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"State House OKs moving energy council oversight OLYMPIA - The state House of Representatives voted on Monday to modify the administration and jurisdiction of the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. The bill passed 96-2, with all Mid-Columbia representatives voting in favor. House Bill 2527 transfers EFSEC from the state Department of Commerce to the Utilities and Transportation Commission, and gives the council authority to provide site certification for any commercially operated nuclear power facility. Current law allows EFSEC jurisdiction over larger-scale power plants such as Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station. Bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, said during floor debate that the bill would give the state control over siting the new generation of smaller nuclear plants as technology changes and advances. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration."

The Sept. 16 headline on Vermont Yankee is wrong. The correct version should be "Vermont Yankee Radiation Not OK." There are vast amounts of verifiable information that children are highly susceptible to radiation and the truth of this issue is that it is about health. Photos of Yankee's plant failures are scary and the thought of 20 years added on to this plant's existence is not good. Waste from nuclear power plants is dangerous. Where does it go? Vermont Yankee presents many dangers now and in the future and is a risk not worth taking. Renewable energy is possible and practical.

The Sept. 16 headline on Vermont Yankee is wrong. The correct version should be "Vermont Yankee Radiation Not OK." There are vast amounts of verifiable information that children are highly susceptible to radiation and the truth of this issue is that it is about health. Photos of Yankee's plant failures are scary and the thought of 20 years added on to this plant's existence is not good. Waste from nuclear power plants is dangerous. Where does it go? Vermont Yankee presents many dangers now and in the future and is a risk not worth taking. Renewable energy is possible and practical.

The Vermont Public Service Board should not have given the OK for the storage of spent nuclear fuel produced by Vermont Yankee on the banks of the Connecticut River, according to a report that was discussed Monday in the Statehouse in Montpelier. Testimony that was given during hearings conducted by the PSB were "affected by insufficient data to have reached a conclusion of acceptability of the site and granting of a permit," stated William Steinhurst, who holds a Ph.D. in geology. Steinhurst presented the report on behalf of Synapse Energy Economics, which hired Prof. Michael Wilson of SUNY-Fredonia to evaluate the geological characteristics of the plant's spent fuel storage site. The Public Service Board issued a certificate of public good in 2006 allowing Entergy, which owns and operates Yankee, to store nuclear waste in dry casks on a concrete pad just to the north of the plant's reactor building.

The Vermont Public Service Board should not have given the OK for the storage of spent nuclear fuel produced by Vermont Yankee on the banks of the Connecticut River, according to a report that was discussed Monday in the Statehouse in Montpelier. Testimony that was given during hearings conducted by the PSB were "affected by insufficient data to have reached a conclusion of acceptability of the site and granting of a permit," stated William Steinhurst, who holds a Ph.D. in geology. Steinhurst presented the report on behalf of Synapse Energy Economics, which hired Prof. Michael Wilson of SUNY-Fredonia to evaluate the geological characteristics of the plant's spent fuel storage site. The Public Service Board issued a certificate of public good in 2006 allowing Entergy, which owns and operates Yankee, to store nuclear waste in dry casks on a concrete pad just to the north of the plant's reactor building.

Controlled Ottawa River leak OK, AECL says Nuclear facilities and power plants are contaminating Canadian food and water with radioactive waste that increases risks of cancer and birth defects, says a new report to be released today. The report, Tritium on Tap, produced by the Sierra Club of Canada, warned that radioactive emissions from various nuclear plants across the country have more than doubled over the past decade. The figures were based on statistics compiled by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which measured pollution coming from the plants.

Controlled Ottawa River leak OK, AECL says Nuclear facilities and power plants are contaminating Canadian food and water with radioactive waste that increases risks of cancer and birth defects, says a new report to be released today. The report, Tritium on Tap, produced by the Sierra Club of Canada, warned that radioactive emissions from various nuclear plants across the country have more than doubled over the past decade. The figures were based on statistics compiled by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which measured pollution coming from the plants.

"SEAWAY CARGO: Canadian plant awaits OK for its shipping plan By JAEGUN LEE TIMES STAFF WRITER WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010 ARTICLE OPTIONS A A A print this article e-mail this article A Canadian nuclear power station is planning to ship 16 decommissioned radioactive steam generators through the St. Lawrence Seaway this September. And although the company's application is pending the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's approval, the idea of having nuclear waste traveling on Lake Huron, through the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway is raising concerns among the region's environmental groups. "Do we have the capability to handle a nuclear accident? I'm not sure if we're prepared for it," said Jennifer J. Caddick, executive director of Save the River, Clayton. "But the bigger issue here is transparency. There are a ton of questions that need to be answered.""

The Department of Energy has given its preliminary approval to a massive Oak Ridge cleanup campaign that could cost as much as $14.5 billion over 20 years. DOE announced today that Jim Rispoli, the federal agency's assistant secretary for environmental management, had signed papers for Critical Decision-1 - a major step in moving the project forward and setting the stage for seeking congressional appropriations for the work.

Federal regulators ruled Thursday that a radioactive waste storage plan can go forward at a California nuclear power plant without further study of whether it's safe from terror attacks. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 to deny the novel objection from the activist group San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, which had won a federal court ruling forcing NRC to consider its arguments. The decision OKs PG&E's plans to store spent nuclear fuel in aboveground casks at its Diablo Canyon power plant near San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The Parti-Quebecois is demanding an explanation from Hydro-Quebec on its plans to overhaul the Gentilly-2 nuclear-power-plant in Becancour. It wants Hydro to appear before a parliamentary committee to justify the plan. The PQ says the studies that prompted Hydro and the Charest government to OK the project should have been made public when they announced the 2-billion dollar renovation.

Agency gives OK to some Area 51 workers seeking compensation In 1998, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy were keeping mum about the secret work that went on at Area 51, a widely known Air Force installation near the northeast corner of the Nevada Test Site. That year, the U.S. Supreme Court turned away an appeal by former Area 51 workers who claimed that they were made sick and that co-workers had died from exposure to toxic fumes from stealth coatings burned in open trenches near the Groom Lake base, 90 miles north of Las Vegas. The site was used to test high-tech aircraft.

Entergy Corp. has received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to spin off its Pilgrim nuclear power plant and four other plants. The agency's approval of the license transfer for the power plants took effect on Monday. The plants would be owned by a new public company, Enexus Energy Corp., and operated by a new joint venture known as EquaGen Nuclear LLC and owned by Enexus and Entergy.

The U.S. government spent billions and billions of dollars (OK, I know that doesn't sound like much these days) enriching uranium for the nation's arsenal of nuclear weapons, and so where does the money go as the Dept. of Energy carries out plans to downblend the surplus stocks of bomb-grade stuff and otherwise divest itself of uranium supplies? Well, that kind of depends. In the DOE report, "Excess Uranium Inventory Management Plan," which was released in December, there's an appendix that deals with legal aspects of uranium sales and the money trail.

NSTS Radiography One Stop Workshop for the Southwest Region The NRC and the State of TX are hosting an NSTS Radiography One Stop Workshop for the Southwest Region (TX, OK, LA). The one day workshop is scheduled for September 9th! If you plan on attending, and have not done so already, please RSVP to Chris Myers by August 14th. See our flyer PDF Icon exit icon and the workshop agenda PDF Icon for details. Also, we will have many resources available to help you in any phase of the credentialing process for obtaining online access to NSTS. Reporting to NSTS online is fast and easy, and it all starts with your enrollment online at http://pki.nrc.gov/. Select the link for the Digital Certificate Center. Select the links for New Request and select Continue to access the online enrollment form. When completing the online enrollment form, make sure you enter your name EXACTLY as it appears on your driver's license. Also, when entering company name, make sure you enter the full legal name of your company. If you have questions about the online enrollment, please contact the NSTS Help Desk! They are here to help: Toll Free 1-877-671-6787 or via email at NSTS.Help@nrc.gov

A former member of the oversight panel that reviewed the results of an audit of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon was asked Wednesday to keep an eye on measures taken by power plant engineers to address issues raised in the audit. Arnie Gundersen, who calls himself a nuclear safety advocate, agreed to spend three days per month monitoring the progress of those engineers on behalf of the Vermont state Legislature. Entergy, which owns and operates Vermont Yankee, has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend Yankee's operating license for 20 more years. The current license expires in 2012. In addition to NRC approval, Entergy must also get the OK from the Vermont Legislature and the state's Public Service Board. The audit, which was conducted by Nuclear Safety Associates, was meant to inform the Legislature's and the PSB's decisions.

The Star's story "$500 million Honeywell project gets final OK" (4/7, Business) neglected to mention a crucial detail regarding plans to close the existing government-owned Kansas City plant and construct a $600 million privately developed industrial park to produce parts for nuclear weapons. The General Services and National Nuclear Security Administrations, the two federal agencies involved in the complex $1.2 billion, 20-year lease-back scheme, are being sued by a coalition of regional and national organizations and local citizens because they have pursued this project without first meeting their obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In similar cases, courts have told government agencies they must start all over again because they decided upon a course of action before doing appropriate NEPA review.

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.

More than 25 years after Oklahoma's only nuclear power plant proposal ended in failure, state lawmakers are touting nuclear power as an alternative energy source with legislation that would streamline the state permitting process for a nuclear plant and give utilities new incentives to build one. The proposed Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant near Inola was the focus of citizen protests and legal battles before it was abandoned in 1982, and nuclear power is again running into opposition in the state. But this time safety is not the central issue in the debate. It's the enormous cost that has most people concerned.

"President Obama has called for a new generation of nuclear-power plants. But when he abandoned plans to store the nation's nuclear waste in Nevada's Yucca Mountain, he effectively forced states eager to break ground on reactors to accept the idea of keeping that waste within their borders-not a popular idea since the Three Mile Island meltdown. But could Kentucky become home to an alternative? Its state Senate recently approved a bill that would OK nuclear-waste storage. And Kerri Richardson, a spokeswoman for Gov. Steve Beshear, says storing other states' waste "would certainly attract a lot of interest from our administration." For a coal-rich area without an existing plant, Kentucky's openness is a sign, say energy analysts, that anxiety about waste storage is waning. It's "a tipping point," says Vanderbilt professor Charles Powers, an expert on nuclear-waste solutions. Still, don't expect resistance to end overnight: Kentucky's bill could die in the House, as did two previous versions. But if this isn't the year the state's nuclear future arrives, Beshear says he won't be deterred."

The U.S. House voted Wednesday to ban importing foreign low-level radioactive waste and block an attempt by EnergySolutions to bring tons of it from Italy to Utah. It voted 309-112 for a bill pushed by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., to bar such foreign waste, which includes lab coats, shoe coverings and cleaning cloths from nuclear power plants. EnergySolutions has proposed to process 20,000 tons of Italian waste in Tennessee and dump it in Utah. The bill now goes to the Senate. Matheson and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, voted for the bill. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was with Utah students touring Virginia and missed the vote but has spoken against it previously. He was once a state lobbyist for EnergySolutions and received about $26,000 from the company's political action committee and employees for his 2008 election and $5,000 this year.

The U.S. House voted Wednesday to ban importing foreign low-level radioactive waste and block an attempt by EnergySolutions to bring tons of it from Italy to Utah. It voted 309-112 for a bill pushed by Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., to bar such foreign waste, which includes lab coats, shoe coverings and cleaning cloths from nuclear power plants. EnergySolutions has proposed to process 20,000 tons of Italian waste in Tennessee and dump it in Utah. The bill now goes to the Senate. Matheson and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, voted for the bill. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was with Utah students touring Virginia and missed the vote but has spoken against it previously. He was once a state lobbyist for EnergySolutions and received about $26,000 from the company's political action committee and employees for his 2008 election and $5,000 this year.

"On Sunday, Entergy Vermont Yankee electronically filed a document with the Vermont Public Service Board detailing the extent of buried piping at the nuclear power plant in Vernon. The list was in response to a recent controversy over whether Yankee executives supplied adequate information about buried piping to the PSB and Nuclear Safety Associates, which was tasked with conducting a reliability assessment of the power plant. Entergy has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating license of Yankee for another 20 years, from 2012 to 2032. In addition to NRC approval, Entergy must also receive a certificate of public good from the Public Service Board and the OK from the Vermont Legislature. The list encompasses more than 40 buried or subsurface pipes and systems, which Entergy executives and plant staff had previously said did not exist. "

"Is it OK if I talk about something besides health-care reform now? I know we're all fixated on the fate of President Obama's signature mission, but surely we can agree that his newly announced bid to build more nuclear power plants is worth a thousand words. The politics alone are fascinating. Not that long ago, any Democratic president daring to fly a "More Nukes" banner would have been fried by his own base. Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and the Boss would have plugged in for a protest concert, just as they did for the "No Nukes" show in '79. But Obama's request for $54 billion in federal loan guarantees, and his State of the Union pitch for "a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants," have barely moved the ire meter. Some environmentalists are unhappy - for good reason. But this isn't like the old days, when the accident at Three Mile Island sowed public hysteria, and a Jane Fonda film, The China Syndrome, did boffo box office by painting nuclear-industry leaders as reckless plutocrats. Today, most grassroots Democrats believe our first priority should be combating global warming by cutting carbon dioxide emissions, and it just so happens that nuclear plants don't emit that greenhouse gas."