NRC: No Suspension of Fukushima - Style Nuclear Reactors

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Director’s Decision Friday rejecting an appeal by environmental watchdog groups to suspend operations at the nearly two dozen reactors in the United States that have the same containment system as the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan.

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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
01/5/2015

CONTACT:
Amanda Witman, DEP

DEP Reminds Pennsylvanians that January is Radon Action Month

January is National Radon Action Month, marking a time of increased public awareness for this serious health hazard.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally through the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. It can seep into homes through cracks in basements and foundations, and can build up inside to concentrations many times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L).

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, causing about 20,000 lung-cancer deaths in the United States every year. About 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of four picocuries per liter. While radon problems may be more common in some regions, the potential exists for any home in Pennsylvania to have high radon levels.

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No: 14-091                                                                                      December 23, 2014

CONTACT: Holly Harrington

Stephen G. Burns Becomes Agency’s 16th Chairman

Stephen G. Burns, a 33-year-veteran of the agency and an NRC Commissioner since November, has been designated as Chairman by President Barack Obama effective Jan. 1, 2015. Burns replaces outgoing Chairman Allison Macfarlane, who is stepping down to take a position at George Washington University.

“I am pleased to have been selected to serve as the NRC’s next Chairman. It is a great honor to lead the agency to which I dedicated most of my professional career,” Burns said. “I extend my thanks to Dr. Macfarlane for her service and wish her success in her new position. I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners, the NRC staff and our stakeholders in carrying out the NRC's important mission.”

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Good Afternoon,
 
Attached is The NRC’s Emergency Preparedness & Response News, Volume 6 Issue IV, a quarterly newsletter that is published by the Division of Preparedness and Response to highlight recent and upcoming events of interest to the radiological emergency preparedness community.  Feel free to pass it on to others. Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact either Jonathan Fiske at 301-287-9228 or myself at 301-287-3774.
 
Regards,

Eddie

Edward W. Robinson
Emergency Preparedness Specialist
Office of Nuclear Security & Incident Response
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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December 2, 2014

Elizabeth Stevens Duane, Esquire
Assistant Corporate Secretary
PPL Services Corporation
Two North Ninth Street

Shareholder Approval for PPL Energy Supply Spin Off

 
(1) I, Eric Joseph Epstein, am a shareholder of PPL Corporation, and reside at 4100 Hillsdale Road, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

(2) I own 110.671 shares valued at $3,663,21.

(3) I will be holding the shares through the upcoming 2015 Shareholder Meeting.

The comments (as well as the much shorter NIRS comments) are now all posted on the front page of NIRS’ website (www.nirs.org). Please feel free to link to them!

Here are the URLs for each of the pieces of the comments:

Main, overview comments: http://www.nirs.org/climate/background/commentsonepacppby32orgs12114.pdf
Arjun’s Exhibit A comments: http://www.nirs.org/climate/background/ieercommentsregardingepacpp12114exhibita.pdf
Mark Cooper’s Exhibit B comments: http://www.nirs.org/climate/background/cooperepacppcommentexhibitb12114.pdf
Chris Shuey’s Exhibit C uranium mining health literature survey: http://www.nirs.org/climate/background/shueyuraniummininghealthliteraturesummaryexhibitc12114.pdf

NIRS comments, signed by 148 organizations: http://www.nirs.org/climate/epacppsignonletter12114.pdf
Press release on NIRS comments: http://www.nirs.org/climate/epacpppr12114.pdf

No: 14-086                                                                         December 3, 2014
CONTACT: Scott Burnell 

NRC Meeting Dec. 17 to Cover Industry Proposals to Reduce Emergency Planning Zones for Small Modular Reactors

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet Wednesday, Dec. 17, to discuss proposals from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for a reduced emergency planning zone for small modular reactors.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 2B1 of the NRC’s Two White Flint building at 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville. The meeting will discuss NEI’s proposed generic approach, as well as an expected site-specific approach by TVA as part of its Early Site Permit application for small modular reactors at the Clinch River site in Tennessee.

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Contact:
   
Ralph DeSantis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Three Mile Island Emergency Siren Test Scheduled for Dec. 4
Sirens to sound for three minutes at 12:15 p.m.

LONDONDERRY TWP., PA.  (Dec. 2, 2014) – Exelon Generation will conduct its semi-annual, full volume test of the Three Mile Island emergency warning sirens on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 12:15 p.m.   During the test the sirens will sound for three minutes.

The emergency warning siren system consists of 96 sirens located in parts of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties that are located within a 10-mile radius of TMI.  The purpose of the sirens is to alert residents to tune to an Emergency Alert Broadcast Station for information from Pennsylvania state officials.   During the test the Emergency Alert Broadcast system will not be activated.  

Three Mile Island Generating Station is located approximately 12 miles south of Harrisburg.  The plant generates enough carbon-free electricity for 800,000 homes.

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