Fires deliberately set around Chernobyl plant

Two fires -- one now extinguished, the other still burning -- were deliberately set by an individual who said he set grass alight "for fun." The man was apprehended but the larger fire still burning has spread to 250 acres of forest, and has increased the levels of radiation to substantially higher than "normal" levels, according to news reports. These increased radiation levels have complicated the ability of firefighters to tackle the blaze.

Forest fires have broken out in the Chernobyl Zone in the past, and, reports Radio Free Europe:

"Scientists have been concerned for decades about potentially catastrophic wildfires inside the exclusion zone around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine -- the site in 1986 of the world's worst nuclear accident.

"That's because trees and brush in the zone have absorbed radioactive particles that can be released into the air by the smoke of a wildfire."

(Image shows resuspension and atmospheric transport of radionuclides due to wildfires near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant 2015. Work of:Evangeliou N, Zibtsev S, Myroniuk V, Zhurba M, Hamburger T, Stohl A, Balkanski Y, Paugam R, Mousseau T, Møller A, Kireev S)

Workers 'terrified' at Limerick nuclear plant amid coronavirus

Workers at the Limerick nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, currently undergoing refueling, have expressed terror at the crowded working conditions, which, they say, puts them in extreme danger of contracting the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Workers described being packed "elbow to elbow" into training rooms and computer labs with no social distancing in place.  “Being put at risk like this makes us mad," one worker told the Pottsdown Mercury.

“I’m in a constant state of paranoia. In my opinion, it’s just a complete breeding ground, a cesspool for this,” another worker told the newspaper. There are reportedly at least 1,400 workers on the site for the refueling project.

At least two cases of Covid-19 have already been confirmed among the Limerick workforce. Read more.

(Pictured, Limerick workers during a 2018 refueling. Photo: NRC)

United States: NRC to Ease Regulatory Burdens During Pandemic

As reported by Nuclear Intelligence Weekly (re-posted with permission).

The article quotes Beyond Nuclear:

Activists are concerned the agency's approach to the Covid-19 crisis has left the door wide open for regulatory rollbacks that could compromise the safety of the nation's aging reactor fleet. "It's clear that the NRC is ready to permit whatever rollbacks the industry is willing to request," Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps told Energy Intelligence. "How inspections, repairs and replacements of safety-significant systems, structures and components can go undone, and not increase risk, has not been adequately explained by NRC, nor has the agency addressed the potential impacts of decreased quality of work, or even serious human errors, made by a dwindling number of severely fatigued workers, under the increasing stress of the Covid-19 pandemic."

Read the full article, here.

Brouillette intervenes in Pa. nuclear fight

As reported by E&E News.

NRC Stages Swift Sweeping Rollback During Pandemic

Vast Amounts of Rad Waste Slated for Disposal by Unlicensed Operators

As reported in a press release by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).