ASLB rejects contention on multiple, worsening Shield Building problems at Davis-Besse

An NRC inspector visually examines severe cracking in the Davis-Besse Shield Building, Oct., 2011In a ruling on July 25th, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) panel at Davis-Besse, OH rejected an environmental coalition's latest contention.

The contention was filed by the coalition's Toledo-based attorney, Terry Lodge, on Earth Day (April 22), 2014. It regards worsening cracking, an air gap in the concrete wall, as well as rebar damage, in the age-degraded Shield Building (SB), essential to radioactivity containment. The contention alleges that FENOC's aging-management plans for the 2017-2037 license extension period are woefully inadequate, with significant safety and environmental risk implications.

The ASLB said it rejected the contention as being premature, but indicating that interveners have until early September to challenge a July 3rd FENOC License Renewal Application (LRA) amendment regarding aging-management plans.

Davis-Besse's original 40-year license expires on Earth Day, 2017. The coalition -- Beyond Nuclear, Citizen Environmental Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Don't Waste Michigan, and the Ohio Green Party -- have been officially intervening against the LRA since Dec. 27, 2010, and focusing on SB degradation since cracking was first revealed in Oct. 2011 (photo, above).