. 31, 2012, reveals numerous problems at FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Corpoation's (FENOC) problem-plagued Davis-Besse atomic reactor near Toledo, Ohio on the Lake Erie shoreline. Incredibly, despite its infamy for having to replace its reactor vessel head twice in one decade, FENOC still resisted inspecting its third, newest lid for potential defects, until NRC forced it to. No defects were found, but had there been any, FENOC would have not known prior to installation. (FENOC had previously installed a new lid at its Beaver Valley nuclear power plant suspected of being potentially defective.)

In addition, despite the controversy over its recently revealed concrete containment building cracks, FENOC nearly installed corroded and brittle rebar into its patch on the shield building after the vessel head swap. NRC inspectors prevented FENOC from cementing the bad rebar in place.

A number of other problems came to light in the inspetion report, including: significant deterioration of the intake/discharge canal into Lake Erie, essential for reactor cooling during routine operations but especially during accident conditions; an un-licensed operator manipulating control rods in the operating reactor core; and a worker who damaged safety-significant equipment by climbing up it, rather than using a ladder, to inspect an elevated valve.

Beyond Nuclear, joined by Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Green Party of Ohio, has challenged FENOC's application for a 20 year license extension at Davis-Besse since Dec., 2010. On Jan. 10, 2012, the environmental coalition launced a new contention before NRC's Atomic Safety (sic) and Licensing Board, based on cracked containment concerns. The ASLB is planning oral hearings in the vicinity of Davis-Besse in the weeks ahead. The coalition is represented by attorney Terry Lodge of Toledo, Ohio.