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Alert: Send comments to the NRC on expanding evacuation zones to 15 miles around reactors

Thanks to everyone who contacted the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) and their Members of Congress two weeks ago, urging an extension of DOE's public comment period on its proposed weakening of taxpayer protections in its nuclear loan guarantee program. Under pressure from concerned citizens and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), DOE extended the comment deadline from Sept. 8th to Sept. 22nd. Now we must take advantage of this extension to get our comments in! DOE's most clearly outrageous proposal is to give up its "first lien" in the event of a new reactor loan repayment default. This would mean that taxpayers would be placed behind other lenders, such as foreign export-import banks, in terms of receiving compensation. Thus, taxpayers likely would not be compensated at all, but rather left holding the bag for billions when a new reactor or uranium enrichment facility goes belly up. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted, based on the nuclear industry's history, that well over half of all new reactors could default on their loans. Taxpayers' liability for dozens of new reactor loan guarantees could reach into the hundreds of billions of dollars. DOE's rule change would increase, not decrease, taxpayer risk.

For years, the Hunters Point Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board has served as the Bayview-Hunters Point community's main voice in the U.S. Navy's environmental cleanup plans for the toxic former naval station. But the committee is suddenly being disbanded just as the cleanup enters a crucial phase. Used for shipbuilding and submarine maintenance and repair, and the decontamination, storage, and disposal of radioactive and atomic weapons testing materials, the shipyard was added to the Superfund national toxic site cleanup list in 1989. But it is also at the heart of where Mayor Gavin Newsom has partnered with Lennar Corp. on the city's biggest development proposal, involving 10,500 homes and a new stadium for the 49ers. As the Navy prepares to release a series of important studies and reports concerning the cleanup of the dirtiest parcels on the former shipyard, community members were outraged by the Navy's announcement in late May that it is preparing to dissolve the RAB in the next 30 days.

Gary Gilmartin, executive director of the Oak Ridge Energy Parks Initiative, is the speaker at the June 25 membership meeting of ETEBA (Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association). According to info distributed by ETEBA, Gilmartin will speak on the Tennessee Valley Nuclear Energy Coalition, a partnership of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, ORNL, Y-12 and TVA. "The partners plan to make the Tennessee Valley Corridor a center of excellence for nuclear research, technology and power generation," the ETEBA release said. Gilmartin, in his role as executive director of the Energy Parks Initiative, is working with CROET to develop a pilot energy park in Oak Ridge.

Notice of Extension of Public Comment Period for the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Decommissioning and/or Long- Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center, DOE/EIS-0226D (Revised) AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of extension of public comment period. SUMMARY: This notice announces an extension of the public comment period initially published in the December 5, 2008 Notice of Availability (73 FR 74160) for the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center [DOE/EIS-0226-D (Revised)] (referred to as the ``Draft Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship EIS'' or ``Draft EIS.''). The comment period will now close on September 8, 2009.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its proposed cleanup plan for the Northeast Churchrock Mine, kicking off a 30-day public comment period. Two public meetings to discuss the cleanup alternatives will be held at Pinedale Chapter House on June 23 and July 7. Both are scheduled 6-8 p.m. EPA's preference for addressing potential exposure risks from radium- and uranium-contaminated soils is to move all the contaminated waste material from the mine to an existing disposal cell at the United Nuclear Corp. mill site or to a newly constructed cell at the UNC mill facility. Any cell would be lined and capped and would receive long-term monitoring.

Public Land Order No. 7734; Withdrawal and Transfer of Jurisdiction of Public Land for the Department of Energy Crescent Junction Uranium Mill Tailings Repository; Utah AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Public Land Order. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This order withdraws approximately 936 acres of public land from the United States mining and mineral leasing laws and transfers jurisdiction to the Department of Energy for a period of 20 years for ancillary facilities at its Crescent Junction Uranium Mill Tailings Repository.

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH or Advisory Board), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), and pursuant to the requirements of 42 CFR 83.15(a), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announces the following meeting of the aforementioned committee: Board Public Meeting Times and Dates: (All times are Eastern Time): 1:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m., July 27, 2009. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., July 28, 2009. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., July 29, 2009. Public Comment Times And Dates: (All times are Eastern Time): 7 p.m.-8 p.m., July 27, 2009. 5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m., July 28, 2009.

A nationwide effort to keep nuclear power plants safe from terrorist attack, among other things, will be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are holding a total of six hearings around the country to allow the public to ask questions about proposed changes to emergency preparedness requirements for both new and existing power plants. Both are considering new regulations.

On December 18, 2008, the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) submitted a Policy Issue Notation Vote Commission Paper, SECY-08-0197, requesting approval to revise the agency's radiation protection regulations and guidance to achieve greater alignment with the 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP Publication 103). [The NRC's Synopsis of ICRP Publication 103, which is available through the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), discusses the broad implications of the new recommendations.] Specifically, the revisions proposed to achieve alignment would affect the regulatory framework provided by Title 10, Part 20, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 20), "Standards for Protection Against Radiation"; 10 CFR Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities"; and Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50, "Numerical Guides for Design Objectives and Limiting Conditions for Operation to Meet the Criterion 'As Low as is Reasonably Achievable' for Radioactive Material in Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor Effluents." The Commission subsequently accepted the staff's recommendation through the related Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM-SECY-08-0197), dated April 2, 2009, instructing the staff to immediately begin engagement with stakeholders and interested parties to initiate development of the technical basis for possible revision of the NRC's radiation protection regulations, as appropriate and where scientifically justified, to achieve greater alignment with the 2007 ICRP recommendations. In addition, the staff will seek to identify the scope of any warranted conforming changes in other parts of the 10 CFR regulations.

The NRC is seeking comments on a proposed rule, published in today's Federal Register, that would change emergency preparedness requirements for operating nuclear power plants, for those that might be licensed and built in the future, and for research and test reactors. The proposed rule would limit the duties of a plant's onsite emergency responders to ensure they are not overburdened during an emergency event, and require specific provisions to protect them and other plant personnel during a hostile action event. In addition, the proposed rule would require all nuclear power plants to incorporate hostile action scenarios in their drills and exercises, which currently primarily focus on nuclear-related scenarios. New requirements for back-up measures for alerting and notification systems are also included in the proposed rule. The NRC has held several public meetings while developing the proposed rule and will be holding additional public meetings at six locations over the next several weeks. At these meetings, hosted jointly by the NRC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), staff from both agencies will be available to answer questions about the proposed regulations and draft guidance. The first meeting will be held in the Philadelphia, Pa., area on June 2, 2009. Attendees are strongly encouraged to read the documents on http://www.regulations.gov (Docket Nos. NRC-2008-0122 and FEMA-2008-0022) before the meeting. After reviewing all public comments, the NRC staff plans to submit a proposed final rule to the Commission in February 2010.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking input from "potential parties" before proceeding with EnergySolutions' application for a license to import up to 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy. The order was sent to today to the parties, including those who petitioned for a public hearing on the license application, following last week's ruling by a Federal Court that determine that the Northwest Compact has no authority to restrict out-of-region waste sent to the EnergySolutions landfill at Clive, Utah. The NRC had held the license proceedings in abeyance pending that ruling, and now is asking parties for their views on how the commission should proceed. They have until June 19 to file their views with the commission. The filings should be no longer than 15 pages, the order said. The potential parties include the Utah attorney general, the U.S. State Department, the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and others.

The NRC has extended the public comment period for a proposed rule on emergency preparedness requirements from 75 to 150 days. The proposed rule, including associated guidance documents, would change emergency preparedness requirements for currently operating nuclear power plants, for those that might be licensed and built in the future, and for operating research and test reactors. Several stakeholders had requested that the comment period be extended based on the extensive nature of the proposed rule and guidance changes, and the need for additional time to evaluate the impact of these changes on their emergency preparedness programs. The proposed rule would limit the duties of a plant's onsite emergency responders to ensure they are not overburdened during an emergency event, and require specific provisions to protect them and other plant personnel during a hostile-action event. In addition, the proposed rule would require all nuclear power plants to incorporate hostile-action scenarios in their drills and exercises, which currently primarily focus on nuclear-related scenarios. New requirements for back-up measures for alerting and notification systems are also included in the proposed rule.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold two public meetings May 19 in Wilmington, N.C., to seek comments about specific issues that should be addressed in its environmental review of a proposed uranium enrichment facility. The meetings will be held at the Warwick Center, Ballroom 1, at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, from 1 to 4 p.m., and 7 to 10 p.m. NRC staff members will be available for an hour prior to each meeting to speak informally to members of the public. General Electric-Hitachi Global Laser Enrichment, LLC, (GLE) submitted the environmental report Jan. 30, as one part of an application for a 40-year license to construct and operate a laser-based uranium enrichment facility at the existing General Electric/Global Nuclear Fuels-Americas site near Wilmington. GLE has indicated it intends to file the rest of its application - pertaining to safety aspects of the facility - by the end of June.

The nuke power industry is back at the public trough for the fourth time in two years demanding $50 billion in loan guarantees to build new reactors. Its rust-bucket poster child is now the ancient clunker at Oyster Creek, whose visible New Jersey rust and advanced radioactive decay are A-OK with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which just gave it a twenty-year license extension. The industry's savior may be France, whose taxpayer-funded EdF and Areva Corporations may be poised to build their own reactors on US soil using French and American taxpayer money. And President Obama's first big test on nuke power may be how he fills a vacancy---and the chair---at the NRC.