ML20132E162

Press Release Newsletter Highlights of NRC-related News Articles for 961218 & 19

ML20132E162
Person / Time
Issue date:	12/19/1996
From:	NRC OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OPA)
To:
References
PR-961219, NUDOCS 9612230101
Download: ML20132E162 (2)

Text

,

/

1

'o / \

- N l

\^?glC'\

' ; w &,- )

c;'c-(

fps bs Df.fibe?afm!Phblibi4f..fsirs! ' '

. m _ mm _- m ~. ,

,(s<s/ x ,

&- In the News Today... December 19,1996 l

j l

LONDON - Entergy Corp., based in New Orleans, has agreed to acquire London Electricity PLC, Britain's eighth largest utility, for about $2.1 billion. The Wall Street Journal, (p. A3); Ihe  ;

New York Times, (p. DS), 12/19. '

WASHINGTON - As expected, the Federal Energy Regulatory ,

Commission Wednesday issued revised guidelines for reviewing proposed electric utility mergers. They are the most sweeping I such changes in 30 years. The Washincton Post, (p. E3); The New  !

York Times, (p. D1) , 12/19.

Western Resources Ltd., a Kansas utility, has made a hostile $2.8  !

billion takeover bid for ADT Ltd., the nation's biggest provider 1 of home alarm systems. Western already owns 27 percent of ADT. j The Wall Street Journal, (p. A3); The New York Times, (p. D4), i 12/19. l 1

Senators James Exon and Bob Kerrey of Nebraska have asked the l Department of Energy to explain why a shipment of nuclear weapons was routed through Nebraska during an ice storm a month ago, when a tractor-trailer hauling them skidded off a two-lane road. DOE  ;

refuses to confirm the cargo, but it is believed to have been en '

route from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to the Pantex plant l near Amarillo, Texas. The New York Times, (p. A23) , 12/19. l WATERFORD, CONN. - Northeast Utilities' announcement that it is pushing an aggressive restart schedule for its Millstone units puts increased pressure on the NRC, which will have to step up its inspection process. The Day (New London, Conn.), (p. B1),

12/19.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Energy on Tuesday formally l notified the nation's nuclear utilities that it cannot meet a legally imposed deadline of Jan. 31, 1998, for taking possession of 30,000 tons of spent fuel. It asked the utilities

• views on i "how the delay can best be accommodated." The Dav, (p. A6) ,

12/19. I I

EAST LYME, CONN. - Members of the public expressed skepticism i Tuesday night during a public meeting held by NRC to update area residents on plans for monitoring the Millstone restart process.

One member of a watchdog group called for criminal charges against NRC officials responsible for ensuring safety at the plant. A separate report says some members of the Citizens 9612230101 961219 fROl PDR ORG NRCOPA PDR o[(

Regulatory Commission have called for a public forum on Millstone evacuation plans. The Dav, (pp. A6, B1), 12/18.

NEWARK, N.J. - Under a settlement between Public Service Electric

& Gas, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the state ratepayer advocate, electricity customers will get bill credits totaling $83.9 million in January and February. PSE&G also has i agreed not to seek recovery of another $12 million in energy costs incurred by the extended shutdown of the Salem Units 1 and 2 nuclear power plants. PR Newswire, 12/18.

Edison Electric Institute reports that U.S. electricity  !

production last week totaled 63,264 million kilowatt hours, 2.5 percent less than that for the comparable week last year. The

Wall Street Journal, (p. C17), 12/19. .

h l

)

7 t

i 1

I a

i 1

,