Group items tagged

Both TMI and Peach Bottom have faced tritium-related problems in the past. Tritium leaks discovered at two nuclear-powered plants across the nation have contributed to a review by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on how the federal agency may improve its approach in dealing with groundwater contamination. A weak radioactive isotope that occurs both naturally and during the operation of nuclear power plants, tritium is most commonly found in water, and it leaves the body quickly when ingested."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced today that it is only giving Exelon Nuclear a slap on the wrist for the security vulnerabilities caused by sleeping guards at its Peach Bottom nuclear power plant. POGO is concerned that the proposed $65,000 civil penalty does not send a very loud message to other power plants about the need to implement new work hour rules that ensure security personnel remain capable of safely performing their duties. In fact, the proposed fine probably doesn't even come close to covering the cost of NRC's investigation into the matter. We recommend a serious revamping of the fee structure to provide a real deterrent when licensees violate NRC requirements.

Nodding off A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision last week is another blow to efforts to build greater public trust in nuclear power as an alternative to the nation's expensive appetite for foreign oil. The NRC proposed a paltry $65,000 fine against the owner of Peach Bottom nuclear plant, where investigators found that security guards routinely napped on the job. The NRC last year issued a color-coded "white" finding - a low-to-moderate safety violation - for the incident. The agency's actions seem more like a slap on the wrist for Chicago-based Exelon, rather than a strong message about safety and accountability. Exelon says it plans to pay the fine for the NRC's findings, which were confirmed by its internal investigation at the York County nuclear power facility.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission violated its own rules when it asked the owner of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station to investigate a 2007 complaint that security guards were sleeping on the job. That was the conclusion in a report by the NRC's internal Office of Inspector General, which reviewed the agency's handling of security officer Kerry Beal's allegation that members of his security team routinely slept on the job. Among the findings in the report, companies that operate the plants should not be asked to investigate themselves when the allegations concern management.

When a whistle-blower told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2007 that guards at the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station were sleeping on the job, the agency told the plant's owner to investigate even though the accusation involved company managers. Having the plant's owner, Exelon, and its security provider, Wackenhut Corp., investigate themselves was a mistake, according to a report by the NRC's Office of Inspector General. By asking the companies to handle it themselves, the agency's Region 1 office in King of Prussia violated its own rules, the report states.

A former reactor operator at the Peach Bottom nuclear plant deliberately failed to report a drunk-driving arrest, according to an investigation by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In a second apparent violation of nuclear requirements, the NRC said a former maintenance supervisor at the plant who was given unescorted access privileges failed to report that he had been dishonorably discharged from the military. A letter noting the apparent violations was sent to Peach Bottom owner Exelon on June 5. Both alleged violations followed probes by the NRC's Office of Investigations. In the investigation of the reactor operator, the NRC said it was determined the operator deliberately failed to promptly report his drunk-driving arrest and criminal charges as required.

Levels of tritium six times higher than federal standards were identified at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Delta earlier this week. Exelon Nuclear reported Friday that tritium had been discovered in a localized area on the nuclear plant's property by plant workers performing environmental monitoring. The tritium, which at high levels has been linked to cancer, was identified Wednesday from a sample taken Monday. The highest sample concentration showed tritium levels of approximately 123,000 picocuries per liter of water, a news release from Exelon said. A picocurie is one-trillionth of a curie, a measurement of radioactivity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standards allow no more than 20,000 picocuries per liter in the environment. "This is not a public or employee health and safety issue, but we are committed to being open about the status of our plant operations," Peach Bottom site vice president Bill Maguire said in the news release.