Nuclear Hotseat #457 – CoVid19/Nuclear Nightmare Begins: NRC’s Inadequate Conference Call – Paul Gunter, Eric Epstein, Kevin Kamps

Eric Epstein, Chairman of TMIA, introduces Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps and Paul Gunter, at the PA State Capital Rotunda in Harrisburg, Oct. 2018.Listen here to the full episode, brought to you by Libbe HaLevy, Host and Producer.

This Week’s Covid19/Nuclear Features and Interviews:

• A news roundup of nuclear facilities already being impacted by the novel corona virus pandemic
  
• Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear provides follow-up commentary to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) public conference call of March 20, 2020, that was meant to calm our fears… and most certainly did not.
• Eric Epstein of Three Mile Island Alert, who was on the NRC call and did not have his question answered, talks about how CoVid19 creates new complications in the decommissioning and spent fuel storage problems at TMI.
• Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear was also on the call, and though he asked perceptive questions, the NRC did its best to “foof” him along, including a complete audio blackout after he made a particularly pointed observation.
• And for those of you who want to hear the NRC for yourself, here’s a LINK to the full conference call.

[Beyond Nuclear stood with Three Mile Island Alert in Oct. 2018 at the PA State Capital Rotunda in Harrisburg, on the eve of the 40th annual commemoration of the TMI-2 meltdown. See photo, above left. March 28, 2020 marks the 41st anniversary observation of the TMI-2 meltdown. See Beyond Nuclear's TMI Truth website section.]

3/25/20: Beyond Nuclear on Radio Sputnik's "Loud & Clear"

Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.

Listen to the 30 minute discussion -- largely focused on the intersect between the Covid-19 global pandemic/national emergency and nuclear power -- here.

U.S. to Let Nuclear Plants Defer Repairs, Schedule Longer Shifts

• NRC expects to issue guidelines this week on reactor staffing

•  Environmental groups concerned about violating safety rules

As reported by Bloomberg.

The article quotes Beyond Nuclear:

The prospect that reactor operators may be permitted to deviate from existing safety policies is drawing concern from environmentalists.

“Regulations to ensure safety should be strengthened at a time like this -- not weakened,” said Kevin Kamps of the watchdog group Beyond Nuclear. “It means operating nuclear plants without basic safety inspections.”

Nuclear Industry Effort to Exploit Coronavirus Crisis for Backdoor Bailout Decried as 'Disaster Capitalism at its Worst'

"The nuclear industry begged for a bailout last fall and is now using coronavirus to try and brazenly grab more cash," warned Friends of the Earth.

As reported by CommonDreams.

North Carolina nuclear plants brace to operate during coronavirus pandemic

As reported by Carolina Public Press.

The article quotes Beyond Nuclear:

Kevin Kamps of the organization Beyond Nuclear, a watchdog organization based in Maryland that advocates for abandoning nuclear power, participated in the meeting and told CPP that “most of the content of the call was about waivers from existing regulations.”

“But during a crisis, requirements should be strengthened, not weakened,” he said.

Additional shift hours, Kamps said, will place additional “stress and strain on workers that need to be fully attentive and alert in sensitive jobs.” A better strategy than permitting regulatory relief, he said, would be to proactively power down reactors until the threat of the coronavirus ends.