ML13183A038
| ML13183A038 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | San Onofre, Rancho Seco |
| Issue date: | 06/29/2013 |
| From: | Hawkins B Public Commenter |
| To: | Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman |
| Shared Package | |
| ML13183A039 | List: |
| References | |
| LTR-13-0576 | |
| Download: ML13183A038 (2) | |
Text
Joosten, Sandy From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Good Morning Dr Macfarlane, Bill Hawkins <billleel23456@gmail.com>
Saturday, June 29, 2013 11:24 AM CHAIRMAN Resource Glimpse of Challenges in the Future for the Chairman - Build Public Support and Respect not Criticism Once again congratulations on the 5-year tenh. Despite being a very intelligent, warm and open person, the following is the biggest threat, you will face in the next year term based on my personal experience at two shut down nuclear power plants, Rancho Seco and San Onofre.
For Pollution Free energy, Public and Worker Safety, Promotion of Safe and Reliable Nuclear Power in the Aging Nuclear Reactors, workers in all nuclear power plants and NRC Staff in USA need to be fully protected by NRC and Other Federal Agencies for prevention of instances of race/employment discrimination, retaliation, insult, intimidation, demotion and personal threats by Utilities/NRC Officials for suppressing nuclear safety concerns in accordance with US Constitution, NRC Rules and Federal Regulations. NRC cannot afford to be cozy with utilities and give the perception of a relaxed oversight and siding with utilities/NRC Staff in suppression of race/employment discrimination, retaliation, insult, intimidation, demotion and personal threats for suppressing nuclear safety concerns. Ignorance of nuclear safety concerns by NRC Region IV Staff and San Onofre Profit-Motivated, Self-Centered, Inefficient and Retaliating Senior Leader Ship Team caused Permanent Shutdown of San Onofre Units 2 & 3, which is a set~back to nuclear power, erosion of public confidence and a slap in the face of NRC Commission. One of the most popular and intelligent San Onofre Shift Manager resigned because of serious differences regarding the operation of the plant with San Onofre Senior Leader Ship Team and he said that he was not going to put his license on the line.
Markey hailed the San Onofre Shutdown news as a win for the safety of residents living near the plant, and for the function of Congressional oversight to highlight problems and protect the public. "Closing this plant is the right thing to do for the people of California, and for the ongoing fight to ensure that nuclear power facilities all around the nationare as safe as possible," said Rep. Markey. "At least two federal agencies are now investigating allegations of wrongdoing with San Onofre, and it is my hope that all the pending investigations continue. We need to know whether Southern California Edison chose not to use better safety upgrades recommended by its technical experts because they could have led to a more rigorous safety review and licensing process. We need to get the full story here if we are to ensure that the NRC and nuclear power plant operators avoid this kind of mess in the future at another reactor."
On February 21, Rep. Markey wrote a letter asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate SoCal Edison for failing to fully inform its investors of design flaws found by SoCal Edison and Mitsubishi in advance of the replacement of parts of the plant. Rep. Markey also asked the SEC to investigate whether SoCal Edison decided to reject recommended safety modifications for fear that they would be required to undertake a new license process before the parts could be installed. SoCal Edison is the operator of the plant and hired Mitsubishi as a contractor.
WASHINGTON (March 19, 2013) -- Even as engineers struggle with a power outage at the damaged Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that has left nuclear fuel storage pools without fresh cooling water, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today released the results of their vote to delay requirements to install systems to filter radiation from vents used to release high-pressure hydrogen gas in the event of an accident. The failure of such vents during the Fukushima meltdowns led to the damaging hydrogen explosions that occurred.
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Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Congress' leading voice on nuclear safety, today said that this vote by the NRC to reject its own staff's recommendations to install these systems would mean the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Mass. and Vermont Yankee, among other plants around the country, may never be required to install this key safety improvement.
"The NRC has abdicated its responsibility to ensure public health and safety in New England and across the country," said Rep. Markey. "Instead of following its top experts' safety recommendations, it chose to grant the nuclear power industry's requests for more studies and more delays, and even after the study is completed there is still no guarantee that the NRC will ever make this commonsense requirement mandatory."
As the leading Congressional voice for nuclear safety, Rep. Markey has long led the calls for the NRC to endorse its own technical staff's efforts and quickly adopt all of the recommendations made by the expert Near Term Task Force on Fukushima. He also recently sent two letters to the NRC urging the adoption of the requirement to install filtered venting systems that would work in a severe nuclear accident. While today's vote does require that the vents actually work under severe accident conditions, the requirement to filter the high levels of radiation they would release if they were ever used was rejected.
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