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Freeze Our Fukushimas

"Freeze Our Fukushimas" is a national campaign created by Beyond Nuclear to permanently suspend the operations of the most dangerous class of reactors operating in the United States today; the 23 General Electric Mark I Boiling Water Reactors, the same flawed design as those that melted down at Fukushima-Daiichi in Japan.

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Friday
Feb082013

Entergy Watch: Bill in Vermont State House seeks more stringent Vermont Yankee decommissioning 

The Vermont State HouseEntergy Nuclear's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor is a GE BWR Mark I, identical to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1-4, as described in Beyond Nuclear's "Freeze Our Fukushimas" pamphlet.

As reported by AP, a bill has been introduced in the State of Vermont legislature, opening yet another battlefront against Entergy's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor. The legislation seeks to establish more exacting decommissioning clean-up standards than are required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with an added price tag of $40 million.

‘‘They've had a history of backing away from agreements and promises, and we want to make sure we protect the residents of Vernon and, by extension, Vermont taxpayers from liability related to decommissioning the plant,’’ said Rep. Margaret Cheney, vice chair of the House committee and a lead sponsor of the bill.

Chief among the "rogue corporation" Entergy's "broken promises" to the Green Mountain State was a signed agreement to shutdown Vermont Yankee by March 22, 2012 if it failed to obtain a renewed Certificate of Public Good (CPG) from the Vermont Public Service Board. The Vermont State Senate voted 26 to 4 in Feb. 2010 to block the issuance of the CPG, due to reasons other than radiological safety (NRC's jurisdiction) recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court as falling under state authority. Nearly a year later, Entergy still operates VY without the required CPG.

Thursday
Feb072013

Markey letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on hydrogen explosions/vents

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources CommitteeThe Office of U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-MA, pictured left), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, has circulated the following statement:

"Today, Rep. Markey sent a letter to NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane urging NRC to follow the recommendations of its technical staff and require filtered vents on some nuclear reactors in order to facilitate the prevention of the sort of hydrogen explosions that occurred during the Fukushima meltdowns. The letter also conveyed Rep. Markey’s concerns about ongoing potentially misleading statements made by some NRC personnel concerning the ability of U.S. nuclear reactors to prevent a dangerous buildup of hydrogen gas in nuclear containment structures in the event of a nuclear accident."

Markey's congressional district is just 8 miles downstream from the Vermont Yankee GE BWR Mark I located on the Connecticut River in Vernon, VT. Massachusetts also "hosts" the Pilgrim Mark I near Boston. Both Mark Is are owned and operated by Entergy Nuclear. Beyond Nuclear's "Freeze Our Fukushimas" pamphlet lists all 31 GE BWR Mark Is and IIs in the U.S.

Wednesday
Feb062013

VDPS finds that Entergy has broken its promises to the State of Vermont, urges rejection of CPG

Entergy Nuclear's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor is a GE BWR Mark I, identical in design to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1-4.

Echoing State of Vermont political leaders' accusation that New Orleans-based Entergy Nuclear is "a rogue corporation," on Jan. 25, 2013, Geoffrey Commons, Director of Public Advocacy at the Vermont Department of Public Service (VDPS), speaking on behalf of Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin's administration, filed a strongly worded brief in the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) proceeding re: whether or not Entergy should be granted a renewed Certificate of Public Good (CPG), required to continue operating the Vermont Yankee atomic reactor during its Nuclear Regulatory Commission rubber-stamped 20-year license extension.

Commons highlighted that "Entergy Has Breached lts Promise Not to Operate the VY Station After March 12, 2012 Without Renewed CPG," stating:

"Reduced to its core, this issue demonstrates that Entergy, as a business, is prepared to promise whatever it takes to achieve its immediate business objectives, and, is prepared to violate such promises if honoring them would be inconsistent with subsequent business objectives."

You can contact the PSB, urging it to deny a Certificate of Public Good to Entergy, which would force the shutdown of Vermont Yankee under state law, which Entergy had previously agreed to obey. More.

Monday
Feb042013

Entergy Watch: Unprecedented "Lights Out" on Superbowl!

 

Entergy owns and operates GE BWR Mark Is at Pilgrim, MA; FitzPatrick, NY; and Vermont Yankee. It also operates the Cooper Mark I in Nebraska on behalf of the NE Public Power District. These Mark Is are identical in design to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1-4. The Station Black Outs there lead to a triple meltdown in March 2011...

There were a number of "firsts" at Superbowl LXVII (that's 47, for those of you who don't speak Roman numerals): the first (albeit unsuccessful) fake field goal attemp; a 108-yard kick off return for a touchdown; and a more than 30-minute long power outage, that left the New Orleans Superdome mostly dark, except for emergency back up lighting. One fact that cannot be denied: although the cause of the unprecedented "lights out" is still under investigation, it took place in the service area of Entergy New Orleans. However, Entergy, at least initially, has denied any responsibility.

As reported by ESPN:

'...Philip Allison, a spokesman for Entergy New Orleans, said power had been flowing into the stadium before the lights failed.

"All of our distribution and transmission feeds going into the Superdome were operating as expected," Allison said...'

Ironically, the New Orleans Silverdome also figured centrally in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August-September 2005, as a shelter of last resort for thousands of survivors.

Entergy, the national headquarters of which is in New Orleans, operates a "dirty dozen" atomic reactors across the U.S., including Waterford and Riverbend in Louisiana, Grand Gulf in Mississippi, and Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 1 & 2.

Monday
Feb042013

Entergy Watch: UBS predicts "real retirement risk for units such as Vermont Yankee and FitzPatrick in '13"

In a report for shareholders, dated Feb. 4th by UBS Securities LLC, UBS "reiterate[s] expectations for nuclear retirements" in the Entergy Nuclear merchant fleet, due to low to negative free cash flow. UBS highlights that "We see Vermont Yankee as the most tenuously positioned," but adds "Fitzpatrick (sic) in upstate NY increasingly appears at risk as well," and "Pilgrim could be at risk too, depending on market development in New England." The report is based on a Feb. 2nd meeting between UBS analysts and Entergy Nuclear's new CEO, Leo Denault, and the rest of the Entergy management team.

Both FitzPatrick and Vermont Yankee are GE BWR Mark Is, identical in design to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1-4.

More.