Published: December 30th, 2012 at 11:28 am ET
|
Title: NRC former chairman’s trip to Fukushima – to re-examine the safety of nuclear power plants
Source: NHK
Date Aired: December 22, 2012
At 11:00 in
NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko during August 2012 visit to Japan: This is an important lesson for all of us and I wish more people could come and see firsthand what has happened.
I think there’s really no excuse for any of us that have been involved in the nuclear arena to let something like this happen.
Watch the broadcast here
Published: December 30th, 2012 at 11:28 am ET
|
sending...
Jaczko began to show some human responses to the accident, and they replaced him because of it. Not just replaced him, but did they their best to disparage his reputation as an individual.
Report Comment
I'd like to see Jaczko join up with The Gundersens at fairewinds.
Report Comment
We lost a remarkable advocate in the NRC. Like Jaczko said "Public safety should be the top priority." or number one.
Report Comment
Jaczko said:
—/—-
I think there’s really no excuse for any of us that have been involved in the nuclear arena to let something like this happen.
——–
The obvious extension of this is to immediately shut in and decommission all BWRs today.
All other reactors that have reached 75% of design life should also be shut in and decommissioned tomorrow.
And Every other reactor by next year
They are doing it in Quebec.
Report Comment
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/12/28/quebec-gentilly-2-closing.html
Quebec last reactor shut off on Friday dec 28, 2012
Report Comment
It was not Quebec's 'last reactor'–they only had one and this one is it.
As usual unions complainnig about any type of decomissioning.
Report Comment
There was a second reactor that had 180 on-power days over 7 years:
“On October 3, 2012, Hydro-Québec CEO, Thierry Vandal announced his intention not to proceed with the refurbishment of the Gentilly-2 facility and its closure on December 28, 2012 for economic reasons. At that time, a decommissioning process will proceed over a period of 50 years and is expected to cost $1.8 billion[4]. The permanent shut down and decommissioning of the power plant follows an election pledge from Quebec's newly appointed premier, Pauline Marois.[5]…
“Gentilly-1 was a prototype CANDU-BWR reactor, based on the SGHWR design. It was designed for a net output of 250MW(e). The reactor had several features unique amongst CANDU reactors, including vertically oriented pressure tubes (allowing for the use of a single fuelling machine below the core), and light-water coolant. These features were intended to reduce the cost and complexity of the unit, again to make it an attractive export unit. However, the design was not successful, and over nearly 7 years recorded only 180 on-power days. Gentilly-1 is no longer in operation….”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentilly_Nuclear_Generating_Station
Report Comment
"They are doing it in Quebec."
Cool, I didn't know that! So how do they meet their energy needs?
Renewables?
Or just even more tar sands?
Report Comment
Hydro. They produce an amazing amount of hydro that is mostly exported to the US NE states
Report Comment
Thanks! I just read the comments under the article you posted, and one says:
"The fact is G-2 was producing 3%, yes, 3%, of Quebec's total electricity output. It's not needed. Unnecessary risk for unnecessary energy, supported by a few local businessmen and the uranium lobby."
Congratulations then! One more off the list!!
Report Comment
B&B, when this story was first posted at Enenews in September (it's ok, we can't read everything posted) I included some media links about how the nuke plant union leadership responded to the proposed shutdown.
In a nutshell, they used the fear tactic that these plants were very dangerous and only they (the employees) could keep the public safe (by forever keeping their jobs). At the time, I predicted it would be a card played whenever a shutdown is proposed – something we should keep in the back of our minds for "next time".
Here's a current article from a pro-industry neocon tabloid, showing the kind of nasty fear spin that surrounds a shutdown (risky, dangerous, expensive, loss of jobs, blah blah), even after the new government had campaigned on the shutdown issue and had won election easily.
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/28/shutdown-of-que-nuclear-plant-to-cost-2b
The operator's main plan for the $2 billion "phaseout" is to do nothing for 40 years in the hope that the radiation dissipates and/or someone comes up with new technology.
Oh, and Quebec is about as far away from the Tar Sands (geographically and politically) as, say, Luxemburg is from Moscow. Canada is huge.
I said "neocon tabloid", so I'd better provide some evidence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Sun
One irony here is that both the "union left" and the "neocon right" wanted the boondoggle plant to keep going.
Report Comment
Thank you aigeezer! I learn here every day!
As far as Moscow???? Dang, that IS huge….
Report Comment
Quote:
———
The operator's main plan for the $2 billion "phaseout" is to do nothing for 40 years in the hope that the radiation dissipates and/or someone comes up with new technology.
———–
That is the same argument I use against ever building them in the first place. They can't be turned off in any conventional sense. Just kicked to the next generation to cleanup.
Report Comment
Closed for economic reasons.
Report Comment
Funny, I swear I JUST watched a extreme pro nuke news story about how they have approved a major facility upgrade, I was sure it was PQ…. All nukes ahead was the flavor of the piece. Ill see if I can find something to substantiate this, it was on our major channel.
Report Comment
Badabing! GE employee files whistleblower lawsuit "WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – An employee of the GE-Hitachi Nuclear Plant in Wilmington has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit in U.S. Eastern District Court. The suit names GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC and Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas, LLC as defendants.
The employee, Harry Knight, is claiming that as a direct result of raising concerns over safety protocol issues at the plant, he was threatened and demoted.
Knight has worked for the company for 12 years. He is currently still employed with GE."
http://www.wect.com/story/19402591/nuclear-plant-employee-files-federal-whistleblower-lawsuit-against-ge-hitachi
Report Comment
"..James said he filed a complaint with OSHA on behalf of his client. The OSHA complaint has been pending for three years. Because it has taken so long to resolve with OSHA, James said he felt compelled to move the case forward by filing the lawsuit in federal court."
Report Comment
1. The guy is an engineer. I'm assuming he's fairly intelligent, yet he submits an *OSHA complaint*? OSHA is the most feeble, useless excuse for a federal regulator that has ever existed. Wake up, dude. Your job sucks.
2. The guy is an engineer. I'm assuming he's fairly intelligent, yet he files a federal whistle-blower lawsuit? He really thinks there is some protection there? Wake up, dude. Your career is over.
3. The guy is an engineer. I'm assuming he's fairly intelligent, yet he files this against one of the dons of the nuclear cabal? Wake up, dude. Your life is over.
4. Note to dude: check brake-lines and steering linkage on auto before every use. Avoid NRC-types carrying umbrellas. Don't drink anything again. ever.
Report Comment
This guy's job is toast! Many federal employees will not complain about safety to OSHA because they know that whistle blowers always lose their jobs…eventually. I agree with all you said.
Also, Robert Alvarez, (who served as a senior policy adviser in the Clinton Administration)said in May 2011 that less than 25% of spent reactor fuel was in safer dry storage as of December 2010 and that at that time, there were 49,620 fuel assemblies in wet storage around the country, much of which had been on site more than five years. Long term wet storage of spent nuclear fuel is not a good idea and we have no place to put it, nor is it in dry casks. I think this is as dangerous, if not more so, than functioning nuclear power plants. Think how long it takes to cool all this down! Generations. We are in serious trouble.
See: http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/spent_nuclear_fuel_pools_in_the_us_reducing_the_deadly_risks_of_storage
Report Comment
Super Solar Storm To Hit Earth In 2013 'Carrington Effect'; 400 Nuke Plants Will Melt Down/Explode; via A Green Road http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/super-solar-storm-predicted-to-hit-2013.html
Report Comment
No excuse indeed. You'd have to get on an airplane to visit Fukushima, and you know what that means:
Finally, an Independent Study of the Health Effects of Airport Scanners
11 DEC 18 2012, 10:24 AM ET 16
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/12/finally-an-independent-study-of-the-health-effects-of-airport-scanners/266406/
"anywhere from six to 100 U.S. airline passengers each year could get cancer from the machines."
Report Comment
Up to 100. That's why i opt for the rub-and-tug. They're on their knees not me.
Report Comment
I hope this is helpful..for the anti-nuclear movement.
A well timed human interest story is not the same as admission of the actual on-going conditions at Fukushima Npp.
Report Comment
Let this happen, it was enevatable when you build a nuclear reactor in a active seismic zone, your own data told you the design of the plant would not withstand a major earthquake above 7-7.5 and you licensed it knowing that a major quake would most probably strike in the life time of the plant.
The only thing the IAEA is good for is protecting themselves they certainly do no fore fill there charter and I believe that is how we can nail them to the cross, please read it you will get my drift hopefully.
Report Comment
Those in the "nuclear arena" can't "let" or "not let" a nuclear meltdown happen, as proven by past and present nuclear disasters.
The concept of controlling nuclear fission is a failed one.
It can only be controlled "some of the time", which makes this technology unacceptable. A hundred percent unacceptable.
Report Comment
I remember ripping Mr. J a new bunghole here when he met reporters questions about deaths & health impacts due to Fukushima with what we now know was "nervous" laughter,but at the time it really fired many of us up and we posted some intense things about him that no man with an ounce of self-respect would ever want a group of people who obviously CARE about what really matters to publicly denounce & insult him with what "was" just the painful truth & our perception of him at the time!~I even said "I hope he reads this & it eats away at any remnants of a soul still fed by a sliver of a conscience"!~I'd like to think that he did read ALL of what we had to say and had a change of heart that led to him having this opportunity to change his legacy & even better if he "drops a dime" on his former colleagues who he now knows were never his friends! I say to you Mr. J-"Thank you and I apologize for the foul things I may have said under duress while emotionally charged due to the nature of the issues",but not for the principle behind my angst at the time,that hasn't changed.However,I'd like to extend an invitation to jump into the discussion groups at any time and from what I can see and feel about your present activities-"welcome you back to OUR world"!!(?) ~
~
Report Comment
I really hope someone translates this video…
Report Comment
IAEA, WHO, NRC And Others; A Web Of Deception? via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/iaea-who-and-others-web-of-deception.html
Report Comment
Decommissioning of all the outdated Mark I BWRs in the US would be a good start.
Sooner or later, they will run out of 'conservatively overspec' margins of error.
Instead, license extensions..
Tiger by the tail.
Report Comment