CCAM NEWS 2006 Part 5

Nuclear Threat - Power plants vulerable or secure? By Peter Urban Connecticut Post Online
Despite efforts to improve security, the nation's nuclear power plants remain vulnerable to terrorist attack five years after Sept. 11, concerned citizens and members of Congress say.
Connecticut is one of 31 states with nuclear power plants. The Millstone complex, which has two operating reactors and one closed reactor, is in Waterford, about 65 miles east of Bridgeport. It is operated by Dominion Generation. About 50 miles west of Bridgeport, Entergy Nuclear Northeast operates the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y.
Both plants have been the target of fierce criticism from some neighbors who fear for their safety, especially if terrorists should strike. Dominion and Entergy say the plants are safe and secure and the nuclear power industry argues that a Chernobyl-style meltdown in this country is improbable.
Phillip Musegaas, policy analyst at Riverkeeper Inc., a New York-based environmental group, said that his organization believes security at Indian Point is inadequate and vulnerable to terrorism.
"There is still no evidence the [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] has upgraded their security regulations enough to guarantee that plants are protected from the type of attacks that occurred on Sept. 11," he said.
Riverkeeper officials have said that the Bridgeport region faces a greater potential threat from Indian Point because prevailing winds would likely drive any plume of radiation right into the area.
Most nuclear plants in the nation hire private security guards to protect the facilities. NRC boosted requirements for these guards in 2003 but not to the point where they would be able to repel a dozen or more heavily armed, well-trained attackers, Musegaas said. The exact level of force, however, is classified. So it is impossible to say with certainty what requirements have been imposed.
In April, the General Accountability Office released a report that gave mixed reviews to nuclear power security. The report, requested by Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, found that since 2003 a number of concrete steps had been taken to buttress the plants against potential terrorist attacks.
It found that buffer zones had been augmented where possible, barriers thickened and detection equipment installed or upgraded.
Security forces were enlarged and armed with new weapons.
However, GAO said it was too early to claim victory since less than half of the 65 sites overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had undergone "force-on-force" exercises intended to test security.
Moreover, GAO found gaps in security at some of the sites inspected.
"The bottom line is, our nuclear security facilities are safer thanks to some security upgrades, but they are still not safe," said Shays, chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security. "I will continue to shine the spotlight on this issue until we feel certain nuclear facilities are capable of protecting their reactors from attack." The subcommittee has held five hearings on nuclear security since 2004.
Shays' Democratic opponent, Diane Farrell, has called for better emergency and evacuation planning for nuclear power plants. As Westport First Selectwoman, Farrell got the town to purchase potassium iodide tablets that are recommended as a prophylactic against exposure to cancer-causing radiation. Entergy points to a Department of Homeland Security comprehensive review that recognized nuclear plants as "the best-protected assets of our critical infrastructure," but acknowledged the value of enhancing the protection at these facilities.
"Despite new security provisions — including expanded disaster coordination, more extensive background checks on personnel and stronger criminal penalties for those involved in wrongdoing — I remain concerned that the state of nuclear power plant security is not at the level it should be five years after September 11," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. "I will continue to support efforts to ensure that security personnel are adequately trained, and that Americans living in close proximity to plants are fully protected."
Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., also believes stronger security is needed at nuclear power plants and in safeguarding nuclear material.
He has advocated that the NRC tighten its security regulations and has actively pursued efforts to get the Department of Homeland Security to develop effective screening systems for nuclear materials that could be used to make a dirty bomb, according to a spokeswoman.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, blamed the Bush administration for failing "to fully secure our nation's nuclear facilities." She pointed to GAO complaints, included in its latest report, that the energy industry had successfully pressured NRC to impose less stringent security standards on nuclear power plants than NRC staff had recommended.
Marvin Fertel, a senior vice president at Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade association, told Shays' subcommittee that the industry maintains "extremely high levels of security" at its facilities.
Fertel pointed out that nuclear power plants are massive structures with thick steel reinforced exterior walls and internal barriers of reinforced concrete built to withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and floods. In addition, there are redundant safety systems, surveillance equipment and trained security forces present, he said. "The industry has invested more than $1.2 billion in security improvements at nuclear plant sites and has increased the number of specially trained, well-armed security forces by more than 60 percent," he said.
The NRC has also elevated nuclear facility security requirements on a number of occasions since Sept. 11, 2001, and is in the process of codifying additional requirements.
Nancy Burton, director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone and the Green Party candidate for Connecticut attorney general, said that Millstone remains vulnerable to terrorist attacks and worries that security systems are not functioning as advertised.
Burton said that a company whistleblower came forward to say that Dominion routinely disabled its perimeter system because it was overly sensitive to wind. Sham Mehta of East Lyme, has filed a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control, claiming that he was fired after informing supervisors that company managers allowed operators to disable the electronic trespass system used to near Millstone's three reactors and spent-fuel pools.
Burton also complained that Millstone was vulnerable to a water-based attack. Dominion, she said, rejected an offer from the Department of Homeland Security to have a floating barrier installed around its massive water intakes similar to those that protect the nuclear submarines in Groton.
"If you drove a motorboat full of explosives into one of the operating intakes you could disable the pumps and there would inevitably be a nuclear meltdown," Burton said. "If you go to Millstone you'll see there is no barrier."
Lieberman had staff meet with DHS more than a year ago to discuss the barrier issue. DHS said it had offered the barrier as a technology demonstration project, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission did not
believe it was necessary. Dominion backed out and no similar barrier has been installed at any other nuclear power plant, according to a Lieberman spokeswoman.
Security concerns have also been raised about Indian Point.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., spoke at the National Press Club in May about energy policy and raised concerns about the potential for more nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels.
"We do have to take a serious look, but there remain very serious questions about nuclear power and our ability to manage it in a world with suicidal terrorists," she said. "I have real concerns, specifically about a plant in my state near where I live, Indian Point, which has had a number of problems."
Clinton and other members of the New York delegation have pressed the NRC to conduct a thorough, independent safety review of Indian Point.

September 11 Five Years Later: Millstone Is More Of a Threat Than Ever




Five years after terrorists flew over the Indian Point nuclear reactors on the Hudson River bound for the World Trade Center...

* The FAA has still failed to order a no-fly zone over Millstone. Aircraft can legally buzz Millstone from 1,500 feet without warning.

* The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has failed to override Dominion’s veto of a free (taxpayer-paid) floating barrier to deter terrorists from exploding the vulnerable intake pumps.

* The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control has failed to take action required by law to reinstate nuclear security whistleblower Sham S. Mehta to his job. Mehta complained when he discovered Dominion routinely disables the nuclear plant’s perimeter security system and Dominion fired him in retaliation. DPUC’s disregard for the law is chilling other conscientious workers from reporting safety concerns.

* The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended Millstone’s license for 20 years beyond the expiration of the Unit 2 license (2015) and Unit 3 license (2025) with no questions asked by local, state or federal public servants, giving Dominion the green light to operate without effective government oversight.

* The Connecticut Siting Council, in a proceeding facilitated by the corrupt Rowland regime, allowed Dominion to create a permanent above-ground high-level nuclear waste facility in a highly visible location vulnerable to terror attack without considering the safety or security of the site. (See arrow above.)

In the five years since September 11, 2001, Millstone has generated enough new nuclear waste to sicken the entire population of the earth and render thousands of square miles of the earth uninhabitable forever, should a major accident or terrorist attack occur.

Isn’t it time to close Connecticut’s twin weapons of mass destruction, Millstone Units 2 and 3?

STATE OF CONNECTICUT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITY CONTROL

CONNECTICUT COALITION :
AGAINST MILLSTONE :
NANCY BURTON : AUGUST 28, 2006

COMPLAINT AS TO DANGEROUS CONDITIONS
AT THE MILLSTONE NUCLEAR POWER STATION

1. On December 20, 2005, Sham S. Mehta filed a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (“DPUC”) pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-8a (“the Nuclear Whistleblower Act”) in which he alleged retaliatory firing by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (“Dominion”) at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, where he had been employed in the employee concerns program.

2. Mr. Mehta alleged that Dominion fired him because he reported truthfully to supervisory personnel at Dominion and to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission that Dominion personnel deliberately and routinely disabled the nuclear facility’s intrusion detection security system to avoid costly repairs, leaving the site’s personnel, operating nuclear reactors and thousands of tons of deadly nuclear waste highly vulnerable to sabotage and terrorism and exposing the public to heightened risk of nuclear catastrophe.

3. Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-8a sets a strict and mandatory timetable within which DPUC must act on complaints of nuclear whistleblowers.

4. Section 16-8a(c)(1) requires that the DPUC render a preliminary finding on a nuclear whistleblower complaint within thirty (30) business days after receipt of a written complaint.

5. Should the DPUC render a preliminary finding that:

a. The employee had reported substantial misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance in the management of the nuclear licensee;
b. The employee was subsequently discharged, suspended, demoted or otherwise penalized by having the employee’s status of employment changed by the employee’s employer; and
c. The subsequent discharge, suspension, demotion or other penalty followed the employee’s report closely in time

the DPUC is required to issue an order requiring the employer to immediately return the employee to the employee’s previous position of employment or an equivalent position pending the completion of the DPUC’s full investigatory proceedings.

6. On February 1, 2006, DPUC’s Prosecutorial Unit issued a written report finding in Mr. Mehta’s favor with regard to all three elements set forth in Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-8a(c)(1), recommending that DPUC order Mr. Mehta’s immediate reinstatement.

7. To date, although two hundred fifty-one (251) days have lapsed since Mr. Mehta filed his written complaint, DPUC has failed to render preliminary findings required by Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-8a(c).

8. In consequence, Mr. Mehta has been deprived of the potential to be ordered reinstated to his former position within 30 days of the filing of his complaint.

9. Thereby, DPUC has deliberately and flagrantly violated the laws of the State of Connecticut with regard to Mr. Mehta.

10. The General Assembly obviously enacted the Nuclear Whistleblower Act and set a 30-day deadline for the rendition of preliminary findings so that a nuclear whistleblower wrongfully discharged from a nuclear power plant could be expeditiously ordered reinstated immediately, thereby promoting a safety conscious work environment and helping ensure the health and safety of the nuclear facility, its employees and the public.

11. The DPUC’s deliberation and flagrant violation of the law has had the inevitable effect of creating unsafe conditions at the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant within the meaning of Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-12 in one or more off the following ways:

a. By sending a clear message to Dominion’s nuclear workers that the state agency responsible for protecting their rights against employee retaliation have little or no regard for their rights nor the letter nor spirit of the law, thereby promoting a climate of lawlessness and disregard for safe operation of the nuclear facility;
b. By creating a chilling environment whereby other safety conscious workers are fearful of reporting legitimate safety concerns;
c. By subjecting Mr. Mehta to the continued public embarrassment and humiliation or being fired from his employment, thereby further chilling other workers;
d. By allowing Dominion to operate Millstone in flagrant violation of the law and without government accountability for its conduct, thereby chilling other workers;
e. By allowing Dominion to continue to disable its intrusion detection system without government accountability

12. To date, Dominion has failed to reinstate Mr. Mehta to his former employment.

13. Thereby, Dominion is operating the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in such a manner that the public safety or the health or safety of employees is endangered within the meaning of Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-12.

14. The Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone is a public interest advocacy organization consisting of statewide safe-energy groups and individuals. Its Post Office Box is Box 415, Niantic CT 06357.

15. Nancy Burton is Director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone.











WHEREFORE, the Complainants request the following relief:

That the Department of Public Utility Control fix a time and place for hearing thereon and shall give notice thereof to all parties in interest, and shall make such further investigation into the alleged conditions as is legally necessary, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes Section 16-12.

CONNECTICUT COALITION
AGAINST MILLSTONE
NANCY BURTON

______________________________
Nancy Burton
147 Cross Highway
Redding Ridge CT 06876
Tel. 203-938-3952

Good-Bye To Our Friend, Camy the Goat:
Was Millstone Radiation to Blame?



Katie & Camy in the pasture at 120 Dayton Road in Waterford, October 2005

On July 21, 2006, Camy the Goat died. Camy was one of three goats adopted by the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone in October 2005 after their goat farm at 120 Dayton Road in Waterford - 5 miles north of Millstone - was sold to a developer.

Camy, Katie and Happy all contributed their milk to Millstone’s environmental monitoring program. Their milk always tested high for strontium-90 and several times excessively high.

Strontium-90 is routinely released by Millstone into the air and water. It is carried by the wind and brought to the ground in precipitation. Camy. Katie and Happy ate pasture grass and drank water at 120 Dayton Road. A Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection graph identifies 120 Dayton Road as the location with the highest levels of strontium-90 in goat milk. The levels of strontium-90 in goat milk decline with distance from Millstone.

Camy exhibited no symptoms before she died. Her remains were analyzed in a necropsy. The post mortem examination found that Camy’s bone marrow was hypocellular, an abnormal condition.

]
Veterinarian Dr. John A. Caltabiano

Dr. John A. Caltabiano, a licensed veterinarian who has practiced in southeastern Connecticut for 25 years, as well as the pathologist who performed the necropsy, agree that Camy’s exposure to radiation could be a factor in Camy’s hypocellular bone marrow condition.

The bone marrow acts as a factory for production of red blood cells, which nourish the body with oxygen, and white blood cells, which provide immunity against bacteria, infection and disease.

Dr. Caltabiano and Cynthia M. Besade, joined by Camy’s kids, LC and Pete, at Coalition press conference on August 23, 2006 at 120 Dayton Road, Waterford

At the Coalition’s press conference on August 23, 2006, Dr. Caltabiano stated:

“Due to the high elevation of strontium-90 in these goats, I think it’s possible that the radiation affected the bone marrow, resulting in a hypoplastic condition. I think that if Camy didn’t have a hypoplastic condition in her bone marrow she might very well be alive today.”

Pete and LC graze at 120 Dayton Road, Waterford

In May, Camy gave birth to two kids, LC (“Little Camy”) and Pete, who attended the press conference in her memory.

Camy is much missed by all who knew her and cared for her.

Was Camy a victim of Millstone radiation? Her tissues are being examined further for more clues.

Human beings are subject to the same damage to their bone marrow from radiation exposure.

Dominion, Millstone’s corporate parent, knows that radiation exposure, even in small doses, causes cancer and other diseases and can be fatal. Is Dominion committing crimes against humanity and the environment with its routine and intentional releases of radiation to the community? Is our government committing criminal negligence in allowing Millstone to keep operating?

NEAC: Nuclear Energy Agents of Cover-Up?

1996 was a bad year for Millstone and the nuclear energy industry. The NRC was forced to shut down the 3 Millstone reactors for 2 years (Unit 1 never recovered and shut down permanently) because the scandal of flagrant violations of license conditions which had been going on for years hit the cover of TIME magazine.

Connecticut’s General Assembly responded to the Millstone crisis by creating the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (“NEAC”) to monitor Millstone operations and make annual reports.

Dominion's Diane Sieracki addressing NEAC on August 16, 2006

Sadly, NEAC members are nothing more than Nuclear Energy Agents of Cover-Up.

Recruited almost to a man from the nuclear weapons industry, NEAC met last week at a public meeting. Its guests of honor were three representatives from Dominion, including Diane Sieracki, who was recently promoted to oversee “employee concerns” at Dominion’s four nuclear power stations, including Millstone.

Sieracki was promoted after she “unsubstantiated” Sham S. Mehta’s allegations that Dominion routinely disables its perimeter security system at Millstone because of too many false alarms. (A disabled perimeter security system will not keep out malicious intruders.) Translation: Sieracki engaged in fraud to deceive government regulators and the public. Sieracki’s motive: to send Mr. Mehta packing, spare Dominion further embarrassment and expense necessary to correct the security system and endear herself to Dominion management.

Shamelessly, Sieracki told NEAC that Dominion does not engage in retaliatory actions against workers who raise legitimate safety and security concerns.

When NEAC permitted the public to question Sieracki, NEAC gagged the public and prohibited the public from asking her about her personal role in Mr. Mehta’s recent retaliatory firing.

This extraordinary abuse and deceit was not reported by The New London Day, which published an article hailing NEAC as a nuclear “watchdog” agency.

A source of electricity that requires evacuation plans and a watchdog agency is an absurdity. When the evacuation plans are unworkable and the “watchdog” is a lapdog, isn’t it necessary to replace that source of electricity with a source that requires neither an evacuation plan nor a watchdog agency?

Joe Lieberman stands front and center with the nuclear industry against the public interest. He was the only Democrat in the Northeast to support the Bush-Cheney energy bill which awarded $17 billion in new subsidies to the nuclear industry to promote new nukes. During the past six years, Joe Lieberman has done nothing to protect the public from a waterborne, airborne or ground terrorist attack at Millstone (although he is ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee), he has done nothing to enforce the Clean Water Act to stop Millstone contamination of our public beaches and his silence on Millstone relicensing helped assure that the cancer plague in southeastern Connecticut will continue.
A vote for Lieberman is a vote for Millstone to continue to operate without effective government oversight.
After months of ducking the question, Lamont issued a “Position Paper” on Millstone on July 31 stating as follows:
“ He [Lamont] recognizes that Connecticut needs the nuclear plants it already has. However, he’s against constructing more plants and in providing more subsidies to the nuclear industry until we are better able to ensure their safety.”
Ned: Connecticut does not need Millstone. With modest conservation and sensible investment in renewable energy, Millstone’s megawatts would be redundant.
Lamont refused to meet with us to educate himself about Millstone. He declined to join us on a cruise of Niantic Bay to observe how vulnerable the Millstone intake structures are to a waterborne terrorist attack. He refused to issue a statement in support of cleaning our public beaches by ridding them of unnecessary radioactive and toxic chemical contamination from Millstone’s routine discharges. He refused to meet with family members of children who were victims of thyroid cancer, leukemia, and rare childhood cancers. For a Harvard graduate whose family lives 20 miles downwind of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, Lamont’s lack of knowledge and understanding or interest about Connecticut’s energy needs and Millstone’s risks is disappointing.
Neither candidate has demonstrated an awareness that Millstone is the greatest continuing threat to the health and safety of the people of Connecticut.
Neither candidate has earned our support.

Malloy v. DeStefano

Dannel Malloy and John DeStefano both want to be the Democratic gubernatorial candidate to unseat Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The voters will decide on August 8.
Where do Malloy and DeStefano stand on Millstone?
The Coalition tried to meet with Malloy and DeStefano to educate them on Millstone issues. DeStefano never called back. Malloy promised us his staff would respond, but his staff never did.
Neither candidate has demonstrated an awareness that Millstone is the greatest continuing threat to the health and safety of the people of Connecticut.
Neither candidate has earned our support.

A Close Call with Catastrophe in Sweden?
Striking Similarities with Millstone Unit 3 'Tin Whisker' Emergency in April 2005
An observer has called last week's mishap in Sweden the worst incident to befall a nuclear power plant since the accident at Chernobyl. Nobody was injured, but for 22 minutes, workers had no idea what was happening in the reactor's core. Swedish officials have taken half the country's nuclear power plants offline until it can ensure their safe operation.
Sweden's nuclear energy authority, SKI, has largely completed its reconstruction of events in an accident last week that led to the closure of a nuclear power plant in the city of Forsmark and, ultimately, the shutdown of half the country's nuclear plants as a precautionary measure. In the incident, two of the plant's four backup generators malfunctioned when the plant experienced a major power outage on July 25. According to officials, who described the event as "serious," a short-circuit triggered the accident, which caused a cut in power to the nuclear facility. Plant workers told Swedish media that it came close to a meltdown.
In fact, the only thing that appears to have stopped a catastrophe is the fact that two diesel backup generators kicked in, enabling the Forsmark facility to operate at least part of its emergency cooling system. Still, for 20 minutes, workers were unable to obtain information about the condition of the reactor and they were only able to respond after 21 minutes and 41 seconds, according to a report in Germany's Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper.
Swedish media are reporting that a previously unknown technical problem emerged during the emergency that could also be present in all other Swedish nuclear reactors.

In its first report, nuclear authority SKI claimed that operators of the nuclear plant had reacted correctly during the emergency. "In my opinion, the media is exaggerating the issue," said Jan Blomstrang, a member of SKI's committee for reactor security. The two generators that were still operating, he said, could have provided sufficient energy for the reactors if it had been necessary. The agency is expected to release a comprehensive report in the coming days.
On Thursday, Swedish officials shut down two further nuclear power plants as a safety precaution. Plant operators said the move was necessary because they could not guarantee the security of nuclear facilities in the city of Oskarshamm. A spokesman for the company that operates the Oskarshamm plant said he could not rule out the possibility of an incident happening like that at Forsmark.
After an emergency meeting of SKI officials, spokesman Anders Bredfall said that both nuclear power plants in Oskarshamm would be taken offline until investigators were able to deteremine whether the backup generators at that plant could fail in the same way as those in Forsmark.
Official: Worst incident since Chernobyl
Swedish nuclear energy expert Lars-Olov Högland, head of the construction department at Swedish utility company Vattenfall -- and onetime boss at the Forsmark reactor -- has described last week's problems as the "worst incident since Chernobyl and Harrisburg," a reference to the 1979 meltdown at Three-Mile Island in Pennsylvania. He accused the plant's operators of trying to play down the seriousness of the event. For their part, officials at Swedish nuclear authority SKI have rejected Högland's assessment, describing it as "exaggerated."

Following the latest shutdowns, only five of Sweden's 10 nuclear power plants are still operating. Nuclear power accounts for close to half of the electricity produced in Sweden and the shutdowns triggered record price increases. But the Swedish government's energy agency said the nation's electricity supply was not currently at great risk because it can rely more on hydropower during the summer months.
Sweden is in the process of abandoning nuclear energy -- a policy that has led to the shut down of two of the country's total of 12 plants since 1999. However, against a backdrop of concerns about climate change and energy dependency, recent public opinion polls indicate that an increasing number of Swedes would like to go on using nuclear power.
dsl/reuters/afp/ap