TMI Update: Jan 14, 2024

NRC Proposes $7,000 Fine To New Jersey Company For Violations Of NRC Requirements

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has cited Mistras Group, Inc., of Princeton Junction, N.J., for two violations of NRC requirements and proposed a $7,000 civil penalty.

During a review of Mistras’ export records, the NRC found that in July of last year Mistras exported two iridium-192 sealed sources to a company in Canada, without obtaining a specific export license as required, and did not provide the export notifications to the NRC and the Canadian government in advance of the export of sources as required.

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NRC Publishes Annual Report to Congress on Nuclear Security Inspections

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made available to the public an unclassified version of its annual report to Congress detailing the previous year’s security inspection program. The report is required under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The report covers the NRC’s security inspection program, including force-on-force exercises, for commercial nuclear power reactors and Category I fuel cycle facilities for calendar year 2014.

“The NRC files this report to inform Congress on our efforts to oversee the protection of the nation’s civilian nuclear power infrastructure,” NRC Chairman Stephen G. Burns said. “The NRC is committed to ensuring licensees maintain robust and rigorous physical and cybersecurity programs to protect the facilities we regulate and the materials managed within them.”

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UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001
June 17, 2015

Mr. Thomas Saporito, Consulting Associate Saprodani Associates

Dear Mr. Saporito:

This letter responds to the petition you filed in 2011 to then Executive Director for Operations of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission R.W. Borchardt. You filed your petition under Section 2.206, "Requests for Action Under this Subpart," of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 2.206) on March 12, 2011, and supplemented it with additional information on April 14, 2011, April 16, 2011, and May 25, 2011. In your petition you requested that NRC "ORDER [sic] the immediate shut-down of all nuclear power reactors in the U.S. which are known to be located on or near an earthquake fault-line." You cited the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident in Japan as the rationale for and basis of the petition.

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Three Mile Island

Feb. 3, 2015 – The NRC issued a report on its quarterly inspection for the three month-period ending Dec. 31, 2014. No findings were identified.

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station

Feb. 4, 2015 – The NRC issued its report of its quarterly inspection of Units 2 and 3 for the three-month period ending Dec. 31, 2014. No findings were identified.

April 20, 2015 – The NRC issued a report on its request for seismic hazard reevaluations at Unit 2 and 3. “Based on its review,” the report said, “the staff concludes that the licensee conducted the hazard reevaluation using present-day methodologies and regulatory guidance, it appropriately characterized the site given the information available, and met the intent of the guidance for determining the reevaluated seismic hazard. … Further, the licensee’s reevaluated seismic hazard is acceptable to address other actions associated” with recommendations.

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IN REMEMBRANCE...

The National Park Service announced yesterday that the Flight 93 National Museum will open to the public on September 10th, 2015, a day before the 14th anniversary of the terror attacks.  The center will be located in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County (about 75 miles from Pittsburgh).  The $26 million visitor center will include a permanent exhibit, walking trails and an overlook that will let visitors see the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 from a distance.

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Healey calls for better security at decommissioned sites and sites like Pilgrim that store spent fuel
ARTICLE | News | June 19, 2015 05:00 AM | By CapeCodToday Staff

Keeping in stride with her predecessor, Attorney General Maura Healey has called upon Congress to increase the safety at the country's nuclear power plants, particularly those that are decommissioned and those that store spent fuel. In a letter Thursday, Healey urged Congress to pass three bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Edward Markey, according to a release from the AG's Office.

In a letter to US Senator James M. Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Ranking Member Barbara Boxer, Healey wrote, "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has long had an obligation to develop meaningful long-term solutions to the current on-site storage of nuclear waste in facilities across the country, yet it has failed to do so."

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Saturday, June 20, 2015

"No danger" from decades of Pa. nuclear leaks? By Ray Wallace

The nuclear industry is self-reporting these repeated uncontrolled radioactive leaks to groundwater under an industry-led “voluntary initiative” program. In our view, voluntary reporting is not a reliable or acceptable substitute for a comprehensive regulatory program aimed at protecting water resources.

-- From the Executive Summary of “Leak First, Fix Later: May 2015” at this current site: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/356082/26211375/1431107955223/LeakFirstSummary_May2015.pdf?token=pCtJ4Mq0yC15OZLocnFVxfeMisc%3D

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This Notice document was issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

For related information, Open Docket Folder
 

Action
Draft regulatory issue summary; request for comment.

Summary
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking public comment on the draft regulatory issue summary (RIS) addressing considerations for licensing high burnup spent fuel in dry storage and transportation. The purpose of this RIS is to provide information on some approaches acceptable to the NRC for demonstrating compliance with regulations in applications for issuance of dry storage cask certificate of compliance (CoCs), independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) licenses, and CoCs for transportation packages involving high burnup spent fuel (HBF).
 

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COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/16/2015
 
DEP Assesses $8.9 million Civil Penalty against Range Resources for Failure to Repair Leaking Gas Well

HARRISBURG, PA -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has notified Range Resources-Appalachia, LLC, of Fort Worth, TX that it intends to assess an $8.9 million civil penalty against the company, and has directed Range Resources to prevent methane and other substances from escaping from a leaking gas well and polluting groundwater and a stream in Lycoming County.

On May 11, 2015, DEP ordered Range Resources to submit a plan to remediate the defectively cemented gas well. However, the company failed to submit a satisfactory plan that made necessary repairs to prevent further leaks and pollution.

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