Cornell Attends Annual NRC Assessment Of Indian Point

At the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) annual assessment this week, it stated the Nuclear Energy Plant is operated within the bounds set by regulations,. However, the NRC also noted over two dozen issues that were described as low risk and needing attention by the operator but not significant enough to require additional agency oversight.

Rockland County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell attended the NRC report to government leaders on the plant's performance last year and actions to be taken in the wake of the disaster in Fukushima, Japan.

After hearing from priority recommendations for nuclear power plants throughout the United States, Cornell said, “I am pleased that the NRC has set an aggressive schedule to start implementing these Tier I recommendations whichinclude needed improvements for seismic and flooding protection, containment venting, spent fuel pool cooling and procedures for emergency preparedness and severe accidents.  By going to Japan immediately, the NRC Commission gained first-hand knowledge about how the Japanese engineers misunderstood what was happening in the spent fuel pool.  This became a major distraction which affected their ongoing responses.  The NRC will be requiring licensees to enhance spent fuel pool instrumentation as well as reassessing emergency communications equipment to assure its availability during a prolonged SBO (station blackout).”

Currently, the NRC maintains four full-time resident inspectors at Indian Point and utilizes NRC specialists to conduct additional inspections.  Entergy has applied to the NRC to extend its operating license for 20 more years.

Chairwoman Cornell questioned Paul Giardina, Chief of the Radiation and Indoor Air Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2, about proposed revisions for Environmental Radiation Protection standards which are 35 years old. Those are based on dosage and do not explicitly address storage of spent nuclear fuel and do not include groundwater protection provisions.  

“Given scientific advances over these many years and the fact that the EPA uses “risk” to determine acceptable levels of public protection, can “risk” be used in place of dosage as the radiation protection standard?" asked Cornell.  

Giardina urged the officials present to offer public comment when the EPA issues its advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) which is under development in order to reflect current science.