nuclear-news

Expand public’s right to question nuclear safety, says Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief

Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief sides with Pilgrim watchdog group, By Christopher Burrell, Enterprise News.com, The Patriot Ledger  Feb 23, 2012 In a surprising move to side with critics of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is arguing to expand, not limit, the public’s chance to ask plant-safety questions in light of last year’s Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster in Japan.

The Fukushima nuclear plant has a similar reactor to the one at Pilgrim, which has been trying for six years to win approval from the NRC for a 20-year extension of its operating license. “Given the significance of that accident (at Fukushima) and the potential implications for the safety of our nuclear reactors, we should allow members of the public to obtain hearings on new contentions on emerging information,” NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko
wrote in a dissenting opinion released Wednesday. Jaczko was the sole dissenter on the five-member commission, which is appointed by the president.
The majority of the commission voted to deny the watchdog group
Pilgrim Watch’s most recent appeal to reopen a relicensing hearing to
raise concerns about Pilgrim’s plans to contain radioactive material
in the event of a disaster similar to the one at Fukushima…..
Pilgrim Watch has not been the sole voice calling for greater scrutiny
as the June 8 deadline for Pilgrim license renewal approaches.
In November, state Attorney General Martha Coakley unsuccessfully
tried to suspend the relicensing of Pilgrim until the implications of
the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster in Japan have been fully studied.
Coakley was particularly concerned about the impact that a meltdown
could have on the pool that contains spent nuclear fuel at Pilgrim.
Also in November, U.S. Rep. Edward Markey said in a statement that it
would be irresponsible to issue a new license to Pilgrim or any of the
16 other nuclear reactors with pending renewal applications until “the
lessons of the Fukushima meltdowns are fully integrated in NRC
regulations and plans.”
And Jaczko, the NRC’s chief, worried about silencing any concerns
related to Fukushima. To do so, he wrote, would “lead to inconsistent
outcomes and, more importantly, unfairly limit public participation in
these important safety matters.” http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x1793848245/Nuclear-Regulatory-Commission-chief-sides-with-Pilgrim-watchdog-group

February 24, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA