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Bulletin Intelligence 1 Oct 2019 07:16:52 -0400 NRC@Bulletinlntelligence.com
[External_Sender] NRC News Summary for Tuesday, October 01, 2019 NRCSummary191001.doc, NRCSummary191001.pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached.
Website: You can also read today's briefing, including searchable archive of past editions, at http://NRC.Bulletinlntelligence.com.
Full-text Links: Clicking the hypertext links in our write-ups will take you to the newspapers' original full-text articles.
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Dricks: NRC Has Been Transparent With San Onofre Inspection.............................................................................. 1 NRC, CNSC Sign Agreement To Cooperate On Nucl~ar Power.. 1 NRC Announces Vermont As 39th Agreement State.................... 2 Ohio AG Warns House Bill 6 Supporters To Not Interfere With Referendum Workers............................................................ 2 C-10 Group Says NRC Does Not Have Right Protocols" To Oversee Seabrook Plant's Concrete Issue.......................... 3 Severe Flood Could Compromise Safety At Surry Station............ 3 Anti-Nuclear Activists To Host Forum On Pilgrim Plant Spent Fuel Storage.......................................................................... 3 DTE Energy Officials Discuss Fenni 2 Pressure Issue................. 3 Cook Plant's Unit 2 Reactor Prepares For Refueling Outage....... 3 Entergy Preparing ANO Unit 1 Reactor For Refueling, Maintenance Outage.............................................................4 NRC To Discuss Community Advisory Boards At October 3 Meeting Near Oyster Creek Plant.........................................4 NRC NEWS:
Cricks: NRC Has Been Transparent With San Onofre Inspection. In a letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune (9/30, 755K), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Affairs Officer Victor Dricks says a recent report that regulators' internal findings contradicted their public stance on San Onofre spent fuel "may have left your readers witt, the mistaken impression that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission disregarded the concerns of one of its inspectors in determining fuel transfer operations could safely resume at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station." He says "the NRC has been open and transparent in sharing information with the public" and has posted numerous documents" to its public website "about the challenges Edis?n had to overcome." Dricks says "in May, after independent inspections and a rigorous review of technical data submitt:d by Edison, NRC decided fuet transfers could safely resu_me.,
Commentary Questions NRC, SoCal Edison s Commitment To Safety. In a Voice of OC (CA) (9/30)
Exelon Completes Fuel Removal From Three Mile Island Unit One........................................................................................4 JEA, Santee Cooper seen as facing hurdles in bid to privatize.....4 Related News Net-Zero CO2 Emissions By 2050 Requires A New Nuclear Power Plant Every Day.........................................................4 Coal States Push FERC To Address Plant Closures....................4 In the Biogs Lightbridge CEO To Participate In Nuclear Power Events In DC..4 International Nuclear News Kansai Power Scandal Deepens................................................... 5 Lawyers Appeal TEPCO Acquittals............................................... 5 French Official Calls Nuclear Plant Overruns "Unacceptable."..... 5 NYTimes Report: Rouhani Refused Call With Trump Set Up By Macron.................................................................................. 5 Bolton: Kim "Will Never Give Up Nuclear Weapons Voluntarily.".. 6 commentary, environmentalist and freelance writer Sarah "Steve" Mosko, wrote that two "recent scandals force the question: Is public safety the top priority of either the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or SoCal Edison as t~ey lurch forward in removing spent nuclear waste from cooling pools and loading into dry storage at the now shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)?" The writer recounts that in August 2018, a conscience-driven whistle blower exposed how, because of a system design flaw and human error a 54-ton canister loaded with radioactive spent fuel near{y crashed down 18 feet during a procedure to load it into an in-ground dry storage silo." The whistleblower "also detailed a general atmosphere of neglect for public safety by both the NRC and Edison."
NRC, CNSC Sign Agreement To Cooperate On Nuclear Power. In a piece for Forbes (9/30, 9.71 M),
planetary geologist, James Conca, writes that US ~nd Canadian nuclear regulators have "signed a first-of-a-kind Memorandum of Cooperation that will see our two countries collaborate on the technical reviews of advanced reactor and small modular reactor technologies." Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Chairman Kristine Svinicki, "and Rumina Velshi, President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, signed the MOC in Ottawa that is specifically designed 'to increase regulatory effectiveness through collaborative work on the technical reviews of advanced reactor and small modular reactor technologies."' Svinioki said the MOC "further shapes our commitment to open and transformative thinking with our Canadian
- partners, enhancing our willingness to work together on matters of advanced nuclear power safety developments while increasing regulatory effectiveness."
Svinicki
- added, "Advanced technologies are emerging at a rapid pace, demanding that regulators keep in step with modernization initiatives and the technologies of the future."
NRC Announces Vermont As 39th Agreement State. VTDigger (VT) (9/30, 4K) carries a news release from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, announcing that NRC Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki and Vermont Gov. Philip B. Scott "have signed an agreement to give Vermont regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials in the state." Vermont is the "39th state to sign such an agreement with the NRC." Under the agreement, "effective today, Vermont assumes responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection and enforcement activities related to the industrial, medical and academic uses of radioactive material." The NRC is "transferring 36 academic, commercial and medical licenses for radioactive material to Vermont's jurisdiction."
NRC '*retains jurisdiction over the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, which is currently decommissioning, as well as federal agencies using certain nuclear material in the state."
The AP (10/1) reports, Monday UNRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki and Vermont Gov. Philip Scott, a Republican, signed the agreement that gave Vermont the authority to regulate 36 academic, commercial and medical licenses for use of radioactive material." Under the agreement, Vermont has the responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, the inspection of and enforcement activities related to the industrial, medical and academic uses of radioactive material." WCAX-TV (10/1, 7K) and WNYT-TV (10/1, 24K) broadcast the story.
Ohio AG Warns House Bill 6 Supporters To Not Interfere With Referendum Workers. The Akron (OH) Beacon Journal (9/30, Ludlow, 198K) reports that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued cautions to "blockers" opposed to the effort to repeal the HB 6 nuclear power plant bailout, that they "must not cross the line to interfering with petition circulators." Yost is "warning 'blockers' hired by pro-House Bill 6 forces not to interfere in the collection of voter signatures as part of an effort to repeal the nuclear power plant bailout." Yost said that interfering with a petition circulation is a misdemeanor carrying 90 to 180 days in jail 2
and a fine of up to $1,000. Yost "encouraged those who witness misconduct by petition circulators or 'blockers' to contact his office's help center so information potentially can be referred to county prosecutors." Generation Now, a "group that supports the legislation, hired FieldWorks, a Washington D.C. company, to provide the 'blockers."'
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (9/30, Goist, 895K) reports AG Yost "said his office has heard about 'petition educators or petition blockers who are working for the opponents to the referendum' either educating potential signers about why signing is a bad idea, or in some cases 'they're kind of blocking, getting in the way of people even being able to get to the person circulating the petition. Yost added, "There's a lot of different ways you can intimidate somebody or coerce them, but the bottom line is, that's against the law." Yost continued, "People that oppose this referendum have a First Amendment right to oppose it and to speak out, but that right ends where intimidation and coercion begin."
KPVI-TV Idaho Falls, ID (9/30, Arnold) reported on its website that while AG Yost "is not yet aware of the extent of the alleged harassment, he said in a news conference Monday that he has been made aware of several anecdotal allegations." These allegations "include one instance in which a person was struck, one instance in which a person was surrounded by multiple petition blockers, and another in which a person was followed into another town." Yost said at the news conference, 'The bottom line here is:. knock it off."
Yost said "the petition's supporters and opponents both have a Constitutional right to engage with residents, but that a person's rights end as soon as intimidation or coerdon begin."
The Toledo (OH) Blade (9/30, Provance, 88K) reports that the HB 6 "bailout law, set to take effect Oct. 22, requires consumers to pay surcharges on their monthly electric bills -
ranging from 85 cents for residential customers to $2,400 for big industrial factories - beginning in 2021 to fuel a $170 million-a-year fund, with the vast majority of that money going to rescue Ohio's two nuclear power plants." Before the law passed, "FirstEnergy Solutions had said it would begin decommissionihg its Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Oak Harbor by May 31, 2020, and its Perry plant east of Cleveland a year later. The plants have been unable to compete in this age of cheap and abundant natural gas."
House Bill 6 Take Message To Airwaves In TV Ads.
On its "Rotunda Rumblings news roundup column, the Cleveland Plain Dealer (9/30, 895K) reports that after the "barrage of ads defending House Bill 6, the nuclear plant bailout bill, opponents who are trying to repeal have hit the airwaves with ads of their own." Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts has "reserved $903,000 in TV ads."
PJM Operators Say Grid Is Safe. The Cincinnati Enquirer (9/30, Borchardt, 223K) reports that despite the claims of the recent radio and TV ads, which suggest "China
and other foreign entities have invaded our energy grid," the people who run the energy grid say it is not so. The claim is "at the center of the campaign to block a repeal of House Bill 6, an energy bill passed in July that provides $150 million a year in ratepayer subsidies for two Ohio nuclear power plants." The "latest ad, released last week, claims 'foreign entities have infiltrated our energy grid.'" But Susan Buehler, PJM's chief communications officer, was adamant about the security of the grid." Buehler said, "We work very closely with our utility partners, our government agencies and entities, and are extremely vigilant about the safety and security of the grid."
C*10 Group Says NRC Does Not Have "Right Protocols To Oversee Seabrook Plant's Concrete Issue. New Hampshire Public Radio (9/30, Ropeik) reports, 'Watchdog groups and neighbors of the Seabrook nuclear power plant had what they called their day in court last week." Last week, the ASLB administrative panel completed a hearing that "focused on whether Seabrook owner NextEra has adequately studied the degrading concrete at the plant." The "Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved NextEra's concrete monitoring plan based on that study and relicensed the plant earlier this year." Natalie Treat, executive director of the nonprofit, C-10 group, said, "There aren't really the right protocols to figure out, for the NRC, guiding them to how to deal with this."
Severe Flood Could Compromise Safety At Surry Station. New Republic (9/30, Ariza, 193K) reports, "After the disaster at Fukushima, the NRC required U.S.
nuclear plants to reanalyze the rlsks posed by flooding and seismic activity."
Those "reviews exposed plants' vulnerabilities to something called 'beyond design-basis flood events' - flooding significant enough to penetrate plants' existing defenses." According to Surry Station's "post-Fukushima report, the greatest risk of flood-related catastrophe at the facility would be surge combined with flooding from the nearby James River. A particularly severe flood could result in a maximum water level of 38.8 feet -
more than ten feet higher than the maximum Surry is built to withstand. It's a highly unlikely combination of events, but a flood of this scale could wreak havoc on electrical systems and require Surry's operators to try to cool the core in a dangerously flooded facility." According to Richard Zuercher, a now-retired spokesman for Dominion Energy, "We have been working with the NRC to close these issues."
Anti-Nuclear Activists To Host Forum On Pilgrim Plant Spent Fuel Storage. The Cape Cod (MA) Times (9/30, Legere, 64K) reports, "Several nuclear watchdog groups will host an event titled 'The Road From 3
Pilgrim to New Mexico' from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Glastonbury Abbey." The event is "free and will feature a touring mock nuclear waste cask, as speakers focus on the dangers posed by nuclear waste, whether It is stored on-site or shipped across the country to some other storage location." Two "interim storage sites, in Texas and New Mexico, are under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." Saturday's panelists "include Diane Turco, executive director of Cape Downwinders: Karen Hadden, executive director of Sustainable Energy & Economic Development Coalition in Texas; Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director for the National Information and Resource Service in Washington, D.C.; Amy Shollenberger, Action Circles Consulting 1n Vermont; and Deb Katz, executive director of Citizens Awareness Network."
The Greenfield {MA) Recorder (9/30, Fritz) reports that the Citizens Awareness Network is "organizing a High-Level Nuclear Waste Tour in New England in protest of what it believes to be the federal government and nuclear industry's failure to appropriately deal with nuclear waste." The Citizens Awareness Network will "bring along a 32-foot-long wooden mock-up of a radioactive waste cask." The speakers will "discuss nuclear waste, federal policy, environmental justice and direct action."
DTE Energy Officials Discuss Fermi 2 Pressure Issue. The Monroe (Ml) Evening News (9/30, Taylor, 46K) reports, DTE Energy officials "say the safe operations of its Fermi 2 nuclear power plant were not comprised when air pressure briefly exceeded technical guidelines." During a "planned swap of Reactor Building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) fans, the Newport plant's secondary containment pressure exceeded requirements about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, according to an incident report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." The area usually is kept at negative pressure, but it measured at about.1 inches of water gauge for two minutes and 15 seconds, the report said." DTE Nuclear Communications Supervisor, Stephen Tait, "There was no impact on the safety of the plant, the pressure just changed," Tait added, "We immediately corrected that issue... (and) negative pressure returned."
Cook Plant's Unit 2 Reactor Prepares For Refueling Outage. WSJM-AM Saint Joseph, Ml (9/30) reported online that Indiana Michigan Power began gradually reducing the power produced by Cook Nuclear Plant's Unit reactor as it coasts down to "start its 24th refueling outage Tuesday night at 1 O." Other projects "set for the refueling outage include modifying the unit's solid state protection system, heater drain pump mechanical seal replacements, fuse upgrades in the control room, and replacing the west motor driven auxiliary feed pump room cooling system." The
"length of the refueling outage is not released by Indiana Michigan Power for competitive reasons. The utility is bringin_g in about 1,150 contractors to supplement the 11-hundred person staff, and crews will work around the clock doing over 95-hundred maintenance, inspection, and equipment modification job activities."
Entergy Preparing ANO Unit 1 Reactor For Refueling, Maintenance Outage. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette (10/1, Moreau, 307K) reports Entergy plans to shut down Arkansas Nuclear One plant's Unit One reactor for refueling and maintenance work "soon. A plant official Monday "would not confirm the specific date of the work but noted it likely Will take several weeks and is part of a regularly scheduled maintenance program."
Entergy spokesman Mike Bowling said, We're prepping for an outage scheduled for this fall." Bowling added, "It's coming up very shortly." ANO was "operating In good condition and passed the most recent inspection by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the second quarter of 2019, according to documents filed by the federal agency, which regulates the nation's nuclear power industry."
NRC To Discuss Community Advisory Boards At October 3 Meeting Near Oyster Creek Plant.
Tap Into New Jersey (9/29, Faughnan) reports the "Nuclear Regulatory Commission is coming to town. Manahawkin, that is. However, there's a bit of a twist when it comes to the purpose for their meeting scheduled on October 3, 2019, at the Holiday Inn on Route 72." According to the "NRC's meeting notice, the purpose of the get together is to assist
'the staff in identifying best practices and lessons learned for establishment and operation of local community advisory boards (CABs) associated with power reactor decommissioning activities."' The NRC "meeting follows a Town Hall lead by Andy Kim on Oyster Creek." It also "comes after a Stakeholder Forum presented by Holtec and COi, charged with decommissioning the now-closed nuclear plant."
The meeting is a "requirement of Section 108 of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA.)."
Exelon Completes Fuel Removal From Three Mile Island Unit One. Central Penn Business Journal (PA) (9/30, 18K) reported that Exelon Generation has reported that as of Thursday, "all of the nuclear fuel in the Three Mlle Island Unit 1 reactor vessel had been removed and transfe.rred to the plant's spent fuel pool, 'without incident. TMI Unit 1 is now safely and permanently defueled."'
JEA, Santee Cooper seen as facing hurdles in bid to privatize. S&P Global Market Intelligence (9/27, Meyers) reports, "Florida municipal utility JEA and South 4
Carolina government-owned power provider Santee Cooper continue to explore privatization and new ownership structures, but both companies and their potential suitors face a long road ahead." Among other existing issues, Santee Cooper's "debt obligations lied to V.C. Summer and JEA's legal dispute over a power purchase agreement for the Alvin W. Vogtle Nuclear Plant project could present high hurdles for potential buyers." One possibility for "JEA and Santee Cooper is to have another company manage their operations without direct ownership," said Glenrock Associates LLC analyst Paul Patterson. Dominion Energy, which bought South Carolina utility SCANA Corp., has offered to operate and manage Santee Cooper." It is "difficult to say what is the most likely outcome, especially with Santee Cooper, which also has to consider what a deal would mean for its contracts with electric cooperatives, the analyst added."
RELATED NEWS:
Net-Zero CO2 Emissions By 2050 Requires A New Nuclear Power Plant Every Day. In a piece for Forbes (9/30, 9.71 M), contributor Roger Pielke, wrote '1he math here is simple: to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, the world would need to deploy 3 Turkey Point nuclear plants worth of carbon-free energy every two days, starting tomorrow and continuing to 2050." At the "same time, a Turkey Point nuclear plant worth of fossil fuels would need to be decommissioned every day, starting tomorrow and continuing to 2050." In terms of using "wind energy as a measuring stick," net-zero carbon dioxide by "2050 would require the deployment of ~1500 wind turbines (2.5 MW) over
~300 square miles, every day starting tomorrow and continuing to 2050." For the US, to "reach net-zero by 2050, the US would need to deploy one new nuclear power plant worth of carbon-free energy about every 6 days, starting this week, and continuing until 2050." This "does not include possible increases in future energy consumption."
Coal States Push FERC To Address Plant Closures. Bloomberg (9/30, Cunningham, Natter, 4.73M) reports "six coal states," including Alabama, Kentucky, and Montana, are asking the FERC *10 wrap up an almost two-year inquiry into whether coal and nuclear plant retirements are threatening the electric grid." The letters say growing coal plant closures are "bringing increased attention to grid resilience and fuel security."
IN THE BLOGS:
Lightbridge CEO To Participate In Nuclear Power Events In DC. In a press release on Business
Insider (9/30, 3.67M), nuclear fuel technology company Lightbridge Corporation announced Seth Grae, CEO of Enfission and Lightbridge, will speak at an event being held by DC WIN (Women in Nuclear) at The Embassy of France in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 from 6:00-8:30 PM Eastern Time. Grae will discuss "recent mllestones reached in the development of Lightbridge Fuel' as examples of French and American cooperation." Grae was "also invited to participate in the Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition (NENSC) roundtable being held at the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 from 2:00- 5:00 pm Eastern Time."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
Kansai Power Scandal Deepens. BNN Bloomberg (CAN) (9/30, Takada, Reidy) reports, a "Kansai Electric Power Co. executive at the center of a payoff scandal in Japan said he took cash and presents five years earlier than the company had initially admitted, another blow to the utility's credibility and further sapping public opinion toward nuclear power." The Kansai scandal "erupted last week, when it was revealed the utility took payments from a local company that worked on its nuclear plant in Takahama, via one of its former deputy mayors. Friday, Kansai "President Shigeki lwane said 20 company officials took cash and gifts worth about 320 million yen ($3 million) from the official."
Lawyers Appeal TEPCO Acquittals.
Asahi Shimbun (JPN\\ (10/1, 8K) reports, Lawyers appealed a court ruling that absolved three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. of criminal responsibility for the 2011 nuclear disaster, saying the acquittals deny justice for the victims."
The appeal of the "Tokyo District Court's ruling was submitted to the Tokyo High Court on Sept. 30." The prosecuting lawyers, "said in the appeal, 'The ruling not only evaded judgment on the defendants' important duties and responsibilities to prevent foreseeable damage (to the nuclear plant), but it even denied the posslbility that they could foresee the disaster. To allow the ruling to be finalized at this stage would significantly go against justice,"' they said.
French Official Calls Nuclear Plant Overruns "Unacceptable."
AFP (10/1) reports, "The French government on Sunday slammed as 'unacceptable' delays and cost overruns at nuclear power plant projects undertaken by state utility firm EDF, including Britain's controversial Hinkley Point." AFP added, Finance and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said an independent audit would be launched and warned that France's nuclear industry could not be a
'state within a state'." EDF "said last week that costs for Hinkley Point C were now estimated at 21.5-22.5 bilHon 5
pounds ($26.8-28.1 billion), a rise of 1.9-2.9 billion pounds over previous estimates. A similar EPR "third generation nuclear power plant project in Olkiluoto in Frnland is now 1 O years behind the initial schedule, as is the Flamanville project in western France." Le Maire told the media, "The government issued warnings several months ago,'" adding, "All this drifting is unacceptable. It is not up to the level of what EDF represents and the French expertise in the sector."
NYTimes Report: Rouhani Refused Call With Trump Set Up By Macron. The New York Times (9/30, Fassihi, Gladstone, 18.61 M) (9/30, Fassihi, Gladstone, 18.61M) reports that on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron "blindsided" Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with an offer to speak with President Trump via telephone in his New York hotel. Macron reportedly presented the offer to Rouhani during "an unannounced visit last Tuesday night to the Iranian leaders "quarters at the Millenium Hilton Hotel near the United Nations." The Times says "Macron awaited an answer outside the Iranian leader's suite, according to three people with knowledge of the diplomatic gambit," but "in the end, Mr.
Rouhani refused even to come out of his room. Mr. Macron left empty-handed and Mr. Trump was left hanging.
Saudi Crown Prince Warns Of Escalation With Iran.
Reuters (9/30, Spetalnick, Gardner) reports Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in an interview aired on CBS' 60 Minutes, warned that oil prices could spike to what he called "unimaginably high numbers" if the world doesn't curtail the 1threat posed by Iran. Said the Crown Prince, "If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests. Oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to unimaginably high numbers that we haven't seen in our lifetimes. In his first interview since suspected Iranian attacks on Saudi oil fields, the Crown Prince also said he agreed with Secretary of State Pompeo '1hat they were an act of war by Iran." The CBS Evening News (9/30, story 4, 0:20, O'Donnell, 4.32M) reported that the "first images of the attacks on Saudi oil facilities earlier this month~ were provided by the Saudi Defense Ministry.
Exile Group Offers Evidence Iran Responsible For Saudi Oil Strike.
The Washington Times (9/30, Scarborough, 492K) reports the '1argest resistance group to the Iran regime" presented Monday what it said is evidence that Tehran carried out last month's attack on Saudi oil facilities. The National Council of Resistance of Iran held a press conference in Washington to release a 22-page report based on its in-country intelligence network." The Albania-based group "declared that the authorization for the strike, using missiles and drones, came from" Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who it says "directly ordered the commanders of the operation to a conduct the attack."
IRGC Commander: Destroying Israel Achievable Goal." AFP (9/30) reports that the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Major General Hossein Salami, "said Monday that destroying arch-rival Israel has become an
'achievable goal' thanks to his country's technological advances." The Guard's news site, Sepah, quotes Salami as saying, "This sinister regime must be wiped off the map and this is no longer... a dream (but) it is an achievable goal."
Bolton: Kim "Will Never Give Up Nuclear Weapons Voluntarily. The AP (9/30) reports that at a forum hosted Monday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, former National Security Adviser John Bolton "gave a characteristically pessimistic outlook on the prospects for getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons as he made his first public appearance since he was ousted from his post by" President Trump. The AP says Bolton, "without directly discussing the president...made it clear that he expects little to come from the talks even though Kim Jong Un has halted nuclear weapons tests." Bolton also maintained that Kim "has made a 'strategic decision' to do whatever he can to keep his country's nuclear weapons, and that is an 'unacceptable' threat to the world." Bolton is quoted as saying, "Under current circumstances, he will never give up nuclear weapons voluntarily."
The New York Times (9/30, Karni, 18.61M) also says Bolton delivered his assessment "without mentioning Mr.
Trump by name." According to the Times, Bolton "made it clear he thought the president's courtship approach to diplomacy with Kim... was only increasing North Korea's power." The Times goes on to say that Bolton's remarks "revealed more about the deep disagreements on North Korean strategy that were at play within the Trump administration, and raised questions about what other splits with Mr. Trump he may speak about publicly."
The Washington Post (9/30, Nakamura, 14.2M) says Bolton "offered a starkly pessimistic and ominous view of Pyongyang's intentions after Kim's three meetings with Trump over the past 15 months." To the Post, Bolton "made clear that he believes Pyongyang's multiple tests of short-range missiles over the summer constitute a violation long-standing UN Security Council resolutions," and added that moratorium on nuclear testing 'tells us nothing about North Korea's intentions or strategy."'
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Bulletin Intelligence 2 Oct 2019 07:14:23 -0400 NRC@Bulletinlntelligence.com
[External_Sender] NRC News Summary for Wednesday, October 02, 2019 NRCSummary191002.doc, NRCSummary191002.pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached.
Website: You can also read today's briefing, including searchable archive of past editions, at http://NRC.Bulletinlntelligence.com.
Full-text Links: Clicking the hypertext links in our write-ups will take you to the newspapers' original full-text articles.
Interactive Table of Contents: Clicking a page number on the table of contents page will take you directly to that story.
Contractual Obligations and Copyright: This copyrighted material is for the internal use of Nuclear Regulatory Commission employees only and, by contract, may not be redistributed without Bulletin Intelligence's express written consent.
Contact Information: Please contact us any time at 703-483-6100 or NRC@Bulletinlntelligence.com. Use of this email address will automatically result in your message being delivered to everyone at Bulletin Intelligence involved with your service, including senior management. Thank you.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Duke Energy Seeks Relicensing For Robinson Plant................... 1 New Group Urges Signers To Remove Signatures From Anti-HB6 Referendum.................................................................. 1 Vermont Becomes 39th Agreement State..................................... 2 NRG Assigns New Resident Inspector For Wolf Creek Plant....... 2 Watts Bar Plant Gets New NRG Resident Inspector.....................2 Calvert Cliffs Plant Has No Plans To Close Prematurely.............. 2 Georgia Power Exec Talks Up Nuclear Power.............................. 2 New Natural Gas Plant Opens Near Susquehanna Nuclear Station................................................................................... 3 Officials Uncertain What To Do About Waterbury Clock Complex................................................................................ 3 NEl's Korsnick Says FERC Might Help Markets Assign Value To Nuclear Power................................................................. 3 Virtual Reality Used To Highlight Uranium Contamination In Navajo Nation........................................................................ 3 NRC NEWS:
Duke Energy Seeks Relicensing For Robinson Plant.
The Florence (SC) Morning News (10/2, 971<)
reports Duke Energy is "seeking to renew the op.~rating license of the reactor at the Robinson nuclear fac1l1ty for another 20 years." On September 19, Duke announced that it
will seek to renew the operating licenses of the 11 reactors including the 7 41 megawatt reactor near Hartsville that's owned by its subsidiary Duke Energy Progress." Preston Gillespie, Duke Energy's Chief Nuclear Officer, said, *:our nuclear power plants have safely and reliably provided electricity to our Carolinas customers for decades." Gillespie added, "These plants generate clean and cost-effective power, provide thousands of well.-paying job.s, and prod~ce substantial economic benefits for the Carolinas. Renewing the licenses of these plants is important for our customers, communities and environment.
New Group Urges Signers To Remove Signatures From Anti-HB6 Referendum. The Statehouse News Bureau (OH) (10/1, Chow) reports that Transatomic Power Co-Founder Speaks On Merits Of Nuclear Power.................................................................................... 3 Related News GOP Lawmakers Urge Measures To Boost US Uranium Mining. 4 Perry Makes Second Visit To Hanford Reservation, Lauds Radioactive Sludge Removal................................................4 International Nuclear News Lithuania Conducts Nuclear Accident Response Exercise At
- Astravets Plant......................................................................4 Kansai Electric Discusses Executives' Acceptance Of Gifts.........4 Busy Season Seen For New Nuclear Power Plant Projects.........4 US-North Korea Oenuclearization Talks Set To Resume On Saturday................................................................................ 5 French Officials: Trump, Rouhani Agreed On Four-Point Plan Before Iran Balked................................................................ 5 another new "group is joining the fray over Ohio's nuclear bailout law, HB6, by encouraging people who have already signed the HB6 referendum to take their names off the petition." The group, Protect Ohio Clean Energy Jobs "says voters are being deceived by anti-nuclear bailout petitioners, so they're using targeted ads on social media urging peopl~
who have already signed the HB6 referendum to take their names off the petition." Protect Ohio Clean Energy Jobs Treasurer, Alex Thomas, said, "We were part of the broad coalition that fought to save clean energy jobs in Ohio. Now, the opponents of this important legislation are leading a campaign to deceive voters, and in some instances, are directly lying about HB6. Ohio law specifically provides that voters can remove their signature from a petition, so we're making sure voters are aware of their rights."
Anti-Signature Campaign Turning "Aggressive,"
HB6 Referendum Supporter Says. WOSU-FM Columbus, OH (10/1, Chow) reported on its website that the "campaign around Ohio's nuclear bailout law is intensifying with more reports of people Intimidating signature gatherers who want to put the law up for a vote on next year's ballot." :he "report~ ?f aggression have even captured the attention of Ohio s attorney general." The article cites signature collector Amy
Sutherly who "says she wants voters to decide if Ohio should keep its new energy law which bails out nuclear power plants, subsidizes coal plants, reduces renewable energy investment, and eliminates energy efficiency mandates."
Sutherly "says signature gathering has not been an easy task. Sutherly says Generation Now has hired people to follow petitioners like herself around. Sutherly "says these trackers are becoming aggressive and intimidating." She "says they've crowded around her, followed her in a car for miles while she was driving home, and, while she was collecting signatures on Ohio State University's campus, assaulted her."
AG Yost Warns HB6 Petition "Blockers" About Aggressive Tactics. In its "Rotunda Rumblings" roundup column, the Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/1, 895K) reports, "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said "knock it off' to warn so-called petition 'blockers' seeking to prevent people from signing House Bill 6 referendum petitions that they better not harass or intimidate people, or they risk prosecution." As "cleveland.com's Robin Goist writes, Yost was responding to recent reports of aggressive activity by the blockers, hired by supporters of the recently passed nuclear bailout law."
Opponents of the "bailout are trying to collect more than 265,000 signatures to overturn the law through a November 2020 referendum."
Dark Money Involvement In Campaign Assessed.
WOSU-FM Columbus, OH ( 10/1, Kasler) reported on line that the involvement of "dark money" is readily seen in Ohio right now. The "proposal to overturn the state's new nuclear power plant bailout isn't even on the 2020 ballot yet, but the group behind the referendum effort has already launched its first ad." This comes in "response to a pro-bailout campaign working to stop the potential ballot issue." It's estimated to havE? "spent $3.5 million on its own p~tition supporting the bailout, along with mailers featuring vivid images invoking the Chinese flag." One of "their ads includ[es] the line: 'They're bringing in outsiders into our state to roam our neighborhoods with petitions, and they're asking for your personal information."'
Vermont Becomes 39th Agreement State.
ExchangeMonitor (10/1) reports, "Vermont on Monday officially became the 39th agreement state to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission." State regulators now assume "primary responsibility for regulatory oversight of radioactive materials within state borders, though that does not include the Vermont Yankee," which remains with the NRC.
WPTZ-TV (10/2, 3K) broadcast "Vermont, is now responsible for regulating some radioactive materials in the state. An agreement was signed by Governor Scott, and the US Nuclear Regulatory commission. It went into effect on 2
Monday. The agreement does not include material at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant" NRC Assigns New Resident Inspector For Wolf Creek Plant. KVOE-AM Emporia, KS (10/1, Samples) reports, "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has chosen a new resident inspector for Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant near Burlington. John Vera joined the agency "in 2008 as a structural engineer at the NRC's headquarters in Rockville, Maryland." Last year, Vera "transferred to the Region IV office in Arlington, Texas" and has "served as acting resident inspector at power plants in Louisiana and Washington state:
Vera ujoins acting senior resident inspector Mike Stafford at Wolf Creek." The NRC "puts at least two inspectors at every commercial nuclear power plant to conduct inspections, interact with staffers and the public and monitor significant work projects - like Wolf Creek's 23rd refueling outage that began Sept. 21.
The NRC's press release on the announcement appeared on Electric Energy Online (10/1).
Watts Bar Plant Gets New NRC Resident Inspector. The Rhea County (TN} Herald News (10/1, 16K) reports the Nucfear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has named Wesley Deschaine as Senior Resident Inspector at TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. Deschaine will join Resident Inspector Jeff Hamman at the 2-unit plant.
Calvert Cliffs Plant Has No Plans To Close Prematurely. The Southern Maryland Newspapers (10/2, Ward) reports, "Nuclear power plants across the country are retiring prematurely due to falling profit margins, as the nuclear industry is unable to compete with the low cost of natural gas." Exelon shut down its Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant September 20, "citing the lack of state subsidies recognizing that nuclear power is carbon-free. Exelon "also retired its Oyster Creek Generating Station in September 2018." Calvert Cliffs plant communications manager Janna Jackson said, "Calvert Cliffs is facing the same economic headwinds as other nuclear plants across the country.
However, there is currently no plan to close the station prematurely." According to NRC "spokesperson Neil Sheehan, over the last six years, eight nuclear plants have closed" including Three Mile Island and Oyster Creek plants.
Sheehan said, You'll see that the high point was 112 operating power reactors in the U.S. in 1990." Sheehan also "confirmed that eight more plants will permanently cease operations between 2020 and 2025."
Georgia Power Exec Talks Up Nuclear Power.
E&E Publishing (10/1, Swartz, Subscription Publication) reports Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers "extolled the future of nuclear energy" during the first day of the company's rate
case hearing before the Georgia PSC. "I do believe that nuclear has a significant role to play in the future of America in general, and specifically in Georgia, Bowers said. Bowers "highlighted research and development on small modular reactors and other technologies that advance the AP1000 reactor design for Vogtle, the first reactors to be built from scratch in the United States in three decades. Regarding the Stewart County site the company has researched for future generation use, Bowers said, "If you believe that we're going to be a carbon-constrained economy going forward, nuclear has to play a role... and that's why preserving options like a site is so critical for the state of Georgia."
New Natural Gas Plant Opens Near Susquehanna Nuclear Station. The Wilkes-Barre (PA) Citizens' Voice (10/2, Allabaugh, 149K) reports less than three miles away from Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear power plant. Caithness Ehergy "opened a new $1 billion natural gas power plant that uses Pennsylvania's natural resources." Caithness Energy President Ross Ain, "joined elected officials, community representatives and partners for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday at the new facility in Salem Twp." In "Pennsylvania and nationwide, nuclear power has been losing ground to natural gas. Cheap "natural gas from shale fields, including the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, and the increased use of renewable power has lowered electricity prices and forced several coal and nuclear plants to shul down in recent years." Talen Energy Spokeswoman T aryne Williams noted that about 900 employees work at Susquehanna Steam Electric Station and said, "The station's primary focus is the safe, efficient production of carbon-free nuclear energy.
Officials Uncertain What To Do About Waterbury Clock Complex. Republican American (CT) (9/29, Puffer, 26K) reports that Waterbury city, state of Connecticut and federal officials are "balancing fears that portions of the former Waterbury Clock complex might collapse against concerns of accidentally spreading radioactive radium if they move forward with demolition." In February, a "long-vacant portion of the complex crumbled onto Cherry Avenue, prompting Building Inspector Gilbert Graveline to order an emergency demolition order. Despite the "demolition orders, these decaying brick buildings still stand seven months later." Mayor Neil M. O'Leary "said he believes the buildings are... a safety hazard," but he "said the State Historic Preservation Office asked the city to hold off on demolition of the administration building." The US EPA "told the city not to move on the larger, vacant, industrial building due to radium concerns, he said." In the 1970s, radium was used to make clock dials and other instruments. The "Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it's uncertain how much 3
exposure is needed to damage health. Even so, exposure has been linked to anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, cancer and death, according to the agency."
NEl's Korsnick Says FERC Might Help Markets Assign Value To Nuclear Power.
Platts (10/1, Dolley) reports that Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute said during a nuclear power briefing at the Illinois Commerce Commission in Chicago that the Federal Energy Regulation Commission might "weigh in" as one way to encourage electricity markets to more equitably assign economic value to the carbon-free and other desirable aspects of nuclear power. Korsnick "said thal 'there are ways' that reglonal grid operator PJM Interconnection 'can consider' attaching value to nuclear power's emission-free attributes, but the deregulated electricity market that PJM operates was intended 'to reduce electricity prices' and *really wasn't designed' to value positive environmental and health attributes, or to keep particular categories of generating plants in operation."
Virtual Reality Used To Highlight Uranium Contamination In Navajo Nation. The AP (10/1) reports how activists are using virtual reality technology to
'focus on areas of the Navajo Nation affected by uranium contamination." The "arts collective Bombshelltoe has collected 360-degree footage of land near Churchrock, New Mexico, to show how people and the land have changed since a 1979 uranium mill spill, the Gallup Independent reports." The projeol 1'started four years ago after Washington, D.C.-based nuclear policy program manager Lovely Umayam met Navajo activist Sunny Dooley at an event in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Filmmaker Adriel Luis is also a co-producer of the movie."
Transatomic Power Co-Founder Speaks On Merits Of Nuclear Power. The Los Altos (CA) Town Crier (10/2, Fuller, 25K) reports, "Nuclear engineer Leslie Dewan promoted 'A New Approach to Nuclear Power' at the Morning Forum of Los Altos Sept. 17, outlining the advantages and possibilities of an energy revolution that emphasizes nuclear power." Dewan is co-founder of Transatomic Power, which "closed in 2016 but was just one of the innovative approaches she is pursuing to find a safe way to use the power of nuclear energy to solve the world's energy demands." Dewan is a "strong proponent of atomic energy. She said that "as an environmentalist, 'the world needs atomic energy to avoid bad air."' Dewan pointed out that the "global economy is projected to double by 2040, leading to people now in 'energy poverty' who will need and acquire energy."
RELATED NEWS:
GOP Lawmakers Urge Measures To Boost US Uranium Mining.
Reuters (10/1, Volcovicl) reports, "Republican U.S. lawmakers this week urged. ~resident Donald Trump's administration to ease restnctions on uranium mining on federal lands, as a Cabinet-level committee prepares recommendations this month for boosting domestic nuclear fuel production!' In a letter to Trump's national security and economic advisers Richard O'Brien and Larry Kudlow, both of whom chair the uranium mining working group, a group of 27 Western state Republican senators and Congress members, wrote: "We strongly encourage you to make.improved access to federal lands with high-grade uranium deposits a top priority." The lawmakers added, "Greater access to our own resources will help put Americans to work exploring for and responsibly producing the uranium that our country needs."
Perry Makes Second Visit To Hanford Reservation, Lauds Radioactive Sludge Removal. The Tri-City Herald (WA) (10/1, Cary,. 154K) reports that Energy Secretary Rick Perry congratulated workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation on "completing important work that protects the Northwest environment an_d to remind the region that environmental cleanup work Is getting done. The "latest accomplishment was getting 35 cubic yards of highly radioactive sludge out of underwater storage in a 64-year-old concrete basin." Perry said, "This takes a risk away from the Columbia River and this community." Perry also toured historic B Reactor, got ?n update on the $17 billion vitrification plant and chatted with high school students visiting a clean mock-up being used _for training and developing equipment for another challenging Hanford project."
Prior to the visit, the Tri-City Herald (WA) (10/1, Cary, 154K) reports that Energy Secretary Rick Perry is "making his second visit to Hanford since being sworn in to lead the Energy Department more than two years ago." Tuesday morning, Perry was scheduled to visit the nuclear reservation north of Richland to "celebrate the completion of a 25-year project to protect the Columbia River." Perry was expected to "spend several hours at the site, congratulating Hanford workers for moving highly radioactive sludge from underwater storage not far from the Columbia River to dry storage in central Hanford." The move "reduced the risk to the river from a possible leak from the K West Basin, which went into service in 1955."
Editorial: K West Basin Cleanup Demonstrates What Hanford Funding Accomplishes. In an editorial, the Tri-City Herald (WA) (10/1, 154K) argues that Perry "must be 4
thrilled with the latest good news to come out of the country's most contaminated nuclear reservation." Toxic sludge at "Hanford's K West Basin, which was only about 400 yards from the Columbia River, finally has been moved." The editorial adds that the triumph at K West Basin not only makes "the river safer, it also sends a message that cleanup money for Hanford is making a difference - a message we hope Perry takes back with him to Washington, D.C." This is especially important given that last spring, "the Trump administration requested a sharp drop in Hanford cleanup funding, suggesting a cut of $416 million for fiscal 2020."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
Lithuania Conducts Nuclear Accident Response Exercise At Astravets Plant. Xinhua News Agency (CHN) (10/2, 7K) reports, "A four-day civil drill involving 24 public institutions and six municipalities kicked off on Tuesday in Lithuania to test response readiness in case of a nuclear accident at the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in neighboring Belarus, the Lithuanian government announced." Lithuanian Interior Minister, "Rita Tamasunieoe, said the exercise is aimed at identifying ways to improve interoperability between the local authorities and their readiness to ensure the safety of residents." The exercise was held "against the backdrop of disagreements between Lithuania and Belarus over the safety of the Astravets NPP situated around 50 kilometers from the Ltthuanian capital of Vilnius."
Kansai Electric Discusses Executives' Acceptance Of Gifts. Japan Today (10/1, Kitaoka) reports, Kansai Electric Power Co "said Wednesday two executives who were responsible for its nuclear business both received more than 100 million yen as gifts from a former official of a town hosting one of its nuclear plants, as the utility disclosed additional information on the money scandal involving more than a dozen officials. The article says the disclosure "re-exposed the collusive ties between Japan's nuclear industry and government officials." A :*repo_~
released by Kansai Electric on Wednesday said E1J1 Moriyama, who died aged 90 in March this year, had a wide network of connections with Japanese lawmakers and he had threatened to obstruct operation of the company's nuclear power facilities if it did not comply, with his wishes." ~~ns~i President Shigeki lwane and Chairman Makoto Yagi said they do not plan to step down from their posts at the company or business lobbies."
Busy Season Seen For New Nuclear Power Plant Projects. POWER (9/30, Patel) reports, "Several new nuclear plants around the world marked imi;iortant
milestones over the summer" including "notable projects... that began second units of new third-generation reactor designs-such as the EPR, APR1400, and ACPR-1000-and the Akademik Lomonosov, the world's first floating nuclear plant."
World's "Second EPR Begins Operation. Unit 2 at the Taishan nuclear power plant in China's Guangdong province entered commercial operation on Sept. 7, following statutory functional testing of continuous operation at full power for 168 hours0.00194 days <br />0.0467 hours <br />2.777778e-4 weeks <br />6.3924e-5 months <br />." The "milestone ends the 11-year-long project to build the two 1, 750-MW EPR reactors at the T aishan nuclear plant by Taishan Nuclear Plant JVC, a joint-venture founded by China General Nuclear Power Group, French power company EDF, and Chinese utility Guangdong Energy Group."
US-North Korea Denuclearization Talks Set To Resume On Saturday. The New York Times (10/1, Choe, 18.61 M) reports that the Trump Administration and the government of North Korea have "agreed to resume a long-stalled official dialogue this weekend in an effort to narrow their differences on how to terminate the North's nuclear weapons program.... 'I can confirm that U.S. and D.P.R.K.
officials plan to meet within the next week,' Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman for the State Department, told reporters."
According to the Times, Choe Son-hui, first vice foreign minister of North Korea~ "said her government and Washington had agreed to hold preliminary contact on Friday, to be followed by official working-level negotiations on Saturday." The Times says North Korean officials have "repeatedly indicated their willingness to resume talks with Washington in recent weeks, especially after the ouster of John R. Bolton as President Trump's natlonal security adviser, and Mr. Trump's suggestion that he would use a
'new method' in negotiations."
The Washington Post (10/1, Denyer, Kim, 14.2M) reports that the talks will resume on Saturday, "marking the first official talks between the two sides since President Trump met Kim Jong Un in June." The Post says that on Monday, North Korea "blamed the stalling of the dialogue on Washington and Seoul, accusing them of failing to keep their promises," but "has been careful not to criticize [President]
Trump directly." The Post adds, "Indeed, the North Korean Foreign Ministry also said last week that Trump is 'different from his predecessors in political sense and decision' and that it hoped he would make a wise and bold decision."
Politico (10/1, 4.29M) also reports that North Korea "praised Trump last month for suggesting that Washington may pursue an unspecified 'new method' in nuclear negotiations with the North," and "welcomed Trump's declslon to fire hawkish... Bolton, who advocated a 'Libya model' of unilateral denuclearization as a template for North Korea:
According to Politico, "The 2004 disarmament of Libya is 5
seen by Pyongyang as a deeply provocative comparison because Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed following U.S.-supported military action in his country seven years after giving up a rudimentary nuclear program that was far less advanced than North Korea's."
French Officials: Trump, Rouhani Agreed On Four-Point Plan Before Iran Balked.
Politico Europe (10/1, Momtaz, 8K) reports President Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani "agreed on a tour-point document brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron in New York last week "as a basis for a meeting and relaunching negotiations between the US and Iran, according to French officials." While the US and Iranian presidents "agreed on the document, which has been seen by Politico, they ended up not meeting after Rouhani insisted that Trump first declare he would lift US sanctions, according to the officials." Politico reports that under the document, which was
'the result of days of shuttle diplomacy by Macron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly," Tehran would agree that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon" and will "fully comply with its nuclear obligations and commitments and will accept a negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear activities." It would also "refrain from any aggression and will seek genuine peace and respect il'l the region throu,gh negotiations." For its parts, the US would agree to "lift all the sanctions re-imposed since 201 T and "Iran will have full ability to export its oil and freely use its revenues," according to the text.
Rouhani's Brother Receives Prison Sentence For Corruption.
The New York Times (10/1, Wolgelenter, 18.61 M) reports that Hossein Fereydoun, brother of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, has been sentenced to five years in prison "on corruption charges." According to the Times, "The penalties added to the perception that Mr. Rouhani is under increasing pressure." The Times says Fereydoun was arrested in 2017 in connection with long-running accusations of corruption."
Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, lnstagram and others, is subject to the respective platform's terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The NRC News Summary is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at Bulletinlntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100.
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NUCLEAR REGULA TORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELLIGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Duke Energy Seeks Relicensing For Robinson Plant................... 1 New Group Urges Signers To Remove Signatures From Anti-HB6 Referendum.................................................................. 1 Vermont Becomes 39th Agreement State..................................... 2 NRC Assigns New Resident Inspector For Wolf Creek Plant....... 2 Watts Bar Plant Gets New NRC Resident Inspector.................... 2 Calvert Cliffs Plant Has No Plans To Close Prematurely............. 2 Georgia Power Exec Talks Up Nuclear Power............................. 2 New Natural Gas Plant Opens Near Susquehanna Nuclear Station................................................................................... 3 Officials Uncertain What To Do About Waterbury Clock Complex................................................................................ 3 NEl's Korsnick Says FERC Might Help Markets Assign Value To Nuclear Power................................................................. 3 Virtual Reality Used To Highlight Uranium Contamination In Navajo Nation....................................................................... 3 NRC NEWS:
Duke fnergy Seeks Relicensing For Robinson Plant.
The Florence (SC) Morning News (10/2, 97K) reports Duke Energy is "seeking to renew the operating license of the reactor at the Robinson nuclear facility for another 20 years. On September 19, Duke announced that rt
will seek to renew the operating licenses of the 11 reactors including the 7 41 megawatt reactor near Hartsville that's owned by its subsidiary Duke Energy Progress." Preston Gillespie, Duke Energy's Chief Nuclear Officer, said, "Our nuclear power plants have safely and reliably provided electricity to our Carolinas customers for decades." Gillespie added, "These plants generate clean and cost-effective power, provide thousands of well-paying jobs, and produce substantial economic benefits for the Carolinas. Renewing the licenses of these plants is important for our customers, communities and environment.
New Group Urges Signers To Remove Signatures From Anti-HB6 Referendum. The Statehouse News Bureau (OH) (10/1, Chow) reports that Transatomic Power Co-Founder Speaks On Merits Of Nuclear Power.................................................................................... 3 Related News GOP Lawmakers Urge Measures To Boost US Uranium Mining. 4 Perry Makes Second Visit To Hanford Reservation, Lauds Radioactive Sludge Removal............................................... 4 International Nuclear News Lithuania Conducts Nuclear Accident Response Exercise At Astravets Plant...................................................................... 4 Kansai Electric Discusses Executives' Acceptance Of Gifts........ 4 Busy Season Seen For New Nuclear Power Plant Projects......... 4 US-North Korea Denuclearization Talks Set To Resume On Saturday................................................................................ 5 French Officials: Trump, Rouhani Agreed On Four-Point Plan Before Iran Balked................................................................ 5 another new "group is joining the fray over Ohio's nuclear bailout law, HB6, by encouraging people who have already signed the HB6 referendum to take their names off the petition." The group, Protect Ohio Clean Energy Jobs "says voters are being deceived by anti-nuclear bailout petitioners, so they're using targeted ads on social media urging people who have already signed the HB6 referendum to take their names off the petition. Protect Ohio Clean Energy Jobs Treasurer, Alex Thomas, said, "We were part of the broad coalition that fought to save clean energy jobs in Ohio. Now, the opponents of this important legislation are leading a campaign to deceive voters, and in some instances, are directly lying about HB6. Ohio law specifically provides that voters can remove their signature from a petition, so we're making sure voters are aware of their rights."
Anti-Signature Campaign Turning "Aggressive,"
HB6 Referendum Supporter Says. WOSU-FM Columbus, OH (10/1, Chow) reported on its website that the "campaign around Ohio's nuclear bailout law is intensifying with more reports of people intimidating signature gatherers who want to put the law up for a vote on next year's ballot. '
1 The "reports of aggression have even captured the attention of Ohio's attorney general." The article cites signature collector Amy
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News New Jersey Creates Oversight Panel For Oyster Creek Plant Decommissioning.................................................................. 1 NRC Discusses Indian Point Plant Community Advisory Boards. 2 HB6 Supporters Attack New Natural Gas Plant As Part Of Chinese Plot.......................................................................... 2 Massachusetts AG Healy Sues NRC Over Pilgrim Plant license Transfer................................................................................. 3 In August NRC Spent $863 From Nuclear Waste Fund................ 3 Three Mile Island Plant's Mistakes Recounted.............................. 3 Bauder: Safety Is Top Priority For SoCal Edison When Storing Spent Fuel At San Onofre..................................................... 3 Duke Energy To Conduct Brunswick Plant Warning Siren Test October 9............................................................................... 3 Watts Bar Emergency Drill To Involve TVA. Federal, State And Local Agencies................................................................ :..... 3 TV A Meeting High Energy Demand With Some Reactors Offline For Service............................................................................ 3 Dominion Names New Co-COOs..................................................4 NRC NEWS:
New Jersey Creates Oversight Panel For Oyster Creek Plant Decommissioning. The Press of Atlantic City (NJ) (10/2, Brunetti, 177K) reports that a "panel of state officials will assist in evaluating the decommissioning process at the former Oyster Creek nuclear plant, the head of the Department of Environment~!
Protection said Wednesday." Catherine R. McCabe will chair the Oyster Creek Advisory Panel, that "will help ensure compliance with regulatory requirements 'and provfde assurances to the public that the proper protocols for the decommissioning are in place,' Gov. Phil Murphy said in a news release." Janet Tauro of Clean Water Action said, "It's a great thing. It really shows Gov. Murphy and his administration appreciate the environmental and public safety aspects of this decommissioning." Tauro "said in the past her group has seen much more diligence from the state than from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is in Final Major Module For Georgia Power's Vogtle 3 & 4 Project Arrives Onsite........................................................................ 4 SHINE Exec Discusses Plan To Provide Key Radiopharmaceuticals..........................................................4 Artist/Scientist Forms Political Outreach Group.............................4 Related News Professor Says US Would Need New Nuclear Plant Every Other Day To Meet 2030 Emissions Goal............................4 PA Governor Looks To Join Multi-state Carbon Tax Program...... 5 In the Biogs Sellafield Workers Urged To Take Pause To Talk Safety............. 5 International Nuclear News Kansai Electric Power Execs Blame Nuclear Scandal On Dead Local Official.......................................................................... 5 Chernobyl Reactor's Control Room To Open To Tourists............. 5 Study: Nuclear War Between India And Pakistan Could Kill Up To 125M................................................................................ 5 charge of decommissioning oversight." Tauro said, "A perfect example was the tritium leaks (in past years at Oyst~r Creek)." Tauro added, "The NRC was not going to move on 1t, but the state did."
The Asbury Park (NJ) Press (10/3, Oglesby, 387K) reports that with the "creation of the gover~or's safety advisory panel, [Lacey resident Ron Martyn) said he hoped regulators would recognize another oversight group, one that would include residents who live around Oyster Creek," The article adds, "Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club an environmental advocacy group, said the governor's advi~ory panel should have included concern~d resid~nts, environmentalists and scientists, not just officials affiliated with government." Tittel "said such an independent group is needed to ensure that Holtec does not 'cut corners' during the decommissioning process, because the company's Oyster Creek budget is limited by the size of the plant's decommissioning trust fund."
The Lacey (NJ) Patch (10/2, Bakan, 1.03M) reports, NJDEP Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe "will chair the group." The panel will also include the superintendent of
New Jersey State Police, the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the present of the Board of Public Utilities." Specifics on the panel "are not yet clear. They will meet at least twice per year and provide specifics in the future on how the public can participate."
A press release on NJ. Gov (10/2) announced that the Murphy Administration established the Oyster Creek Safety Advisory Panel through an Admihlstrative Order signed by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe to assist with the evaluation of the decommissioning operations at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station ceased operation and permanently shut down on September 17, 2018, and is in the process of decommissioning." The panel is "charged with assisting the Department's evaluation of Holtec lnternational's compliance with a January 2018 Administrative Consent Order governing decommissioning, the obligations of which Holtec assumed when 1t acquired the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station from Exelon Generation Company, LLC, in July 2019, as well as ensuring robust public input on any related concerns."
Letter Writer Says Strong Citizen's Oversight Group Needed. In a letter to the editor of the Tap Into New Jersey (10/2), Sally Gellert of Woodcliff Lake, NJ, wrote, "We need strong Citizens' Oversight Boards at every nuclear reactor that is decommissioned. Resident Marianne Clemente got it right when she said that Holtec's Mr. Dostal would be the fox guarding the hen house." Gellert added, "Holtec's interest is commercial; decommissioning for a profit. Residents' interests are much deeper - they waht to live in a prosperous and healthy community through and after the decommissioning process."
NRC Discusses Indian Point Plant Community Advisory Boards. 12-TV Hudson Valley, NY (10/2) reported on its website that "A meeting was held in Corttandt Wednesday to seek public input about how the federal government can include residents in the process of dismantling nuclear reactors.n The meeting "drew many residents who felt they didn't have a voice in the decommissioning process for the Indian Point nuclear power plant." The "meeting for the Nuclear Regulatory Committee happened at the town of Cortlandt Community Center.n It comes as the "NRC is preparing a report for Congress identifying best practices for establishing and operating local community advisory boards in communities around decommissioning nuclear power plants." 12-TV (10/3) broadcast, "Residents worry about the closure's impact on jobs, taxes, the environment and safety."
Prior to the meeting, WAMC-AM Albany, NY (10/2, Dunne, 355) reported on its website that the "Nuclear 2
Regulatory Commission staff will be in Westchester County Wednesday night" to discuss decommissioning "of the Indian Point nuclear power plant." NRG staff will be in Cortlandt,"
near Indian Point plant, to "solicit feedback about community advisory boards associated with decommissioning activities."
Under a "section of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, which became law in January, the NRG is required to prepare a report for Congress on the best practices of community advisory boards in communities around decommissioning nuclear power plants." Indian Point Unit 2 is "slated to shut down in April 2020; Unit 3 in 2021."
The meeting is scheduled from 6 to 9 pm at the Town of Cortlandt Community Center.
HB6 Supporters Attack New Natural Gas Plant As Part Of Chinese Plot. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/2, Tobias, 895K) reports that the $1.6 billion Guernsey County natural-gas plant "planned for an economically struggling area in Southeast Ohio" is being welcomed by local officials and Ohio's top elected officials as a "fantastic news."
But supporters of House Bill 6, the "deep-pocketed defenders of Ohio's nuclear bailout law have flooded the state with ads suggesting it's actually the vanguard of a Chinese communist plot." Rather than "focusing on the merits of requiring Ohioans to subsidize aging, privately owned nuclear and coal power plants, they've recently sought, through ads and political mailers, to re-frame the issue around foreign ownership of recently built competing natural-gas power plants." Foreign banks are among the underwriters of the Guernsey County plant, including Chinese banks, according to a finance-industry trade publication cited by the pro-HB6 campaign."
Editorial: FirstEnergy Should Disavow Aggressive Tactics Against Petition Circulators. In an editorial, the Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/2, 895K) writes that Monday,
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stood metaphorically in... FirstEnergy's back yard to warn those illegally impeding signature-gathering by opponents of the state's HB 6 nuclear bailout law to 'knock it off.'" Another "good way to nip the violence and intimidation in the bud" would be for FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions to condemn and disavow, publicly and forcefully, the use of such tactics on behalf of their interests - a state law for which they aggressively lobbied and that could mean up to $170 million a year for seven years in ratepayer subsidies for owners of Ohio's two nuclear plants." Though the "money behind the pro-HB 6 campaigners may be dark," the "beneficiaries are in the light
- FirstEnergy and nuclear operator FirstEnergy Solutions." It is therefore "incumbent on these two firms, as responsible members of Northeast Ohio's corporate community, to do what's right and say 'enough, no more.'"
Massachusetts AG Healy Sues NRC Over Pilgrim Plant License Transfer.
The Martha's Vineyard Times (10/2, Saltzberg, 46K)
- reports, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey "filed a lawsuit against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission" in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit seeking "relief from NRC staff decisions last month to approve the transfer of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station's license from Entergy Corp. to Holtec International, and to establish greater checks and balances over a
decommissioning trust fund connected to the plant." The lawsuit comes "after the NRC allegedly rebuffed Healey's staff earlier in the year over a petition requesting an adjudicatory hearing before the NRC to address the state's concerns with the health, safety, environmental, and financial risks raised by Holtec's proposal." NRC Spokesman Neil Sheehan said, "We are declining comment on the lawsuit filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in light of ongoing litigation."
In August NRC Spent $863 From Nuclear Waste Fund. ExchangeMonitor (10/2) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in "August continued to spend little of its remaining balance from the Nuclear Waste Fund - just $863, leaving it wlth an unobligated tranche of
$407,176. The money was used for unspecified program planning and support."
Three Mile Island Plant's Mistakes Recounted.
Behind a paywall, the Connellsville (PA) Daily Courier (10/2) reports that the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant "stopped generating electricity at noon Sept. 20 in a move that could result in billing surcharges for all Pennsylvania electric utility customers. Such a move is the result of over-optimism and inexperience with nuclear power of two generations past."
Bauder: Safety Is Top Priority For SoCal Edison When Storing Spent Fuel At San Onofre. In a letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune (10/2, 755K), SoCal Edison chief nuclear officer Doug Bauder comments on a Sept. 22 article claiming "internal reports contradict regulators' public findings over San Onofre spent fuel." He argues that "the article fails to properly define the approved, rigorous and long-standing Nuclear Regulatory Commission process utilized by Southern California Edison (SCE) in dry fuel storage operations at San Onofre nuclear plant." Bauder also explains that "safety is the top priority for SCE," and notes that "on Tuesday the team successfully placed canister 34 of 73 in the Holtec dry storage system."
Oceanside Resident: No Technology Can Store SONGS Spent Fuel Safely. In a letter to the Orange County 3
(CA} Register (10/2, 546K), Oceanside resident Carol Slater says no technology can safely store spent nuclear fuel in San Onofre's thin-walled dry storage containers." She says
'they're welded shut and cannot be opened to inspect for microscopic cracks," so SoCal Edison's "claim of 'no motive force within the canister to propel material into the environment' is false."
Del Mar Council Members Request More Robust Regulation For SONGS Nuclear Waste Disposal. The Del Mar (CA) Times (10/2, Harold, 18K) reports that "Del Mar City Council members are asking the state Legislature and governor to address their concerns over the safe handling and storage of nuclear waste at the San Onofre Nuclear Ge~erating Station.n Councilman Dwight Worden said, "We're calling on the governor and our Legislature to find a better way to handle that nuclear waste. Move it inland, don't use these thin-walled casks that are high-risk and protect us.
We're all in the risk zone."
Duke Energy To Conduct Brunswick Plant Warning Siren Test October 9.
WWAY-TV Wilmington, NC (10/2, 6K) reported on its website that the Brunswick Nuclear Plant in Southport will test its outdoor warning sirens this month. A "3-minute long test is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, between 10:00 a.m. and 11 :00 a.m." This is a change from previous October siren tests, which historically lasted five to 30 seconds." The "38 sirens within 10 miles of the Brunswick Nuclear Plant will be tested at full-volume for three minutes."
Watts Bar Emergency Drill To Involve TV A, Federal, State And Local Agencies.
The Chattanooqan (TN) (10/2, 34K) reports TVA personnel, along with federal, state, and local emergency responders, will hold an emergency preparedness drill at the Watts Bar nuclear plant October 9. Ongoing training drills and exercises are "required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure an effective and coordinated response to protect the health and safety of the public in the unlikely event of an emergency at Watts Bar." The drill "will involve hundreds of personnel working in multiple locations, including near the plant and at the Joint Information Center located in TVA's Chattanooga Office Complex." A similar exercise will be conducted November 6. The Sweetwater (TN) Advocate and Democrat (10/2) reports similarly.
TV A Meeting High Energy Demand With Some Reactors Offline For Service. The Chattanooga (TN)
Times Free Press (10/2,
- Flessner, 171 K) reports temperatures reached 100 degrees Wednesday in Chattanooga, the highest October temperature ever for the city. The continued heat wave is "setting power demand
records for October following the highest average peak load in September for the Tennessee Valley Authority." TVA's peak power demand Tuesday was 28,551 MW, the second-highest ever for October, and TV A Is "expecting a comparable or perhaps even higher peak by Thursday."
According to TVA spokesperson Jim Hopson, TVA is meeting unusually high power demand with Browns Ferry Unit 2 and Watts Bar Unit 1 offiine and Sequoyah Unit 1 operating at 75 percent. Hunter said, "This time of year is typically when we start to bring down our units for maintenance outages because it's typically much cooler. Fortunately, our diverse portfolio and power purchase agreements help us meet high demands, even with some of our units offline."
Dominion Names New Co-COOs. The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (10/2, 277K) reports, Dominion Energy "named two of its top executives to new roles as co-chief operating officers of the Richmond-based energy giant." The Dispatch adds, "Robert M. Blue and Diane Leopold - both now executive vice presidents - will share the role of chief operating officer." Blue formerly led Dominion Energy's power delivery division, and will "now oversee Dominion Energy Virginia and the company's contracted generation operation, which includes the nuclear-energy producing Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Conn., and more than 50 contracted solar facilities." Leopold, who 'formerly led the company's gas infrastructure division, will oversee its gas transmission and storage operation; its gas distribution operations, which includes companies in Idaho, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming~ and Dominion Energy South Carolina."
Seeking Alpha (10/2, Surran, 512K) reports that two of Dominion Energy's "five new operating segments will report to Blue -
Dominion Energy Virginia and Contracted Generation - while Leopold will have responsibility for three operating segments - Gas Transmission & Storage, Gas Distribution, and Dominion Energy South Carolina."
Final Major Module For Georgia Power's Vogtle 3 & 4 Project Arrives Onsite. In a press release (10/2), Georgia Power announced, "The final major module for construction of the Vogtle 3 & 4 units has arrived onsite, meaning all 1,485 major modules required to complete construction have now been manufactured and safely delivered." The final major module delivery "marks the completion of sourcing construction modules from 25 suppliers and vendors from around the globe." The modules help streamline the construction process because "they are made in advance of arriving to the project site and ready to be assembled into larger components that make up the nuclear units." Additionally, "several milestones for Unlt 4 have recently been achieved including the second of four concrete placements for the operating deck inside the 4
containment vessel." Georgia Power adds that the project's workforce "remains at an all-time high with approximately 8,000 workers on site." Vogtle 3 and 4 remains "the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia."
The Albany (GA) Herald (10/2) posted a photo of one of the modules.
SHINE Exec Discusses Plan To Provide Key Radiopharmaceuticals.
Bloomberg (10/2, Tirone, 4.73M) reports, "With U.S. nuclear power falling on hard times, an American company says it's found an atomic niche that will feed rising demand for medical isotopes used to diagnose cancer worldwide." Shine Medical Technologies is "using novel nuclear technologies to reboot American production of the isotope molybdenum-99," which is the key "element that radio-pharmaceutical manufacturers need to make so-called Moly Cows, units that supply doctors with technitium-99 tracers for medical imaging." SHINE CEO Greg Piefer said, "The nuclear industry's fallen on some pretty hard times and this is one of the few bright spots." Piefer added, "Global shortages of molybdenum-99 have become commonplace. The shortages are caused by aging reactors that must be taken offline regularly and sometimes unexpectedly.
Artist/Scientist Forms Political Outreach Group. The San Antonio Express-News (10/2, 762K) reports on the work of 59-year old Lauren Browning who is a "sculptor and former geochemist with a doctorate in geology who spent years doing research work for NASA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." Now, Browning is working on an idea to create a "nonprofit that would make politics engaging, accessible, entertaining and relevant - particularly for those in the low-participation 18-29 range. (Only 46 percent of eligible 18-to 29-year-olds voted in 2016 and only one presldential election since 1992 has produced a turnout of 50 percent or better from voters in that age range.)"
Browning formed Growing Empowered Together in 2016.
GET is "an alliance employing art, poetry, film and interactive happenings to build a sense that politics ls not some distant, abstract, bureaucratic bore, but a vital part of our daily lives."
RELATED NEWS:
Professor Says US Would Need New Nuclear Plant Every Other Day To Meet 2030 Emissions Goal. The Washington Times (10/2, Richardson, 492K) reports that according to University of Colorado professor Roger A. Pielke Jr., who teaches in the environmental studies program, it is "possible to reach net-zero U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, as sought by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal, as long as you bring on one new
nuclear power plant every other day." Professor Pielke "ran the numbers on Democratic proposals to achieve carbon neutrality, which range from the New York Democrat's 2030 goal to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden's 2050 target."
To "reach net-zero emissions by 2030, or in 3,746 days from now, would mean deploying about four nuclear power plants per day globally, and 'for the United States, the deployment of a new huclear plant about every other day.'"
PA Governor Looks To Join Multi-state Carbon Tax Program. The Harrisburg {PA} Patriot-News (10/2, Thompson, 427K) reports Democratic Pennsylvania Gov.
Tom Wolf "is about to take his biggest step yet in the fight against climate change by entering Pennsylvania into the Northeast's multi-state system that promotes cleaner air by placing a tax on future carbon emissions." Wolf, whose actfon may prompt later court challenges, "is expected to announce Thursday the first steps to commit Pennsylvahia to enter into full participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Pennsylvania's participation in the initiative "would instantly put it in the front ranks of states who are now leading on climate change in the absence of action or even rollbacks of current policy by the federal government, and add substantial new muscle to the regional initiative's impact."
The AP (10/2, Levy) reports the announcement "could draw pushback in the Republican-controlled Legislature, if not a court challenge from utilities that "could be required to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the state annually."
Pennsylvania has dozens of coal and natural gas-fired power plants," and would be "the biggest emissions state in the consortium." The state's power plants emit about 92 million tons of carbon per year, while the consortium's 2019 cap was 80.2 million tons.
IN THE BLOGS:
Sellafield Workers Urged To Take Pause To Talk Safety. In a UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority blog posted on WlredGov (UK) (10/1 ), Emma Law, Head of Corporate Communications at Sellafield Ltd, wrote that on October 1st, "we will ask everyone associated with delivering work at Sellafield - whether that is on the site itself or in our support office and supply chain facilities - to" stop work and talk about safety. In this blog "we'll explain why we are having these conversations now, taking a proactive approach to prevent a serious accident or personal injury. The piece adds, "Stopping work to talk about safety on an industrial site can happen because of a major accident or near miss." An "opportunity to reflect on what happened and what action can be taken to ensure it doesn't happen again."
5 INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
Kansai Electric Power Execs Blame Nuclear Scandal On Dead Local Official. Bloomberg (10/2, Clark, Stapczynski, Takezawa, 4.73M) reports that top Kansai Electric Power Co. executives "who adm1tted to taking lllicit payments related to their nuclear business sought to deflect blame onto a deceased local official and vowed to stay in their roles, potentially deepening the nation's latest corporate governance scandal." KEPCO's Chairman Makoto Yagi and President Shigeki lwane "spent more than three hours Wednesday detailing in a public briefing how they and 18 other executives received nearly 320 million yen ($3 million) in cash and gifts, including suits and gold, from a former deputy mayor in the western town Takahama, which hosts the company's biggest nuclear plant." They "didn't return the payments because the official, who died in March at the age of 90, wielded influence and intimidated employees, they said.
The Japan Times (10/3, Author, 19K) reports, a former senior Kansai Electric Power Co. official in charge of its nuclear business admitted Thursday to receiving an improper gift around 20 years ago from a former official of a town hosting one of its nuclear plants." The admission "indicates that collusion between the utility and the former local government official began much earlier than 2006 as reported by Kansai Electric." The power company "disclosed Wednesday that 20 officials had received about ¥320 million worth of gifts since 2006 from Eiji Moriyama, the late former deputy mayor of town of Takahama in Fukui Prefecture, who served as an adviser to a Kansai Electric subsidiary for more than 30 years before his death aged 90 in March."
Chernobyl Reactor's Control Room To Open To Tourists. The Daily Mirror (UK} (10/3, Delahaye, 416K) reports, "The control room of Chernobyl 's infamous Reactor Four is set to open to tourists." Chernobyl and its "surrounding areas, dubbed the 'Exclusion Zone' only re-opened to tourists in 2011, with plenty of strict rules and regulations around visiting." Until now, tourists could only view the exterior of the site, but now the Chernobyl Power Plant's control room for Reactor Four is being opened as a new tourism spot." Visitors will need to don protective clothing, and will only be permitted to visit the site for a few minutes to prevent overexposure to radiation."
Study: Nuclear War Between India And Pakistan Could Kill Up To 125M. USA Today (10/2, Rice, 10.31M) reports that "as many as 125 million people would die within days if India and Pakistan waged a nuclear war, according to a scientific study released Wednesday."
Study co-author Alan Robock, a professor of environmental
sciences at Rutgers University, said, "Such a war would threaten not only the locations where bombs might be targeted but the entire world." Study lead author Brian Toon, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado-Boulder, added, "This is a war that would have no precedent in human experience.-0 Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines.
national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence al!ldience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, lnstagram and others, is subject to the respective platform's terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The NRC News Summary is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at Bulletinlntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100.
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[External_Sender] NRC News Summary for Friday, October 04, 2019 NRCSummary191004.doc, NRCSummary191004.pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached.
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM I~
= -:----------T~o~o~AY'......'.:'s~E~o~1r1~0N~ _________
I NRC News O.hio. AFL-CIO Weighs In On HB 6 Referendum Fight.................. 1 P1lgnm Plant Opponents To Protest Onsite Spent Fuel Storage At Plymouth Library............................................................... 2 NRC Shifts Oversight Of Shuttered Three Mile Island Unit 1 Reactor.................................................................................. 2 NEI Commentary Calls For Reforms To Modernize NRC Oversight...................,........................................................... 2 New Jersey Forms Oyster Creek Plant Decommissioning Advisory Panel...................................................................... 2 SoCal Edison Attorneys Challenge Pub'lic Watchdogs' SONGS Lawsuit.................................................................................. 3 Xcel Planning To Continue Operating Important Monticello Plant...................................................................................... 3 Vernon Developer Wants To Acquire Vermont Yankee Property Following Decommissioning................................................. 3 Nuclear Plant Closures Usually Mean More Greenhouse Gases.................................................................................... 3 Continuing Coverage: TVA Experiences Record Energy Usage.. 3 NRC Suspends Very Low-Level Waste Study...............................4 CPB Taps Howell As New Inspector General...............................4 NRC NEWS:
Ohio AFL-CIO Weighs In On HB 6 Referendum Fight. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/3, Pelzer, 895K) report~ that the Ohio AFL-CIO is wading in the fight against a potential referendum on House Bill 6, launching ads on TV and online urging voters not to sign petitions to overturn the state's nuclear bailout law." Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga "said in an interview... the union wants to spread the word that repealing the bailout would mean the closure of the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants, leading to mass layoffs and hurting the local economy." The union's affiliates represents the 1,400 or so workers at the two plants. The "International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for Davis-Besse employees, and the Utility Workers Union of America Related News DOE Extends Comment Period On Decommissioning Draft RFP.......................................................................................4 DOE Names Nuclear Scientists To Head Up New National Reactor Innovation Center....................................................4 Continuing Coverage: PA To Join Regional Cap-And-Trade Initiative................................................................................. 4 Hanford Vit Plant Nears Completion..............................................4 Early Pit Production Work Examined............................................. 5 In the Biogs Bacon Sees Threat To Grid Resilience From Hurricanes, Other Storms................................................................................... 5 International Nuclear News Kansai Electric Nuclear Scandal May Delay Abe's Bid To Approve Trade Agreement With US..................................... 5 KEPCO Execs Named In Gifts Scandal........................................ 5 Kyushu El~ctric ~ill Have To Close Sendai Plant After Delay In Meeting Anti-Terror Requirements....................................... 5 Fukushima To Sue To Evict Evacuee Families............................. 6 Small Modular Reactors Gain Momentum In Europe.................... 6 French FM: US And Iran Have One Month To Avert Escalation... 6 for Perry workers." Burga "said he didn't know how much the Ohio AFL-C!O is spen?ing on th~ ads." The "TV ads recently started running statewide, he said, and the union will decide
'week to week' how long to keep them on the air."
Ohio AG Investigating Claims That Referendum Opponents Offering Money For Signed Petitions. The Journal-News (OH) (10/3, Bischoff, 166K) reports Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is "investigating new allegations that people circulating petitions for a statewide referendum on a cont~oversial energy bill are being offered cash to quit the caf:1 paIgn an? to sell signed petitions to the opposing side."
Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts, "which faces an Oct. 21 deadline to collect 265,744 valid voter signatures, alleges that opponents of their campaign have offered their circulators as much as $10,000 to quit and one of their petition circulating vendors was offered $100,000 to pull out." Last weekend, referendum opponents "went door to door at a Columbus
hotel where petition circulators were staying and offered to buy petitions that had already been signed, according to Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts." The article adds, "Buying or selling a petitlon is a fifth degree felony, under state law."
Editorial Blasts Campaign To Oppose Referendum.
In an editorial, the Columbus (OH) Dispatch (10/4, 367K),
writes, "Each time we think we have stated strongly enough our thorough disgust with backers of a nuclear-plant bailout (House Bill 6) and their lying, dangerous campaign to prevent voters from having a chance to overturn it, a new outrage prompts us to say it again: Voters, do not be fooled.
11 If you "oppose making electricity customers pay an extra $150 million per year to subsidize two failed power plants - or even if you just think voters should have the last word - sign the petition." A "dark-money group calling itself Ohioans for Energy Security - likely funded by the nuclear plants who want the bailout -
has embarked on a scorched-truth campaign to stop an effort by another dark-money group, funded by natural gas interests, to put a referendum - which could cancel HB 6 - on the November 2020 ballot." The latest "ugly distortion is in a 30-second TV ad" that "warns viewers about people gathering petition signatures for the referendum, describing them as 'outsiders brought into our state to roam our neighborhoods.'"
Pilgrim Plant Opponents To Protest Onsite Spent Fuel Storage At Plymouth Library. The Old Colony Memorial (MA) (10/3, Kindy, 27K) reports that Cape Downwinders and Citizens Awareness Network are organizing High-Level Nuclear Waste Tour in Plymouth that will feature a "moving display protesting the use of PHgrim Nuclear Power Station as a nuclear waste site at Plymouth Public Library from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5."
The opponents "will display a large mock nuclear waste cask and will have several speakers addressing issues of nuclear waste, federal policy and environmental justice." The "groups are opposed to using Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, which ceased operations May 31, as an active storage site for nuclear waste." The federal government had previously planned to store radioactive materials from nuclear plants at a site in New Mexico [sic] before that policy was abandoned."
The Brattleboro (VT) Reformer (10/3, Smallheer, 21 K) reports that also participating in the tour is Leona Morgan, a Navajo woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, "an indigenous community organizer" who "wants the people of Vermont and New England what getting rid of the nuclear waste from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant means to her community." Morgan, "along with a group of anti-nuclear activists are touring New England this week to draw attention to what they concede is an oft-forgotten or ignored 2
problem - where does the nuclear waste go?" Morgan "said the nuclear industry - whether it is the existing 14,000-acre Waste Control Specialties (WCS) facility in west Texas, or its proposed expansion or a proposed Holtec nuclear storage facility just over the border in New Mexico -
was overwhelming the communities in that region." She said putting nuclear waste in that area, which she said is geologically unstable from a huge amount of oil and gas drilling, is dangerous and racist" NRC Shifts Oversight Of Shuttered Three Mile Island Unit 1 Reactor. ExchangeMonitor (10/3) reports that as of Tuesday the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission "placed a new branch in charge of oversight of the recently retired reactor Unit 1 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pa.~
NEI Commentary Calls For Reforms To Modernize NRC Oversight. In a piece for the Nuclear Energy Institute (10/3) Doug True writes that If "we want to protect the climate, we need to support nuclear carbon-free energy with smarter regulations at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission." Numerous organizations - like the "World Resources Institute, the International Energy Agency and others - have said that nuclear carbon-free energy is key to any viable climate solution." Given that nuclear power currently provides "more than 55 percent of the carbon-free electricity" in the US and "advanced reactors" are already "on the horizon, nuclear can be responsible for even more carbon-free generation while helping to decarbonize additional sections of the economy too." However, all of this depends on "a transformed, modern regulator keeping pace with an evolving industry."
New Jersey Forms Oyster Creek Plant Decommissioning Advisory Panel. The AP (10/3) reports, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy created an "oversight panel to evaluate the process of dismantling the former Oyster Creek nuclear plant." Murphy says the panel will ensure the "proper protocols" are in place throughout the decommissioning process. The panel's formation was announced Wednesday. It plans to meet at least twice a year and will allow the public to share their concerns. Its members include the state's Environmental Protection Commissioner, state police superintendent, homeland securtty director and the president of the Board of Public Utilities."
ExchangeMonitor (10/3) reports, "New Jersey has established a panel of state officials to provide additional oversight of decommissioning at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced Wednesday." The Oyster Creek Safety Advisory Panel* "will enhance existing oversight."
SoCal Edison Attorneys Challenge Public Watchdogs' SONGS Lawsuit. The San Clemente (CA) Times (10/3, Raymundo, 58K) reports that attorneys for SoCal Edison and its contractor Holtec "believe Public Watchdogs' lawsuit against the San Onofre power plant operator should be dismissed because the group's members haven't suffered any harm or injury as a result of exposure to radioactive material from the power plant." SoCal Edison's attorneys say Public Watchdogs' claim that spent fuel canisters at the site pose an imminent danger to the health of those nearby fails to pass legal scrutiny because the group "does not allege that it (or anybody else) has suffered any
'bodily injury, sickness, disease, or death, or loss of or damage to property, or loss of use of property, arising out of or resulting from the radioactive, toxic, explosive, or other hazardous properties of source, special nuclear, or byproduct material.'"
Xcel Planning To Continue Operating Important Monticello Plant.
MSN (10/3, Hertel, 5.16M) picks up a St. Cloud Times (10/3, Hertel, 64K) article about the future of Xcel Energy's Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, which "employs about 650 people and generates 671 megawatts of power." But the "plant was updated between 2009 and 2013, and it is situated to play an important role in Minnesota's transitioning energy landscape."
Nuclear power hholds an important place in Xcel's energy output now, and that will continue in the near future." Indeed, Xcel "hopes to expand the Monticello plant's license from 2030 to 2040, as it closes its coal plants and moves toward carbon-free energy production by 2050." Xcel Energy President Chris Clark said, "It's a carbon-free energy source,"
and added, "It's a very efficient process, as far as being able to get a lot of energy out of a very small amount of fuel."
Vernon Developer Wants To Acquire Vermont Yankee Property Following Decommissioning.
Vermont Public Radio (10/3, Weiss-Tisman) reports Vernon business owner Mike Renaud "says he wants to buy the Vermont Yankee property after the shuttered nuclear reactor there is decommissioned." Renaud is "part-owner of Renaud Brothers Construction, a company that builds bridges and does commercial work across Vermont and in Massachusetts and New Hampshire." He "says he wants to buy the Vermont Yankee property to make sure the land is developed after the reactor is gone." Renaud "says he doesn't have any specific plans for development right now." He told the "Vernon Planning Commission about his interest in the site, though he hasn't had any direct contact with Northstar Decommissioning Holdings, the company that now owns Vermont Yankee."
3 Nuclear Plant Closures Usually Mean More Greenhouse Gases. The York (PA) Dispatch (10/3, VanAsdalan, 37K) reports that Three Mile Island "shut down Sept. 20, ending a two-year battle to save the Dauphin County nuclear plant, and there has been no shortage of predictions about what comes next." The article reviews the recent closures of four other plants and adds that it "found that carbon emissions did increase as more natural gas plants came online or boosted production to fill the nuclear gap, consumer prices remained relatively unaffected by the closures and local economies that took a hit have rebounded
- though never fully getting back to where they were." The article assessed the closures of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California, Crystal Rlver plant in Florida, Vermont Yankee plant in Vermont, and Kewaunee Power Station in Wisconsin.
Remick: Coal, Nuclear Plants Begin Pushed Aside By Renewal Subsidies, Mandates. In a commentary for the Harrlsburg (PA) Patriot-News (10/3, 427K), former NRG Commissioner, Forrest J. Remick, writes, "With coal and nuclear power plants closing and utilities adding renewable sources of power at a breakneck pace, it could appear at first glance that renewables are winning the energy marketplace.
Appearances can be deceiving." Baseload "coal and nuclear plants, and even some nearly brand-new natural gas plants, are being pushed aside not by cheap wind and solar power but rather by renewable subsidies and mandates that continue to upend electricity markets." Remick adds, "Our economy requires full-time power. Wind and solar are neither.
While proponents of renewables are quick to note that wind and solar power are gaining ground, the technology for utility-scale storage of electricity for use when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining is in its infancy."
Continuing Coverage:
TVA Experiences Record Energy Usage. WRCB-TV Chattanooga, TN (10/3, Hoagland, 47K) reports online that temperatures in Chattanooga reached 100 degrees Thursday, causing unseasonably high power demand in the Tennessee Valley.
TV A said October 1 and 2 saw the second and third highest peak power demands ever for October. Wednesday saw peak detnand of more than 28,000 MW - about 8,000 MW above normal. TVA spokesperson Melinda Hunter said, "The most demand we've ever had was in the polar vortex and really high energy demand was just over 30,000. So this is a very big deal." WRCB says TVA "is now operating under two internal alerts in an effort to conserve as much energy as possible." Hunter said, "If there is maintenance that is scheduled, we'll postpone it until we can get through this heat wave." In a separate article, WRCB-TV Chattanooga, TN (10/3, Steger, 47K) reports, "Despite the alerts, TVA says they aren't having problems meeting energy demands."
The Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press (10/3, Flessner, 171K) reports, 'TVA is having to meet this week's power peaks with two of its seven nuclear reactors shut down for refueling and maintenance outages and another coasting down toward a maintenance outage next week." TVA spokesperson Jim Hopson "said Browns Ferry Unit 2 and Watts Bar Unit 1 are offline and Sequoyah Unit 1 is operating at 75% power as it prepares for an upcomihg outage." Hunter said, "This time of year is typically when we start to bring down our units for maintenance outages because it's typically much cooler. Fortunately, our diverse portfolio and power purchase agreements help us meet high demands, even with some of our units offline." The Times Free Press says "TVA is still getting extra power from its 29 hydroelectric dams on the Tennessee River system," but hydro generation "has been limited after below average rainfall during both August and September."
NRC Suspends Very Low-Level Waste Study.
ExchanqeMonitor (10/3) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has "suspended work on a study of potential regulatory updates for disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLL W) while it considers other approaches to the matter."
CPB Taps Howell As New Inspector General.
The Current (MN) (10/3, Janssen) reports, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has "chosen Kimberly Howell to be its next inspector general." Howell has been the "deputy inspector general for investigations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority." Prior to "her time with WMA TA, she directed the office of investigations for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and served as special agent and deputy assistant inspector general for the Office of Personnel Management." Howell "began her federal law enforcement career In 1993 as a special agent with the U.S.
Secret Service." Howell is a "Certified Fraud Examiner and an adjunct assistant professor in the criminology/criminal justice program at the University of Maryland Global Campus."
RELATED NEWS:
DOE Extends Comment Period On Decommissioning Draft RFP.
ExchangeMonitor (10/3) reports that US Energy Department is "giving interested vendors four more days, until Tuesday, Oct. 8, to comment on a draft request for proposals on a nationwide deactivation, decommissioning, and removal services contract that could be worth $3 billion.
DOE Names Nuclear Scientists To Head Up New National Reactor Innovation Center. The 4
AP (10/3, Ridler) reports that the Energy Department Thursday named nuclear scientists Ashley Finan and Nicholas Smith to lead the National Reactor Innovation Center research facility at an Idaho National Laboratory, "as part of an effort to revamp and increase the nation's use of nuclear power." Finan said, "I'm confident we can deliver on the promise, of advanced nuclear energy." The center is "intended to help private sector companies test and develop new nuclear energy technologies." Finan and Smith "said private companies are eager for access to facilities at the lab that include a reactor that can test new types of nuclear fuel."
Behind a paywall, E&E News PM (10/3, Subscription Publication) also delivered coverage.
Continuing Coverage: PA To Join Regional Cap-And-Trade Initiative. NPR (10/3, Phillips, 3.12M) reports online Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced plans Thursday to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), "a cap-and-trade program that has cut the annual average CO2 emissions from electric generation in nine participating states." Pennsylvania - the fourth largest greenhouse gas emitter in the US - is a net exporter of electricity, and "a large producer of coal and natural gas."
Wolf plans to bypass the state's "Republican-controlled legislature by signing an executive order." According to Wolf, he has that authority under the Clean Air Act.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (10/3, Legere, 616K) reports, "Pennsylvania has the fifth-highest power sector carbon emissions in the country, according to the US Energy Information Administration." The state's power plants "emit more greenhouse gases than those in all of the initiative's current member states combined." The Hill (10/3, Beitsch, 2.98M) reports, "Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont are the other members of RGGI."
The AP (10/3, Levy) reports, "If Wolf is successful, Pennsylvania would become the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy," The move is expected to "face pushback, if not a court challenge, from the Republican-controlled Legislature, which is historically protective of Pennsylvania's influential coal and natural gas industries."
The energy sector accounts for about 40 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. Under a cap-and-trade program, Pennsylvania's "dozens of power plants fueled by coal, oil and natural gas could be forced to buy hundreds of millions of dollars in credits annually that the state could then spend on clean energy efforts."
Hanford Vit Plant Nears Completion. Engineertng News-Record (10/3, Rubin) reports that for more than 30 years at the massive Hanford site near Richland, Washington, the Energy Department "has tasked employees and multiple contractors to assess and clean up the daunting
environmental legacy of making America's nuclear weapons."
Now, a "core piece of the cleanup program nears a milestone after 17 years and $17 billion of construction: startup of the
Hanford's Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, dubbed Vit Plant, the "first phase of a new production complex to transform much of Hanford's 56 million gallons of long-stored radioactive waste from weapons-making into inert glass for safe disposal and future decay." Nearly "3,000 on-site employees are attached to the effort, "including 1,500 trades workers."
Early Pit Production Work Examined.
North Augusta (SC) Star (10/3, Demarest) reports, "Preparing for and crafting preliminary designs for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, the proposed plutonium pit hub at the Savannah River Site, is a national affair with distinct local ties. The sizable effort stretches from east to west, and in South Carolina touches Greenville and the Aiken area, more specifically, according to Dave Olson, the pit production mission director for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the head contractor at the site."
IN THE BLOGS:
Bacon Sees Threat To Grid Resilience From Hurricanes, Other Storms. In a blog on his Bacon's Rebellion (VA) (10/3) webs~e, James A. Bacon writes that Jf a "warming climate increases the ftequency and intensity of hurricanes," it would be "appropriate to ask here in Virginia, what standards do we have in place for the construction of wind turbines and solar panels to ensure that they can withstand hurricane-force winds?" In North Carolina 'the interaction" of Hurricane Dorian and a "solar farm in Currituck County whh wind speeds near 60 miles per hour" resulted in the mangling of "dozens of solar panels and their metal frames at a site in Grandy." Bacon examines the "grid-wide perspective of what would happen if a Class 4 or Class 5 hurricane wiped out entire solar farms and wind farms." In a "grid with a mix of energy sources, including nuclear and natural gas, there isn't much to worry about." However, in a "zero-carbon grid," they would be "exceedingly vulnerable if, as some environmentalists have called for, licenses on the state's nuclear power plants are allowed to expire." Although "Dominion Energy is building a 'demonstration' wind turbine project off the coast of Virginia Beach, it will be in commission only two or three years before the utility starts building a massive wind farm that will supply much of the electricity to Virginia's Tidewater region."
5 INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR News:
Kansai Electric Nuclear Scandal May Delay Abe's Bid To Approve Trade Agreement With US.
Bloomberg (10/4, Reynolds, 4.73M) reports that questions in parliament "about a nuclear payoff scandal threaten to delay Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bid to pass a U.S. trade pact and make progress toward changing the country's pacifist constitution. Opposition lawmakers have "pledged to hammer Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party as the new session opened Friday over revelations that executives at Kansai Electric Power Co. took millions of dollars in payments, including gold coins hidden in a box of sweets, from a former local official in a town that hosts a major nuclear plant." The scandal could "delay progress on Abe's major agenda item of gaining parliamentary approval for a trade deal reached last month with Donald Trump aimed at fending off the U.S. president's threats to slap tariffs on Japanese autos."
KEPCO Execs Named In Gifts Scandal. Mainichi Daily News (JPN) (10/4) reports that a probe "into 318.45 million yen in cash and valuables that executives of Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) and others received in a payoff scandal has found that two construction firms directly handed around 4 million yen worth of cash and other items to the firm's former president and two other managing executives."
In its "latest admission, KEPCO said that managing executive officer Shigeki Otsuka received 1 million yen in cash and 400,000 yen worth of gift certificates from Yoshida Kaihatsu, while Toyomatsu and Suzuki received a combined 2.5 million yen worth of vouchers for tailored suits from the other company."
Kyushu Electric Will Have To Close Sendai Plant After Delay In Meeting Anti-Terror Requirements. Asahi Shimbun {JPN) (10/4, 8K) reports that Kyushu Electric Power Co. "said lt will suspend operations of its Sendai nuclear power plant after falling behind schedule on establishing mandatory anti-terrorism measures." The announcement was blow to its financial situation. The "company said Oct. 3 that it will be unable to meet the construction deadlines for the measures and will halt two reactors at the plant in Kagoshima Prefecture on the day before their respective deadlines." That means "the No. 1 reactor will be offline for nine months from March to December next year, while the No. 2 reactor will be suspended for eight months from May to January 2021." The
Sendai plant will be the first in Japan to be suspended because of delays in building anti-terror facilities."
Fukushima To Sue To Evict Evacuee Families.
Asahi Shimbun (JPN) (10/4, 8K) reports, Fukushima Prefecture will "take legal action to evict f1Ve households living in public housing in Tokyo who voluntarily evacuated from the prefecture following the 2011 nuclear accident." The prefectural assembly Oct. 3 "approved in a majority vote plans to file a lawsuit against the evacuees, who are residing in the housing for government employees without signing a contract or paying rent." The lawsuit will "also demand that the households pay a total of about 6 million yen ($56,190),
which is between 500,000 yen and 2 million yen per household, equivalent to two years of rent."
Small Modular Reactors Gain Momentum In Europe POWER (10/3) reports GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on Oct. 3 said it had signed an agreement with Fermi Energia 00 to collaborate on potential deployment applications for GEH's BWRX-300 SMR design.
French FM: US And Iran Have One Month To Avert Escalation. Reuters (10/3) reports that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the French parliament Thursday that the US and Iran "have one month to get to the negotiating table... suggesting that Tehran's plan to increase its nuclear activities in November would spark renewed tension in the region." President Emmanuel Macron "attempted, but failed to broker talks between" President Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations in New York last week. Le Drian is quoted as saying, "We consider that these initiatives, which didn't succeed, are still on the table and it is up to Iran and the United States to seize (them) in a relatively short amount of time because Iran has announced new measures to reduce its commitments to the Vienna accord in November."
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Ohio AG Investigating Complaints That HB6 Petition Circulators Being Offered Money For Signatures................................... 1 NRC Discusse~ Oyster Creek Plant Citizens Advisory Board With Residents...................................................................... 2 Plant Vogtle Expansion Continues As Major Module Arrives........ 2 Plane Crashes In Susquehanna River Near Three Mile Island Plant...................................................................................... 2 Loss To Grid From Closure Of Oyster Creek, Three Mile Island Plants Examined................................................................... 2 Attorneys Representing SoCal Edison Say SONGS Lawsuit Should Be Dismissed............................................................ 3 NRC Makes Vermont An Agreement State................................... 3 NRC Puts Very Low-Level Waste Scoping Study On Hold........... 3 New Gas-Fired Power Plant Opens Near Talen's Susquehanna Plant...................................................................................... 3 Editorial Examines Where Nuclear Fits Into Need For Clean Power.................................................................................... 3 Halstead Details Opposition To Yucca Mountain Project.............. 3 NRC NEWS:
Ohio AG Investigating Complaints That HB6 Petition Circulators Being Offered Money For Signatures. WCMH-TV Columbus, OH (10/4, Hart 154K) reported that the Ohio Attorney General's Office is "investigating a complaint that petition circulators for a voter referendum on the state's $1 billion nuclear plant bailout are being offered cash to quit the campaign and to turn over the signatures gathered." Gene Pierce of Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts, said, "We know that at least two people have been approached" and were "offered $10,000 to
$20,000 to quit and work for the other side - passing their bogus petition that they're circulating to try to confuse people about our petition." In response, Carlo LoParo, of Ohioans for Energy Security, "Despite the millions of dollars Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts has spent on this misguided repeal effort, they appear to be falling short of the signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. Now they're looking for Commentary: Nuclear Power An Asset In Climate Change Battle..................................................................................... 4 Related News Deputy Energy Secretary Brouillette Seen As Likely Successor To Perry.................................................................................4 Western States Fault DOE For Not Consulting Them On WIPP's Five-Year Plan.........................................................4 Winegarden: Climate Change Solutions Must lncentivize Innovation..............................................................................4 In the Biogs Castro's Energy Plan Would "Phase Out Nuclear Power............4 International Nuclear News GE Hitachi Collaborates To Bring Small Modular Reactor Design To Estonia................................................................. 5 Bushehr Exec Plans To Begin Work Next Phase.......................... 5 US Nuclear Talks With North Korea Break Down Within Hours... 5 Iran Has Improved Cooperation With IAEA, Watchdog Says....... 6 excuses. Their allegations are nothing more than a desperate and fraudulent attempt to buy more time for their failing effort.
Shame on them."
WVXU-FM Cincinnati (10/4, Chow, 4K) reported online that Gene Pierce of Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts, "says they keep seeing a decline in hired petition circulators.
He says petitioners would be working for his anti-bailout group, gathering signatures to put the law before voters, and then one day they would fall out of contact without turning in their signatures."
Ohio House Bill 6 Petition Supporters Having Trouble Finding Enough Workers. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/4, Tobias, 895K) reported that the campaign to repeal Ohio's HB6 nuclear bailout law is having trouble finding enough workers to circulate their petitions, a spokesman said Friday while explaining the group's recent hiring of a supervisor with a past election fraud conviction."
Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts spokesman Gene Pierce "said pro-HB6 forces have hindered the repeal campaign's signature-gathering efforts by hiring away his group's petition workers." The repeal campaign "needs roughly 265,000 valid
voter signatures by Oct. 21 for the issue to make the November 2020 ballot." A "pro-HB6 group launched their own petition drive two weeks ago, offering double the pay to gather signatures that carry no legal weight."
Opponents Include
- Oil, Gas Companies, Environmentalists.
Cincinnati City Beat ( 10/4, Swartsell, 59K) reported that the HB6 law is controversial. An unusual combination of fiscal conservatives, oil and gas companies, environmental groups and others have decried the $150 million per year between 2021 and 2027 ratepayers would provide to First Energy Solutions, a bankrupt subsidiary holding two nuclear power plants - Perry Nuclear Power Plant outside of Cleveland and Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station outside of Toledo - owned by Akron-based parent company First Energy Corp." The law's "monthly surcharge will cost users between 85 cents for some residential customers and $2,400 for the state's largest industrial users."
Suddes: Ohio Voters Will Reject HB6 If It Reaches 2020 Ballot. In an opinion piece for the Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/6, 895K), columnist Thomas Suddes writes t~at "Ohio voters will kill House Bill 6 - a bill that would require Ohio's electricity customers to subsidize the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants-if they get the chance." But he adds, that's "a big 'if.' And it's why the powerful interests who rammed House Bill 6 through the General Assembly last summer are doing all they can to keep voters from signing petitions to place HB 6 on Ohio's November 2020 ballot." Last July, the Ohio General Assembly "narrowly passed HB 6" and GOP "Gov. Mike DeWine signed it." The "pro-HB 6 forces, spending money like there's no tomorrow, are claiming that because Chinese banks have helped finance gas-fired power plants in Ohio, repealing HB 6 would give Beijing's dictatorship a chokehold on Ohio's grid. That's ludicrous.
NRC Discusses Oyster Creek Plant Citizens Advisory Board With Residents.
Tap Into New Jersey (10/6, Faughnan) reports, "Bruce Watson, NRC Reactor Decommissioning Branch Chief, has done his fair share of meetings related to the decommissioning of nuclear plants. Prior to the recent session on Oyster Creek, Watson mentioned that "residents across the country don't all necessarily feel there's a need for citizen advisory boards in the decommissioning process." But "many of the same faces from related meetings appeared at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's hearing on Thursday evening. And, they absolutely want a Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) mandated by the federal government. At the "direction of Congress, the NRC scheduled the meeting to discuss the best practices of CABs. However, "many of the attendees misunderstood the focus." They "showed up hoping for answers to questions they felt" Holtec International "failed to address" at last month's Stakeholders Forum.
2 Plant Vogtle Expansion Continues As Major Module Arrives.
DailyEnergylnsider (10/4, Randolph) reported that the final major module needed for the Vogtle expansion project recently arrived on-site, Georgia ~ower said Wednesday. Georgia Power "also recently achieved several milestones for Unit 4," including completion of '1he second of four concrete placements for the operating deck inside the containment vessel," and setting of the Integrated Head Package inside the Unit 4 containment vessel.
The Savannah (GA) Business Journal (10/7) reports, "Since 2011, major modules have been delivered to the site by rail and truck and include a range of plant components such as floor and wall sections and supporting structures that surround the containment buildings and reactor vessels.!,
POWER (10/4) reported the Vogtle 3 and 4 "workforce remains at an all-time high with approximately 8,000 workers on site. Vogtle 3 and 4 will have "more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating;" The proj~ct is currently the largest jobs-producing construction proJect 1n the state of Georgia."
The Augusta (GA) Chronicle (10/4, 167K) reported a Georgia Power spokesperson said the new units are approximately 79 percent complete.
Plane Crashes In Susquehanna River Near Three Mile Island Plant. WPVI-TV Philadelphia (10/5, 5361<}
reported online that Federal authorities are
investigating after a plane crashed" in the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg Friday evening, "near the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant." The pilot and "passenger escaped without serious injury."
Loss To Grid From Closure Of Oyster Creek, Three Mile Island Plants Examined. The Lehigh Valley (PA) Express Times (10/6, Bressweln, 257K) reports on the loss of both the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and a year before, "nearly to the day," the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey.
Indeed, "More nuclear power plant retirements may be on the horizon: PJM, the Pennsylvania-based coordinator of wholesale electricity in 13 states plus the District of Columbia, has already begun planning for the planned retirements of the dual-reactor, 1,813-megawatt Beaver Valley Power Station in Pennsylvania and the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear power plants that together generate 2,143 megawatts in Ohio. Had PJM "identified reliability concerns with either Three Mile Island or Oyster Creek, it could have paid their operators to remain open, through what is called a 'reliability must run,'
PJM spokesman Jeff Shields said." Or it "could have outlined new power-transmission projects needed to offset the loss."
US Nuclear Industry Seen As Tottering.
The Telegraph (UK) (10/7, Millward, 956K) reports on the closure
of Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and how its "demise was due to old-fashioned market forces, rather than the environmental lobby. Three Mile Island was killed by accountants." Nuclear power, "which for decades was the largest producer of electricity in Pennsylvania, had become too expensive" following the advent of cheap natural gas.
More Commentary. In a piece for Alternative Energy Magazine (10/4), Len Calderone wrote that while nuclear energy "isn't considered renewable energy, it does not emit any of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Therefore, it "should be considered alternative energy and a solution to climate change. Second, nuclear power plants function at a much higher capacity than renewable energy sources or fossil fuels." Capacity is a percentage of the time a power plant actually produces energy. It's a problem for all alternative energy sources. The sun doesn't always shine; the wind doesn't always blow; and water doesn't always run through the turbines of a dam." The aging US nuclear fleet need to be replaced but the new ones fail to compete on price with natural gas and renewable sources such as wind and solar."
Attorneys Representing SoCal Edison Say SONGS Lawsuit Should Be Dismissed. The Dana Point (CA) Times (10/6, Raymundo, 29K) reports that "attorneys representing Southern California Edison and its contractor believe Public Watchdogs' lawsuit against the San Onofre power plant operator should be dismissed because the group's members haven't suffered any harm or injury as a result of exposure to radioactive material from the power plant." SoCal Edison and SDG&E "are named in the lawsuit in federal court, as are Holtec International, which designed the canisters used to transport and contain the waste, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission."
Harris's Slide In Presidential Polls Continues.
Writing in "The Trailer blog on the website of the Washington Post (10/6, 14.2M), Dave Weigel said, Five months out from California's primary, just four months before the first ballots go out in the mail, Harris has fallen to the middle of the pack in a state where she has won three big, expensive races....
After a spectacular start, a rally in her hometown of Oakland that remains the largest single gathering for any 2020 Democrat, Harris has slipped behind in California for the same reasons she's struggled nationally." Said resident William Pierce, 70, Harris is "not known around here." Pierce added, "I have a thing against her, because we can't get an answer from her about the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant" NRC Makes Vermont An Agreement State.
Behind a paywall, ExchangeMonitor (10/4) reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week made Vermont the 39th agreement state to the US. Vermont "now assumes primary responsibility for regulatory oversight of radioactive 3
materials within state borders, though that does not include the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.
NRC Puts Very Low-Level Waste Scoping Study On Hold. ExchangeMonitor (10/4) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has "suspended work on a study of potential regulatory updates for disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) while it considers other approaches to the matter."
New Gas-Fired Power Plant Opens Near Talen's Susquehanna Plant.
The Hazelton (PA)
Standard Speaker (10/3, Allabaugh) reports that Caithness Energy's "new $1 billion natural gas power plant that uses Pennsylvania's natural resources has opened less than three miles away from the Susquehanna nuclear power plant."
Ross Ain, president of Caithness Energy, "said Caithness Moxie Freedom Generating Station will have a 'positive impact on the environment."' About "900 employees work at the nearby Susquehanna Steam Electric Station outside Berwick, operated by Talen Energy, said spokeswoman Taryne Williams." Williams said the "station's primary focus is the safe, efficient production of carbon-free nuclear energy."
While market conditions "have impacted nuclear plants' ability to compete, Williams said 'through focused efforts, we have driven our performance to that of one of the top nuclear plants in the U.S."'
Editorial Examines Where Nuclear Fits Into Need For Clean Power. In an editorial, the Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (10/5, 224K) writes that Pacificorp's new Integrated Resource Plan calls for a 59% reduction in carbon output over the next 10 years. But the bad news" is that Utah "still could be the l_ast state to be heavily coal powered."
Interestingly, the "company expresses no interest in the small-scale nuclear power plant in the planning stages in Idaho. Despite it being a potential anytime source of power Hght in their distribution network, the low cost of alternatives and the historically large cost overruns of nuclear plants has made Pacificorp officials gunshy." That should be somewhat "sobering for the Utah cities and towns that are thinking about buying into that nuclear plant." Nuclear "may indeed play a key role in decarbonizing worldwide, but perhaps not in the American West - where sun, wind, geothermal energy and technology are all in abundance."
Halstead Details Opposition To Yucca Mountain Project. The Las Vegas Sun (10/6, Sadler, 170K) carries a Q&A interview with Bob Halstead, executive director for Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects, who "spends much of his time fighting a push to store all of the country's nuclear waste in Nevada." The "Yucca Mountain
nuclear waste repository, a seemingly eternal issue in the Silver State, is inescapable for Halstead as well. In a "recent interview with the Sun, Nye County officials detailed why they were open to the project." Halstead "took issue with some of their remarks and talked with the Sun to break down some of the state's issues with the repository, including potential seismic activity, rail access and transportation of any potential nuclear waste and potential effects to groundwater."
House Panel Approves Yucca Mountain Bill. The Pahrump {NV) Valley Times (10/4, Hebrock, 12K) reported that a US House subcommittee "recently passed a bill that would authorize preparation of Yucca Mountain in Nevada to store nuclear waste, although the House and Senate have not included funds in spending bills. The "House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on environment and climate change on Sept. 26 passed a bill that would allow the Department of Energy to undertake 'infrastructure activities' for operation of Yucca Mountain as a radioactive waste repository." Even so, the "legislation faces an uphill battle."
Funding proposed by the Trump administration "to continue the licensing process needed for a construction permit for Yucca Mountain was stripped from a House appropriations bill this year. Nevada's entire congressional delegation has opposed funding for the project."
Commentary: Nuclear Power An Asset In Climate Change Battle. In a piece for the Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle (10/5, 360K), guest essayist Frank Orienter responded to an editorial in September "espousing the benefits of nuclear power as a significant contributor to combating climate change is a welcome, rational, and reasoned argument for tts' inclusion in a balanced mix for electricity generation." Orienter added, "To maintain a continuous flow of electricity, we must keep all nuclear plants running as long as possible." And "we should begin the process of quickly adding more nuclear plants to maintain our mix." Nuclear plants are "safe, reliable, and economical."
RELATED NEWS:
Deputy Energy Secretary Brouillette Seen As Likely Successor To Perry. Bloomberg (10/4, Natter, 4.73M) reported in continuing coverage that Energy Secretary Rick Perry "told confidants in recent days that he plans to resign from the Trump administration by the end of the year, according to two people familiar with the matter." This has shifted a spotlight to Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, who has "recently has taken a higher profile role at the department. filling in for Perry in appearances abroad and on television interviews as well as cabinet meetings." This is "viewed by some as an effort by the secretary to prepare a 4
successor." Like "Perry, Brouillette is a supporter of efforts -
unsuccessful thus far - to subsidize coal and nuclear plants that have been unprofitable in the face of competition from cheaper natural gas and renewables, which has forced operators to close down."
The Washington Examiner (10/4, Siegel, 448K) reported former DOE official Joe McMonigte said Brouillette "knows how to work the department from all angles and is an effective manager." He added, Dan is really not going to miss a beat.
Western States Fault DOE For Not Consulting Them On WIPP's Five-Year Plan. The AP (10/5, Ridler) reports that Western governors are disappointed that the Energy Department did not "consult their states' nuclear waste experts before releasing a five-year plan for a nuclear waste facility in New Mexico, the governors say." The Western Governors' Association wrote the DOE September 30 and "said the plan released in August for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant could have benefited with contributions from the states concerning transportation and safety."
Winegarden: Climate Change Solutions Must lncentivize Innovation. In an op-ed in Forbes (10/4, 9.71 M), Pacific Research Institute Senior Fellow in Business and Economics Wayne Winegarden argued that that an US policy approach to tackling climate change must incentive technological innovation. He says that to "be most effective, these policies should be technologically neutral focusing on the goal of incenting the development of cheap reliable low-or zero-emission energy, regardless of the source."
Winegarden says these policies should include broad-based tax reductions for companies that develop low or zero-emission technology, reforming utility regulations to open electric grids to greater competition, and emphasizing nuclear power. He concludes that continued "progress toward reducing GHG emissions while still promoting global prosperity is possible."
IN THE BLOGS:
Castro's Energy Plan Would "Phase Out" Nuclear Power. In a piece. on HotAir (10/5, 72K) blog, Jazz Shaw wrote aboul how "Julian Castro, (who is still running for president for some mysterious reason)" outlined an energy plan in which he calls for a "phase out nuclear energy." The blog adds, "People who have actually studied this issue already know that nuclear power is crucial is you're really serious about doing away with fossil fuels, so even the hosts on NPR were skeptical of Castro's plan." The "former Obama administration official acknowledged that nuclear energy is preferable to carbon-based fuels, such as oil and
coal, but said his environmental policies would center almost entirely on wind and solar energy."
The Washington Free Beacon (10/4, Matamoros, 78K) reports that Castro said, "We need to move away from coal, oil, and gas and phase out nuclear." He added, "Nuclear is definitely preferable when it comes to carbon emissions versus those other three and the way that I think about it is, sort of the worst-first approach to working on immediately getting the worst of the types of energy that produces carbon emissions out first."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
GE Hitachi Collaborates To Bring Small Modular Reactor Design To Estonia Greater Wilmington (NC) Business Journal (10/4, O'Neal) reports G~
Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Estonia-based Fermi Energia OU signed an agreement to examine the feasibility of building a BWRX-3000 small modular reactor in Estonia.
World Nuclear News (10/3) reports GE Hitachi and Fermi Energia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to evaluate the economic feasibjlity of building a BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Estonia.
Bushehr Exec Plans To Begin Work Next Phase.
The Tehran (IRA) Times (10/7) reports that Bushehr nuclear power plant director Reza Bannazadeh announced that construction of the second and third phases of the plant is atop his agenda. Bannazadeh "announced that his team is resolved to implement the second and third phases of the nuclear plant to overcome shortage of electric power in southern Iran. Bannazadeh said, "The B_ushe~r plant is currently generating 1000 MW of power which will remarkably be enhanced after implementing the two proposed units."
US Nuclear Talks With North Korea Break Down Within Hours. The New York Times (10/5, Sanger, 18.61M) reports negotiations between the Administration and North Korea
on carrying out commitments to begin dismantling the North's nuclear program broke down only hours after they began in Stockholm on Saturday, the North Koreans said. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the chief North Korean negotiator Kim Myong-gil said, "The negotiation did not live up to our expectations and broke down." He added that the US "had arrived 'empty-handed' and had 'not discarded its old stance and attitude.'" In a statement, the State Department "did not say the talks failed, and warned that the 'early comments' from the North 'do not reflect the content or the spirit of today's 81/2 hour discussion."'
5 North Korea Will Not Resume "Sickening Negotiations" After Latest US Talks Collapse. Reuters (10/6, Park, Smith) reports North Korea said Sunday "there was no way the United States would bring alternative plans for their stalled nuclear talks to a meeting proposed by Stockholm in two weeks" after weekend negotiations broke down. After the latest round of talks broken down Saturday, the State Department "said it had accepted Sweden's invitation to return for more discussions with Pyongyang in two weeks. North Korea, however, "said the ball was now in Washington's court, and warned Washington that it would wait only until the end of the year for the United States to change course."
The Washington Times (10/6, Meier, 492K) quotes a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying, "We have no intention to hold such sickening negotiations as... happened this time {in Sweden) before the US takes a substantial step to make complete and irreversible withdrawal of the hostile policy toward the DPRK." The Washington Post (10/6, Kim, 14.2M) reports the Foreign Ministry also accused the Administration of "misleading the public opinion by touting
'good discussions."' The Wall Street Journal (10/6, Gordon, Martin, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that the State Department said Saturday that the US delegation had previewed a number of new initiatives that had led to good discussions.
The New York Times (10/6, Choe, 18.61M) reports the ministry "suggested that the Trump administration, faced with a slew of domestic political scandals, was more interested in forcing a deal on North Korea and claiming a major diplomatic achievement to help the president's re-election bid than in satisfying the North's demands."
Biegun Meets With Swedish Negotiator Ahead Of North Korea Talks.
Reuters (10/4, Johnson, Ahlander, Pollard) reports US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun met his Swedish counterpart Kent Harstedt in Stockholm on Friday "before expected talks with North Korean officials at the weekend.J, Reuters says the planned meeting "with North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, will be the first formal working-level talks sin~e U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and agreed to restart negotiations that stalled after a failed summit in February."
North Korea Reportedly Blocking Windows For Tall Buildings In Pyongyang To Prevent Spying. The New York Times (10/4, Sang-Hun, 18.61M) says a South Korean website claims North Korea "has blocked the windows of high-rise apartments in Pyongyang, its showcase capital city, to prevent residents from looking down, or spying, on t~e party and government buildings where its top leader, Kim Jong-un, conducts business." According to the Times, Kim "has engineered a building boom in Pyongyang, raising a slew of high-rise apartment buildings and doling out the
housing to nuclear and missile scientists and other elites. But the building boom appears to have created a problem:
Residents of top floors of the buildings can literally look down on state buildings where Mr. Kim, the North's godlike totalitarian leader, and other party elites work." The Times says another South Korean website shared photographic evidence of the change.
Iran Has Improved Cooperation With IAEA, Watchdog Says. Reuters (10/4, Murphy) reports Iran "has improved its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA's acting chief said on Friday, as it presses for answers to questions it will not spell out but that diplomats say Include how uranium traces were found at an undeclared site." Acting IAEA Director General Cornel Feruta told reporters, "Some engagement is ongo1ng, and this engagement is currently taking place." He added, This is an ongoing process... ! cannot prejudge how this is going to end.
The engagement doesn't mean that the issues are completely addressed, but it's a step in the right direction."
Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence atidience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, lnstagram and others, is subject to the respective platform's terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The NRC News Summary is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at Bulletin Intelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100.
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[External_Sender] NRC News Summary for Tuesday, October 08, 2019 NRCSummary191008.doc, NRCSummary191008.pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached.
Website: You can also read today's briefing, including searchable archive of past editions, at http://NRC.Bulletinlntelligence.com.
Full-text Links: Clicking the hypertext links in our write-ups will take you to the newspapers' original full-text articles.
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELLIGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Dark Money Seen As Driving Fight Over Ohio's Nuclear Plant Bailout Law............................................................................ 1 New NRC Senior Resident Inspector Selected For Watts Bar Plant...................................................................................... 1 Dobken: Public Being Misled About Dangers Of SONGS Spent Fuel........................................................................................ 1 Continuing Coverage: Vogtle Expansion Project........................... 2 NRC Closes Out Rulemaking On Regulatory Application Accuracy................................................................................ 2 Exelon Hosts Byron Plant Community Open House..................... 2 Michigan Regulators Hear From Public On l&M Rate Hike Request................................................................................. 2 Vernon Businessman Wants Vermont Yankee Site To Remain Taxable, Productive.............................................................. 2 DOE: Summer Nuclear Plant Outages About The Same As Last Year....................................................................................... 2 Report: Gas, Solar Will Continue To Force Closing Of Coal Power Plants......................................................................... 2 Energy Expert Says Renewables Transition Will Be Longer And More Expensive Than Anticipated........................................ 3 NNSA Recruiters Visit University Of Toledo To Discuss Job Opportunities......................................................................... 3 NRC NEWS:
Dark Money Seen As Driving Fight Over Ohio's Nuclear Plant Bailout Law. WCBE-FM Columbus, OH (10/7, 1K) reports on its website that the US Supreme Court's "controversial Citizens United ruling a decade ago helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars into political campaigns without having to disclose the source or sources."
That dynamic is playing out in Ohio now, as both sides of the battle to "overturn the state's new nuclear power plant bailout
weigh in for or against the proposal which "isn't eve~ on the ballot" yet. The "campaign working against the potential ballot issue" is estimated to have "spent $3.5 million on its own petition supporting the bailout, though it does nothing beyond Maritime Industry Could Use Nuclear Power To Meet 2050 Emissions Targets................................................................. 3 Related News Western Governors Unhappy With DOE's Five-Year Plan For WIPP..................................................................................... 3 JFK On Hand At 1963 Groundbreaking Of Last Hanford Nuclear Reactor.................................................................................. 3 Perry Denies Report About Plan To Resign.................................. 4 In the Biogs Commentary Argues That Wikileaks, Julian Assange Be Awarded Nobel Peace Prize.................................................4 International Nuclear News More Countries Seeing Nuclear Energy, Small Reactors As Best Options For Energy....................................................... 4 UN Envoy: Nuclear Expansion Costs Too High............................4 Romania's Nuclearelectrica To Cooperate With Falcon Consortium In Development Of ALFRED.............................4 EDF Says Nuclear Power Generation Fell 8.6 Percent In September............................................................................. 5 Opinion: US Is More At Risk Of Nuclear War With Russia Than We Think............................................................................... 5 Iran To Sue US In ICJ Over Breach Of Nuclear Deal.................... 5 that along with mailers featuring vivid images invoking the Chi~ese flag, and ads including a new one, featuring the line:
They're bringing in outsiders into our state to roam our neighborhoods with petitions, and they're asking for your personal information."'
New NRC Senior Resident Inspector Selected For Watts Bar Plant. The Knoxville [Nl Daily Sun (10/7) reports Nuclear Regulatory Commission o~cials "~ave selected Wesley Deschaine as the NRC Senior Resident Inspector at the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant." Deschain~
will join "Resident Inspector Jeff Hamman at the tw?-u,~It plant, which is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dobken: Public Being Misled About Dangers Of SONGS Spent Fuel. Writing for the Voice of OC
(CA} (10/7), San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Public Information Officer John Dobken says, "In an effort to create an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and doubt about spent nuclear fuel, activists and others have had to ascribe consequences to it that aren't realistic or supported by the science." He points out that walking tours at SONGS are available and encourages readers "to come out and see for themselves" and "learn the facts about spent nuclear fuel storage. The next step, he adds, "is then to reach out to Federal elected officials to have the fuel at SONGS removed to a permanent or interim Federal disposal facility, which is the law of the land since 1998."
Continuing Coverage:
Vogtle Expansion Project. POWER (10/7, Larson) reports that the last major module needed to construct the Vogtle expansion project has arrived on site, which "means all 1,485 major modules have been manufactured and safely delivered to the project."
Georgia Power said the delivery "marks the completion of sourcing construction modules from 25 suppliers and vendors from around the globe. POWER adds the modules "include a range of plant components, such as floor and wall sections, and supporting structures that surround the containment buildings and reactor vessels." The project has recently achieved several milestones, including the completion of the second of four concrete placements for the operating deck inside the containment vessel for Unit 4 and setting "the integrated head package on its stand inside the Unit 4 containment vessel." Currently, there are about "8,000 workers on-site, Which is an all-time high," Georgia Power said Vogtle 3 and 4 is currently the largest construction project in Georgia.
NRC Closes Out Rulemaking On Regulatory Application Accuracy.
ExchangeMonitor (10/7) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has "formally closed out a regulatory update to expand the scope of stakeholders who would be required to provide 'complete and accurate information' in applying for a regulatory approval.
Exelon Hosts Byron Plant Community Open House.
WREX-TV Rockford, IL (10/7) reported on its website that Monday night, the "community got the chance to see the Byron Nuclear Plant in a different way." Exelon hosted "its community open house," complete with 'fours of the plant's control room simulator where the operators train to run the plant. other activities also included virtual reality training, which shows how employees can test training methods by computer, Nuclear Worker Dress-Out, where people could dress like a nuclear power plant worker and bus tours of a cooling tower."
2 Michigan Regulators Hear From Public On l&M Rate Hike Request. WSJM-AM Saint Joseph, Ml (10/7) reported on Its website that Indiana Michigan Power is "seeking permission from state regulators to hike electric rates by almost 19%, and to that end the Michigan Public Service Commission will hold a forum this evening at Lake Michigan College. The "MPSC wants to hear from area residents who are l&M customers from 5 to 7 pm at the Blue Lecture Hall on the LMC campus in Benton Harbor." l&M submitted its "future plans to the commission this summer, which include modernizing the electrical grid in southwest Michigan" and "doing $478 million worth of improvements to the Gook Nuclear Plant. The "19% proposed rate hike would raise the monthly bill for an average customer by around
$36."
Vernon Businessman Wants Vermont Yankee Site To Remain Taxable, Productive.
The Brattleboro (VT) Reformer (10/7, Smallheer, 21K) reports that leading Vernon businessman Mike Renaud, the owner of Renaud Brothers Construction, wants to make sure the Vermont Yankee site, currently undergoing decommissioning, remains in active, commercial or industrial use." Renaud said he is "just concerned for the town and the tax base.~ Renaud said Monday, "I want to do anything I can to encourage reuse of the site as a commercial property. Renaud "said he didn't know the details of when Northstar Services would complete the demolition and clean up of the Vermont Yankee site. After Northstar completes its work, the site has to be restored to its original 'green field' condition and formally released for reuse by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." Renaud said his goal was to ensure that the site remains a taxable, productive property.
DOE: Summer Nuclear Plant Outages About The Same As Last Year. The Houston Chronicle (10/7, Sixel, 730K) reports that according to the US Energy Department, nuclear power plant outages averag~d 2.7 gigawatts during the summer, about the same as dunng t~e summer of 2018," Availability of "nuclear power was at its highest level between late June and early July, averaging 1.2 gigawatts." Nuclear power outages are "usually at the lo~~st during the summer and winter months when electricity demand is highest. The plants are "typically taken down for refueling and maintenance during the fall and spring months when demand for power falls."
Report: Gas, Solar Will Continue To Force Closing Of Coal Power Plants.
The Georgia Recorder (10/4, Evans) reported that "Georgia's reliance on coal to generate electricity for millions of people fell sharply as natural gas grew cheaper over the past decade, a trend
that should continue to shut down the state's polluting plants,"
according to a recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report "says Georgia Power's use of natural gas climbed to more than 40% of all fuel sources the company uses to generate electricity last year, up from 10% in 2008." Low gas prices and the rise of solar have spurred power companies across the US to shift away from coal generation, according to the report. Georgia Power's declining coal use "comes as the company plans to boost solar power generation and pushes to open two long-delayed nuclear units at Plant Vogtle south of Augusta." The report predicts that "Georgia Power will be pressed to close its remaining coal operations" once Plant Vogtle begins operation. The company "is cutting back investments at Plant Bowen, dropping major retrofitting and equipment repair projects, the report says.
Energy Expert Says Renewables Transition Will Be Longer And More Expensive Than Anticipated. The New York Times (10/7, Reed, 18.61 M) reports that one of Britain's top energy experts, David Howell, "predicts the transition from fossil fuels will take longer and be more expensive than people hope." In an interview with the Times, he said "the sorts of targets that have been set by the Paris Agreement, let alone the more extreme proposals for cutting to zero emissions by 2050, are going to be unbelievably disruptive and expensive." Howell added that "the only possibility for progress is for the two energy.empires of hydrocarbons and greens to work together." Howell continued: the "main concern was with the reliability of oil supplies, which is why we made big efforts to emulate the French and go to nuclear electricity supply. Our efforts failed, but that is another story."
NNSA Recruiters Visit University Of Toledo To Discuss Job Opportunities. WTVG-TV Toledo, OH
( 10/7, Pollauf, 64K) reported on its website that the closest "many of us here in northwest Ohio will ever get to nuclear energy is Davis-Besse." But "UT students talked with recruiters today about the opportunity to work in nuclear security, which was a "first for the University of Toledo. The article adds, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty is the Administrator with the National Nuclear Security Administration explains, 'First time ever visiting the State of Ohio, and what better place to start than the University of Toledo.'" The article added, "Recruiters with the National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, are visiting only ten universities around the country."
Maritime Industry Could Use Nuclear Power To Meet 2050 Emissions Targets.
Lloyd's Register (10/7) reports that nuclear power as "fuel for ships is a 3
completely z.ero-emission solution - it does not emit any SOx, NOx, CO2 or particulates." Nuclear power is also "millions of times more power-dense than fossil fuels and alternative fuel options that are currently being considered like methanol, ammonia and hydrogen." In terms of "meeting the IMO's 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction ambition, it's the only proven solution available today, capable of replacing fossil fuels in all marine applications." Nuclear power "could be a particularly attractive option for the ferry industry, not only due to zero emissions, but also as it removes the need to bunker fuel when embarking/disembarking passengers, which becomes more of a challenge with new fuels. Any future requirements to use shoreside power to limit emissions would be negated by nuclear power."
RELATED NEWS:
Western Governors Unhappy With DOE's Five-Year Plan For WIPP. The Carlsbad (NM} Current-Argus (10/7, Hedden, 17K) reports that a group of governors from western states voiced 'disappointment' in a recently released five-year strategic plan for ongoing operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, contending they weren't adequately consulted on the future of the nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad." The "Western Governors' Association (WGA) sent a letter outlining its concerns to Kirk Lachman, acting manager" of the Energy Department's "Carlsbad Field Office which oversees WIPP's management and planning." The "five-year plan, mostly describing capital projects and schedules for waste emplacement, was released in August as WIPP officials contended the facility could continue accepting waste until 2050, double its original proposed lifespan of 25 years from its initial opening in 1999 to 2024."
Lachman "said the plan was essential for the DOE to continue supporting WIPP's 'critical missions' related to updating infrastructure, increasing emplacement operations and ensurtng working safety."
JFK On Hand At 1963 Groundbreaking Of Last Hanford Nuclear Reactor. The Yakima <WA) Herald-Republic (10/7, Meyers, 88K) reports that President John F.
Kennedy visited Central Washington in September, 1963, less than two months before his assassination in Dallas.
Kennedy's event to the Hanford nuclear reservation was "attended by 30,000 people as the president oversaw "groundbreaking for a nuclear reactor that would generate electricity while creating plutonium for use in nuclear weapons." The "N Reactor was the ninth - and last - reactor built at the facility north of Richland near the Columbia River."
The "previous eight reactors were built during World War II to supply plutonium for the Manhattan Project and, later, developing America's nuclear arsenal." When it "came time
for the groundbreaking, Atomic Energy Commission member Gerald Tape handed Kennedy a pointer that he said was tipped with a piece of uranium from Hanford's first reactor."
Kennedy "brought the wand near a Geiger counter, and as it started to click rapidly, a 60-foot crane came to life and dumped a load of dirt.
Perry Denies Report About Plan To Resign.
Reuters (10/7) reports US Energy Secretary Rick Perry "said on Monday he had no plans to resign now or next month, denying a report that he was expected to announce his resignation in November." Asked about the report in Politico, Perry told a news conference in Lithuania: 'No. I'm here, I'm serving."' Perry added, "They've been writing the story for at least nine months now. One of these days they will probably get it right, but it's not today, it's not tomorrow, it's not next month."
IN THE BLOGS:
Commentary Argues That Wikileaks, Julian Assange Be Awarded Nobel Peace Prize. In a commentary for Open Democracy (UK) (10/7), Felicity Ruby writes that the "Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded on 11 October. Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have been nominated for the prize again this year, as they have since 2010. As the first staffer of the campaign that won the Peace Prize in 2017, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), I support this nomination for a number of reasons." From the outset, the [ICAN] campaign deployed accurate information to [mobilize] public op1nion and reeducate a new generation." In "facing the truth about nuclear dangers, answers became available and courageous action was taken." Facing the "truth about climate change similarly involves the public having accurate information and courageously acting on it." WikiLeaks and Assange have
made a great deal of information available about nuclear weapons and the nuclear industry."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
More Countries Seeing Nuclear Energy, Small Reactors As Best Options For Energy. Executive Intelligence Review (10/7) reported that World Nuclear News "documents... that several countries, including the U.S.
territory of Puerto Rico, see nuclear energy - especially small modular reactors, or SMRs - as a safe way to guarantee their energy security, as well as satisfying 'clean' requirements against carbon dioxide. The article cites Uzbekistan, which is "preparing to build its first nuclear power plant, Estonia, where GE Hitachi "and Fermi Energia will collaborate on potential deployment applications for GEH's BWRX-300 small 4
modular reactor," and Puerto Rico, where a "non-profit organization is about to begin a feasibility study of SMRs and micro-reactors, following support from the Department of Energy.
UN Envoy: Nuclear Expansion Costs Too High.
Behind a paywall, Bloomberg BNA (10/7, Tirone, 4K) reports, "Catastrophic climate change can still be averted even without increasing one of the biggest sources of carbon-free electricity. That message was sent to International Atomlc Energy Agency officials Monday, who "convened their first-ever conference exploring how nuclear power could help mttigate climate change." Reactors "currently supply about a third of the world's low-carbon electricity, but that share could tumble as economies tum to cheaper technologies." Patricia Espinosa, a UN envoy on climate, said in a message read to the 550 delegates, "You have to address the high capital costs and long time for construction, risks of accidents and proliferation, long-term storage of nuclear waste and social opposition."
China De/agate Lauds Nuclear Power To Fight Climate Change. Xinhua News Agency (CHN) (10/8, 7K) reports, "Nuclear energy plays an irreplaceable role in tackling climate change and building a green, low-carbon and sustainable energy system, said a Chinese delegate at a UN conference here on Monday." Zhang Kejian, director of China Atomic Energy Authority said at the International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power that "Nuclear energy is a clean, low-carbon, high efficiency, base-load energy." The conference was held by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Zhang also said, Nuclear power
plays a very important role in the UN 2030 sustainable development agenda. It also helps China to ensure energy supply, optimize its energy mix and tackle climate change."
Romania's Nuclearelectrica To Cooperate With Falcon Consortium In Development Of ALFRED.
World Nuclear News (10/7) reported that Romanian.utility Nuclearelectrica has "signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Fostering ALFRED Construction (Falcon) consortium regarding cooperation on the development of the Advanced Lead Fast Reactor European Demonstrator (ALFRED)." A demonstration unit is planned to be constructed in Romania." The agreement puts in place a "cooperation framework between Nuclearelectrica and the Falcon consortium regarding the pre-project works and the research and development activities which are to be implemented in order to develop the ALFRED project." The parties "agreed on the exchange of information and data regarding the technology of molten lead-cooled fast neutron reactors; the coordination of the research activities; the in-kind contribution depending on the expertise and capabilities
of each party; the studies and analyses independently conducted by each party for their organisation; and the planning of the necessary framework for preparing the demonstration activities."
EDF Says Nuclear Power Generation Fell 8.6 Percent In September. Reuters (10/7) reports power generation from French nuclear reactors "operated by utility EDF fell 8.6% year-on-year in September to 27.5 terawatt hours (TWh) due to a high number of reactor outages, the company said on Monday." EDF said "total output from its nuclear reactors since the start of the year stood at 288.2 TWh, down 0.6% compared wtth the same period a year ago." EDF "operates all of France's 58 nuclear reactors, which account for over 75 percent of the country's electricity needs."
Opinion: US Is More At Risk Of Nuclear War With Russia Than We Think. 111 an op-ed in Politico Magazine (10/7, Beebe, 4.24M}, the former head of Russia analysis at the CIA George Beebe writes, "The actual threat of nuclear catastrophe is much greater than we realize.
Diplomacy and a desire for global peace have given way to complacency and a false sense of security that nuclear escalation is outside the rearm of possibility. That leaves us unprepared for - and highly vulnerable to - a nuclear attack from Russia." Beebe contends, US officials from both parties are focused not on how we might avoid nuclear catastrophe but on showing how tough they can look against a revanchist Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin. Summit meetings between White House and Kremlin leaders, once viewed as opportunities for peace, are now seen as dangerous temptations to indulge in Munich-style appeasement, the cardinal sin of statecraft." He concludes, "Managing and containing the combustive mixture of volatile factors in the U.S.-Russian relationship is a daunting, but far from impossible, challenge.
Washington's approach must dispassionately balance firmness with accommodation, military readiness with diplomatic outreach - all without skewing too far toward either concession or confrontation."
Iran To Sue US In ICJ Over Breach Of Nuclear Deal. The Washington Free Beacon (10/7, Kredo, 78K) reports that Iran's vice president for legal affairs, Laya Joneidi, announced Monday that Iran is preparing to sue the US in the International Court of Justice over President Trump's decision to abandon the nuclear deal and reapply sanctions on Tehran. Iran's state-controlled press reported that Joneidi said Iran will bring the charg.es and seek monetary damages from the US "breach of the nuclear deal."
Iranian Oil Minister Says Country Will Do Everything Possible To Export Oil. Reuters (10/6, Hafezi) 5 reports that Iran will not give in "to U.S. pressure and will use every possible way to export its oil, Iranian Oil Ministry's website SHANA quoted Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh as saying on Sunday." The country's crude oil exports declined "by more than 80% when the United States re-imposed sanctions on the country last November after President Donald Trump pulled out of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers." Zanganeh said, "We will use every possible way to export our oil and we will not succumb to America's pressure because exporting oil is Iran's legitimate right."
Meanwhile, "The increasing U.S. pressure on Iran has scared away foreign investors from doing business in the country." In 2018, China's CNPC replaced Total as the operator of a gas field project after Total "ended its participation rather than violate U.S. sanctions." However, "late last year, CNPC suspended investment in the field in response to U.S.
pressure.
Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comSoore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, Including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, lnstagram and others, is subject to the respective platform's terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The NRC News Summary is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at Bulletin Intelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100,
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[External_Sender] NRC News Summary for Wednesday, October 09, 2019 NRCSummary191009.doc, NRCSummary191009.pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached.
Website: You can also read today's briefing, including searchable archive of past editions, at http://NRC.Bulletinlntelligence.com.
Full-text Links: Clicking the hypertext links in our write-ups will take you to the newspapers' original full-text articles.
Interactive Table of Contents: Clicking a page number on the table of contents page will take you directly to that story.
Contractual Obligations and Copyright: This copyrighted material is for the internal use of Nuclear Regulatory Commission employees only and, by contract, may not be redistributed without Bulletin Intelligence's express written consent.
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News NRC Outlines Steps For Fermi 2 Plant To Come Back Into Compliance........................................................................... 1 Nuclear Bailout Petition Group Files Suit Against Ohio's Referendum Rules................................................................ 1 EIA: Five US Nuclear Plants To Close By End Of 2025................ 2 Exelon Shuts Down Braidwood Unit 1 Reactor For Refueling...... 2 NRC Seeks States, Tribal Comments On Decommissioning Advisory Boards.................................................................... 2 Five States Have Programs To Subsidize Nuclear Plants............ 2 Plant Vogtle Expansion Module Arrives On Project Site............... 3 Nuclear Critics Argue New Reactors Too Slow, Expensive To Fight Climate Change........................................................... 3 NRC Considering WCS Plan To Store Radioactive Waste........... 3 Navajo Activist Raises Awareness About Nuclear Waste In Visit To Vermont........................................................................... 3 NRC NEWS:
NRC Outlines Steps For Fermi 2 Plant To Come Back Into Compliance. The Toledo {OH) Blade (10/8, Henry, 88K) reports that NRC regulators have outlined the steps Fermi 2 nuclear plant needs to take for it to be "brought back into compliance during its next shutdown." The NRC
primarily raised concerns about a doughnut-shaped component called the torus, a part beneath the reactor vessel which is designed to absorb energy from the reactor or to supply water to safety systems during an accident." The NRC, in a October 4 letter to DTE Energy, "said degraded torus coatings inside Fermi 2's containment building must be scraped away and replaced with 'a qualified coating capable of withstanding design basis accident conditions."'
Nuclear Bailout Petition Group Files Suit Against Ohio's Referendum Rules. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/8, Tobias, 895K) reports that as the "clock runs out on their efforts to gather the signatures needed to put Ohio's nuclear bailout law on the November 2020 ballot, the campaign seeking to repeal House Bill 6 is turning to the Perma-Fix Submits Request To NRC For License To Ship Radioactive Waste To Italy................................................,..4 Related News Nevada Asks Judge To Search For Evidence Of In Plutonium Shipment Incident.................................................................4 DOJ Labels Nunes' Claim On Russia A Conspiracy Theory......,..4 International Nuclear News EDF Says Flamanville Plant Weld Repairs To Increase Costs
$1.65 Billion...........................................................................4 Japan Payoff Scandal Seen As Imperiling Nuclear Restart.......,..4 Acting IAEA Head Urges Increased Use Of Nuclear Power.........4 India Does Not Need To Join Nuclear Suppliers Group To Realize Goals........................................................................ 5 Iran Says It Will Start Using Advanced Centrifuges To Enrich Uranium................................................................................. 5 courts for help." The anti-HB6 group Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging Ohio's laws "have posed hurdles that have subjected their campaign workers to harassment and eaten into the 90 days the group has to block a law from taking effect.'
1 The group also "says the rules are unfair because they don't apply to the opposition, since Ohio's issue-campaign regulations o~ly apply once an issue makes the ballot." The group says in its lawsuit, "The tactics against the committee and its supporters and efforts have involved harassment, assault and bribery of petition circulators. These illegal activities have further cut into the 90 days given to exercise their referendum rights and secure the right to a referendum by the Ohio electorate."
The Toledo (OH) Blade (10/8, Provance, 88K) reports that as they face a petition "deadline in less than two weeks, those seeking to subject Ohio's new nuclear bailout law to voter referendum have sued in federal court to suspend portions of state law they claim delayed the start of their signature-gathering process. The lawsuit claims the requirement that petition summary language receive prior approval from the attorney general 'severely reduces ~he constitutionally permitted number of days by which proponents of a referendum may gather signatures."' Gene
Pierce, of Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts, "said that requirement ate 40 days out of the total 90 that the group has to gather nearly 266,000 valid signatures of registered voters to put the referendum of House BIii 6 on the November, 2020 ballot."
The Columbus (OH) Dispatch (10/8, Ludlow, 367K) reports that the lawsuit "contends the laws requiring the att~~ey general to approve summary language for the petition ancj requiring petition circulators to submit their personal information to the secretary of state infringe upon Ohioans' constitutional rights to a referendum to reverse acts of the legislature." Attorney General Dave Yost "took 40 days to rule on revised petition-summary language under a state law, eating into the 90 days in which Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts has to obtain signatures, group spo~esman Gene Pierce said." As it stands now, Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts must obtain the valid signatures of 265,774 registered Ohio voters by Oct. 21 to place a referendum to repeal House Bill 6 on the November 2020 ballot."
The Statehouse News Bureau (OH) (10/8, Chow) reports, the "anti-nuclear bailout group wants the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to suspend a rule that requires petitioners to submit what's known as 'Form 15' which includes detailed personal information." But Carlo LoParo, spokesperson for pro-nuclear bailout group Ohioans for Energy Security, said, "Asking a federal court to throw out Ohio law and long-standing provisions of the Ohio Constitution is a desperate acr and added it is "now clear why they've peddled irresponsible rumors and made unsubstantiated charges over the past few weeks. They can't get Ohioans to sign their jobs-killing petition. Now they want to a court to throw out the laws they don't want to follow. It doesn't work that way." Bloomberg BNA (10/8, Ebert, 4K) also provided coverage.
Johanek: Ohio GOP Responsible For HB6 Issues Not China.
In a commentary, the Akron (OH) Beaco~
Journal (10/8, Journal, 198K), journalist Marrlou Johanek, writes about the "trumped-up plot about China invading the state. The theatrics of this fabrication were inspired by a shadowy group hiding behind the seemingly innocuous banner of 'Ohioans for Energy Security.'" Johanek adds, "The stealth operatives, who created the bizarre Chinese-are-coming-to-get-us storyline, are trying to obscure a public outrage committed this summer by Republicans running the state,". when the "Republican-controlled legislature and Republ_ican governor colluded with their utility friends (and campaign benefactors) to enact an energy bill on the backs of every electricity customer in Ohio. FirstEnergy Solutions "claimed its plants were unprofitable -
amazingly without providing specifics -
and said they would close without a huge cash infusion from customers." Republican lawmakers "obliged."
2 EIA: Five US Nuclear Plants To Close By End Of 2025.
ExchangeMonitor (10/8) reports that the US Energy Information Administration said Monday that eight nuclear power plants "have been retired slnce 2013 in the face of continued energy market pressure, with five more scheduled for shutdown over the next six years."
Exelon Shuts Down Braidwood Unit 1 Reactor For Refueling. Power Engineering (10/8) reports Exelon has. remo~ed its nuclear-powered Braidwood Generating Station Unit 1 from service "for a planned refueling outage."
The "~efueling and maintenance outages typically last approximately a month. More than "1,400 additional workers Will_ be brought in to perform thousands of inspections, maintenance
- projects, equipment upgrades and modifications, according the utility."
NRC Seeks States, Tribal Comments On Decommissioning Advisory Boards.
ExchangeMonitor (10/8) reports that Friday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission "asked states and Indian tribes to weigh in with their thoughts on best practices and operations for organizations intended to provide local guidance for decommissioning of nearby nuclear power plants."
Five States Have Programs To Subsidize Nuclear Plants. BIC Magazine (10/8) reports that five states -
Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut -
have enacted "policies that provide for compensation or other assistance for In-state nuclear generating plants." All five "states have unbundled, retail-choice electricity markets where generators do not receive cost recovery from state regulatory commissions. Nuclear power Is a significant source of in-state electricity generation in each of these five states." Collectively, the "14 reactors at the 10 plants receiving state support account for 9% of the utility-scale generating capacity in those five states and 13%
of the nation's nuclear generating capacity." Because "nuclear power plants tend to operate at higher capacity factors than other generator types, these plants' shares of the!r states' or the national electricity generation is larger than their shares of capacity."
Interesting Engineering (UK) (10/7, Fuscaldo) reports, what the "government calls 'subsidy programs' some others view as a bailour and the plans "vary from state to state, with some states facing" legal challenges to their initiatives. Most of the "programs require utilities to buy from nuclear generators. The timing of the programs also varies from 6 years for Ohio's efforts and 12 years for New York. New York's plan is being challenged in federal court."
Plant Vogtle Expansion Module Arrives On Project Site. Power Engineering (10/8) reports that the fin~I major n~odule needed for the Vogtle expansion project arrived on site, Georgia Power announced last week. All 1,485 major modules have now been delivered "for eventual assembly in floors, walls and support structure." Georgia Power also announced that "several milestones for Unit 4 have recently been achieved including the second of four concrete placements for the operating deck inside the containment vessel." The project's workforce remains at about 8,000 workers, an all-time high. Vogtle 3 and 4 are expected to have "more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating." According to Georgia Power, Vogtle 3 and 4 is largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia.
The Waynesboro (GA) True Citizen (10/8, 13K) also reports.
Nuclear Critics Argue New Reactors Too Slow, Expensive To Fight Climate Change. Platts (10/8, Jennetta) reports that according to an annual report on nuc!ear power generated by nuclear power critics) Amory Lovins and Mycle Schneider, "new nuclear plant construction is the most expensive and slowest option to fight climate c~ange." Lovins, who is sole author of a new chapter on climate change and nuclear power introduced in the 2019 World Nuclear Industry Status Report, said, "If nuclear costs too much or takes too long, we don't need to address its other issues." Lovins added, "Competitors [such as renewable energy technologies] are faster and cheaper and that can save time and money." Lovins is "co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Rocky Mountain Institute, which advocates for renewable power and energy efficiency."
In its Daily on Energy" news roundup, the Washington Examiner (10/8, Siegel, 448K) reports that the authors of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report argue that nuclear po~er is "not the tool for combating climate change that many policymakers think it is," and it questions the "wisdom of both subsidizing uneconomic existing nuclear plants, as a number of states have done, and investing in new nuclear technologies." The report says the "money to keep plants operating would be better spent expanding the use of renewables and investing in energy efficiency." WNISR lead author Mycle Schneider said, 'There is absolutely no doubt the most expensive reactors are not competitive anymore with efficiency and increasingly with renewables including solar and wind." Scheider adds, "If you keep them going, you actually block a rapid transition to a different system.
Entergy CEO, Former Energy Secretary Say Nuclear And Natural Gas Have Key Role In Climate Fight. Platts (10/8, Meyers) reports on comment from Entergy CEO Leo Denault and former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz at an 3
O~tober 7 forum on New Orleans ' energy future. The experts said that the US needs to implement all available low-and zero-carbon resources "in the toolbox" to lower emissions.
Denault said that bringing down greenhouse gas emissions requires "a combination of nuclear power, cleaner and more efficient gas -fired generation as well as the ever-increasing deployment of solar and other renewables." Denault added "Nuclear has to continue to be part of this," because it "cost structure, its reliability, its capacity factor all make sense in making sure we drive the right level of service to our customers at the right price while we do it sustainability."
Moniz "echoed those sentiments," particularly as it relates to natural gas.
NRC Considering WCS Plan To Store Radioactive Waste. Courthouse News (10/8, Bubenik, 2K) reports a "relatively quiet proceeding underway at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission could open a new chapter in a years-long debate about whether Texas should help solve the nation's nuclear waste problem."
Environmental advocates have warned for years "about the potential consequences of a plan to bring" spent nuclear fuel "to a remote West Texas facility on the border with New Mexico. But NRC regulators are "separately considering the prospect of allowing such facilities to take on a different variety of nuclear waste that, while less radioactive than the
'high level' stuff, also has environmental groups worried about the possibility of accidents and spills." Karen Hadden head of the environmental group SEED Coalition, argues, 1
"Nothing abo_ut ihis plan makes sense." Hadden added, "This is a plan designed to tempi fate, not a good idea when it comes lo radioactive waste." The plan comes from Waste Control Specialists, which owns the Texas facility, when it first expressed interest in receiving "greater than class C, or GTCC, waste from around the country in 2014."
Navajo Activist Raises Awareness About Nuclear Waste In Visit To Vermont.
Drawing coverage from the Brattleboro Reformer, the AP (10/8, Smallheer) reports that Navajo woman and Albuquerque, New Mexico resident Leona Morgan visited Vermont in her role as an indigenous community organizer and she wants the people of Vermont and New England what getting rid of the nuclear waste from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant ~eans to her community." Morgan, "along with a group of anti-nuclear activists are touring New England this week to draw attention to what they concede is an oft-forgotten or ignored problem - where does the nuclear waste go?"
Morgan "said the nuclear industry - whether it is the existing 14,000-acre Waste Control Specialties (WCS) facility in west Texas, or its proposed expansion or a proposed Holtec
nuclear storage facility just over the border in New Mexico -
was overwhelming the communities in that region."
Perma-Fix Submits Request To NRC For License To Ship Radioactive Waste To Italy.
Behind a paywall, ExchangeMonitor (10/8) reports that Perma-Fix Northwest Monday "applied for a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to export up to 10,000 kilograms of radioactive waste back to Italy after it has been treated in the United States."
RELATED News:
Nevada Asks Judge To Search For Evidence Of In Plutonium Shipment Incident. Behind a paywall, ExchanqeMonitor (10/8) reports, "Nevada is pressing a federal judge for permission to resume a search for evidence that the U.S. Department of Energy skirted federal environmental law last year in shipping half a metric ton of weapon-usable plutonium to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS)."
DOJ Labels Nunes' Claim On Russia A Conspiracy Theory. McClatchy (10/8, 19K) reports a talking point used by "some leading Republicans to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe has been labeled a conspiracy theory by DOJ prosecutors." Amid Mueller's lengthy and controversial probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 US elections, vocal GOP leaders such as Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) pushed an alternative narrative. They argued the Obama Administration, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation "might have conspired with Russia, giving the foreign nation a stake in US uranium production and the Clintons a financial windfall that became known as the Uranium One conspiracy and centered on a 2010 deal that allowed the mining division of Russia's nuclear energy agency Rosatom to take a controlling stake in Uranium One, a Canadian company with mining interests in the United States." Nunes, Meadows, President Trump and other conservative voices "had alleged, without evidence, that the deal benefited Hillary Clinton and her family run Clinton Foundation."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
EDF Says Flamanville Plant Weld Repairs To Increase Costs $1.65 Billion. Reuters (UK) (10/9, Vidalon, De Clercq) reports EDF warned Wednesday that its "Flamanville nuclear project in France will cost 1.5 billion euros ($1.65 billion) more than previously expected as it 4
counts the costs of weld repairs demanded by French nuclear watchdog ASN." Flamanville plant, already a decade behind schedule, is "now expected to cost 12.4 billion euros, EDF said, a month after warning its Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Britain could cost 2.9 billion pounds ($3.6 billion) more than forecast." Ion-Marc Valahu, fund manager at Geneva-based investment firm Clairinvest, It's a disaster. EDF tried to compete and become a leader in the sector but it's just one delay after another with them." Wednesday's announcement
indicates the start will now slide into 2023."
Bloomberg (10/9, De Beaupuy, 4.73M) reports, "The latest budget hike at the Flamanville-3 reactor is yet another blow to the French state-controlled utility, which raised its cost estimate for two similar reactors it's building in the U.K. just weeks ago." It also fuels doubts about nuclear's future in France, where the government has been reluctant to approve new projects before Flamanville-3 is online." The "almost-completed plant, which is already seven years behind schedule, won't be able to load nuclear fuel before the end of 2022 as EDF needs to repair 66 welds, it said."
The Times (UK) (10/9, Sage, Subscription Publication, 50K) reports that the "entire EPR programme has been dogged by setbacks." Last month, EDF said that the two reactors being built at Hinkley Point in Somerset" would also cost more than initially predicted. The Financial Times (10/9, Keohane, Subscription Publication, 1.34M) also provides coverage.
Japan Payoff Scandal Seen As Imperiling Nuclear Restart. Bloomberg (10/8, Stapczynski, 4.73M) reports on the payoff scandal that has "struck Japan's nuclear world, threatening to delay the restart of idled reactors in what's becoming the industry's biggest crisis since the Fukushima meltdowns of 2011." The issue, which "emerged at the end of last month, centers around how an influential municipal official in a town that hosts a nuclear plant spent years doling out large gifts to executives of its operator, one of the country's biggest power producers. It's an example of how big business and small towns work together, sometimes at the expense of corporate governance."
Mainichi Daily News (JPN) (10/9) reports, one of Kansai Electric Power Co.'s top executives "said the utility cannot go ahead with its nuclear power-related projects, including the reactivation of its idled nuclear plants, for a considerable period until the firm regains public confidence." KEPCO is "under fire from the public after it was revealed that executives accepted massive amounts of cash and gifts from a former deputy mayor of the Fukui Prefecture town of Takahama that hosts one of KEPCO's nuclear plants."
Acting IAEA Head Urges Increased Use Of Nuclear Power. UN News (10/8) reports on comments
from Cornel Feruta, the acting Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, at the "opening of the first-ever International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power." Feruta suggested that without significantly increasing the use of nuclear power worldwide, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of reducing harmful emissions and fighting climate change. The conference brought together "some 550 participants from 79 countries, and 18 international organizations, to exchange science-based information, and hold objective discussions on the role of nuclear power in mitigating the climate crisis." The "IAEA pointed out that nuclear power contributes around one-third of all low carbon electricity, producing practically no greenhouse gases, and some 1 O per cent of the total electricity produced worldwide." It also acknowledged that radioactive waste and security concerns must be addressed.
India Does Not Need To Join Nuclear Suppliers Group To Realize Goals. In a piece for the Hindu Business Line (IND) (10/6), M Ramesh, the Senior Deputy Editor with Businessline, wrote, "When he put a questron mark over India's 'no first strike' stance, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh effectively whipsawed any chances of India getting into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)." Imagine an "Indian foreign minister walking into an NSG meeting with an application in these circumstances." The writer wonders "does it really matter? NSG membership is symbolic. India wants a place at the high table, but that's it. In practical terms, it means nothing."
Iran Says It Will Start Using Advanced Centrifuges To Enrich Uranium. Fox News (10/8, Leon, 27.59M) reports on its website that Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said Monday that Iran "will start using 30 advanced centrifuges for enriching uranium." The IR-6 centrifuges "can enrich uranium 10 times faster than IR-1 centrifuges. The country is now producing up to 13 pounds of enriched uranium every day, according to Salehi."
Zarif Says Iran Could Meet With Saudis If Preconditions Are Met.
Reuters (10/8) reports Iranian Forelgn Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif signaled Monday that his country "would be willing to sit down to discuss regional issues with Saudi Arabia," but said the Saudis must first stop "killing people." Zarif said, "In a situation where the Saudis would like to negotiate with Iran, if they pursue regional issues at the negotiating table and not by killing people, they will certainly have the Islamic Republic along with them."
Friedman: Syria Troop Withdrawal Strengthens Iran Against Israel. Thomas Friedman writes in his New York Times (10/8, 18.61 M) column, "If you think [President]
5 Trump's withdrawal of US troops from Syria will make the Middle East more explosive, you're correct But there's far more going on. Those troops were also interrupting Iran's efforts to build a land bridge from Tehran to Beirut to tighten a noose around Israel - and their removal could help bring the Iran-Israel shadow war out into the open." Friedman says Iran is "emboldened" and Israel and Iran "are one miscalculation away from a war of precision missiles that neither can afford."
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Bulletin Intelligence 10 Oct 2019 07:14:21 -0400 NRC@Bulletinlntelligence.com
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News New Oyster Creek Safety Panel To Monitor Holtec Decommissioning Operations............................................... 1 NRC Seeking Public Input On Creation Of Crystal River Community Advisory Board.................................................. 2 NRC Still Considering To Pilgrim Plant License Transfer Interventions.......................................................................... 2 NRC Issues CAL For Fermi 2 Degraded Coating Mitigation Plan....................................................................................... 2 Nuclear Plants Could Be Vulnerable To Drone Attacks................ 2 HB6 Repeal Campaign Asks Court To Delay Filing Deadline....... 2 MO Lawmakers Want NRC To Hold Hearings On DOE's HEU Export Application................................................................. 2 Refueling Outages Underway At Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 1, Braidwood Unit 1 Reactors................................................... 2 Five States Provide Subsidies For Nuclear Power Plants............. 2 Hunt: A Big, Bipartisan Opportunity For Nuclear Power................ 3 Activists Ask Judge To Enforce Terms Of 2017 SONGS Settlement............................................................................. 3 Terrestrial Energy, NRG Conducting Irradiation Program Studies For IMSR....,.,........................................................... 3 NRC NEWS:
New Oyster Creek Safety Panel To Monitor Holtec Decommissioning Operations. WHYY-TV Philadelphia (10/9, Auciello, 24K) reported on its website that the "newly established" Oyster Creek Safety Advisory Panel will "monitor the ongoing decommissioning operations at the
~yster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and solicit public input, New Jersey officials announced." The panel was established by NJ Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe "to evaluate Holtec lntemational's work on the Lacey Township site and the obligations it assumed when it acquired the nuclear plant fr?m Exel~n in July 2019. Gov. Phil Murphy "said the panel will provide assurances to the public that the decommissioning work is compliant and allow community input."
Callaway Plant Marks 35 Years Of Service................................... 3 Related News SRS Seeking Potential Buyers For Used Contaminated Soil R *1 aI cars................................................................................. 3 INL To Discuss Chernobyl Accident In Light Of HBO Miniseries.. 3 BP Chief Says Targeting Gas Could Hurt Efforts To Lower Carbon Emissions................................................................. 3 In the Biogs Fast-Breeder Reactor Research Efforts Profiled...........................4 International Nuclear News EDF Wants To Use Robots To Make Flamanville EPR Weld R
epairs..................................................................................4 IAEA Chief Says Nuclear Needed To Answer Climate Change....4 ANS Head Outlines US Nuclear Industry Policy Objectives..........4 CNNC Head Calls Nuclear Power "lndespensible" In Reducing CO2 Emissions..................................................................... 4 KEPCO Scandal Widens With Gift Admission...............................4 COSCO Dalian Ships Turn Off Transponders After US Announces Sanctions........................................................... 5 Surf City (NJ) Sandpaper (10/10, Scala) reports that mor~ than a "year after the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station was permanently taken offline, the state's top enviro~mental official re-established a safety advisory committee to oversee the decommissioning of the shuttered Ocean County plant." Catherine R. McCabe, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, will chair the Oyster Creek Safety Advisory Panel." Other members "include the New Jersey State Police superintendent and the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness as well as the Board of Public Utilities president or one of their respective designees." Once convened, the "panel will meet at least twice per year and will provide specifics of how the public can participate. Currently, residents can communicate directly with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and with Holtec during their stakeholder information forums."
NRC Seeking Public Input On Creation Of Crystal River Community Advisory Board.
WFTS-TV (10/10, 26K) broadcast that residents "have a chance to learn how to decommission a nuclear power plant in Citrus County. Duke Energy shut down the Crystal River plant in 2013." The Nuclear Regulatory commission "wants your feedback on the best way to create a community advisory board for the plant."
NRC Still Considering To Pilgrim Plant License Transfer Interventions.
Behind a
- paywall, ExchangeMonitor (10/9) reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is "still reviewing two petitions for intervention in the license transfer of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, even though it approved the transfer in August ahead of the sale of the retired plant."
NRC Issues CAL For Fermi 2 Degraded Coating Mitigation Plan. The Monroe (Mil Evening News (10/9, Bacho, 46K) reports, DTE Energy Co. has "told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it will repair the degraded coating in a portion of the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant's reactor containment next spring during its refueling outage.
In response, the NRC has "issued a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL), documenting the company's commitment to address the degrading coatings in the torus." According to the NRC, "DTE commits to mitigate the degraded coating in the submerged portion of the torus by removing all coating In the submerged portion of the torus, including torus internals, and applying a qualified coating capable of withstanding design basis accident conditions."
Nuclear Plants Could Be Vulnerable To Drone Attacks.
The Washington Examiner (10/9, Robertson, 448K) reports on the threat to critical infrastructure possible from drone strikes, as evidenced by the recent "strike on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities," which "disrupted nearly half of the kingdom's production capacity, accounting for more than 5%
of the global supply of crude oll and causing prices to surge more than 10% in the days following the attack. Nuclear plants would "be vulnerable to a drone flying directly into the cooling engine, disabling it." This "could have devastating effects in a matter of minutes." In a "demonstration of the vulnerability of a nuclear plant, in July of 2018, Greenpeace France crashed a drone into a French nuclear plant."
Although the "airspace surrounding and above the plant is a no-fly zone, it remained unsecured and lacked proper deteotion and remediation efforts."
HB6 Repeal Campaign Asks Court To Delay Filing Deadline. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/9, Tobias, 895K) reports that attorneys for the "campaign trying 2
to repeal Ohio's nuclear bailout law are turning to the courts for help." Ohioans Against Corporate BaHouts "filed a federal lawsuit Monday arguing state referendum laws -
including requirements that paid petition workers file state forms containing their personal information, and a rule requiring state approval of referendum summary language before signature gathering can begin -
are unconstitutional." The lawsuit "seeks extra time to collect signatures and asks a federal judge to block Ohio officials from enforcing some referendum rules. A "federal judge has scheduled a phone conference for later this morning."
MO Lawmakers Want NRC To Hold Hearings On DOE's HEU Export Application.
Behind a paywall, ExchangeMonitor (10/9) reports that "members of Congress from Missouri are calling on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold an open hearing on a license application for export of weapon-grade uranium to Europe."
The Energy Department filed the application for export July
- 31.
Refueling Outages Underway At Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 1, Braidwood Unit 1 Reactors.
DailyEnergylnsider (10/9, Kovaleski) reports that Arkansas Nuclear One's Unit 1 reactor and Exelon's Braidwood Generating Station Unit 1 were "taken out of service last week for regular refueling and maintenance operations." During the refueling outage at ANO, plant workers will "perform maintenance and testing activities to prepare the station for its next operating cycle. The work will be done by more than 1,100 Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) full-time employees as well as contract workers and empfoyees from other nuclear plants." At Braidwood, the "refueling outage will bring more than 1,400 additional workers to the region. Electricians, pipefitters, welders, carpenters, laborersi and other tradespeople traveled to Braidwood to conduct inspections, tests, maintenance activities, equipment upgrades, and modifications that cannot be done while Unit 1 is online."
Five States Provide Subsidies For Nuclear Power Plants.
DailyEnergylnsider (10/9, Kovaleski) reports that with Ohio legislators enacting HB6 to "provide subsidies for nuclear-generating plants," they become the "fifth state to do so, along with Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York." These "five states have unbundled electricity markets where generators do not receive cost recovery from state regulatory commissions. In states with more traditional state-regulated power markets, the cost of electricity is regulated by state commissions, which can offer power plants protection from rising costs." The five "states' subsidy programs vary by the timing and amount of the
subsidies." Most programs "involve zero-emIssIon credits (ZECs) that utilities are obligated to buy from nuclear generators."
Hunt: A Big, Bipartisan Opportunity For Nuclear Power.
Writing for Bloomberg Environment (10/9, Subscription Publication), Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy co-founder and CEO Sarah Hunt says the dosure of Three Mile Island "underscores a grim fact: Our nuclear fleet is aging rapidly and struggling to remain competitive even as the demand for clean renewable energy continues to climb. Hunt says, Without investment in education, research and development, and reactor design, America risks falling behind in this critical area." Hunt says the US has begun to lose its "past dominance in nuclear engineering." She adds, "Right now, there are only two new reactor units under construction, both part of the Vogtle project In Georgia." Hunt argues for the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, "a bipartisan proposal to support the continued development of American advanced nuclear technologies by boosting investment in research and development, fuel security, and workforce development."
Activists Ask Judge To Enforce Terms Of 2017 SONGS Settlement.
The San Diego Union-Tribune (10/9, McDonald, 755K) reports that "environmental activists who settled a lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission and Southern California Edison after the utility agreed to make 'commercially reasonable' efforts to relocate millions of pounds of nuclear waste are now asking a judge to enforce the deal." Community group Citizens Oversight and environmentalist Patricia Borchmann "filed a motion in San Diego Superior Court this week asking Judge Timothy B.
Taylor to order Edison to halt the transfer of spent fuel from wet to dry storage at the site of the failed San Onofre nuclear plant north of Oceanside."
Terrestrial Energy, NRG Conducting Irradiation Program Studies For IMSR. World Nuclear News (10/9) reports, "Terrestrial Energy and NRG have begun an irradiation [program] to [analyze] the [behavior] of graphite under the conditions it will experience during the seven-year life of a Terrestrial Energy Integrated Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) core unit." The graphite irradiation study is "part of a comprehensive" test program supporting the design of IMSR being conducted at NRG's facilities in the Netherlands." NRG, which operates the "European Union-owned High Flux Reactor at Patten, is providing technical services to support Terrestrial Energy for 'in-core' materials testing and development the IMSR power plant."
Callaway Plant Marks 35 Years Of Service. The Fulton (MO) Sun (10/10, 11K) reports, "The control room at 3
the Callaway Energy Center was busier than usual Wednesday morning as employees were in communication with activities going on in the plant's containment structure."
As "2019 winds down, the Callaway Energy Center is celebrating 35 years of operation." The nuclear power plant "became operational in 1984 and Anne Roselius, manager of communications at Ameren, said the plant's anniversary date is a bit disputed by employees." Mark Mclachlan, senior director of plant support, explained that what has "not changed much in the plant's history is the technology used in control room. The power plant still monitors and controls activity in the containment structure with analog technology from the 1960s." Mclachlan said, "You can't cyber hack an on-off switch. Cybersecurity is one of the big deals the (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is concerned about for controlling the reactors."
RELATED NEWS:
SRS Seeking Potential Buyers For Used Contaminated Soil Railcars. ExchangeMonitor (10/9) reports that the "Energy Department's Savannah River Site in South Carolina is looking for potential buyers of 52 railcars previously used to transport uranium-contaminated soil."
INL To Discuss Chernobyl Accident In Light Of HBO Miniseries. The Idaho Falls (ID) Post Register (10/9, Brown) reports that Idaho National Laboratory is "hosting a series of talks in Idaho Falls and Pocatello next week to discuss the accuracy of the hit HBO miniseries Chernobyl." There will be "three 'Chernobyl - Just the Facts' discussions open to the public in Idaho Falls on Tuesday and Wednesday, and one in Pocatello on Oct. 17." INL spokeswoman Sarah Neumann said, "Overall, what I think people will get from this is, they'll get an opportunity to see which things they got right, and they got a lot right, they did a really good job overall." However, Neumann added, "some things were not completely accurate, or they may have taken a bit of creative license on certain things."
BP Chief Says Targeting Gas Could Hurt Efforts To Lower Carbon Emissions.
The Financial Times (10/9, Raval, Subscription Publication, 1.34M) reports BP CEO Bob Dudley called on the natural gas sector to help decarbonize gas to keep it from being excluded from the energy transition, due to demonization by environmental activists.
In a "First on CNBC" video posted to the CNBC. (10/9, 3.62M) website, Dudley said that in debates on the energy transition "the dialogue is so polarized... there's not enough listening going on." Speaking on the sidelines of the Oil &
Money conference in London, he said that oil and gas
companies "are turning into energy companies, and that's what we're gonna need to do going forward," with a broadening portfolio of investments in cleaner energy sources. Dudley also emphasized the swath of opportunities available to BP as new technologies arise in compatibility with the energy transition -
but that natural gas would be necessary to get there. He said, "With the world turning its back on nuclear, there is no way we can get there really, without gas moving coal out of the equation." Further coverage is provided by CNBC (10/9, Meredith, 3.62M).
IN THE BLOGS:
Fast-Breeder Reactor Research Efforts Profiled. The Hack A Day (10/8, Posch, 16K) reported that from the earliest days of nuclear power, the "promise of clean, plentiful" energy indicated that nuclear plants "would replace other types of thermal plants with one that would produce no exhaust gases, no fly ash and require only occasional refueling using uranium and other fissile fuels that can be found practically everywhere." The equipment "with which nuclear fission was experimentally proven ln 1938."
The increased use of nuclear reactors created a "worry about running out of uranium fuel," which led to "increased R&D in so-called fast reactors, which in the fast-breeder reactor (FBR) configuration can use uranium fuel significantly more efficiently by using fast neutrons to change ('breed'} 238U into 239Pu, which can then be mixed with uranium fuel to create (MOX) fuel for slow-neutron reactors, allowing not 1 %
but up to 60% of the energy in uranium to be used in a once-through cycle.
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR News:
EDF Wants To Use Robots To Make Flamanville EPR Weld Repairs.
World Nuclear News (10/9) reported that EDF said its preferred option for repairing the main secondary system penetration welds, using robots, will increase the cost of constructing the Flamanville EPR by EUR1.5 billion (USD1.6 billion)." That plan would also delay the loading of fuel into the reactor "until the end of 2022." In June French nuclear regulators with the "Autorite de S0rete Nucleaire (ASN) requested EDF repair eight containment penetration welds in the Flamanville EPR as quality deviations had been discovered." These welds are "located in hard-to-access areas of the reactor." In its response to ASN, EDF "said it has assessed three repair scenarios for those welds," and that its "preferred scenario 'is the use of remote-operated robots, designed to conduct high precision operations lnside the piping concerned."'
4 IAEA Chief Says Nuclear Needed To Answer Climate Change. Power Engineering International (10/9) reports that International Atomic Energy Agency acting director-general, Corne! Feruta, asserted that without significantly "increasing the use of nuclear power worldwide, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of reducing haFmful emissions and fighting climate change." Feruta spoke at the first-ever International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power in Vienna. The "IAEA pointed out that nuclear power contributes around one~third of all low carbon electricity, producing practically no greenhouse gases, and some 10% of the total electricity produced worldwide."
However, the "IAEA accepted that there are persistent public concerns about the potential dangers to health and the environment caused by radioactive waste from nuclear plants." Feruta acknowledged that concern, and "said there are advances made concerning the disposal of such material may alleviate fears about the long-term sustainability of the energy source."
ANS Head Outlines US Nuclear Industry Policy Objectives.
World Nuclear News (10/9) reports, "Advancing energy policies to achieve climate change goals includes a range of instruments to mitigate the economic risks associated with nuclear power projects, Marilyn Kray, president of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), said yesterday at the IAEA's International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power in Vienna." In her role at ANS, "Kray represents the roughly 10,000 people working in the US nuclear sector." Said Kray "ANS supports policies that are performance-based and technology neutral and believes that nuclear energy should be considered on the same bases as other non-emitting technologies." Kray asserted that the overall US nuclear industry objectives are to preserve existing nuclear units while supporting the development of light water small modular reactors and advanced reactors for commercial deployment.
CNNC Head Calls Nuclear Power "lndespensible" In Reducing CO2 Emissions.
World Nuclear News (10/9) reports that China National Nuclear Corporation President Jun Gu told delegates at the International.
Atomic Energy Agency's International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power yesterday in Vienna, that nuclear power is "irreplaceable" and international cooperation in the technology "indispensible" in reducing global emissions.
KEPCO Scandal Widens With Gift Admission.
The Japan Times (10/10, Author, 19K) reports that a former KEPCO official "said Thursday he received gift coupons in the 1990s from a former deputy mayor of a town hosting one of
the company's nuclear power plants, though he was in charge of a plant outside the town." Eiji Moriyama, the "late deputy mayor of Takahama in Fukui Prefecture, later hinted that a particular firm undertake regular inspection work at the utility's Oi plant in the same prefecture, the former official said. The latest revelation suggests Moriyama was trying to involve himself in the operations of a nuclear plant in addition to the one at Takahama." KEPCO has "already admitted that 20 of its executives and officials received a total of ¥318.45 million worth of gifts from Moriyama."
KEPCO Chairman Resigns Over Gift Scandal.
Nikkei Asian Review {JPN) (10/9, Nakanishi) reports that Kansai Electric Power Chairman Makoto Yagi submitted his resignation Wednesday over the $3 million in "undisclosed cash and gifts that company executives received over the years, Nikkei has learned." Yagi, 69, "informed several people at the Osaka-area utility of his intention amid growing criticism from the government and public. KEPCO "President Shigeki lwane is expected to step down as well at a later time."
COSCO Dalian Ships Turn Off Transponders After US Announces Sanctions. Reuters (10/9, Zhang, Khasawneh) reports, "About one-third of the oil tankers owned by COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) have shut off their ship-tracking transponders since the United States imposed sanctions on the company for allegedly shipping Iranian crude, shipping data showed." Although "the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires AIS transceivers be fitted to commercial and passenger vessels for safety and transparency purposes," the transponders "are often shut off to conceal a ship's location when illicit activities occur." Singapore-based political risk group GPW Senior Director Bruno Vickers said, "It is becoming a cat-and-mouse game, with the U.S. ratcheting up the sanctions while the Iranians (and their Chinese or other buyers) find novel ways to circumvent these."
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Officials To Test Davis-Besse Plant Emergency Warning Sirens.................................................................................... 1 House Bill 6 Opponents Want Judge To Extend Petition Deadline................................................................................ 1 TVA CEO Says Utility's Mission Remains Unchanged................. 2 Nuclear Energy Industry Among Five Major Issues To Watch In The Southeast....................................................................... 2 Hunt: A Big, Bipartisan Opportunity For Nuclear Power................ 2 Indian Po1nt To Conduct Security Exercise Tuesday.................... 3 Reporter Tours Exelon's Braidwood Nuclear Plant....................... 3 Vermont Yankee Citizens Decommissioning Panel To Meet Wednesday........................................................................... 3 Del Mar Becomes Latest North County City To Approve SONGS Safe Storage Resolution......................................... 3 Some Utah Cities Looking Forward To Power From NuScale Small Modular Reactors........................................................ 3 Commentary Urges VA To Invest More In Nuclear Power............ 3 Admiral James Ellis Discusses Nuclear Power Energy Density Advantage Over Other Sources............................................4 Nuclear, Uranium Mining Industries Hope For Trump Bailout....... 4 Longtime Yucca Mountain Foe Rep. Nita Lowey To Retire From Congress...............................................................................4 Holiday Message. In observance of the U.S. federal Columbus Day holiday, we will not publish on Monday, October 14, 2019. Service will resume on Tuesday, October 15, 2019.. We wish our readers a safe holiday.
NRC NEWS:
Officials To Test Davis-Besse Plant Emergency Warning Sirens. The Sandusky {OH} Register (10/10, 84K) reports that the Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency "will test the sirens for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station on Friday." The 54 "sirens are spread across Ottawa and Lucas counties will be activated for three minutes starting at noon." The "activation is a yearly requirement to ensure the system function appropriately."
Researcher Explains How Nuclear Plants Work...........................4 Related News Several DOE Nuclear Cleanup Infrastructure Projects Nearing Completion............................................................................ 4 Source: US Navy Filed A Patent For A Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor..................................................................................4 Opinion: US Should Increase "Unpopular" H-1 B Visa Quota........4 International Nuclear News EDF Plans To Use Robots To Repair Flamanville Unit 3 Plplng... 5 Philippine Lawmakers Question Agency Request For Nuclear Program Funding.................................................................. 5 IMF Study: $75 Per Ton Carbon Tax Could limit Climate Change.................................................................................. 5 KEPCO Promoted Three Execs Over Letters Of Objection.......... 5 Duff: Nuclear Power Needed To Reach Net Zero Emissions Goals..................................................................................... 5 Nearly 300 Oil Tankers Off Limits Due To US Sanctions On Iran And Venezuela...................................................................... 6 North Korea Threatens To Resume Nuclear, Long-Range Missile Tests.......................................................................... 6 House Bill 6 Opponents Want Judge To Extend Petition Deadline. The Willoughby (OH} News-Herald (10/10, Cass, 91 K} reports that the group seeking to repeal Ohio's HB6 nuclear subsidy "has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an extension to collect signatures." Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts - "which bills itself as a 'coalition of consumer, business and environmental advocates',_ is seeking a 90-day extension from the time the court rules on the requested injunction to gather signatures." In their suit filed October 7, the group is seeking an 'immediate suspension of the state law requiring those engaged in any manner with supervising, managing, or otherwise organizing
'any effort' to obtain to pre-register with the Ohio Secretary of State through the filing."' The "group argues that House Bill 6 supporters are accessing this information through public records requests and then 'set upon circulators with cash
bribes to leave the referendum campaign and offers to buy their signatures.'"
Emergency Management Officials To Conduct Test Of Davis-Besse Plant Warning Sirens. The Toledo (OH)
Blade (10/10, 88K) reported that an "emergency-siren test is planned for Friday at noon in the Emergency Planning Zone around the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant." The "Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency Will conduct the three-minute siren activation, which is an annual requirement." The plant sirens are located in parts of Ottawa and Lucas counties."
Both Sides Of H86 Debate Weigh In On "Ugly" Campaign. WTVG-TV Toledo, OH (10/10, Hegarty, 64K) reported on its website that "the fight over House Bill 6 is getting confusing. It's the one that helps keep Davis Besse nuclear power plant operational." The measure "would allow First Energy to add a surcharge to your bill for that purpose.
The Ohio legislature has passed it but now there's a petition drive to let voters have the final say." Of course "there are two sides to this." There are "ads for HB 6 from a group that wants people to ignore the petition drive. This group argues that China has an influence in companies against HB 6 and eliminating HB 6 means China will have more influence in our energy system." The campaign has "gotten ugly. In fact, the I-T earn obtained 11 complaints lodged with the Ohio Attorney General's office over this petition drive."
TVA CEO Says Utility's Mission Remains Unchanged. The Northeast Mississippi Daity Jou.ma!
(10/10, Seid, 124K) reports TVA CEO Jeff Lyash, who has held the position for six months, "said the utility's mission remains unchanged." Speaking to the Daily Journal, Lyash said, "Since 1933, TVA's mission has been energy at the lowest feasible
- cost, economic development and environmental stewardship.... What I love about that is that it's still our mission and it doesn't have to change for the next 86 years." In his first six months, Lyash "has traveled more than 10,000 miles on his listening tour to get a feel for the challenges the nation's largest public utility faces." Lyash was most ;,recently president and CEO of Ontario Power Generation. And he took the helm of TVA 34 years after he was loaned out by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to be an operations manager at TVA's Brown's Ferry Nuclear Plant." He's also "hefd executive roles at Progress Energy, Duke Energy and CB&I Power in Chicago.I' Nuclear Energy Industry Among Five Major Issues To Watch In The Southeast.
E&E Publishing (10/10, Swartz, Subscription Publication) details its "five energy issues to watch in the Southeast: nuclear, resource planning, decarbonization, demand shifts, and hurricanes. The region is home to the nation's four largest 2
electric utilities, as well as TVA, "the nation's largest public power utility." On nuclear energy, E&E says that *nuclear operators in competitive, organized power markets outside the region have been shutting down reactors early" and "industry observers say it may be up to the Southeast to keep the nuclear business going. However, the Plant Vogtle expansion project has struggled, and the VC Summer project was canceled. E&E says, "The troubles at both projects played a role in decisions by Duke, NextEra's Florida Power
& Light Co. and TVA to shelve plans to build nuclear generation using the same AP1000 reactor design."
However, "all three electric companies still want to expand nuclear in other ways." TVA "is exploring building small modular reactors at its Clinch River site."
Falling Demand For Electricity Has Come Utilities Fighting Debt. A contribution to Forbes (10/10, Urias, 9.71 M) from Daniela Urias of Mergermarket says, "Public and investor-owned utilities alike are facing a dilemma: Americans are using less energy. Increasing efficiency and the shift to a service-oriented economy have combined to reduce electricity consumption on a per capita basis for several years running." That trend is "weighing on utility companies, and their bottom lines." According to recent financial disclosures, "eight US utilities had debt in excess of $2 billion...led by The Tennessee Valley Authority's $20.3 billion. In the last decade, M&A in the utility sector has led to consolidation as large diversified utilities acquire smaller regulated companies." Dominion Energy is a "leading utility supplying electricity to parts of North and South Carolina and six other states. Dominion pounced on Scana Corp., a public utility with customers in South Carolina, in 2018 after Scana was forced to abandon a $9 billion nuclear project when a partner backed out.
Hunt: A Big, Bipartisan Opportunity For Nuclear Power.
Writing for Bloomberg Environment (10/9, Subscription Publication), Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy co-founder and CEO Sarah Hunt says the closure of Three Mile Island "underscores a grim fact: Our nuclear fleet is aging rapidly and struggling to remain competmve even as the demand for clean renewable energy continues to climb." Hunt says, "Without investment in education, research and development, and reactor design, America risks falling behind in this critical area." Hunt says the US has begun to lose its "past dominance in nuclear engineering." She adds, "Right now, there are only two new reactor units under construction, both part of the Vogtle project in Georgia." Hunt argues for the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, "a bipartisan proposal to support the continued development of American advanced nuclear technologies by boosting investment in research and development, fuel security, and workforce development."
Indian Point To Conduct Security Exercise Tuesday. 12-TV Hudson Valley, NY (10/10) reports that Hu?son Vall~y resi?ents "may hear the sounds of gunfire tonight at Indian Prnnt Energy Center in Buchanan tonight -
but there will be no need to be concerned because it's only a drill." Entergy will be "conducting security drills at the nuclear p~wer pla~t tonight and Tuesday, Oct. 15." Entergy "says it will be using a technical innovation for the drills known as
'MILES' gear... which involve the use of laser 'bullets' and vests with laser-detection equipment, which simulate the sound of live ammunition."
Reporter Tours Exelon's Braidwood Nuclear Plant. WMAQ-TV Chicago (10/10, 252K) reported on its website that reporter, Michelle Relerford "is here to take you on a rare journey behind the secure gates of a nuclear power plant, as she gets a guided tour of the incredible facility."
Vermont Yankee Citizens Decommissioning Panel To Meet Wednesday. The Brattleboro (VT)
Reformer (10/10, 21K) reports that the next meeting of the
~ermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel 1s set for Wednesday from 6 to 9: 15 pm at Brattleboro Area Middle School Multi-Purpose Room. The NDCAP had "previously planned to meet in September, but due to multiple scheduling conflicts, was unable to do so." In addition to "updates from Northstar and Vermont State Agencies on recent Vermont Yahkee (VY) decommissioning activities, the panel will hear updates from Vermont's congressional delegation regarding proposed decommissioning-refated legislation."
Vermont Yankee Site Can Be Repurposed As "Carbon Negative" Biomass Power Plant. In a piece for Brattleboro (VT) Reformer (10/10, 21 K), Jim Hurt of the Renewable Nations Institute in Northfield, Vt., wrote, "Several nations, notably Britain, are now replacing dirty coal with clean wood to reduce CO2 emission. Sadly, this plan is deeply flawed. Burning hard wood by itself is not carbon neutral if giant, living, carbon forests are reduced to methane emitting wastelands!" But "soft woods) ultimately algae -
all from farms -
are clear candidates" in place of wood and "the big sleeper is industrial hemp, now legal." Most important is the "Vermont Yankee site, which has devolved into a vastly underutilized, nuclear waste zone, not only for the town of Vernon, but the entire tri-state region." Closing Yankee plant "cost Vernon hundreds of jobs and vital tax revenue." It "reinforced Vermont's dependence on and payments to Hydro Quebec, not a benign source of electricity," HQ dams "still release methane into the air and mercury into the water poisoning native fishing villages for decades!" The Yanke~
plant site "can indeed be resuscitated as a biomass, power and energy storage station that employs CO2 reuse method 3
to actuate 'negative carbon emissions,' as defined by Klaus Lackner at The Center For Negative Carbon Emissions."
Del Mar Becomes Latest North County City To Approve SONGS Safe Storage Resolution. The Encinitas (CA) Coast News (10/10, Brodt, 78K) reports that "Del Mar recently became the latest North County city to weigh in the handling and stora,ge of 3.6 million pounds of spent nuclear waste at the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station." The Del Mar City Council on Sept. "voted unanimously to send a resolution to the governor and state legislature, calling for the facility to stop loading its spent fuel until certain safety requirements are in place - for example, ceasing the use of thin-walled canisters for storage and subjecting the canisters to regular inspection and monitoring. SoCal Edison "is in the process of loading spent fuel from cooling ponds into large, stainless-steel thin-walled canisters."
Some Utah Cities Looking Forward To Power From NuScale Small Modular Reactors. The st.
George (UT) Spectrum (10/10, Peery, 55K) reports, "Washington City and other municipalities in the area are investing In nuclear energy to get ahead of projected power needs." By 2026, "Washington City could be getting its baseload power - the minimum power it takes to run the city
- almost completely from nuclear energy." But this is not "atomic bomb kind of nuclear, according to Washington City
~ower Dire~tor Rick Hansen." It is a nuclear reactor project to be built near Idaho Falls." Hanson said, "People, unfortunately, associate nuclear with atomic bombs, and they're not." Hansen added, "If you look at it as an overall perspective, I think it's pretty dam safe." NuScale Energy "has proposed the reactor designs and is working on permitting for a 40-acre small modular reactor nuclear station in. Idaho." NuScale recently "moved to phase four of licensing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission."
Commentary Urges VA To Invest More In Nuclear Power. In a piece for the Suffolk (VA) News Herald (10/10, 14K), April Wade of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium, wrote that Gov. Ralph Northam's Executive Order putting Virginia "on the path to a zero-emissions energy future by 2050," aiming to "100 percent of Virginia's electricity... produced from carbon-free sources such as wind, solar and nuclear." But getting to "100 percent carbon-free electrical generation by 2050 will require a significant investment in nuclear generation as well as other
'carbon-free' energy sources such as wind and solar." The letter adds, "Virginia is uniquely positioned to serve as a center for nuclear technology. Consider the diversity of its resources: Nuclear electrical generation by four Dominion
Energy reactors; nuclear propulsion technologies by Newport News Shipbuilding; the nuclear Navy along Virginia's coast; advanced nuclear education and research by Virginia's world-class Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth universities; nuclear fuel and component manufacturing by outstanding companies with global reach; and nuclear-related services performed by numerous firms throughout the state."
Admiral James Ellis Discusses Nuclear Power Energy Density Advantage Over Other Sources. Stanford University (CA) Hoover Institution (10/9, 1K) carries a discussion from Admiral James 0. Ellis Jr., of Hoover Institution and how nuclear "power has an energy density advantage over other methods of generatrng electricity. One environmental advantage nuclear power has over wind and solar farms is that nuclear plants take up much less land to generate the same amount of electricity. As a result, it is often more efficient method of generating energy."
This "video's audio is excerpted from Admiral James EIiis's 2018 Hoover Institution Summer Policy Boot Camp lecture."
Stanford University (CA) Hoover Institution (10/9, 1 K) provided more coverage of the discussion, Nuclear, Uranium Mining Industries Hope For Trump Bailout. The AP (10/10, Knickmeyer, Fonseca, Gruver) reports that the plea from "uranium mining companies and nuclear power plant operators for tax breaks and other federal financial boosts is going before President Donald Trump, as his administration studies reviving the U.S.
uranium industry in the name of national security. Trump is "scheduled to receive recommendations Thursday from a task force of national security, military and other federal officials about ways to revive U.S. uranium mining," which has sagged amid low uranium ore prices and global competition. US uranium mining interests have urged Trump to "require uranium users to get 25% of what they use from domestic suppliers, saying the global market is vulnerable to geopolitical turmoil.
1 Longtime Yucca Mountain Foe Rep. Nita Lowey To Retire From Congress. The Las Vegas Review-Journal (10/10, Martin, 345K) reported that New York Democratic Congressional Rep. Nita Lowey, who has been "instrumental in blocking federal funding to develop Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository announced Thursday that she would retire from Congress after 30 years of service." Lowey "chaired the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which controls spending for all federal programs, including those under the Department of Energy. Her departure will create a scramble for a coveted seat."
4 Researcher Explains How Nuclear Plants Work.
The Good Men Project (10/10, 49K) provides a transcript of a show in which Paul Anderson explains how nuclear energy is released during fission of radioactive uranium." The item adds, "Light water reactors, nuclear waste, and nuclear accidents are also discussed along with the future of nuclear energy.
RELATED NEWS:
Several DOE Nuclear Cleanup Infrastructure Projects Nearing Completion.
Exch~nge~onitor
( 10/1 O) reports, "Some large infrastructure proJects in the U.S. Energy Department's nationwide nuclear cleanup complex should be completed in the next couple years, an agency official said Wednesday," including startup of the Salt Waste Processing facility.
Source: US Navy Filed A Patent For A Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor. Popular Mechanics (10/10, Leman, 7.77M) reports that, according to exclusive reporting by The War Zone, the US Navy has filed a patent for a compact fusion reactor. Popular Mechanics reports that the "patent for the device was reportedly filed on March 22, 2019, and published late last month." According to Popular Mechanics, "current reactors are approximately the size of a building; a relatively portable compact fusion reactor, one designed to power relatively small vehicles, would be a game-changer." Popular Mechanics reports that the '
1Chinese government (allegedly), Lockheed Martin, and se~er~I other private companies have made Inroads 1n shnnking the technology, c1nd the Navy is hot on their tails. Popular Mechanics called the technology a "long shot,n but added that it has the potential to "completely revolutionize how we power our world."
Opinion: US Should Increase "Unpopular" H-1 B Visa Quota. In an article titled Five Unpopular Policies the U.S. Should Adopt, Bloomberg View (10/10, 4.73M) columnist Noah Smith advocates for the US adoption of five policies "where the tide of opinion simply seems t~ be against me," including increasing the number of H-1 B visas issued, rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, expanding industrial automation, tracking and nuclear energy, and enacting student debt forgiveness. Smith writes that "support for increased immigration tends to mysteriously dry up when the H-1 B visa program is mentioned." Smith argues that H-1 B workers, while "tethered" to their jobs, "are not underpaid relative to the native-born," and that the former "could be solved by letting H-1 B holders sponsor themselves for permanent residency." Furthermore, Smith says "H-1 B workers are a big driver of U.S. innovation," and that their
presence tends to raise the incomes of native-b?rn ~orkers of all kinds, by drawing in investment and keeping high-value industries inside the U.S."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
EDF Plans To Use Robots To Repair Flamanville Unit 3 Piping. Engineering360 (10/10, Wagman, 9K) reports that EDF plans to use remotely operated robots to "repair 58 penetration welds at the Flamanville Unit 3 nuclear power plant, which is currently under construction in northern France. EDF was asked by France's nuclear safety regulators, ASN in June to repair "eight containment penetration welds t~at were found _to.be faulty." The "penetration weld rework will send robots inside piping in the plant." According to EDF, an alternative ~all-back" scenario would have the piping extracted and repaired outside of the plant. The "repair pushes back the date of fuel loading at Flamanville Unit 3 to the end 2022 and raises the construction cost estimate for the 1,650 megawatt pressurized water reactor to around $13.67 billion, an increase of roughly $1.65 billion."
Philippine Lawmakers Question Agency Request For Nuclear Program Funding.. _A~S-CBN News (PHL) (10/10, Reformina) reports that Ph1hpp1ne Senators Thursday "questioned the Department of Energy's (DOE) proposal to seek funding for the country's nucle_ar power research program." During the "agency's hearing for its P2.3-billion budget for 2020, DOE proposed a P97-million fund for studies on nuclear energy, which Is almost double from its P48-million budget in 2018." In the "absence of a national policy on nuclear energy, it may be prudent not to include it in the budget, the senators [suggested]."
IMF Study: $75 Per Ton Carbon Tax Could Limit Climate Change. The Washington Post (10/10, Freedman and Mooney, 14.2M) reports the IMF released a study Thursday that found a global carbon tax of $75 per ton by 2030 could limit the planet's warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)." IMF Fiscal Affairs Department Deputy Director Paolo Mauro said, "If you compare the average level of the carbon tax today, which is
$2 (a ton), to where we need to be, it's a quantum leap." In the US, a "$75 tax would cut emissions by nearly 30% but would cause on average a 53% increase in electricity costs and a 20% rise for gasoJine at projected 2030 prices, the analysis in the IMF's Fiscal Monttor found." But "it would also generate revenue equivalent to 1 % of GDP, an enormous amount of money that could be redistributed and, if spread equally, would end up being a fiscally progressive policy, rather than one disproportionately targeting the poor."
5 Reuters (10/10, Dunsmuir) reports the IMF said in the study that global warming "causes major damage to the global economy and the natural world and engenders risks of catastrophic and irreversible outcomes." The organization's study was released "ahead of the IMF and World Bank fall meetings of finance leaders and policymakers next week."
/MF Says $75 Carbon Tax Not Enough For Canada To Meet Emission Reduction Targets. The Financial Post (CAN) (10/10, McClelland, 161<) reports the IMF also said in the study that even if Canada implemented a $75 carbon tax it would still fall short of its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals under the Paris Climate Agreement.
Countries "that rely more on coal than Canada will see a greater impact from carbon taxes on their emission levels because the monetary bite will be deeper, the IMF says." The IMF said, "Whereas a US$25 a ton price would be more than enough for some countries (for example, China, India, and Russia) to meet their Paris Agreement pledges, in other cases (for example, Australia and Canada) even the US$75 a ton carbon tax falls short. Emissions are more responsfve to pricing in coal-reliant countries such as China, India, and South Africa than in other countries."
Lesser: Carbon Tax Would Be Ineffective. In an op-ed in the Washington Examiner (10/10, Lesser, 448K),
Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Jonathan Lesser argues that a carbon tax would be an ineffective solution to climate change because it would lead to economic turmoil and would be effective only if several countries adopted the same tax.
He concludes that a more effective means of tackling climate change would be a shift toward nuclear energy.
KEPCO Promoted Three Execs Over Letters Of Objection. The Japan Times (10/11, Author, 19~) reports that Kansai Electric Power "promoted three executives who received expensive gifts from a former deputy mayor of a town hosting one of its nuclear plants, despite its president receiving anonymous letters objecting to the move, company officials said Friday." Letters were "delivered to President Shigeki lwane three times from March to June accusing the three of receiving the gifts and calling on the utility to review their planned promotions to senior positions, the officials said, adding that lwane read the letters." Kepco has "admitted that 20 of its executives and officials received a total of ¥318.45 million worth of gifts from Eijl Moriyama, the late deputy mayor ofTakahama, Fukui Prefecture."
Duff: Nuclear Power Needed To Reach Net Zero Emissions Goals.
In a piece for Irish Times (10/10, 375K), Denis Duff, Better Environment with Nuclear Energy, Greystones, Co Wicklow, wrote how "Tony Lowes... asks whether we could have had a 'secure balance of genuine renewable energy sources as we transitioned to
net zero greenhouse gas. em1ss1ons by 2025, one of Extinction Rebellion's three demands,' had the £22 billion cost of Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant been used instead for renewable energy?" Duff adds that the "evidence to date suggests that the answer to this question is an emphatic 'no."' Duff adds, "Germany, for example, has spent an estimated 200 billion on renewables since 2000 and yet their emissions from electricity have not budged in the past decade and show no tendency to approach net zero." The irony is that "Germany's emissions from electricity would already be at net zero if they had instead spent that 200 billion on nuclear energy."
Nearly 300 Oil Tankers Off Limits Due To US Sanctions On Iran And Venezuela. Reuters (10/11, Parraga, Khasawneh) reports nearly "300 oO tankers globally have been placed off limits as companies fear violating U.S.
sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, driving freight rates to new highs, industry sources said." The sanctions have "taken roughly 3% of the global oil tanker fleet out of the market, according to industry sources and data on Refinitiv Eiken, sending rates soaring to secure tankers to ship oil, particularly to Asia." UNIPEC, Trafigura, Equinor, and ExxonMobil "are shunning 250 crude and oil products tankers which have carried Venezuelan oil in the past year." Oil companies are also avoiding 43 oil tankers owned by COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) after the United States last month imposed sanctions on two units of Chinese shipping giant COSCO for allegedly transporting Iranian crude."
North Korea Threatens To Resume Nuclear, Long-Range Missile Tests. The AP (10/10) reports North Korea threatened again Thursday "to resume nuclear and long-range missile tests, accusing the US of having instigated some members of the UN Security Council to condemn its recent weapons tests." The warning by Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry "followed the weekend breakdown of North Korea-US nuclear negotiations in Sweden, the first such talks between the countries in more than seven months." North Korea "said the talks collapsed because the US didn't have any new proposals, and whether it maintains a self-imposed moratorium on major weapons tests was up to Washington." Some observers "say North Korea's threat may be a tactic to pressure the US into making concessions as a restart of nuclear and long-range missile tests would likely derail negotiations, deepen its international isolation and further dim prospects for rebuilding Its moribund economy." Reuters (10/10, Lee, Brunnstrom) reports five European members of the UN Security Council "met Tuesday to urge North Korea to take 'concrete steps' toward giving up its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner."
6 Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data.
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Bulletin Intelligence 15 Oct 2019 07:09:44 -0400 NRC@Bulletinlntelligence.com
[External_Sender] NRC News Summary for Tuesday, October 15, 2019 NRCSummary191015.doc, NRCSummary191015.pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached.
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEWS
SUMMARY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019 7:00 AM EDT NRC.BULLETININTELUGENCE.COM TODAY'S EDITION NRC News Ohio Nuclear Bailout Referendum Supporters Win Partial Court Victory................................................................................... 1 NRC Still Considering Pilgrim Plant License Transfer Interventions After Sale......................................................... 1 California Legislator To Introduce Bill Aimed At Keeping Diablo Canyon Plant Open............................................................... 1 SC Regulators Fine Dominion Energy For Contaminated Water Release................................................................................. 2 Nuclear Science Week To Feature Tours Of SRS, Plant Vogtle.. 2 Callaway Energy Center Calendar Provides Emergency Planning information, Factoids............................................. 2 Indian Point Energy Center Alerts Public To Security Drill Scheduled Tuesday..............................................................2 Supporters, Critics Disagree Over Safety Of Nuclear Waste Shipments............................................................................. 2 Deadline For Nuclear Bailout Petition A Week Away.................... 3 Cancer Patients Fight To Cleanup Niagara Falls Storage Site..... 3 Column: SC Lawmakers Need To Remain Objective As They Consider Santee Cooper Sale.............................................. 3 NRC NEWS:
Ohio Nuclear Bailout Referendum Supporters Win Partial Court Victory. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/11, 895K) reported that a group trying to referendum issue to overturn Ohio House Bill 6 won a "partial victory" on Friday when a judge "granted a temporary order blocking part of state law that requires some paid petition circulators to submit a form disclosing their identities or face criminal penalties."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/14, Pinckard, 895K) reports that concerning HB6 the group "trying to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the nuclear plant bailout bill has won a partial court victory. A federal judge "granted a temporary order blocking the requirement that paid petition circulators" submit a form "disclosing their identities."
Nuclear Plant Bailout Opponents Awaiting Federal Court Ruling. WOSU-FM Columbus, OH (10/11, Chow) reported opponents of the nuclear power plant bailout "are Related News Cold War Patriots To Host Celebration For Portsmouth Nuclear Plant Workers........................................................................ 3 NASA Considering Merits Of Nuclear Propulsion In Spacecraft... 3 Southern Research Receives A $2.BM Grant For Nuclear Project................................................................................... 4 International Nuclear News France Wants EDF To Prepare To Build 6 EPR Reactors In 15 Years.....................................................................................4 UK Regulator Seeks To Trim Costs Of New Hinkley Point Grid Link........................................................................................4 Typhoon Hagibis Batters Region Hit Hard By Fukushima Nuclear Disaster....................................................................4 KEPCO Payoff Scandal Threatens Japan's Nuclear Revival........4 Russia Ready To Work With US To Build Saudi Nuclear Plant....4 Seven Facts About The World's First Floating Nuclear Reactor...4 Bangladesh Forms Group To Manage Radioactive Waste........... 4 waiting for a ruling from a federal judge after arguing for more time to circulate referendum petitions to put the law onto next year's ballot." Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts "told the judge that a state elections law that requires them to file what's known as 'Form 15' creates unfair hurdles that the other side doesn't have to face."
WOUB-FM Athens, OH ( 10/11, 638) also provided coverage of the story.
NRC Still Considering Pilgrim Plant License Transfer Interventions After Sale.
Exchange Monitor ( 10/11) reports the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is "still reviewing two petitions for intervention in the license transfer proceeding for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, even though it approved the transfer in August ahead of the sale of the retired plant."
California Legislator To Introduce Bill Aimed At Keeping Diablo Canyon Plant Open.
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA ( 10/11, 16K) reported California
Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham "says he plans to introduce a bill that could keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant operational. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
"plans to shut down the nuclear power plant near Avila Beach by 2025." Cunningham's bill would, among other things, "classify nuclear power as a renewable under the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard."
The San Luis Obispo (CA) Tribune (10/14, Fountain, 139K) reports that Central Coast State Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham is seeking to build on his proposal to declare nuclear power a form of renewable energy in. California,"
aiming to "tie Diablo Canyon's future to assistance for wildfire victims and PG&E's ongoing bankruptcy case." But Cunningham's proposed bill to keep Diablo humming is certain to meet major resistance from the utility and state Democrats, as well as a host of environmental and ratepayer advocacy groups." Cunningham uannounced late last week that he plans to introduce the bill at the beginning of the Legislature's next session in January." The legislation would "prevent the California Public Utilities Commission...from approving a bankruptcy or settlement plan that does not include a plan to continue operation of Diablo Canyon."
SC Regulators Fine Dominion Energy For Contaminated Water Release. The Columbia (SC)
State (10/14, Fretwell, 390K) reports that since acquiring it last year, Dominion Energy has sought to "improve the negative image SCE&G had developed for high electricity bills and a failed nuclear project." But Dominion Energy "recently had to explain why the company's pipeline division broke South Carolina's pollution control law when it let muddy, sediment-filled water run into a creek and an Upstate river that thousands of people rely on for drinking water." After months of investigation, state regulators with the Department of Health and Environmental Control fined Dominion Energy
$4,200 for ~letting sediment run off a pipeline project the company was building in the Upstate." Dominion Energy "blamed a contractor it hired, promising to improve procedures so similar problems don't happen again, state records show.
Nuclear Science Week To Feature Tours Of SRS, Plant Vogtle. The Aiken (SC) Standard (10/14, Demarest, 40K) reported that for the "1oth year in a row, Nuclear Science Week is being recognized across the country - including right here in the Aiken-Augusta area. The "celebratory stretch, Oct. 14-18, focuses on local, national and international aspects of nuclear science and its workforce, topics of particular importance and interest in the two-state region because of the Savannah River Site, south of Alken, and Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta." Among the events scheduled in Aiken County are "education days at 2
USC Aiken; STEM Career Connections in Augusta, informing students about potential career paths; site visits and tours of the Savannah River Site and Plant Vogtle; the annual Edward Teller Lecture and Banquet, this year featuring Michael Shellenberger, the founder and president of Environmental Progress; and Atoms in the Alley, a family-friendly festival honoring the area's rich nuclear roots."
Final Major Module For Georgia Power's Vogtle 3 And 4 Project Arrives Onsite.
AIIOnGeorgia (10/14) reports, "The final major module for construction of the Vogtle 3 & 4 units has arrived onsite, meaning all 1,485 major modules required to complete construction have now been manufactured and safely delivered." The modules help to streamline the construction process because "they are made in advance of aniving to the project site and ready to be assembled into larger components that make up the nuclear units." Georgia Power has recently achieved several milestones for Unit 4, "including the second of four concrete placements for the operating deck inside the containment vessel." The Vogtle 3 and 4 workforce* "remains at an all-time high with approximately 8,000 workers on site. Vogtle 3 and 4 will provide more than "more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating." The project "is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia."
Callaway Energy Center Calendar Provides Emergency Planning Information, Factoids. The Fulton (MO) Sun (10/15, Wilson, 11K) reports that the Callaway Energy Center's 2020 annual calendar - which will soon be made available to the public - includes "updated facts and statistics about the nuclear power plant and provides any necessary emergency planning information."
For example, the calendar notes that the plant has achieved "the fourth highest lifetime generation among all nuclear power plants in the United States and the 12th of 425 nuclear power plants in the world."
Indian Point Energy Center Alerts Public To Security Drill Scheduled Tuesday. The Highlands Current (10/14) reports that Entergy alerted local law enforcement and the public that they may hear what sounds like gunfire" near Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan on Tuesday, Oct. 15 as the company uses "laser engagement system" weapons in a security drill.
Supporters, Critics Disagree Over Safety Of Nuclear Waste Shipments. The AP (10/14, Sonner) reports on the discussion about safe transport of spent fuel and other nuclear waste and how these days, "radioactive shipments are hauled in double-walled steel containers inside specialized trailers that undergo extensive testing and are
tracked by GPS and real-time apps." But whether "shipping technology has evolved enough to be deemed safe depends on whom you ask." Phil Calbos, assistant deputy administrator for defense programs at the agency's National Nuclear Security Administration, said that the DOE's Office of Secure Transportation has hauled radioactive material more than 7 million miles "without incident, with no recordable accident." But, accordfng to Robert Halstead, an anti-Yucca Mountain referred to in the article as an "analyst who has studied the dangers of transporting radioactive waste for 35 years and is head of Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects,"
there have been close calls. Using 3D "computer models for the first time in 2014, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission determined no radioactive material would be released if a fuel tanker crashed with a truck hauling a container of spent nuclear fuel from a power plant."
Deadline For Nuclear Bailout Petition A Week Away. ldeastream (OH) (10/14) reported that in a week the "group that wants to overturn Ohio's nuclear power plant bailout law is required to submit nearly 266,000 valid signatures to halt that law and put it before voters next year."
But "supporters of the bailout are waging an unrelenting fight to stop that." The pro-bailout Ohioans For Energy Security has been urging people not to sign petitions that would put the bailout on the ballot - first with ads and mailers linking the campaign to China, and now targeting the people who've been hired to gather signatures." But HB6 opponents, Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts "spokesman Gene Pierce says the other side using information about their circulators found on required forms, and has been bullying some circulators and trying to buy others off to get them to quit the campaign."
Cancer Patients Fight To Cleanup Niagara Falls Storage Site. Spectrum News Buffalo (NY) (10/14, 44K) reports, A group of people in Niagara Falls are demanding that a nuclear waste dumping ground in Lewiston be cleaned up." The Niagara Falls Storage Site "used to be a dumping ground for uranium and other materials used in the Manhattan Project which produced the first atomic bomb."
During a "cancer cluster meeting Sunday afternoon at the American Legion hall," attendees "said the site caused the cancer that they and others they know were diagnosed with."
Many say they're fighting for their lives and want the government to clean up the site immediately." Grace Austin of Lewiston said, "It's getting into our systems, there's a lot of cancer, I've got over 400 people and families in that area right now that are suffering with some sort of cancer or they've passed away."
3 Column: SC Lawmakers Need To Remain Objective As They Consider Santee Cooper Sale. In a column for CharlestonCurrents (SC) (10/15),
columnist Andy Brack writes that South Carolina state legislators need to be "more objective as they "consider the fate of Santee Cooper, the state-backed utility that fell into trouble when a project to build new nuclear reactors spectacularly died." They "need to look at Santee Cooper's fate from all sides and impacts, instead of rushing to political judgment that ignores fiscal common sense and opportunity costs." The "$9 billion failure in 2017 of the nuclear project between the minority partner, Santee Cooper, and its privately-held partner, SCE&G, led to lots of public angst -
and rightfully so. In the end, SCE&G was sold to Dominion Energy and a pack of state officials have had their sights on dumping Santee Cooper or turning over its management to someone else.
RELATED NEWS:
Cold War Patriots To Host Celebration For Portsmouth Nuclear Plant Workers.
The Huntington (WV) Herald-Dispatch (10/15, 87K) reports that the community resource organization the Cold War Patriots will "host a free Cold War Patriots Official National Day of Remembrance Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 25, in Pik.eton to honor Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant/A-Plant workers."
More than one million Cold War Patriots have worked in the nation's nuclear weapons complex from Its origins with the Manhattan Project during World War II to the present day."
NASA Considering Merits Of Nuclear Propulsion In Spacecraft. The Houston Chronicle (10/14, Stuckey, 730K) reported that NASA when it was planning the moon mission "began quietly working on a project" to build a "nuclear rocket engine, capable of getting astronauts to Mars in three or four months - about half the time of a conventional chemical rocket." The program "showed early promise" but "died due to Inadequate funding."
Now, nearly 60 years later, NASA is "picking up where it left off, working again to develop a nuclear propulsion system that could carry humans farther than ever." President Trump "recently issued an executive order calling on NASA to develop and launch nuclear space systems, and Congress has provided $100 million to study the cost and feasibility of building such a rocket over the next year." Jeff Sheehy, chief engineer in the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC said, "We're trying to determine how many billions it's going to cost through the first set of flight(s)... so we can go to decision makers and say this is what it will cost, these are the benefits."
Southern Research Receives A $2.8M Grant For Nuclear Project. The Birmingham (AL} Business Journal ( 10/14, Patchen, Subscription Publication, 833K) reports the US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Southern Research a $2.8 million grant "to develop smart maintenance r0bots that will work autonomously in nuclear reactors." The grant was awarded through the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Southern's project -
in partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Intuitive Research and Technology Corp., and DEFT Dynamics - "will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to train the robots to complete maintenance tasks at a future molten salt reactor facility." Southern Research mechanical engineer and advanced manufacturing spedalist Robert Amaro said, 'The MSR technology is very promising because of its inherent safety, but the high-temperature. high-radiation environment makes it necessary to remotely maintain the reactor. Training robots to perform maintenance tasks is a key capability in the development of these reactors."
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NEWS:
France Wants EDF To Prepare To Build 6 EPR Reactors In 15 Years. Reuters (10/14, Protard) reports that the French government has "asked power utility EDF to prepare plans to construct six EPR nuclear reactors over the next 15 years, Le Monde newspaper said on tts website on Monday." Quoting a "letter sent by Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire to EDF's chairman, Le Monde said the company would be required to build three pairs of EPR reactors on three sites."
The "EPR model is the latest generation of reactor being built by EDF, with complex engineering and enhanced safety features that were put in place after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan."
UK Regulator Seeks To Trim Costs Of New Hinkley Point Grid Link. Reuters (10/15, Hussain) reports, "British energy market regulator said it would grant National Grid 637 million pounds ($803.38 million) to build the transmission link for the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, lower than the company's initial request for 717 million pounds."
Ofgem said Tuesday "consumers will save money under its plans to reduce National Grid Electricity Transmission's (NGET) funding request to connect the new Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor to the grid." The regulator's move "comes after EDF said last month that its Hinkley Point C nuclear plant could cost up to 2.9 billion pounds more than its last estimate, and face further delays. Britain needs to "invest in new capacity to replace its aging coal and nuclear plants due 4
to close in the 2020s. Once complete, Hinkley C is expected to provide around 7% of the country's electricity."
Typhoon Hagibis Batters Region Hit Hard By Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. The New York Times (10/15, Rich, Ueno, 18.61M) reports how many Fukushima residents, who were already reeling from the 2011 nuclear disaster, had to deal with 'Typhoon Hagibis, which battered Japan over the weekend and killed 66 people. The typhoon had brought record-setting rains that caused a levee to break on a nearby river, unleashing floodwaters that filled the first floor of his building, destroying everything." Hiroyoshi Yaginuma 49. a "third-generation owner of an auto body shop in Fukushima Prefecture," said, "I am thinking maybe now this is the end." and added, "I think there is a possibility that this will be a place where not many people can live anymore."
KEPCO Payoff Scandal Threatens Japan's Nuclear Revival. Japan Times (10/15, Stapczynski, 19K) reports, "A payoff scandal has struck Japan's nuclear world, threatening to delay the restart of idled reactors in what's becoming the industry's biggest crisis since the Fukushima meltdowns of 2011." The issue emerged late last month and it "centers around how an influential municipal official in a town that hosts a nuclear plant spent years doling out large gifts to executives of its operator, Kansai Electric Power Co., one of the country's biggest power producers. The scandal is an "example of how big business and small towns work together, sometimes at the expense of corporate governance."
Russia Ready To Work With US To Build Saudi Nuclear Plant. Reuters (10/14, Astakhova) reports that Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom would be ready to cooperate with partners from the United States, Europe and Asia to build a nuclear power plant in Saudi Arabia, Rosatom's CEO P>Jexey Likhachev said on Monday."
Seven Facts About The World's First Floating Nuclear Reactor. The Economic Times (IND} (10/15, Bhattacharjee, 1.81 M) lists seven facts about the world first floating nuclear, the Russian Akademik Lomonosov.
Bangladesh Forms Group To Manage Radioactive Waste. The Bangladesh Daily Observer (10/15) reports that Monday the Cabinet "endorsed a
'National Policy on Radioactive Waste and Used Nuclear Energy Management' keeping the provision that the polluters will have to bear the costs of disposing of radioactive wastes."
A "company named Radioactive Waste Management Company (RWMC) will be formed" to manage and dispose of the radioactive wastes, "while the polluters will have to pay for the work, according to the policy." Cabinet Secretary
Mohammad Shafiul Alam said, "The policy was prepared to dispose of all the radioactive wastes to be released from atomic energy materials in different sectors across the country."
Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data.
Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, lnstagram and others, is subject to the respective platform's terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies. The NRC News Summary is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at Bulletinlntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100.
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