"Pilgrim nuclear station one step from shutdown: NRC downgrades plant to bottom of performance list"

As reported by Christine Legere at the Cape Cod Times, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has ranked Entergy's Pilgrim atomic reactor in Plymouth, MA near Boston as tied for the worst performing in the country.

It is tied for worst performing with another Entergy nuclear power plant, Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO). A young worker was killed, and eight others injured, on an early Easter Sunday morning in 2013, when a 600-ton piece of equipment was accidentally dropped on them.

As the article reports: Cape Downwinders has planned a rally at the Sagamore Bridge on Labor Day to protest the lack of an evacuation plan in the event of a nuclear accident and to call for the shutdown of the power plant.

Responding to the NRC's safety status downgrade, U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), a long time Pilgrim and nuclear power industry watchdog, pointed out that Pilgrim is identical in design to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1-4.

More.

Just say no to nuclear subsidies: "FirstEnergy cannot call Davis-Besse power plant reliable"

A Beyond Nuclear letter to the editor just published at the Cleveland Plain Dealer begins:

To his credit, PUCO chair Andre Porter prioritized safety, in addition to reliability and cost, when it comes to Ohio's electricity supply ("PUCO Chair Andre Porter sees big changes coming for power companies," Plain Dealer, Aug. 30). FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse atomic reactor fails all three tests, but none more potentially catastrophically so than safety. More.

"Obama secures votes to protect Iran nuclear deal"

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) became the 34th senator to support the Iran nuclear agreement, which means President Obama has the votes to sustain his promised veto of any legislation that would attempt to scuttle the deal. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)As reported by the Washington Post, U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has announced her support for the Iran Nuclear Deal. As the 34th U.S. Senator to do so, this secures enough support to protect President Obama's promised veto, if and when expected congressional measures of disapproval are passed, by majority vote, in the U.S. Senate and House before Sept. 17, the deadline for such an action. President Obama needs only one house of Congress to sustain his veto, in order to stave off congressional disapproval and secure the Iran Nuclear Deal negotiated by his Secretary of State, John Kerry.

There is some possibility still remaining that President Obama won't need to use his veto pen. If 41 U.S. Senators support the Iran Nuclear Deal, they can successfully filibuster a vote on disapproval -- meaning the pact can be secured that way, as well.

Beyond Nuclear submits public comments to CEAA and the Canadian federal Environment Minister opposing the DUD

OPG wants to dump Ontario's radioactive wastes less than a mile from the shore of Lake Huron!Beyond Nuclear has submitted yet another round of public comments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and Canadian federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, opposing Ontario Power Generation's Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for radioactive waste burial targeted at the Great Lakes shore at Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine, Ontario.

David Martin of Greenpeace Canada dubbed the DGR the DUD, for Deep Underground Dump.

To see what YOU can do to help stop the DUD, visit Beyond Nuclear's Canada website section!

"Exelon plans cost cuts, won't rule out layoffs"

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Illinois-based Exelon Nuclear has warned its employees that layoffs may lie ahead, as five atomic reactors in the state continue to hemorrhage money.

Exelon has been buffeted recently. The Washington, D.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) rejected Exelon's proposed takeover of Mid-Atlantic utility Pepco. The PJM capacity auction left Exelon reactors in three states in the lurch. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan did not give nuclear lobbyists, especially at Exelon, what they wanted. And the Illinois State Legislature went on summer recess on May 31st, without giving Exelon the $1.5 billion bailout it requested, at ratepayer expense, to prop up its uncompetitive reactors.

During testimony under oath before the DC PSC, Exelon Nuclear CEO Chris Crane, who wrote the memo that prompted the Chicago Tribune article above, also indicated that should Exelon takeover Pepco, job cuts at Pepco will follow. Exelon and Pepco have made known they plan to appeal the DC PSC's rejection by the 30-day deadline.