May 4, 2020 Meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel; 2019 Annual Performance of the NorthStar Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Project to be Discussed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 27, 2020

Contact: Tony Leshinskie, State Nuclear Engineer

(802) 272-1714

Anthony.leshinskie@vermont.gov

MEDIA RELEASE

Vermont Public Service Department Announces May 4, 2020 Meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel; 2019 Annual Performance of the NorthStar Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Project to be Discussed. 

Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (VT NDCAP) will hold its third meeting of this year on Monday evening, May 4, 2020 from 6 PM to 9 PM.  In accordance with changes to Vermont Open Meeting Law in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting will be conducted as a Skype webcast and teleconference.  Members of the public may join this meeting using the following weblink:

https://meet.lync.com/vermontgov-vermont/anthony.leshinskie/2W0G05Y8

or by dialing-in to the following teleconference line: 

Phone number: (802) 552-8456 -or- (802) 738-0888

Conference Room Number: 935 865 382 (followed by the “#” sign)

Vermont State Agencies will present their assessments of NorthStar’s March 31, 2020 required annual status report on the Vermont Yankee (VY) Decommissioning Project.  Panelists and members of the public will have opportunity to ask questions on these assessments (as well as all other meeting agenda items).  The Panel will also receive an update from NorthStar on recent VY decommissioning activities.  Meeting minutes for the January and February 2020 public meetings will be reviewed and approved.  The complete agenda for the Monday, May 4, 2020 meeting may be viewed at:

https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/final-agenda-5-4-2020.

Panel votes on these agenda items may occur. 

Presentation materials for this meeting will be added to the VT NDCAP website at http://publicservice.vermont.gov/electric/ndcap as they become available.  All presentations will be available for electronic viewing prior to the start of the meeting.  Questions or comments on the meeting presentations may be sent to the Panel before, during or after the May 4 meeting by emailing PSD.NDCAP@vermont.gov.  All emails sent to VT NDCAP become public record.

All VT NDCAP meetings (and its committee meetings) are open to the public.  The May 4 meeting will be recorded for subsequent public review.  Questions regarding access to this meeting may directed to Tony Leshinskie, Vermont State Nuclear Engineer at anthony.leshinskie@vermont.gov or by calling (802) 272-1714. 

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Vermont Department of Public Service

112 State Street

Montpelier, VT 05620-2601

In Perspective: A Tornado in the Midst of a Pandemic

A column in Nuclear Intelligence Weekly by David Lochbaum, retired nuclear engineer from Union of Concerned Scientists, which concludes:

The Covid-19 precautions include handwashing. But they do not justify Fema and the NRC washing their hands of their legal and moral responsibilities to protect the American public from nuclear plant emergencies.

Curtain Lowers on Nuke Plant a Stone's Throw From Manhattan

As reported by AP, and published in the New York Times. Note the important paragraph at the end of the article:

"[A] recent study by the Oakland, California-based Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy found that renewable energy goals required by the state will make a sustained increase in natural gas generation unnecessary."

As the Beyond Indian Point campaign has pointed out, New York City and New York State's energy future is renewable and efficient, not nuclear powered nor fossil fueled!

NIRS is hosting a Zoom-in-ar on "NO NUKES! NO GAS! 100% RENEWABLES!" on Wed., May 6 at 4pm Eastern to celebrate Indian Point 2's closure.

Deadline for public comment on Holtec nuke waste dump in NM extended to July 22nd

As reported by the Albuquerque Journal:

Deadline for public comment on nuke waste site extended

By Theresa Davis / Journal Staff Writer

Published: Monday, April 27th, 2020 at 10:52pm

Updated: Monday, April 27th, 2020 at 11:04pm

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the public comment period for a draft environmental impact statement of Holtec International’s proposed nuclear waste storage facility in southeast New Mexico.

The comment deadline is now July 22.

The extension comes after New Mexico’s congressional delegation and at least 50 environmental groups said the public needed more time to comment in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NRC released the draft impact statement in March, along with a recommendation to issue a license to Holtec for the project. The facility would initially store spent nuclear fuel in 500 canisters, and the full project would have a capacity for 10,000 canisters.

Comments may be made online at https://www.regulations.gov or emailed to Holtec-CISFEIS@nrc.gov.

[See Beyond Nuclear's sample comments and talking points you can use to compose your own for submission to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, here!]

Nuclear Hotseat #462: New Mexico Nuclear Garbage Dump Approved by NRC Behind Covid Smokescreen

Beyond Nuclear's radioactive waste specialist, Kevin Kamps, was hosted by Libbe HaLevy for an extended interview on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's sudden, astonishing rejection of appeals opposing the Holtec International/Eddy-Lea [Counties] Energy Alliance consolidated interim storage facility. Holtec is targeting largely Hispanic communities in southeastern New Mexico with the largest proposed high-level radioactive waste dump on Earth.

Kevin's interview begins at the 9 minute 13 second mark, and ends at the 39 minute 59 second mark. But the rest of the show rocks as well, including another featured interview with Bruce Gagnon of Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.

Listen to the audio recording, and find additional links for more information, here.

[And see Beyond Nuclear's press release about the NRC ruling, including our vow to fight on by appealing to the federal courts, here.]