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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on its evaluation of the environmental impacts of issuing a Combined License (COL) for a third nuclear reactor at the North Anna site in Louisa County, Va., about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. The preliminary evaluation is contained in NUREG-1917, "Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Combined License for North Anna Nuclear Power Station Unit 3." The draft report supplements the EIS developed for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at North Anna. The staff issued the North Anna ESP in November 2007, resolving many environmental issues related to the impacts of a potential additional reactor at the site. The latest evaluation focuses on additional environmental impact information contained in Dominion's COL application. The NRC staff also considered public input gathered during an earlier comment period, including at a public meeting on April 16, 2008. The NRC will discuss the latest evaluation in a public meeting Tuesday, Feb. 3 in Mineral, Va., and will accept written comments until March 20.

Dominion Virginia Power shut down one of its two nuclear reactors at its North Anna power station Friday because of what the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission later deemed "an unusual event." Unit 1 remained shut down this morning. Unit 2 at North Anna, about 45 miles northwest of Richmond along Lake Anna in Louisa County, continued to operate at full power today. The Richmond-based utility notified the NRC one hour after the incident occurred Friday and later told the federal agency it had also notified the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. There was no indication whether local authorities in Louisa or any other surrounding counties had been notified by the utility.

Dominion Virginia Power shut down one of its two nuclear reactors at its North Anna power station Friday because of what the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission later deemed "an unusual event." Unit 1 remained shut down this morning. Unit 2 at North Anna, about 45 miles northwest of Richmond along Lake Anna in Louisa County, continued to operate at full power today. The Richmond-based utility notified the NRC one hour after the incident occurred Friday and later told the federal agency it had also notified the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. There was no indication whether local authorities in Louisa or any other surrounding counties had been notified by the utility.

A Richmond court's revocation of a water permit key to operating the North Anna nuclear power station may delay construction of a third nuclear reactor, environmental groups claimed yesterday. Judge Margaret Spencer of Richmond Circuit Court ruled on Friday that Dominion Virginia Power's water-quality permit violates the federal Clean Water Act and remanded the permit to the Virginia State Water Control Board for review. The permit allows the power company to dump heated water from its North Anna power station into cooling lagoons at Lake Anna.

The most recent shutdown of a nuclear reactor at Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna Power Station also involved the accidental discharge of tens of thousands of gallons of cooling water into Lake Anna. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday's shutdown of Unit 2, caused by an electrical malfunction, also prompted the discharge of what was originally thought to be up to 59,500 gallons of cooling water into the Louisa County lake. The NRC said Dominion Virginia Power told the agency that it later appeared that the amount of discharge was actually closer to 35,000 gallons. Dominion Virginia Power also told the NRC that the lake water was tested after the discharge and was found to be within government-approved limits.

The most recent shutdown of a nuclear reactor at Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna Power Station also involved the accidental discharge of tens of thousands of gallons of cooling water into Lake Anna. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday's shutdown of Unit 2, caused by an electrical malfunction, also prompted the discharge of what was originally thought to be up to 59,500 gallons of cooling water into the Louisa County lake. The NRC said Dominion Virginia Power told the agency that it later appeared that the amount of discharge was actually closer to 35,000 gallons. Dominion Virginia Power also told the NRC that the lake water was tested after the discharge and was found to be within government-approved limits.

In a move that could affect its plans for a third nuclear reactor at North Anna Power Station, Dominion power is exploring options for another design. Dominion has been unable to reach an agreement with GE Hitachi on an engineering, procurement and construction agreement allowing Dominion to move ahead with Unit 3 at its plant on Lake Anna. Dominion nuclear operations spokesman Richard Zuercher said yesterday that time is the issue. "Our timeline to move forward to have a new unit operating at North Anna is between 2016 and 2018, and we have no agreement that gets us to that point," Zuercher said. He said that Dominion will seek out other vendors for an advanced reactor that can be licensed and built under that timeline.

Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC; North Anna Esp Site, Early Site Permit ESP-003; Notice of Consideration of Approval of Transfer of Early Site Permit and Conforming Amendment and Opportunity for a Hearing

The recent ruling of the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond was short and to the point: "Virginia law requires regulation of Dominion's thermal pollution discharge because the exception for waste treatment simply doesn't apply here." With this ruling, a decades-old viola tion of the law was ended. The impact of the decision could benefit the many thousands of people who use Lake Anna annually. Dominion's permit violated the law. In 2007 the Virginia Water Control Board approved a permit for Dominion Virginia Power to discharge hot water from its North Anna nuclear power plant into Lake Anna. The permit was illegal for several reasons.

An environmental group is hailing a judge's ruling on a disputed water permit for North Anna Power Station. Meanwhile, Dominion power, which owns the nuclear plant on Lake Anna in Louisa County, says it will appeal the decision Friday by Richmond Circuit Court Judge Margaret Spencer. Though both sides are awaiting a written ruling, Spencer sided with the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's contention that the plant's waste heat treatment facility should be subject to the federal Clean Water Act. Since the plant began operating in the late 1970s, Dominion has contended that the lagoon where heated water from the plant's two reactors is cooled is a waste facility and not a water impoundment. The lagoon, on which there are houses and boat docks, is also known as the lake's hot side. Water from the hot side eventually drains back into the main lake through a dike.

State, local and Dominion Virginia Power officials will test their ability next week to handle a nuclear emergency at the utility's North Anna Power Station. Localities within 50 miles of the Louisa County plant, including Richmond and neighboring counties, will participate in the drill Tuesday and Wednesday.

Civil Disobedience in Lake Anna, VA is only the beginning of the end of the dirty, lethal nuclear power plant push in the US. What follows is a compilation of information about resistance efforts at North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in VA. Thinking about this bold action certainly gives one pause to consider... What might it actually *take* to stop the increased toxic, radioactive poisoning and contamination of America? Deep down in my gut, I strongly suspect heartfelt letters and petitions addressed to corporate and federal nukers alone just ain't gonna cut it. The NRC is going gung-ho in re-licensing these reactors way past their "useful" [sic] lives, and there are no indications at all that all 34 new reactor applications, with many more on the horizon, given the proper financing... won't also be slid on through.

"An environmental group lost the latest round in a court fight over a disputed water permit for North Anna Power Station. The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled this week that the State Water Control Board's 2007 renewal of a Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit was appropriate. In February, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Margaret Spencer sided with the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's contention that the plant's waste heat treatment facility should be subject to the federal Clean Water Act. Since the plant began operating in the late 1970s, Dominion has contended that the lagoon, where heated water from the plant's two reactors is cooled, is a waste facility and not a water impoundment. The lagoon, ringed by houses and boat docks, is also known as the lake's hot side. Water from the hot side eventually drains back into the main lake through a dike."

Six anti-nuclear power protesters were arrested at the North Anna power plant's visitor center yesterday after refusing to leave at its closing time. Richard Zuercher, a spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power, said about 25 protesters showed up at the visitor's center near Mineral in Louisa County at about 2:30 p.m.

Three anti-nuclear protestors who were previously convicted of trespassing at Lake Anna Power Station's visitor center won an appeal in Louisa Circuit Court this morning and were resentenced on new charges. Three anti-nuclear protestors who were previously convicted of trespassing at Lake Anna Power Station's visitor center won an appeal in Louisa Circuit Court this morning and were resentenced on new charges. John "Jack" Maus, who represented all three protesters, appealed a lower court's conviction and sentence on grounds that the charges alleged a violation of county code, when in fact they should have been based on a violation of state law because the plant sits on private property.

Dominion Power wants to generate more electricity from nuclear power in Virginia. But the proposed expansion of a nuclear plant 60 miles northwest of Richmond has generated safety and environmental concerns among nearby residents. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public hearing Feb. 3 on the proposed addition of a third reactor at the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in Louisa County. Opponents were present to voice their objections. "We are obviously opposed to a third reactor on Lake Anna," said Louis Zeller, science director for Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. "We have our problems with the first two reactors. Adding a third reactor is a situation which puts extreme stress on the resources that is the lake." Zeller said officials should consider another factor: The reactor's site is on a seismically active fault line.

Dominion Resources Inc (D.N) has been unable to reach an agreement with GE Hitachi to pursue development of a new nuclear plant in Virginia, a spokesman said on Friday. Jim Norvelle said Dominion has decided to open a competitive bidding process to select a new engineering, procurement and construction partner for a proposed single new reactor at the North Anna nuclear station in Virginia.

Three more anti-nuclear protesters were convicted yesterday for trespassing last month at the North Anna Power Station visitor center. Paxus Calta, an activist, described in Louisa County General District Court as the "ringleader," was sentenced yesterday to two weeks in jail. He's appealing the conviction. The two other protesters, Spot Etal and Sue Frankel-Streit, were fined $250 each. Instead of jail time, they will be allowed to complete 40 hours of community service. All three were banned from entering property of the plant's owner, Dominion power, for two years. About 20 supporters gathered with signs outside the Louisa courthouse.

Dominion Virginia Power is seeking a federal loan guarantee for the construction of a third nuclear reactor at the North Anna Power Station. The company announced yesterday that it had filed an application with the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE loan guarantee program was created in 2005 to help finance the first wave of new commercial reactors in the United States.

Virginia Electric And Power Company, D/B/A Dominion Virginia Power, and Old Dominion Electric Cooperative North Anna Nuclear Station Unit 3 Combined License Application; Correction and Supplement to Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Scoping Process

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should revisit some of the environmental aspects of Dominion's plan for a third reactor at North Anna Power Station. That was the suggestion of several speakers at a well-attended public information session by the agency Wednesday night at Louisa County High School.

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed an environmental impact study for Dominion's proposed third nuclear reactor at its North Anna Power Station in central Virginia and concludes there are no environmental impacts that would preclude its construction. Dominion applied for a license to construct and operate the reactor in November 2007. The NRC has been conducting its review since April 2008. It is just one step in the approval process, which still requires a safety review and a hearing by the NRC's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, which is not expected until at least 2011."