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Rodney C. Ewing1 and Frank N. von Hippel2 The recent action to shelve Yucca Mountain as the potential geologic repository for U.S. "spent" (i.e., no longer usable) nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level nuclear waste (HLW) (1) brings to a close a 30-year effort to develop and implement a policy for nuclear wastes in the United States. Selection by Congress in 1987 of Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the only site to be investigated condemned the United States to pursue a policy that had no backup if Yucca Mountain failed politically or technically. 1 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, USA. 2 Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08542-4601, USA. E-mail: rodewing@umich.edu E-mail: fvhippel@princeton.edu

Rodney C. Ewing1 and Frank N. von Hippel2 The recent action to shelve Yucca Mountain as the potential geologic repository for U.S. "spent" (i.e., no longer usable) nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level nuclear waste (HLW) (1) brings to a close a 30-year effort to develop and implement a policy for nuclear wastes in the United States. Selection by Congress in 1987 of Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the only site to be investigated condemned the United States to pursue a policy that had no backup if Yucca Mountain failed politically or technically. 1 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, USA. 2 Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08542-4601, USA. E-mail: rodewing@umich.edu E-mail: fvhippel@princeton.edu

Electricity costs would rise 50 percent if Progress Energy is allowed to add two reactors at the Shearon Harris site in Wake County, according to a report by the N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network. In a news conference Tuesday, the Durham advocacy group said that the typical residential bill would balloon from $100 a month to at least $150 a month if Raleigh-based Progress builds the two reactors for which it's seeking federal licenses.

Italy's Green Party leaked on Tuesday the names of potential nuclear power sites it claims Enel (ENEI.MI) has identified -- information that could spark strong local resistance to nuclear renaissance plans. Italy, which abandoned nuclear energy after a referendum in 1987, aims to reintroduce nuclear power to cut energy bills, diversify its fuel mix and reduce carbon emissions. The centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi has said it aims to generate about 25 percent of its power from nuclear sources but has yet to identify the sites for the plants. Public opinion has been generally hostile to nuclear energy and with local authorities having a crucial say in the approval of industrial projects the worry is that nuclear plans could be obstructed once the sites have been named.

Italy's Green Party leaked on Tuesday the names of potential nuclear power sites it claims Enel (ENEI.MI) has identified -- information that could spark strong local resistance to nuclear renaissance plans. Italy, which abandoned nuclear energy after a referendum in 1987, aims to reintroduce nuclear power to cut energy bills, diversify its fuel mix and reduce carbon emissions. The centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi has said it aims to generate about 25 percent of its power from nuclear sources but has yet to identify the sites for the plants. Public opinion has been generally hostile to nuclear energy and with local authorities having a crucial say in the approval of industrial projects the worry is that nuclear plans could be obstructed once the sites have been named.

"- 10 regions had appealed for say on location of plants - Ruling gives central govt final say on siting Italy's top court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by 10 Italian regions to have a say on the location of any nuclear power plants built, judicial sources said. The ruling by the constitutional court, which had been championed by companies hoping to build the plants and opposed by environmental groups, effectively means the central government will have the final say on the site of the plants. Italy is the only Group of Eight industrialised nation without nuclear power, but the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi aims to relaunch it and have a quarter of all power in the country generated by nuclear plants in the future. Nuclear power was discontinued in Italy nearly 25 years ago after a referendum. Enel (ENEI.MI) and France's EDF (EDF.PA) would like to start building four nuclear power stations in Italy in 2013. Public opinion in Italy has been generally hostile to nuclear energy and local authorities had demanded a say in their approval."

Luminant Generation Company LLC; Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 Combined License Application; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process Luminant Generation Company LLC (Luminant) has submitted an application for two combined licenses (COLs) to build Units 3 and 4 at its Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (CPNPP) site, located on approximately 7,950 acres in Somervell and Hood Counties, Texas. CPNPP is located on Squaw Creek Reservoir, approximately 5.2 miles (mi) north of Glen Rose, Texas. Luminant submitted the application for the COL to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by letter dated September 19, 2008, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52. A notice of receipt and availability of the application for the COLs, including the Environmental Report (ER), was published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2008 (73 FR 66276).

DTE Energy's progress toward construction of a new nuclear power plant might be sidetracked by legal challenges to both the project and the process. Critics argue that hearings held Wednesday were timed to minimize public participation, that the plans for the reactor are shrouded in secrecy, and the public was being asked unfairly to comment on a reactor design that doesn't yet exist. Monroe resident Michael Keegan of Don't Waste Michigan, said the first notice of Wednesday's hearings were issued on Christmas Eve and scheduled to be held "in the heart of a Michigan winter." He suggested that because of the timing of the notices, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission should extend the deadline for accepting comments on the scope of the planned federal environmental review of the proposal for 90 days and hold another hearing in the spring when the weather would be better.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold an open house and public meeting Aug. 20 at Monroe County Community College to discuss the licensing process for DTE Energy's proposed new Fermi 3 nuclear plant. The "public outreach" meeting will start with an open house from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a public meeting from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the La-Z-Boy Center. The public will be invited to comment on and ask questions about the process.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed a nuclear cooperation deal on Tuesday at a bilateral summit. [nLO637203] Italian utility Enel (ENEI.MI) said it had agreed with French power giant EDF (EDF.PA) to study the feasibility of building four nuclear plants in Italy and to extend Enel's involvement in France's nuclear programme. The two companies will set up a 50-50 joint venture for the feasibility study then, once Italy passes a new law authorising construction of new plants -- suspended by a 1987 referendum -- they would set up holding companies to build four new plants.

A coalition of citizen groups is asking federal regulators reject DTE Energy's plans to build a new Fermi 3 nuclear plant, contending that it would pose a range of threats to public health and the environment. The groups have filed 14 contentions with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, claiming that a new plant would pose "radioactive, toxic and thermal impacts on Lake Erie's vulnerable western basin." DTE Energy, which already operates the Fermi 2 reactor near Newport, is considering building a Fermi 3 plant at the same site, using a new and as-yet unapproved, design. "For starters, this plant is not needed and we're prepared to demonstrate that," said Michael Keegan of Monroe and member of Don't Waste Michigan, one of the groups opposing the project. "We have national experts and former NRC commissioners -- some of the nation's best minds -- who helped compile this document." "The proposed Fermi 3 would represent another half-century of safety and security risks for the Great Lakes shoreline," he said. "Many concerned local residents don't want to play yet another round of radioactive Russian roulette."

Last week House Energy and Commerce members approved by 51-6 an amendment to the Waxman-Markey bill offered by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) to create a clean energy bank . As Greenwire explained, the amendment would "create an autonomous Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) within the Energy Department" that would "provide a suite of financing options, including direct loans, letters of credit, loan guarantees, insurance products and others" for "energy production, transmission, storage and other areas that could reduce greenhouse gases, diversify energy supplies and save energy." CEDA must adopt a "portfolio investment approach" and "ensure no particular technology receives more than 30 percent of the total funding available." John Podesta and Karen Kornbluh explain why we need a clean energy bank in a post first published here. The picture is of a worker makes adjustings before a section of a wind turbine is put into place at Energy Northwest's Nine Canyon Wind Project near Finley, WA, the kind of clean energy project the bank could help accelerate. The United States is falling behind in the space race of our generation-building long-term economic prosperity powered by low-carbon energy. China's stimulus package invests $12.6 million every hour in greening its economy, for a total of $220 billion, twice as much as similar U.S. investments. Meanwhile, during the most recent economic expansion the average American family paid more than $1,100 a year in rising energy bills for U.S. policies that favor fossil fuels.

A federal licensing panel heard arguments last week on contentions filed by several environmental groups against DTE Energy's proposed Fermi 3 nuclear plant. Both sides presented their arguments to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety Licensing Board. The $10 billion Fermi 3 project would be built at the same site as DTE's Fermi 2 facility and the decommissioned Fermi 1 plant in Frenchtown Township

"The federal regulators that are considering granting a license for DTE Energy's proposed Fermi 3 nuclear reactor have agreed to investigate quality assurance violations associated with plans for the new reactor. Last fall the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a notice of violation to DTE for failing to have a plan to ensure that work done by contractors met standards. According to the NRC, quality assurance (QA) comprises all planned and systematic actions that are necessary to provide adequate confidence that a structure, system, or component will perform satisfactorily in service. Attributes of a QA program include procedures, recordkeeping, inspections, corrective actions, and audits. In June 15 ruling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing board responded to a petition by a coalition of environmental groups by agreeing to hold a formal hearing on the issue of quality assurance violations."

"Despite scrambling in the aftermath of a real-life tornado, Monroe County emergency response officials reacted well this week to an imaginary earthquake that led to a simulated release of radioactivity from DTE Energy's Fermi 2 nuclear plant, federal observers said. It was part of a periodic, mandated emergency response drill that was held Tuesday meant to show that state and county officials could respond properly if there was a real disaster at the plant. "Our findings indicate that the State of Michigan and counties of Monroe and Wayne continue to demonstrate the capabilities to protect the health and safety of their residents living within a 10-mile radius of the plant," said Dwaine Warren, exercise director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "

"The cleanup isn't finished yet at the former Velsicol Chemical radioactive waste dump site in Bethany Township, but the project has uncovered no surprises. And no surprises is what everyone wants. When it comes to the contamination in St. Louis, the news is almost always of the worst case kind, but not this time. There is not a speck of any other type of contamination - only the low-level radiation, said Scott Cornelius, representative of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment"

"Download: Palisades Recurring Leakage (07/16/10) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) regulations (specifically Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 50) require that plant owners find and fix safety problems. At the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, there have been recurring leaks of reactor cooling water past the seals on the control rod drives. Such a leak forced operators to shut down the reactor on June 24, 2010, for yet another repair attempt. Workers have replaced the seals numerous times, trying different designs and materials. Workers have also modified and re-modified the ventilation system for the area where the control rod drive seals are located in attempts to prevent seal damage from high temperatures. As our brief describes, the Palisades' owner found it cannot fix this safety problem. This is where an effective regulator would step in. Safety regulations require safety problems to be found and fixed. The NRC must stop monitoring the repetitive failures at Palisades and take the steps necessary to ensue that the proper fix is finally found. "

As the Nuclear Regulatory Commission begins a public comment period on the permit application for a new reactor at the DTE Energy's Fermi complex in Monroe, a public health expert is warning that a rise in cancer rates in Monroe County appears to be linked to operations at the existing 1,130 megawatt nuclear reactor. In a statement submitted to the NRC at a public hearing in Monroe last week, Joseph Mangano, a public health administrator and researcher with the Radiation and Public Health Project, said that data from the Centers for Disease Control shows an increasing cancer death rate, particularly among children, since Fermi 2 became operational in the 80's.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced the opportunity to participate in the hearing on a Combined License (COL) application for a new nuclear reactor at the Fermi site in Michigan. Detroit Edison submitted its application Sept. 18, 2008, seeking a license to build and operate an Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) at the site, approximately 25 miles northeast of Toledo, Ohio. The application (minus proprietary and security-related details), is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/col/fermi.html. On Nov. 25, 2008, the NRC staff determined that the application contains sufficient information for the agency to formally "docket," or file, the application and begin its technical review. Docketing the application does not preclude additional requests for information as the review proceeds; nor does it indicate whether the Commission will issue the license. The docket number established for this application is 52-033.

Detroit Edison Company Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 3 Combined License Application Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process Detroit Edison Company (Detroit Edison) has submitted an application for a combined license (COL) to build the Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 3 (Fermi 3) at its Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant (Fermi) site, located on approximately 1,260 acres in Monroe County, Michigan, on Lake Erie, approximately 25 miles northeast of Toledo, Ohio and 30 miles southwest of Detroit, Michigan.

For some unknown reason, there's still detectable radioactive tritium in one well at the Palisades nuclear plant. Mark Savage, public affairs and communications director for Palisades, told the Van Buren County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that 13 of its monitoring wells are below the "minimal detectable activity," or MDA, for the substance. But one well still has detectable levels. "All of the 14 wells, save the one, continue to show MDA," Savage said.

About 150 braved high winds and icy roads yesterday to give the Nuclear Regulatory Commission their thoughts about a nuclear plant that DTE Energy hasn't yet decided whether to build. The $10 billion Fermi 3 construction project would be one of the largest in Michigan's history. For now, it is the only new nuclear plant considered for the Great Lakes region out of 26 under study nationally. DTE, which would put the reactor on its Fermi complex northeast of Monroe, applied Sept. 18 for the license to become eligible for $300 million to $400 million in tax credits offered by the Bush Administration's Energy Policy Act of 2005, which is providing $6 billion of incentives to build reactors. Utilities had to file by Dec. 31.