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| stairs at a lighthouse |
The man on the stair
Yesterday, upon the stair,
Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today.
I wish, I wish he'd go away.
The fire that wasn't there
In the early days after the tsunami, quite a few people looked at the explosion above Fukushima Daiichi Fuel Pool 4 and decided that the fuel pool must be burning. Later, it became clear that the explosion was due to hydrogen generated in Unit 3, and that the fuel pool was fine. Well, mostly fine--it had debris from the roof that fell in on it. At any rate, the fuel pool was not burning and it will not burn in the future. Currently fuel bundles are being removed from that pool.
However, the more strident nuclear opponents keep up the rhetoric that the Fuel Pool 4 has burned, is still burning, or is about to burn any moment. The opponents are noisy, but they are wrong. Fuel Pool 4 is the little fire that isn't there.
Meanwhile, back in Vermont: Emergency Planning
Vermont Yankee will close later this year. When it shuts down, it will transfer fuel from the reactor to the fuel pool. Then, after a period of about five to seven years, Vermont Yankee will transfer all the fuel from the fuel pool into dry cask storage. In other words, for several years, the fuel pool will be in full operation.
Entergy has calculated that the danger of a fuel pool fire will be somewhere between highly-improbable and completely-impossible after the fuel has cooled in the pool for about a year. Therefore, Entergy has requested permission from the NRC to stop funding the Emergency Planning Zone, starting fifteen months after reactor shutdown and fuel off-loading.
As you can imagine, the powers-that-be in Vermont are totally against the NRC allowing Entergy to stop funding the Emergency Planning Zone. I think they believe in the scaremonger-version of the Unit 4 pool at Fukushima. Governor Shumlin's appointee, Chris Recchia, is chair of the Vermont Department of Public Service. In Washington, Recchia testified about emergency planning. He said that “Vermont was not well served by NRC’s past decisions and current approach to decommissioning. We essentially negotiated with one hand tied behind our back."
Meanwhile, in Washington: Committee Meetings and Bills
Chris Recchia was in Washington to testify about before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Senator Barbara Boxer of that committee did her best to get a witness from the NRC to say that the spent fuels at San Onofre were dangerous and the fuel should be moved to dry casks as soon as possible (maybe sooner). But Washington has gone beyond mere committee meetings.
Senator Sanders, Boxer and Markey have introduced legislation to have nuclear plants consult with states within fifty miles of the plant before the plants can submit a decommissioning plan to the NRC.
Back to Vermont: Money
Vermont has often expressed its eagerness to have the plant fully decommissioned as soon as possible. Our politicians get visibly upset at the idea of letting decommissioning funds grow over time. However, it also seems to be anathema to them that the NRC will decide on the danger level of the fuel pool. The politicians want a major state seat at the table, deciding on danger levels according to their personal criteria.
Vice President Mike Twomey of Entergy tried to bring some reason to this process. He noted that keeping up the Emergency Planning Zone activities would cost about $20 million a year. This money will come out the decommissioning fund. Taking this money from the fund in the early days would slow the growth of the fund, and therefore slow the beginning of full decommissioning. In other words, the politicians cannot have their cake (continued funding for the emergency zone) and eat it too (quick decommissioning). As Twomey said, this funding is "not a free option."
Back to Vermont: Safety
This is all about politics, by the way, not safety. If you ask first-responders from the Brattleboro area if the fuel pool is the most important of their concerns, they would say "no." The trains running through southern Vermont carry all sorts of cargoes, including acid, poisonous industrial chemicals, flammable materials, etc.
Possible train wrecks are a major concern to local first responders.
I believe that first responders can always use more funding. However, funding the Emergency Planning Zone isn't what they need, or what the people of Vermont need for safety. It may be what some of our elected officials need for re-election, however.
The Little Fire That Wasn't There
Vermont has to stop posturing about fuel pools, and look at the real problems the state is going to have. The state is especially going to have problems without Vermont Yankee funds (Clean Energy Development Fund, Lake Champlain clean-up, Emergency Planning Zone funding for first-responder equipment in southern Vermont) to bail them out.
The state has to let go of worrying about the man-who-isn't-there, and look at the problems that actually exist.
---------
UPDATE: Description of the three bills being introduced by Boxer, Sanders and Markey. First bill requires EPZ planning to continue until fuel is moved to dry cask, second requires all fuel in dry casks within seven years of shutdown, and third gives local and state reps a "meaningful seat at the table" about decomm planning.
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/41220?c=infrastructure_protection
Notes on the post itself:
Poem: Antigonish, 1899
Fuel Pool:
Oak Ridge Researchers Show Fukushima Unit 4 Fuel Pool Never a Danger: Rod Adams at Atomic Insights
History of the Unit Four Fuel Pool: Les Corrice at Hiroshima Syndrome
NRC Releases Spent Fuel Pool Study: Allison Dunne at WAMC
Fuel pools, with video of pool 4: At Yes Vermont Yankee
Howard Shaffer on used fuel: testimony at Vermont legislature: At Yes Vermont Yankee
Vermont Wants Emergency Planning to Continue
Senators review nuclear decommissioning: Pat Bradley at WAMC (This includes the Recchia quote about "one hand tied behind our back.")
Panel Questions Experts on Closed Reactor Risks: Matt Wald at New York Times (this includes the $20 million a year quote from Twomey)
State wants Entergy to continue emergency planning after shutdown: Tom Brown at Vermont Digger.
The fire that wasn't there
In the early days after the tsunami, quite a few people looked at the explosion above Fukushima Daiichi Fuel Pool 4 and decided that the fuel pool must be burning. Later, it became clear that the explosion was due to hydrogen generated in Unit 3, and that the fuel pool was fine. Well, mostly fine--it had debris from the roof that fell in on it. At any rate, the fuel pool was not burning and it will not burn in the future. Currently fuel bundles are being removed from that pool.
However, the more strident nuclear opponents keep up the rhetoric that the Fuel Pool 4 has burned, is still burning, or is about to burn any moment. The opponents are noisy, but they are wrong. Fuel Pool 4 is the little fire that isn't there.
Meanwhile, back in Vermont: Emergency Planning
Vermont Yankee will close later this year. When it shuts down, it will transfer fuel from the reactor to the fuel pool. Then, after a period of about five to seven years, Vermont Yankee will transfer all the fuel from the fuel pool into dry cask storage. In other words, for several years, the fuel pool will be in full operation.
Entergy has calculated that the danger of a fuel pool fire will be somewhere between highly-improbable and completely-impossible after the fuel has cooled in the pool for about a year. Therefore, Entergy has requested permission from the NRC to stop funding the Emergency Planning Zone, starting fifteen months after reactor shutdown and fuel off-loading.
As you can imagine, the powers-that-be in Vermont are totally against the NRC allowing Entergy to stop funding the Emergency Planning Zone. I think they believe in the scaremonger-version of the Unit 4 pool at Fukushima. Governor Shumlin's appointee, Chris Recchia, is chair of the Vermont Department of Public Service. In Washington, Recchia testified about emergency planning. He said that “Vermont was not well served by NRC’s past decisions and current approach to decommissioning. We essentially negotiated with one hand tied behind our back."
Meanwhile, in Washington: Committee Meetings and Bills
 |
| Senator Sanders |
Chris Recchia was in Washington to testify about before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Senator Barbara Boxer of that committee did her best to get a witness from the NRC to say that the spent fuels at San Onofre were dangerous and the fuel should be moved to dry casks as soon as possible (maybe sooner). But Washington has gone beyond mere committee meetings.
Senator Sanders, Boxer and Markey have introduced legislation to have nuclear plants consult with states within fifty miles of the plant before the plants can submit a decommissioning plan to the NRC.
Back to Vermont: Money
Vermont has often expressed its eagerness to have the plant fully decommissioned as soon as possible. Our politicians get visibly upset at the idea of letting decommissioning funds grow over time. However, it also seems to be anathema to them that the NRC will decide on the danger level of the fuel pool. The politicians want a major state seat at the table, deciding on danger levels according to their personal criteria.
Vice President Mike Twomey of Entergy tried to bring some reason to this process. He noted that keeping up the Emergency Planning Zone activities would cost about $20 million a year. This money will come out the decommissioning fund. Taking this money from the fund in the early days would slow the growth of the fund, and therefore slow the beginning of full decommissioning. In other words, the politicians cannot have their cake (continued funding for the emergency zone) and eat it too (quick decommissioning). As Twomey said, this funding is "not a free option."
Back to Vermont: Safety
 |
| Volunteer firefighters in Georgia |
Possible train wrecks are a major concern to local first responders.
I believe that first responders can always use more funding. However, funding the Emergency Planning Zone isn't what they need, or what the people of Vermont need for safety. It may be what some of our elected officials need for re-election, however.
The Little Fire That Wasn't There
Vermont has to stop posturing about fuel pools, and look at the real problems the state is going to have. The state is especially going to have problems without Vermont Yankee funds (Clean Energy Development Fund, Lake Champlain clean-up, Emergency Planning Zone funding for first-responder equipment in southern Vermont) to bail them out.
The state has to let go of worrying about the man-who-isn't-there, and look at the problems that actually exist.
---------
UPDATE: Description of the three bills being introduced by Boxer, Sanders and Markey. First bill requires EPZ planning to continue until fuel is moved to dry cask, second requires all fuel in dry casks within seven years of shutdown, and third gives local and state reps a "meaningful seat at the table" about decomm planning.
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/41220?c=infrastructure_protection
Notes on the post itself:
Poem: Antigonish, 1899
Fuel Pool:
Oak Ridge Researchers Show Fukushima Unit 4 Fuel Pool Never a Danger: Rod Adams at Atomic Insights
History of the Unit Four Fuel Pool: Les Corrice at Hiroshima Syndrome
NRC Releases Spent Fuel Pool Study: Allison Dunne at WAMC
Fuel pools, with video of pool 4: At Yes Vermont Yankee
Howard Shaffer on used fuel: testimony at Vermont legislature: At Yes Vermont Yankee
Vermont Wants Emergency Planning to Continue
Senators review nuclear decommissioning: Pat Bradley at WAMC (This includes the Recchia quote about "one hand tied behind our back.")
Panel Questions Experts on Closed Reactor Risks: Matt Wald at New York Times (this includes the $20 million a year quote from Twomey)
State wants Entergy to continue emergency planning after shutdown: Tom Brown at Vermont Digger.
