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US Senators oppose changes that would weaken nuclear safety regulations

Senators oppose changes to nuclear plant emergency regulations  Relaxed alerts sought for closed Kewaunee plant postcrescent.com 8 May 14 Richard Ryman CARLTON — Dominion Resources Inc., owner of Kewaunee Power Station, wants to reduce the level of emergency response at the closed nuclear plant, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved at other reactors being decommissioned.

But five U.S. senators are challenging the NRC’s approval of such requests. In a recent letter to the commission, they pointed out that the NRC granted exemptions for each of the 10 requests made. Their concern is for spent nuclear fuel, which can be stored in water pools or dry casks.

Kewaunee spokesman Mark Kanz said Dominion requested exemptions for evacuation zones and siren alerts………..

They could remain there for 60 years, the amount of time Dominion is allowed to decommission the plant, or longer. The federal government has failed provided a national spent fuel repository as required by law and there is no indication when one will be created………

The senators who wrote to the NRC said National Academy of Sciences and NRC studies determined that draining of a spent nuclear fuel pool can lead to fires, large radioactive releases and widespread contamination. They said emergency protection zones, which can extend up to 50 miles from a reactor, should be maintained.

The senators include Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Barbara Boxer of California, Benard Sanders of Vermont, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. All are Democrats except Sanders, who is independent but votes with Democrats on most issues.

They said exemptions are under review for four nuclear plants, including Kewaunee, Crystal River in Florida, San Onofre in California and Vermont Yankee in Vermont. They cited both the Fukushima, Japan, nuclear incident and the potential for terrorist attacks as reasons for refusing the exemptions……..http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20140508/APC03/305080514/Senators-oppose-changes-nuclear-plant-emergency-regulations

May 10, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA