UPDATE: Plant Vogtle confirms 89 positive COVID-19 cases

As reported by WFXG (an update on an April 8th story).

Nuclear Watch South: Environmentalists Petition to Block Vogtle 3 Nuclear Fuel Load

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Glenn Carroll, Nuclear Watch South, 404-378-4263, atom.girl@nonukesyall.org

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP FILES PETITION TO BLOCK VOGTLE 3 NUCLEAR FUEL LOAD

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Opportunity for Public Hearing on Vogtle

ATLANTA 4-21-2020  Late Monday evening, environmental group Nuclear Watch South docketed its Petition for Public Hearing with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in opposition to Southern Nuclear/Georgia Power's request for license to load nuclear fuel into Vogtle 3 reactor in November 2020.

See the full press release, here.

DON'T BE BULLIED, JOURNALISTS: Take S*** From Nobody

An important column in the Independent (East End, Long Island, NY) by Denis Hamill.

It cites Beyond Nuclear board member Karl Grossman, listing him among some very good company in the field of jouranalism. It is very well deserved!

See Hamill's Feb. 11, 2020 feature on Karl, including his investigative journalism on nuclear power, here: SHINE LIGHT ON KARL GROSSMAN.

In response to NM US congressional delegation demands, NRC grants 60-day extension to Holtec CISF DEIS public comment period

See the letter sent by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman to the entire New Mexican U.S. congressional delegation, here.

Note this very carefully worded section from the letter:

"The NRC staff plans to hold a nationwide webinar and five public meetings in New Mexico during the public comment period to present the staff’s preliminary findings and receive public comments. As the COVID-19 public health emergency evolves, the NRC staff will continue to re-evaluate these plans for engaging the public, and will consider whether additional extensions to the comment period are warranted."

This NRC response took more than a month.

The NRC has not yet responded to a 50 NGO coalition letter dated March 25th. That letter demanded a 199-day public comment period, not to start until after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declare the coronavirus pandemic ended, and in-person public comment meetings again safe to hold. In addition, the letter demanded two-dozen public comment meetings, in a dozen states outside NM.

That would make this NRC Holtec CISF DEIS public comment proceeding equal to the DOE Yucca Mountain, Nevada dump DEIS public comment proceeding of two decades ago. The Yucca dump scheme targets Western Shoshone land.

The 50-group coalition's demand is reasonable. After all, Holtec would ship and store 2.5 times the high-level radioactive waste volume as would the Yucca dump (173,600 metric tons, versus 70,000). Thus, an equivalent proceeding -- in terms of public comment period duration, and number and geographic diversity of public comment meetings in Mobile Chernobyl transport risk hubs -- is very reasonable. Holtec's CISF should, actually, require 2.5 times the duration and meetings as did the Yucca dump.

Five Principles of Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus

Beyond Nuclear is honored and proud to stand in solidarity with nearly a thousand other organizations, to endorse these "Five Principles of Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus." See the principles and list of signatories, here.