EPA Demands Terrorism Be Evaluated At Indian Point

Monday, October 29, 2007

US EPA Calls For Evaluation of Environmental Costs of Terrorist Attack

Just in over the AP, the US EPA agrees with FUSE USA that the environmental costs of a successful terrorist attack on Indian Point must be included in the SEIS. The EPA's position runs contrary to the NRC's wrongful attempts to eliminate same from any consideration in the EIS process.

NRC egregiously takes the position that Security for the plant needs to be dealt with on a ongoing, ever changing basis...we agree with that premise, but point out that Security in and of itself has nothing to do with evaluating the environmental costs should a successful terrorist attack occur. NRC chooses to ignore this very simple fact, and in ignoring this basic tenant of an Environmental Impact Study for Indian Point, they are failing to abide by the NEPA rules to evaluate all environmental impacts, no matter how GREAT, or how small.

Further, the AP story brings out another IMPORTANT ISSUE that FUSE USA has brought to the attention of the NRC. Entergy's application for a License Renewal, is not and amendment to extend their CURRENT OPERATING LICENSE, but in fact a application for a NEW LICENSE for the two facilities. Based on this simple fact, all EIS siting criteria issues should be included within the scope of the SEIS. The NRC is of the belief that the Current License Basis is sufficient to justify a GEIS (Generic Environmental Impact Statement) for almost all site specific issues. That belief will be challenged in the License Renewal Process for Indian Point.

In order for NRC to proceed toward that goal they required the resolution of legal issues regarding extensions. In January of 1989, NRC’s General Counsel issued his opinions regarding these issues, namely that the extension be accomplished via a new license rather than an amendment of the current license and that an environmental assessment would be required with either a finding of no significant impact’ or an environmental impact statement. Office of General Counsel (OGC) stated that based upon their review of case law and regulations, an antitrust review would not be required. NRC staff reached certain conclusions based upon OGC’s input and the opinions offered by other interested groups, among these, that the current licensing basis would “provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection” of the public. They determined that NRC should draft a generic environmental impact statement to be used in all renewal cases.

FUSE USA points out a glaring error in the AP story. Several news sources are reporting that the city of New York has filed a Petition to Intervene in the License Renewal hearings.

Various groups have filed lawsuits demanding hearings on the scope of the relicensing. New York City, just 30 miles south of the reactors in Buchanan, has formally requested _ without taking a position _ that it be allowed a voice in the decision.

This is what the New York Economic Development Corporation would LIKE EVERYONE TO BELIEVE. However, when said corporation was pushed on this matter in a phone conversation last week, they RELUCTANTLY admitted they are not a part of New York government, but wanted to defend their inclusion in the License Renewal process. Fact is, said corporation works closely with Mayor Bloomberg's office, but IS NOT IN ANY WAY LEGALLY A PART OF New York City government, and thus HAS NO STANDING. Much like NY AREA who is also trying to intervene, NY Economic Development Corporation is a Pro-Business, pro nuclear energy group wrongfully trying to elbow their way into the process. The NRC cannot allow Entergy, NEI and the nuclear industry to send wolves into the hen house dressed as sheep. NY AREA was originally started and funded with Entergy DOLLARS, and should have ZERO standing in the License Renewal process.

Nuclear Terrorism: Vulnerabilities & Solutions

Understanding the Nuclear Propaganda Machine's Tactics

As NEI (Nuclear Energy Institute), the NRC and the nuclear Industry try to bring us the sequal to the Friendly Atom, they are using many of the same tactics to corrupt the minds of our children in the name of a Nuclear Renaissance that were used some 50 years ago. Infiltrate classrooms, and put toys into the market place that present the atom in a friendly light. Problem is, if you go back and look at some of those old toys and presentations, you suddenly realize just how perverse the nuclear industry was then, and how perverse they are today. This is the first of numerous posts that will be launched to share these old propaganda relics used to pervert our children's minds...the NRC, and the nuclear industry must not be allowed to perpetuate the same crimes a second time. Did your parents buy you this Atomic Energy Lab? Were you a part of some perverted National Propaganda Campaign visited upon the innocent children of the 50's and 60's? Talk about MIND CONTROL.

As NRC LOWERS Fire Safety Standards, Dante's Inferno Races Towards California Reactor

The Nuclear Industry is holding their collective breath today as their worst nightmare, a reactor fire looms close on the horizon as California's Towering Inferno wildfires and their scorched earth flames consume everything in sight. Reports on the news wire say they are at least three days from bringing the fires under control, and right now said fires are burning OUT OF CONTROL a scant seven miles from the San Onofre Nuclear Reactor. Here is the story as reported on Green Nuclear Butterfly

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Dantes Inferno Rushs Toward San Onofre Nuclear Plant

As out of control fires blanket Southern California in a living hell, the citizens of America have a much larger problem they need to be worrying about. The towering inferno that is torching hundreds of homes is now less than seven miles from the San Onofre Nuclear Plant. There should be a collectively GASP as that shoe drops.

Telescope,
nuclear plant threatened

Mount Palomar, San Onofre:

Fire officials at the command center in Riverside said the Mt. Palomar fire has exploded to 20,000 acres and could threaten the famed observatory at the top, which houses one of the world's largest telescopes. They also said two fires have broken out in Camp Pendleton, the Wilcox Fire at 1,200 acres and the Ammo Fire at 350 acres. The Ammo fire has raised concerns because it is at the base of San Onofre Peak and climbing up toward an array of telecommunications equipment. The San Onofre nuclear power plant is on the other side. Chief of Operations Chief Bob Green said the governor asked him to send in air tankers to lay down water between the fire and the communications equipment.

David
Kelly

Odd that we are facing what could be a catastrophic NUCLEAR FIRE just as the NRC is attempting to LOWER SAFETY MARGINS for America's aging fleet of 104 nuclear reactors. Par for the course, the NRC is trying to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming there are no immediate risks to human health and the environment. Maybe a major news network needs to ask the NRC what the risks are going to be IF THE FIRE REACHES the reactor?

Refuting Christine Todd Whitman's Nuclear Lies

Nuclear money whore, and washed up has been politician Christine Todd Whitman who is now selling her services to the Nuclear Industry as the co-founder of NEI funded CASEnergy is out in the media spreading nuclear lies and propaganda...she launched her latest diatribe early this morning, and Nuclear Jesus found her vile filth over on the Nuke Worker site. We thought we would correct some of her bolder falsehoods here on Nuclear Jesus.

This slithering demon spawn claims in her latest drivel that Nuclear energy is clean. Claims it is the world's largest source of emission-free energy. Claims nuclear energy produces no nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. First, Nuclear Energy is NOT CLEAN. Just use Indian Point as one example. Said aging reactor site is leaking strontium 90, tritium and cesium 137 into the groundwater and the Hudson River which runs along the trouble plagued site. Additionally, nuclear is far from being EMISSIONS free, and this lying tart knows it. Lastly, if you look at the ENTIRE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE, it produces massive amounts of a host of environmental contaminants, including some of the most deadly known to mankind, and is further not a CO2 free energy source. The woman speaks with a FORKED TONGUE.

This nuclear harlot then goes on to claim that the nuclear industry accounts for all of its waste streams. Again, for convenience sake we'll use Indian Point. Right now, the site is being investigated for Tritium leaks. The licensee (Entergy) does not even know exactly where the leaks are located on the site, and therefore cannot ascertain with certainty how much radiological contamination has taken place. Further, if you get the chance, ask Christine Todd Whitman how many spent fuel rods have been removed from Commercial Reactors here in America, and stored in a licensed off site long term disposal/storage facility? Ask her about the COLLAPSING COOLING TOWERS at Vermont Yankee, or the TEPCO reactors that were wrongfully built on a Earthquake Fault, just as Indian Point was.

Not to worry, she'll assure you that all spent nuclear fuel is SAFELY stored in dry cask storage...these containers are approved for a period of 20 years. Further, ask her is she would care to discuss all the spent fuel rods in the leaking SPENT FUEL POOLS at Indian Point.

She moves on to talk about GNEP, and the reprocessing of these spent fuel rods...do yourselves a favor, and ask her if the proposed new generation of reactors (AP1000) are capable of using this fuel even if it is produced? More importantly, ask her about the FACT that GNEP basically assures that almost all of the world's NUCLEAR WASTE is going to end up RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA.

She babbles on about YUCCA as a safe place to store nuclear by products, showing her ignorance of recent studies showing the site to be UNACCEPTABLE for use...not to mention the fact that DOE is trying to build the site in sacred native Indian lands.

Her next major lie talks about defense in depth protection at nuclear plants. We will not discuss the piece of crap DBT for nuclear plants right now, but instead focus in on the NRC's attempts to greatly reduce SAFETY MARGINS for America's aging fleet of PWR reactor internals as relates to Thermal Shock...you see, they want to lower those standards for a simple reason. NONE of the PWR reactors can meet the current standards during their period of license renewal! So, rather than deny these trouble plagued reactors a license renewal, the NRC because of pressure from the nuclear industry wants to simply LOWER SAFETY STANDARDS.

HER BIGGEST LIE....nuclear is CHEAP. GNEP comes with a price tag of around $500 BILLION TAX DOLLARS. In the next two years alone, the nuclear industry wants $50 Billion in loan guarantees. The Price Anderson Act eliminates financial liability on the industry in the case of a significant accident (think Chernobyl), which means American property owners WILL LOSE EVERYTHING when the major accident occurs. So, nuclear energy is not cheap, and cannot exist without significant public financial help and sacrifice. As and American, are you willing to lose your home so that the nuclear industry can build a plant in your neighborhood? Are you willing to risk your child's health, expose them to ELEVATED cancer rates so that companies like Entergy can increase their corporate profits?

The sniveling washed up snit can spew her nuclear lies all she wants, but that does not make them true. Ask her how much she is PAID to spout nuclear propaganda to the masses, ask her how much of CASEnergy's funding is coming from the nuclear industry before you buy into her lies.

NRC and Entergy Trying To Play Grinch

Just in from the Green Nuclear Butterfly...seems the NRC has jumped the gun a bit, and gone ahead with forming a three judge panel ahead of the November 30th deadline for filing contentions in opposition to the license renewal of Entergy's Indian Point.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Sunday, October 21, 2007

NRC Names Three Judge Panel For Indian Point Application
Seems that the NRC is trying to get a jump on the judicial process related to Entergy's fatally flawed application for license renewal of the Indian Point reactors. In short, those of us seeking to intervene in the process should be prepared for some dirty tricks including a massive number of Entergy Christmas season attempts to get our contentions tossed out. We need a picture of the Grinch holding and Entergy sign.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board established for Indian Point license renewal

Washington -- A three-judge board has been established to review requests for a hearing on the license renewal application for the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan. Should a hearing regarding the application take place, the board would also conduct that proceeding.

The board is drawn from the Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Panel, which is a judicial component of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission tasked with conducting all licensing and other hearings as directed by the presidentially appointed commission that oversees the NRC.

The ASLBP operates independently of the NRC technical staff. The judges named by ASLBP Chief Administrative Judge E. Roy Hawkens to preside over the Indian Point proceeding are Lawrence McDade, who will serve as chairman; Dr. Richard Wardwell; and Dr. Kaye Lathrop.

Most boards are composed of one judge who is qualified in conducting administrative proceedings, who is a lawyer, and two judges who have technical qualifications appropriate to the issues in the proceedings, who are scientists or engineers.

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating licenses for Indian Point Units 2 and 3 expire, respectively, on Sept. 28, 2013, and Dec. 12, 2015.

Nuclear Accident We Lose Everything, But New Build Reactors Get INSURANCE

Thanks to greed, and special interest lobbying, citizens in reactor host communities are left to hold the bag if there is a nuclear accident. Thanks to the United States Congress and Senate and the Price Anderson Act, we cannot insure our homes for nuclear accidents or a terrorist act on a Nuclear Reactor. Meanwhile, if some host community OPPOSED a New Build Reactor in their neighborhood, seems our government has decided that Nuclear Companies should be insured for such UNFORTUNATE DELAYS!

Now, this is no small time insurance policy either...be one of the first two reactors in line to build a new generation of nuclear reactors, and the DOE is going to guarantee your company $500 million in insurance to offset any costs due to delay from things like LAWSUITS, and that policy is thanks TO OUR TAX DOLLARS...this is on top of the $50 BILLION in loan guarantees that groups like MUSE are now trying to stop.

US government agrees new build insurance
27 September 2007



Companies building new nuclear power plants in the USA can now qualify for a share of $2 billion in federal risk insurance, under a Conditional Agreement released by the Department of Energy (DOE).

The insurance covers costs associated with certain regulatory or litigation-related delays that, through no fault of the company, can delay plant start-up. According to the DOE, the risk insurance, authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, "provides incentive and stability in spurring construction of new nuclear power plants and meeting our energy needs in a clean, safe, economical manner."

Energy Secretary Samuel W Bodman, announcing the agreement, noted: "Conditional Agreements pave the way for risk insurance contracts that will provide the first project sponsors constructing new nuclear power plants with assistance if they face delays in expanding the use of nuclear energy across the nation."

The coverage of the government-backed risk insurance would include delays associated with regulatory reviews of inspections, tests, analyses and acceptance criteria, as well as certain delays associated with pre-operational hearings or litigation in federal, state or tribal courts. Normal business risks, such as employment strikes and weather delays, would not be covered.

Under the Energy Policy Act, the DOE is authorized to enter contracts to provide risk insurance with the first six sponsors to begin construction of new nuclear facilities and that meet all other contractual conditions. Coverage of up to $500 million will be available to the first two plants which begin construction, with up to $250 million for the next four. Application for coverage is a two-step process, with sponsors required to enter a Conditional Agreement first and then, if eligible, a risk insurance contract. The Conditional Agreement is available to any sponsor of an advanced nuclear facility once its application for a Construction and Operating Licence (COL) is docketed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). However, only the first six that are issued a COL and begin construction will be eligible for the risk insurance contract with DOE.

Water-the Ugly Truth Nuclear Does Not Want You To Look At

Death On The Horizon-Diablo Canyon Reactors

Watching CNN this morning, seems that Atlanta is all but OUT OF WATER, forced conservation enforced with $1,000 fines if you want your water back on immediately. What does that fact have to do with Nuclear Energy...perhaps, everything. Nuclear reactors, and electric production in general are the largest users of water in America right behind agriculture. In years to come conservation and protection of limited water resources is the most important issue facing our nation, our world. Nuclear plants and the electric industry must be reigned in, their water usage and raping of the environment stopped if we are going to address Global Warming, and reverse the melting of the global ice caps.

The first thing that has to be done, is every nuclear power plant has to be converted too a Closed Cooling System. Indian Point as a part of its original operating license was supposed to convert to a Closed Cooling system by 1979. Twenty-Eight years later the community around the plant is still waiting while Entergy and the NRC drag their feet, or simply ignore the issue. To understand this, to put the importance of Closed verse once through cooling of a nuclear reactor, we look at one statistic. A closed cooling system reactor is going to use close to 100 million gallons of water each and every day. Indian Point's two once through reactors use up 2.4 Billion gallons a day! Do the math for 28 years, and Indian Point by refusing to install a closed cooling system has WRONGFULLY used 28.5 trillion gallons of extra water. Think about that cold stark FACT...a trillion gallons of water is wrongfully going through Indian Point each and every year they are in operation.

Some will say, "What's the big deal?"

There are several big deals, and the biggest one is Nuclear's Thermal Discharge contributions to Global Warming. At Indian Point, that 2.4 Billion gallons of water sucked into the plant is viciously and turbulently thrown back into the Hudson River at 103-105 degrees in temperature. Ask yourselves why the NRC, and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) don't ever talk about Thermal Discharge contributions to Global Water...could it be one of those Inconvenient Truths that Al Gore keeps talking about? It does not take a significant rise in global temperatures to drastically affect global climate.

Further, the nuclear industry would have people believe that Nuclear Electric is pollution free. Not even close, and some of the industry's pollution streams are the most deadly known to mankind. Strontium, Tritium, Cesium and assorted daughter chains are contributing to elevated cancer rates in communities being forced to play host to these environmental monsters. The Nuclear Party Line...we are within allowable release criteria. Problem is, every time they cannot meet those criteria, the NRC grants a given licensee and exemption to the rules and regulations meant to protect human health and safety.

Another subject that the Nuclear Industry wants us all to ignore, is the industry's fish kills, numbering into the millions for each plant up and operating. Think about this for a moment...the National Geographic did an article some time ago wherein it was stated that 90 percent of the world's fish supplies have been fished out. If fish eggs and larvae are being killed because of impingement, thermal shock and other causes associated with the nuclear industry, those fish and larvae never grow up to replenish the world's rivers and oceans...so, not only is Nuclear Energy a major contributing source to Global Warming, but it is negatively impacting our ability to FEED THE WORLD.

Lastly, and this is germane to every electric utility in America...utility easement maintenance needlessly destroys over 100,000 mature trees each and every year because the industry refuses to employ updated technology and infrastructure improvements to eliminate 90 percent of this tree loss. This statistic is far more staggering when you realize that the utility industry does not consider a tree a tree unless it has a diameter four foot about the ground of at least six inches. Smaller than that, and no inventory is kept, the destruction written off as scrub. Trees are Mother Earth's scrubbers, help in COOLING the planet. It is time that we demand a change in electric industry standards world wide to stop this needless destruction.

The Inconvenient Truth is simple...Global Warming cannot be changed without major societal shifts in how we live our lives, without a paradigm shift in how corporations are allowed to do business. Nuclear is not GREEN, and is not the answer to Global Warming. When you look at the entire nuclear fuel cycle, factor in the nuclear industries CO2 contributions from mining through to long term disposal and storage of radioactive wastes, and you have a DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRY that visits death every where it is.