8/20/2012 Public grills NRC officials on Davis-Besse FirstEnergy, commission blame Blizard of '78 for plant's problems

Source: toledoBlade.com
Date: 8/20/2012
by: ROBERTA REDFERN

From left, Barry Allen, Ken Byrd, and Jon Hook of FirstEnergy speak during a meeting Thursday night. The meeting included representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and First Energy who discussed root cause for the shield building cracking at Davis-Besse and plans to fix the situation.

 OAK HARBOR, Ohio — Calling FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Corp.'s Blizzard of '78 explanation for cracks in the concrete Shield Building at Davis-Besse nuclear power plant a "snow job," plant critics challenged federal regulators' acceptance of that finding and asked about the risk of future weather-related damage during a three-hour hearing Thursday night."I remember plenty of other times when we had lots of rain followed by falling temperatures. How could soaking followed by freezing only cause damage once in 40 years?" Joe Demare of Bowling Green asked during a question session after an hour-long Nuclear Regulatory Commission presentation explaining how they came to their conclusion.
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Editor's Note: Map of Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station below.

View Live Ustream Radiation Detectors in a larger map

8/20/2012 Nuclear Cover-Up Threatens Great Lakes Region [Davis Besse, Palisades]

Source: Counterpunch
Date: August 20, 2012
by: MICHAEL LEONARDI

A CounterPunch Special Report on NRC Collusion With Utilities to Conceal Grave Safety Problems at Davis Besse and Palisades Reactors
According to recent reports from the nuclear watchdog Beyond Nuclear and several Great Lakes environmental organizations, the NRC is up to its usual practices as an industry captured agency.  Collusion and flagrant cover-ups at the Davis Besse nuclear power plant on the shores of Lake Erie and at the Palisades nuclear plant on the shores of Lake Michigan have drawn the ire of Congressmen Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Ed Markey of Massachusetts who have called on the NRC’s investigator general to investigate NRC region 3 practices and motivations of the NRC in allowing these plants to operate with grave safety concerns.
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