nuclear-news

USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff recommends license renewal

“The NRC staff’s decision is very upsetting because it makes a total mockery out of the process,” said Mary Lampert, director of Pilgrim Watch, who has long called for the plant to be shuttered. “They’re essentially requesting that the game be called before the game is over, while the players are still on the field.”.

NRC staff recommends renewing license for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth Boston Globe,  04 27, 2012 By David Abel,   After six years of review and a succession of lawsuits, the staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recommended that commissioners vote to renew the license of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, which expires next month.

The staff, in an eight-page document, said the 40-year-old plant has “taken, or will take, appropriate actions to manage the effects of aging during the period of extended operation.”  Entergy Corp., the Louisiana-based company that has run the plant since 1999, has sparked a raft of protests and lawsuits since it sought to renew its license to operate the plant for an additional 20 years. Officials on Friday said they are eager for a vote……
But opponents of the plant have urged commissioners to delay their
vote until they have a chance to present their concerns about the
plant at a hearing.

An NRC official said the recommendation does not mean commissioners
will renew the license.

Pilgrim opponents argue that the Entergy can’t do enough to ensure
safety, given what they view as the intrinsic danger of nuclear
plants, especially one 35 miles from Boston and with nearly 5 million
people within a 50-mile radius…..
They argue commissioners shouldn’t renew Pilgrim’s license because of
aging pipes beneath the plant that may leak radioactive liquids,
problems with electrical cables that transmit power to and from the
plant, and the lack of a sufficient cleanup plan in the event of a
radiation leak. They also say Pilgrim has failed to do a sufficient
analysis of the plant’s impact on endangered species in the area.

“The NRC staff’s decision is very upsetting because it makes a total mockery out of the process,” said Mary Lampert, director of Pilgrim Watch, who has long called for the plant to be shuttered. “They’re essentially requesting that the game be called before the game is
over, while the players are still on the field.”….
The plant’s license is set to expire on June 8. But the plant will be
able to continue operating, until commissioners make a final decision,
NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said….
http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2012/04/nrc-staff-recommends-renewing-license-for-the-pilgrim-nuclear-power-station-plymouth/HouSwmBA5gkMESO94jyFYJ/index.html

April 28, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA