News

NRC to Hold Public Meetings in Maryland and Nevada on Yucca Mountain Environmental Report Supplement

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a series of public meetings at agency headquarters in Rockville, Md., and in Nevada to seek public comment on a supplement to the Department of Energy’s Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed geologic high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

The draft supplement, which evaluates the proposed repository’s potential impacts on groundwater and from surface discharges of groundwater, was released on Aug. 13. The public comment period begins today, with publication of a notice in the Federal Register and ends Oct. 20. The NRC staff will hold a public conference call Aug. 26 from 2-3 p.m. Eastern Time to explain how to submit comments. Call-in information is available on the NRC website. Procedures for submitting comments are also explained in today’s Federal Register notice.

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State Challenges NRC In Federal Court Over Yankee Decommissioning Funds

The state of Vermont has gone to court to fight a decision by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission that could affect the decommissioning of the now-closed Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

The NRC ruled recently that Vermont Yankee can dip into its decommissioning fund and use some of the money to handle spent nuclear fuel.

On Thursday, the state challenged the NRC in the U. S Court of Appeals in Washington. Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia -- whose department represents ratepayers -- said that NRC rules are clear that decommissioning funds can only be used for decommissioning.

“It’s got to be used for, I think the NRC terms are, ‘activities that reduce the radiological exposure at the site.’ So yes, decommissioning,” Recchia said.

The NRC in June granted Yankee an exemption and allowed it to spent about $225 million of the roughly $660 million fund for spent nuclear fuel. Recchia is concerned that diverting some of the money from the decommissioning fund could slow the timetable for dismantling the plant.

The state was joined in its legal challenge by two utilities that collected the decommissioning fund from ratepayers. Recchia said Green Mountain Power and the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. have a clear stake in how the decommissioning money is spent.

“They are the ones that have an interest in this fund. And we obviously want to support the ratepayers but they have a more direct claim to it. So we thought it would be useful, and they agreed, to join the suit,” he said.

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THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 - STAFF ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED PURSUANT TO TITLE 10 OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 50, SECTION 50.54(f), SEISMIC HAZARD REEVALUATIONS FOR RECOMMENDATION 2.1 OF THE NEAR-TERM TASK FORCE REVIEW OF INSIGHTS FROM THE FUKUSHIMA DAl-ICHI ACCIDENT (TAC NO. MF3905)

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Decommissioning Funding (Reissued with larger conference room, gotomeeting and conference information)
FORTHCOMING MEETING WITH THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE (NEI) TO DISCUSS ITS PROPOSAL TO DEVELOP INDUSTRY GUIDANCE FOR DECOMMISSIONING FUNDING

Tuesday, August 25, 2015 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. EST   5:30am-8:30am PDT

http://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/view?AccessionNumber=ML15225A138

LOCATION: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) ACRS Conference Room, T-2B3 11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 PURPOSE: NEI to present its proposal for developing an industry guidance document on decommissioning funding, as stated in the April 17, 2015, NEI letter to the NRC (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML15209A887).

Below is the information for registering with go to meeting and the conference line.
 
Tue, Aug 25, 2015 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/560693837
 
Join the conference call.
Call in: 888-609-9306 Passcode: 69221

NRC Approves Changes to Petition-for-Rulemaking Process

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today approved a final rule that will streamline and clarify its process for addressing petitions for rulemaking. The new rule will be published shortly in the Federal Register.

Any member of the public can petition the NRC to issue a new regulation or amend an existing one. The final rule marks the first comprehensive update to the NRC’s process for considering rulemaking petitions since the process was established in 1979. The NRC published proposed changes for comment in May 2013, and considered the comments received in finalizing the rule.

The revisions will clarify the NRC’s policies and practices at each stage of the petition-for- rulemaking process, including how the staff evaluates petitions and how it communicates information about both the status of petitions and rulemaking activities that address them. It also improves the process for resolving a rulemaking petition and for closing the petition docket, which would occur after the NRC denies a petition or initiates a rulemaking to address a petitioner’s concerns. The changes are intended to enhance the consistency, timeliness and transparency of the process and improve its efficiency.

More information about the petition-for-rulemaking process can be found on the NRC’s website.

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It was the fourth time in the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s 43-year history that seawater flowing through its intake pipes exceeded the 75-degree federal limit.

Sea water flowing into Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station from Cape Cod Bay over the weekend reached an excessive temperature that forced the Plymouth plant to cut power and prepare for a rare shutdown, Pilgrim officials said Tuesday.

The operators of the station, which is about 35 miles south of Boston, cut power by 10 percent around 4 p.m. on Sunday to cool sea water pulled into the plant.

The plant resumed full power about 3½ hours later, and Lauren Burm, a spokeswoman for Entergy Corp., the plant’s owner, said, “the plant remained in stable condition the whole time, and there was never a threat to the public or the plant.”

Plant officials suggested that the elevated temperature — 75.09 degrees — was the result of a combination of tides and wind mixing water discharged from the plant with the water being drawn into its intake pipes.

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"It's important not to validate or amplify Exelon's message that wind is what is causing problems for nuclear. This article makes an interesting counterpoint, highlighting the benefits wind energy provides to rural Illinois: property taxes, rent to farmers, jobs, community projects, etc. Same as what Exelon claims to do, but with the potential to do a lot more."

Tim Judson, Executive Director
Nuclear Information & Resource Service

Quad City wind energy farms on the rise, future of Exelon questionable

Wind energy is on the rise while nuclear energy is steadily falling, as officials at the Exelon Power Plant in Cordova consider closing their doors for good.

“This really is a critical time in the 41-years at the Quad Cities station where we have never been in a position where me may have premature shutdown,” said Bill Stoermer, Senior Communications Manager at Exelon in Cordova. “We really need the state legislature to act. They of course are focused on the budget and to try to get some budget resolved. We certainly understand that, however we’re going to be forced to make some decisions by the end of the year regarding our plans here in Illinois.”

At the Invenergy Wind Farm in Cambridge, Illinois on Tuesday, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos started a month-long renewable energy tour and talked about how important clean energy is to the local economy.

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Thousands joined the nuclear-free, carbon-free contingent at last September’s People’s Climate March in New York City. The unexpectedly large turnout–followed by tens of thousands of comments and petitions to the EPA–helped open the agency’s eyes to first understand our position and then realize it made a lot of sense.

Yesterday, an amazing thing happened. Yes, President Obama released the first real climate action policy in the U.S. ever. But that’s not all. The incredible thing—the one that will be most important in the years to come—is … they got it basically right.

Including on nuclear power. President Obama just made it the policy of the United States that nuclear power is not a viable climate solution. And not just that, but renewable energy can replace nuclear power just like it can replace fossil fuels.

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Clean Power Plan Presents New Opportunities for Pennsylvania Energy

HARRISBURG, PA -- The Environmental Protection Agency today released the Clean Power Plan.  Pennsylvania will use this as an opportunity to write a plan that could improve public health, address climate change, and improve our economy and power system.  Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection will give all stakeholders every opportunity to provide input into drafting a Clean Power Plan that is tailored to fit Pennsylvania’s economy.

“My administration is committed to making the Clean Power Plan work for Pennsylvania," said Governor Wolf. "Working with the legislature, industry leaders and citizens we will create a plan to ensure these new rules are applied fairly, allow for adjustments, and that they create economic opportunities for the commonwealth's energy economy. Today's plan sets ambitious but achievable goals for reducing carbon emissions statewide and addressing climate change in fair and smart ways that takes into account legitimate concerns of all parties."

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CALLAN NAMED SITE VICE PRESIDENT AT THREE MILE ISLAND GENERATING STATION

LONDONDERRY TWP., Pa. (Aug. 3, 2015) — Exelon Generation announced today that Edward Callan has been named site vice president at Three Mile Island Generating Station. Callan has more than 30 years of nuclear experience at Exelon. The site vice president leads a team of approximately 700 highly skilled employees and manages all aspects of plant operations. Callan replaces Rick Libra, who was recently named site vice president at Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station in Pottstown, Pa.

Before becoming Three Mile Island’s site vice president, Callan served as vice president of outage planning and services for Exelon’s fleet of 23 reactors.  Prior to that role, Callan served as vice president of nuclear oversight, vice president of mid-atlantic operations and plant manager of Limerick Generating Station.

“I look forward to the new role and working with Three Mile Island’s team of talented and dedicated employees,” said Callan. “I’m committed to building on the many solid relationships we have forged with residents, local officials and community leaders in the central Pennsylvania area.”

Callan holds a MBA from Drexel University and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Widener University.   He was licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a senior reactor operator at Limerick.

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

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