From: Bulletin News To: NRC-editors(bbulletinnews.com Subject: NRC News Summary for Monday, April 04, 2011 Date: Monday, April 04, 2011 7:08:53 AM Attachments: NRCSummarv110404.doc NRCSummarv110404.odf NRCCliis110404,doc NRCClips11O404,pdf This morning's Nuclear Regulatory Commission News Summary and Clips are attached. Website: You can also read today's briefing, including searchable archive of past editions, at http://www.BulletinNews.com/nrc. Full-text Links: Clicking the hypertext links in our write-ups will take you to the newspapers' original full-text articles. Interactive Table of Contents: Clicking a page number on the table of contents page will take you directly to that story. Contractual Obligations and Copyright: This copyrighted material is for the internal use of Nuclear Regulatory Commission employees only and, by contract, may not be redistributed without BulletinNews' express written consent. 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A4g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NEws SUMMARY MONDAY, APRIL 4,2011 7:00 AM EDT W .BULLETINNEWS.COM/NRC TODAY'S EDITION I NRC News: PPL Will Learn Lessons From Japan As It Seeks NRC Approval NRC To Conduct Seismic Review At All US Reactor Sites .......... 1 For New Plant .............................................................. 9 Jaczko's Comment On Spent Fuel Storage Faulted ................ 2 GE CEO Offers Assistance To TEPCO .................................. 9 NRC Lists Recent Violations At Fort Calhoun Plant ................ 2 Panelists Say Nuclear Industry Freeze Unlikely, Say Industry Wolf Creek Says Problem Areas Returned To Normal ............ 2 Reacted Well To Japan Crisis ....................................... 10 Concerns Raised Over NRC Enforcement Of Fire Safety Secretary Chu Defends Safety Of Nuclear Energy ................ 10 Regulations .................................................................... 3 Hanford Vaults Destroyed Ahead Of Sacred Site's Restoration. 10 NRC Names Six Members Of US Plant Review Task Force ........ 3 Bechtel To Remain Temporarily As Oak Ridge Cleanup NRC Says Earthquake Risk Has Not Changed ...................... 3 Contractor .................................................................... 10 Some Fear 10-Mile Evacuation Zone Plans Do Not Reflect NNSA Analysis Says Y-1 2 Nuclear Plant Is Vulnerable To Real-W orld Risks ........................................................... 3 Earthquakes ................................................................. 10 Advocacy Group Protests Lack Of Evacuation Plan ................ 3 Woman Sentenced To One Year In Prison In Hanford Fraud NRC Issues Environmental, Safety Reports On Salem, Hope Case ............................................................................. 11 Creek Relicensing Applications ....................................... 4 In the Blogs: Japan's Nuclear Crisis Said To Alter Prospects For Indian Blog: CBS Covering Yucca Dispute While ABC, NBC Silent ..... 11 Point's Relicensing ........................................................ 4 Blog: Former San Onofre Whistleblower Files Wrongful TVA, NRC Will Meet Monday On Browns Ferry Valve Failure ..... 5 Term ination Suit ......................................................... 11 Dominion Says Tax Could Force Shutdown Of Millstone ........ 6 Blog: Firm Wants To Build Wave Farm Near San Onofre ......... 11 In Fukushima Crisis Activists Point To Danger For US Plants ..... 6 Former ANO Director Touts NRC Plant Oversight .................. 7 International Nuclear News: Taxpayers On The Hook For Nuclear Disaster In US .............. 8 Japanese Engineers Use Mixture InAttempt To Stop Entergy's Bid To Sell Vermont Yankee Unsuccessful ............. 8 Radioactive Leak ......................................................... 11 New Hampshire Measures Radiation Near Plant Sites ........... 8 Latvian President, Chernobyl Witness Offers Perspective On NRC To Discuss North Anna Station's Performance ............... 8 Japanese Disaster ........................................................ 13 NRC's ASLB Approves Arguments On Mox Plant ................... 8 German Utility Sues Over Government's Nuclear Power Halt ... 14 Numerous Analyses Say Nuclear Power Is Safest Way To Turkey's Nuclear Plans Draw Reaction From Neighbors ........... 14 Make Electricity ............................................................ 8 China Questioned On Lack Of Nuclear Emergency Plan ........... 14 House Panel To Investigate Obama Administration Over Yucca. 8 Environmental Groups Call For Renewable, Not Nuclear Taxpayers, Utility Ratepayers Face Mounting Nuclear Bills ......... 9 Energy, At UN Climate Meeting ................................... 14 Energy Northwest CEO Addresses Nuclear Safety Concerns ..... 9 WSJournal: Iran Sanctions Could Be Stricter ........................ 15 reactors at the Oconee Nuclear Station and" the V.C. NRC NEWS: Summer plant, 'Which had previously been picked for additional study following an earthquake risk assessment last NRC To Conduct Seismic Review At All US year." NRC spokesman Roger Hannah, said "officials don't Reactor Sites. Ina 1,200-word piece, the Greenville (SC) yet know how the seismic review will proceed or whether it News (4/3, Smith) reported on the NRC decision to conduct a would replace the follow-up assessments ordered after an seismic safety review at all US nuclear plants, "including earthquake risk study last August." The NRC's risk assessment examines "not at the magnitude of an Jaczko yesterday about spent fuel safety is not only a flip-flop earthquake but the ground motion from a quake and how that from his position as of a few years ago, but indicates why the might affect a particular nuclear plant." Such ground motion oversight process for nuclear power in the US badly needs to is expressed in"G-force rather than the Richter scale." be overhauled." Wright quotes a March 31 press story, that On the "Roundtable" public affairs panel discussion on said, Chairman Jaczko "said today there's no meaningful WTVG-TV Toledo, OH (4/3, 12:21 p.m. EDT), a difference in safety between submerging spent nuclear fuel in representative of First Energy, asked whether US nuclear water and encasing it in concrete casks. ... 'The likelihood of firms are being asked to assist Japan on its trouble anything happening is so small, it's hard to say that one is Fukushima plant, responds that, 'We are working with the safer than the other." Jaczko compared it to winning industry inthis country. One of our industry groups has asked Powerball versus winning a different sort of lottery. Wright all of the nuclear plants in the country to go back and verify goes on to fault the comment on several counts. their readiness to deal with emergency. It's a short timetable, within months." Asked whether than was a presidential NRC Lists Recent Violations At Fort Calhoun initiative, he replied, "Itwas the president's initiative." Plant. The Omaha World-Herald (4/2, Gaarder, 148K) LATimes Says Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant reported that Friday, the NRC "posted its daily log of problems Requires Seismic Study. The Los Angeles Times (4/3, reported by nuclear facilities around the country" and two of 657K), in an editorial, noted that the Diablo Canyon nuclear the five items logged involved Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station. plant "has more than 12 years to go before the licenses for its "Itturns out that someone threw an empty, airline-size liquor two reactors expire," and says that is "plenty of time for its bottle into a portable toilet at the plant," a potential violation of owner, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., to conduct a new seismic "federal regulations on fitness for duty." In another incident, a safety study." According to the Times, PG&E has been urged worker "opened a pair of 4-inch electrical pipes" in the wall of to 'Withdraw its pending application for a 20-year license a building houses equipment critical to the plant's safe renewal until the study is completed," but "the company has operation. The worker did not reseal them. not committed to doing so." The Times said the Nuclear The AP (4/1) reported, "Omaha Public Power District Regulatory Commission "shouldn't act on the application until officials found two small openings in the wall of an auxiliary the study has been completed." building at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant, but the openings The "Common Ground" public affairs program on are well above current water levels along the Missouri River." KCRA-TV Sacramento, CA (4/2, Riggs, 11:08 a.m. PDT), OPPD "spokesman Jeff Hanson said the electrical conduits broadcast that the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant were plugged up Friday morning." operated by Pacific Gas & Electric on the central coast near OPPD Says It Has Fixed Fort Calhoun Issue. The San Luis Obispo is no stranger to controversy. And now as Council Bluffs (IA)Daily Nonpareil (4/1, 15K) reported that the owners seek a renewal of its license, the tsunami-driven Fort Calhoun was one of three units singled out by NRC crisis in Japan has raised new doubts about the future of Chairman Gregory Jaczko, in testimony to a US House nuclear power in California. On camera, Rochelle Becker of subcommittee last week. The piece noted that all the plants the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility calls the Japanese have "recently have had problems with