Environmental coalition defends its intervention against "20 more years of radioactive Russian roulette" at Davis-Besse

Photo showing "lava" of boric acid crystals and rust flowing from Davis-Besse lid, which nearly led to a loss-of-coolant-accident to the reactor core in early 2002.In August, First Energy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a 20 year license extension at its trouble-plagued Davis-Besse atomic reactor on the Lake Erie shore east of Toledo. In October, NRC "docketed" the application as complete enough to proceed with its consideration for approval. Beyond Nuclear, Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario (CEA), Don't Waste Michigan, and the Green Party of Ohio submitted their Petition to Intervene and Request for a Hearing on December 27, 2010 -- raising four contentions against the 20 year license extension: (1) wind power is a viable altenative, as is (2) solar photovoltaic power, and (3) certainly a combination of solar PV and wind; and (4), FENOC has significantly underestimated the consequences of a catastrophic radioactivity release from Davis-Besse in its "Severe Accident Mitigation Alternatives" (SAMA) analysis. On January 21, 2011, both the NRC staff and FENOC objected to all four of the environmental coalition's contentions; both also challenged the standing of CEA to take part in the proceeding, absurdly asserting that CEA's members seeking standing live a mere 300 feet beyond the 50 mile radius from Davis-Besse! (Intervenors "about" 50 miles from a nuclear plant, or less,  have almost automatically been conferred standing in the past.) In a "Combined Reply," the environmental coalition defended its standing and contentions on January 28, 2011. An NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) has been empanelled. The ASLB has announced a March 1, 2011 "oral pre-hearing" in Port Clinton, Ohio to consider whether or not to admit the contentions for a full hearing on the merits; the appendix to its order spells out in some detail the key questions the ASLB has on its mind. The NRC ASLB has requested a security detail from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, although the coalition is comprised entirely of non-violent environmental groups. Beyond Nuclear has prepared a backgrounder on the many close calls to major disasters this reactor has already experienced in its first 33 years of operations: "Davis-Besse: 20 MORE Years of Radioactive Russian Roulette on the Great Lakes Shore?!" On February 1st, the coalition issued a media release announcing its defense of the intervention. The Joint Petitioners filed an Errata for their Combined Reply on Feb. 10th.

Immediate action needed on NAS cancer panel

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Nuclear Radiation and Studies Board (NRSB) has announced the provisional membership for a panel to examine the cancer risks around NRC licensed nuclear facilities. This panel will not only examine nuclear power reactors, but ALL NRC licensed facilities including waste sites, uranium mines, etc.

Please immediately:

• Demand a release of the conflict of interest forms for the panel
• Send a request to extend the comment deadline by two weeks

For both requests, contact Ralph J. Cicerone, President of NAS, 202-334-2101, naspresident@nas.edu

The public has until the end of January to comment on the panel members and professional composition. Beyond Nuclear will be submitting comments on individual conflicts of interest and overall balance and appropriateness of disciplines by January 31. Please contact Beyond Nuclear (cindy@beyondnuclear.org) if you are familiar with any of the provisional members. PLEASE COMMENT: We encourage you to submit your own comments as well.

For more background on this issue, see other entries on our website including our original announcement of the study, our concern about, and the recusal of, Richard Meserve from this panel selection.

The study will be conducted in two phases. Phase one, which started on September 1, 2010, will determine how best to conduct an epidemiological study on the cancer risks from Nuclear Regulator Commission (NRC) licensed facilities in the United States and will continue for 15 months.

Steam leak as Susquehanna shuts nuclear plant

A steam leak at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick, PA on January 25. When operators realized the steam leak could not be isolated, they opted to "scram" - or shut down the reactor. The leak occurred in the feedwater heater bay of Unit 1. 

Don Booth dies at 94, pioneer of solar energy

Donald W. Booth, 94, of Concord, New Hampshire died Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, reports Seacoast online. Don was born Dec. 19, 1916. He graduated from Arlington High School, and served as a conscientious objector in civilian public service during World War II. Doing business as Community Builders, in the late 1970s Don pioneered energy conservation and solar home building, twice receiving the Governor's award for energy innovation and contribution to the solar field. He published two books on passive solar design and construction, and served on the Governor's Commission on Disability. A member of Concord Friends (Quaker) Meeting, Don was active in peace and justice causes and received the Martin Luther King Award in 2001.

Coalition urges Obama not to promote "dirty and dangerous technologies such as nuclear reactors" during State of the Union address

Beyond Nuclear, along with 44 other environmental, safe energy, anti-nuclear, public interest, and peace groups from across the country, have urged President Obama to not promote "dirty and dangerous technologies such as nuclear reactors" as "clean" in his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, January 25th. Rumors are swirling that President Obama (pictured left delivering the 2010 State of the Union address) is considering asking Congress to enact a "Clean Energy Standard" that would include such dirty, dangerous, and expensive energy sources as nuclear power, coal, natural gas, and biomass. Regarding nuclear power, the coalition told the President: 

"Nuclear energy is not clean and it is not a viable solution to climate change. Nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel cycle facilities emit toxic radiation into our air and water on a routine basis at every stage of the process. By poisoning our air and water, nuclear energy endangers public health and the lives and wellbeing of future generations. After more than 60 years of searching we still have not found a viable solution for dealing with radioactive nuclear waste and most of it is sitting in pools at reactor sites across the country. Any long term disposition will require high level radioactive waste to be shipped across the country, creating immense risk of accidents and incidents all the while moving and not solving the waste problem. Despite billions in government subsidies at every stage of the fuel cycle, nuclear reactors remain too expensive to compete with cheaper and cleaner renewable alternatives on the open market, and thus new reactors remain dependent on government financing for any chance of completion. Finally, given the energy demands of the nuclear fuel cycle, from mining to milling, from enrichment to fuel fabrication, from storage to disposition, it is patently ridiculous to suggest that nuclear power is carbon free. Taken together with the safety and proliferation risks implicit to nuclear power, nuclear reactors are clearly a failed technology of the past and not the clean, renewable energy source we need in the future."