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San Onofre: Southern California Edison intentionally misled nuclear regulators

Senator Boxer calls for probe on California nuclear plant, Christina Science Monitor 28 May 13 Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) of California charges that Southern California Edison intentionally misled regulators in order to avoid an extensive safety review of upgrades to its San Onofre nuclear plant. Senator Boxer has called on the Justice Department to investigate. By David J. Unger, Correspondent / May 28, 2013 The operator of a California nuclear plant is under fire from a US senator for allegedly misrepresenting the nature of an equipment upgrade that resulted in a small radioactive leak at the plant last year. It’s another blow to Southern California Edison (SCE), which has worked to reopen the closed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station for over a year. The fallout has cost the company more than $553 million and drawn attacks from environmentalists who say the plant is inherently unsafe.

On Tuesday, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) of California released a private company letter she says is evidence of the company intentionally misleading regulators in order to avoid an extensive safety review of upgrades to San Onofre. She has called on the Justice Department to investigate.

“Given this new information, it is clear to me that in order for this nuclear plant to even be considered for a restart in the future all investigations must be completed and a full license amendment and public hearing process must be required,” Ms. Boxer said in a statement Tuesday. “This is simply a common sense approach.” ….. A November 2004 letter between an SCE executive and the manufacturer of the new generators suggests both companies knew of major design differences but publicly downplayed them in order to avoid extensive NRC review, Boxer said Tuesday. The announcement was first reported by the Associated Press……..

The letter is evidence of detailed involvement in the upgrade process, according to a response from SCE, and the company applied for and received two license amendments for the replacement steam generators. ……

“The restart of San Onofre reactors is now off the table,” Damon Moglen, climate and energy director for environmental group Friends of the Earth, said in a prepared response to the release of the letter. “No one can possibly argue for the further operation of these crippled reactors when such an experiment places the lives and livelihoods of millions of Southern Californians at risk.” http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0528/Senator-Boxer-calls-for-probe-on-California-nuclear-plant

May 29, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA