NRC ENDANGERS LIVES BY BENDING RULES FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Above: Map of Nuclear Plants in the USA - Wikipedia commons image.


THE NRC (NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION) HAS ALLOWED AMERICAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS TO FOREGO THE MANDATED FILTERED VENTS NECESSARY TO PREVENT A 'FUKUSHIMA' FROM HAPPENING IN AMERICA FOR 6 YEARS NOW.
THESE SPECIAL VENTS WOULD FILTER OUT MUCH OF THE RADIATION RELEASED BY PLANTS DURING AN "EMERGENCY" VENTING.

WE HAVE 31 NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE U.S. THAT ARE THE SAME, IDENTICAL DESIGN AS THOSE AT FUKUSHIMA, ALL MADE BY G.E., ALL BOILING WATER REACTORS, ALL KNOWN TO BE OF FAULTY DESIGN, AND WHICH, WITHOUT THESE SPECIAL FILTERS, ARE OPERATING AGAINST THE RULES OF THE NRC.

[UPDATE, 30 JUNE 2017: FOR THE  EXPLANATION OF A TOTAL OF 31, NOT 23 REACTORS, SEE MY COMMENTS AT END OF BLOG.  //WW]

AS YOU READ WHAT CONCERNED SCIENTISTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS FAILURE OF THE COMPANIES WHO USE THESE REACTORS AND CHARGE AMERICANS TO PUT UP WITH THESE HAZARDS, TRY TO IMAGINE WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE WITHOUT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.

ONCE AGAIN, AMERICAN LIVES ARE NOT VALUED ENOUGH TO FORCE "EXPENSIVE UPGRADES" THAT WOULD COST THE NRC's DARLINGS A FEW MILLION FOR EACH REACTOR.
THE NRC IS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY, NOT U.S. CITIZENS.

WHAT MOST AMERICANS ARE NOT MADE AWARE OF BY MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS THAT WE HAVE NO RADIATION MONITORING SYSTEM THAT'S FIT TO BE CALLED THAT, THOUGH I'LL HAND IT TO THE OLD WALL STREET JOURNAL FOR PUBLISHING THE FACT THAT 3/4ths OF THE EPA's RADIATION MONITORS DO NOT FUNCTION AND ARE NOT READ.     

Radiation Sensors in Major U.S. Cities Turned Off Because They Don't Work   

Environmental Protection Agency officials confirmed 99 of 135 beta-radiation sensors in its RadNet system—which monitors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico—aren’t working and have been turned off. Officials blame electromagnetic interference...   

  FORBES ALSO MADE A BIT OF A STIR IN 2012 WHEN THEY REPORTED THAT... 
"Twenty percent of the EPA's stationary radiation monitors were out of service last year at the time of the Fukushima nuclear accident, leading the U.S. Office of the Inspector General to conclude that the EPA's Radnet system is "vulnerable" and managed with less urgency and priority than it deserves. Broken monitors, parts shortages, "relaxed quality controls" and a lack of volunteer operators left 25 of the EPA's 124 stationary monitors out of service for an average of 130 days at the beginning of the Fukushima."

THE INSPECTOR GENERAL STATED,  "If RadNet is not managed as a high-priority program, EPA may not have the needed data before, during, and after a critical event such as the Japan nuclear incident. Such data are crucial to determine levels of airborne radioactivity that may negatively affect public health and the environment."

Broken RadNet monitors and late filter changes impaired this critical infrastructure asset. On March 11, 2011, at the time of the Japan nuclear incident, 25 of the 124 installed RadNet monitors, or 20 percent, were out of service for an average of 130 days. The service contractor completed repairs for all monitors by April 8, 2011. In addition, 6 of the 12 RadNet monitors we sampled had gone over 8 weeks without a filter change, and 2 of those for over 300 days.
Because EPA managed RadNet with lower than required priority, parts shortages and insufficient contract oversight contributed to extensive delays in fixing broken monitors.

In addition, broken RadNet monitors and relaxed quality controls contributed to the filters not being changed timely. Out-of-service monitors and unchanged filters may reduce the quality and availability of critical data needed to assess radioactive threats to public health and the environment."

EPA officials agreed with most of the recommendations in the audit and said most will be implemented this month, but they disputed any assertion that the system under-performed or was inadequately managed.  
"Although EPA identifies Radnet monitors as critical infrastucture, it depends upon volunteers to maintain them. Agency protocol calls for filters to be changed twice weekly, a schedule that some volunteers have been unable to maintain. EPA cannot assign volunteers or enforce expectations upon them. EPA seeks volunteers, without compensation for their time and effort...."  
  
YES, CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS, OBVIOUSLY NOT WELL-TRAINED, IF TRAINED AT ALL.
AS WE CAN SEE FROM 2015, THAT 20% BECAME 75% NON-FUNCTIONAL, USELESS, 'BROKEN' MONITORS, AT A TIME WHEN WE NEED THEM MOST.

ACCORDING TO TRUMP'S PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS FOR THE EPA, WE WILL MOST LIKELY NOT SEE MONITORS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN DURING HIS PRESIDENCY. IT JUST ISN'T IMPORTANT, PLUS, THE NUCLEAR ENERGY BOYS WOULDN'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT BEING LAX, HAVING HIGH RADIATION LEVELS PERHAPS MAKE AMERICANS DEMAND THEY DO SOMETHING TO STOP THE LEAKS.

THOSE OF YOU WHO READ HERE AT THE TEA ROOM FREQUENTLY KNOW THAT I USED TO PUBLISH UPDATES OF THE RADIATION LEVELS ACROSS AMERICA. I CEASED DOING SO BECAUSE IT IS JUST TOO LATE FOR US TO CONSIDER AN END TO FUKUSHIMA, AND, SEEING THE NRC BOW TO 'BIG NUKE' AND RENEW LICENSES FOR CRUMBLING POWER PLANTS AND ALLOW DANGEROUS LEAKS TO AIR, WATER AND SOIL, WE KNOW THAT DUD OF AN 'AGENCY' WON'T BE FORCING COMPLIANCE OF ITS OWN RULES.
THAT WOULD PROTECT THE PUBLIC, NOT 'BIG NUKE'. 

JUST ONE LOOK AT THE EPA's OWN SO-CALLED "RADNET" AND THE UNAVAILABLE DATA, THE LACK OF MONITORING SHOULD PROVE MY POINT...WE ARE ON OUR OWN IN THIS.

SEE THE "CURRENT READINGS BY STATE" <HERE> AND ALSO SEE THAT AIR MONITORING IS SORELY LACKING.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN ALABAMA ONLY THREE MONITORS ARE AVAILABLE FOR RADIATION DETECTION IN THE AIR, JUST 3, AND ONLY THE GAMMA COUNTS.

WHEN WE TRY TO LOOK AT DATA FOR WHEN THESE FILTERS WERE LAST EXAMINED AND CHANGED, THE "Americium, Plutonium and Uranium Results", THE "Radionuclide Analysis Results" THAT SHOULD BE AVAILABLE WHEN THE FILTERS ARE REMOVED AND SENT TO THE LAB, WE GET THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: "Forbidden. You are not authorized to access the requested resource."
"FORBIDDEN"? WHY?

WE CAN ALSO SEE "The radionuclide was not detected with 97.5% confidence. Either no result was measured or a result was less than twice the uncertainty level."

WHEN I TRY TO ACCESS DATA FOR MEMPHIS, TN, FOR JUST THE MONTH OF JUNE, 2017, I'M TOLD THAT THERE ARE  A "Total Number of Records: 496", BUT THERE ARE NO "Beta Gross Count Rate(CPM)", AND NO "Dose Equivalent Rate(nSv/h)", TWO VERY IMPORTANT PIECES OF INFORMATION. HOW MANY SIEVERTS AM I BEING EXPOSED TO EACH DAY? THE EPA DOESN'T MONITOR THAT!

LOOK AT RICHLAND, WASHINGTON, HOME TO THE HANFORD NUCLEAR 'SUPER-SITE', MOST TOXIC PLACE IN AMERICA, SEE THAT ALMOST FLAT-LINE GRAPH, EVEN THOUGH HANFORD ITSELF HAS REPORTED NUMEROUS SPIKES?

THE EPA's "MONITORING" IS A JOKE, SOMETHING THEY DEPEND ON VOLUNTEERS TO ACCURATELY REPORT AND ON LABS THAT REPORT NOTHING THAT WE CAN GAIN ACCESS TO!


BUT SOME ARE MONITORING AND STILL REPORTING WHAT THE DATA SHOWS THEM. BECAUSE THIS DATA IS "DISTURBING", MOST MAINSTREAM MEDIA DISCREDIT IT ANY WAY THEY CAN.

HAVE A READ AT <THIS SITE> TO SEE IF ANY OF YOU WERE MADE AWARE OF THESE RECENT SPIKES IN YOUR AREA.

THE AUTHOR OF THAT SITE MILDLY DISPARAGES A MAN WHO HAS BEEN VERY DEDICATED TO PROVIDING AMERICANS WITH CURRENT RADIATION LEVELS, A MAN WHO USES THE EXACT SAME TOOLS ALL OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND MILITARY USE TO ASSESS THE DANGERS OF LOCAL RADIATION.
IF HE CAN'T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, WHO CAN?
NOT "FEMA", NOT OUR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, NOT OUR HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOMS AND NOT OUR NATIONAL GUARD???
THEY ALL DEPEND ON DEVICES THEY CAN CARRY WITH THEM TO GIVE THEM MEASUREMNETS OF RADIOACTIVITY!
AND WE CAN DEPEND ON BOB NICHOLS OF 'YOUR RADIATION THIS WEEK' AT VETERANS TODAY FOR LOCAL INFO WE CAN USE.


HERE'S ANOTHER SOURCE.
Jul 17, 2015

Radcon maps featured in a youtube video of July 12, 13 and 17, 2015 showed radiation levels across the USA, with a list of cities and states being inundated with "Evacuation" level amounts of radiation.
- As per the USA EPA Radnet radiation data; 50 CPM and over is abnormal - 100 CPM alert level - 300 CPM evacuation or hazmat -CPM=counts per minute.
Yet people in areas of 300 CPM and over HAVE NEVER BEEN EVACUATED nor have they been ALERTED!
- Nuclear Emergency Tracking Center - Netc.com is an Early Warning Radiation System that takes data from PRIVATE radiation monitoring stations and EPA network and creates a RBL ( Radiation Background Level ) for each 3000+ stations everyday.
They don't mind being called nutcases and fear-mongers. They just want to save lives, it seems, unlike our EPA, NRC, FDA, etc.

THE FAILURE OF THE NTC TO FORCE COMPLIANCE OF A 6-YEAR-OLD RULE FOR SAFETY VENTS AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IS AGAIN ENDANGERING OUR LIVES IN AMERICA. ONCE AGAIN, NEW JERSEY IS IN THE CROSS-HAIRS.   
 

NRDC: Post-Fukushima Hardened Vents with High-Capacity Filters for BWR Mark Is and Mark IIs
Given the vulnerabilities of BWR Mark I and Mark II primary containments—their relatively small volumes and dependence on suppression pools, which do not mitigate hydrogen—it is essential that a hardened containment vent be designed so that it would be reliable in a wide range of different severe accident scenarios.
A high-capacity filter would also be needed for scenarios in which there was a re-flooding of an overheated reactor core, which would rapidly generate hydrogen, thereby possibly threatening containment integrity and increasing the risk of radioactive fission product releases.
Additionally, a 1988 Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) paper suggests installing high-capacity filters at BWR Mark IIs because “[i]t is much more probable that operation of simple "hard" venting systems in [Mark] II plants would result in the discharge of aerosols directly into the environment.”  
If such a vent cannot be developed, the NRC should perhaps consider either shutting down or not relicensing BWR Mark I and Mark IIs.

RE-READ THE ABOVE, PLEASE, AND LET THAT SINK IN.
NOW READ HOW THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION HAS DECIDED TO RISK OUR LIVES TO SAVE ALL NUCLEAR ENERGY COMPANIES SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Grants Oyster Creek Request For 'Relaxation' Of Vents In Plant's Drywell

Oyster Creek was required to be in compliance with the wetwell requirement (Phase 1 of the order) by the fall 2016 and the drywell requirement (Phase 2) by the fall of 2018.

Exelon asked the NRC back in 2011 to relax the upgrade vent order.
THE NRC HEARS AND OBEYS!
2011, THE YEAR FUKUSHIMA BEGAN RADIATING THE WORLD AND THE NRC LET EXELON OFF THE HOOK BECAUSE OYSTER CREEK IS CLOSING IN 2019.
YOU HAVE TWO MORE LONG YEARS TO HOPE NOTHING HAPPENS, NEW JERSEY AND OTHER NEARBY RESIDENTS.

OYSTER CREEK ALREADY POISONED DRINKING WATER, AND THAT WON'T CHANGE.
FROM 2010: (AP) -- Radioactive water that leaked from the nation's oldest nuclear power plant has now reached a major underground aquifer that supplies drinking water to much of southern New Jersey, the state's environmental chief said.    

(AP) -- Radioactive water that leaked from the nation's oldest nuclear power plant has now reached a major underground aquifer that supplies drinking water to much of southern New Jersey, the state's environmental chief said

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2010-05-tainted-nuke-major-nj-aquifer.html#jCp

"There is a problem here," said environmental Commissioner Bob Martin. "I am worried about the continuing spread of the tritium into the groundwater and its gradual moving toward wells in the area. This is not something that can wait. That would be unacceptable."

The tritium leaked from underground pipes at the plant on April 9, 2009, and has been slowly spreading underground at 1 to 3 feet a day. At the current rate, it would be 14 or 15 years before the tainted water reaches the nearest private or commercial drinking water wells about two miles away.

[WAIT! HOW CAN THAT BE?
HAVE THEY TRAINED FLOWING WATER TO NOT CARRY RADIATION?

But the mere fact that the radioactive water - at concentrations 50 times higher than those allowed by law - has reached southern New Jersey's main source of drinking water calls for urgent action, Martin said.

NOTE THAT THE LEAK WAS FOUND IN 2009, THE SAME YEAR THE NRC EXTENDED OYSTER CREEK'S LICENSE FOR ANOTHER 20 YEARS!

FROM 2011...
 Oldest US nuclear reactor: a 'disaster' in waiting?

It uses a GE Mark I Boiling Water reactor identical to those that lost power at Japan's Fukushima plant in the March 11 earthquake and then was struck by a tsunami that knocked out its backup generators, causing reactor cooling functions to fail.

US anti-nuclear activists and many residents of Lacey and surrounding Jersey shore townships worry that a similar nuclear disaster could happen at Oyster Creek, and it wouldn't need an earthquake or tsunami to trigger it.

Oyster Creek has been dogged by problems including a corroding liner in the carbon steel containment unit; leaks that allow radioactive tritium to seep into drinking water; and huge volumes of stocked spent fuel rods.

"We have 40 years of radiation on site -- two-and-a-half to three times more than in Japan," anti-nuclear activist Jeff Brown told AFP.

"You also have that tremendously stupid design to start with where the spent fuel rods are sitting on top of the reactor," he said, raising a fear among residents that the reactor could be an easy target for a terrorist attack.
It uses a GE Mark I Boiling Water reactor identical to those that lost power at Japan's Fukushima plant in the March 11 earthquake and then was struck by a tsunami that knocked out its backup generators, causing reactor cooling functions to fail.

US anti-nuclear activists and many residents of Lacey and surrounding Jersey shore townships worry that a similar nuclear disaster could happen at Oyster Creek, and it wouldn't need an earthquake or tsunami to trigger it.

Oyster Creek has been dogged by problems including a corroding liner in the carbon steel containment unit; leaks that allow radioactive tritium to seep into drinking water; and huge volumes of stocked spent fuel rods. Half a million people live within what would be the evacuation zone if Oyster Creek were ever to have a radiation accident. In the summer, the population swells with beach-goers heading to the Jersey shore.

The town is 85 miles (137 kilometers) south of New York City and 55 miles (88 kilometers) east of Philadelphia.

New Jersey is not in a seismically active zone but meteorologists say the coastal state is long overdue for a Category Five hurricane.
"At the very least, we need a no-fly zone over Oyster Creek. We have a no-fly zone over Disney World but not here," said Peggi Sturmfels, a program organizer at the New Jersey Environmental Federation."One good storm surge, and Oyster Creek's backup generators are swamped. It's Japan all over again," Sturmfels said.

GIVEN ALL THAT, THE NRC WILL ALLOW THE CRUMBLING, ALWAYS LEAKING OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR FACILITY TO SKIP THE UPGRADES, SKIRT THE RULES AND PAY NO FINES FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH A 28-YEAR-OLD ORDER TO INSTALL THE VENT THAT WOULD SAVE LIVES IN CASE OF A MELTDOWN LIKE WE SAW AT FUKUSHIMA.
ONCE AGAIN, SAVING THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY MONEY TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER HUMAN LIVES.
GOOD LUCK, NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS!
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT!

"Under normal operating conditions, when BWRs operate above 5% power, gaseous releases are processed through high energy particulate air (HEPA) filters and charcoal filters that significantly reduce the radioactivity content discharged to the environment.
So, when the radioactivity level to be released is as high as it ever gets, DURING A NUCLEAR REACTOR MELTDOWN, the absolute least amount of protection against it is provided.
That’s indefensible – and all too simple to remedy."   
 
"SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE" BUT NEVER COMPLETELY STOP THE RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION INTO OUR ENVIRONMENT.
JUST SAY IT!

The public is not protected by hardened containment vents.

The public is not protected by reliable hardened containment vents.

The public is only protected by filtered reliable hardened containment vents.
BUT THOSE ARE "TOO EXPENSIVE" FOR THE NUCLEAR PLANT OWNERS AND OPERATORS TO INSTALL.
SURELY WE CAN'T EXPECT THEM TO FOOT SUCH AN ENORMOUS COST, SO, HEY, LET'S JUST ALLOW THEM TO KILL MILLIONS OF AMERICANS IN CASE THEY ALL MELT DOWN!
THAT IS WHAT'S GOING ON, AMERICA.
AS ALWAYS, WE ARE EXPENDABLE. 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended Oyster Creek's license for another 20 years in 2009.

The NRC not only gives out nuclear licenses but is the industry safety watchdog. That's a conflict of interest, say critics who liken the situation to the regulation of the oil industry prior to last year's devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Under pressure from state officials, Oyster Creek's license was rolled back to 10 years, and the plant is now due to close for good in 2019.

Despite the 'accidents', the near-miss 'incidents', the non-compliance, the well-known, documented leaks and failures, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave oyster Creek the go-ahead to continue endangering lives for another 20 years.
HOW CAN THE NRC JUSTIFY THAT?

On the same day, the NRC extended for 20 years the license of ANOTHER Mark 1 reactor, in the state of Vermont. 
The Vermont Yankee reactor has had tritium leaks, a cooling tower collapse and even a fire in the plant's transformer.

SHOULD THE UPCOMING CLOSING MEAN THEY CAN TOSS THE RULES TO THE FOUR WINDS?
OBVIOUSLY SO.

OYSTER CREEK IS ONE OF 31 FAULTY U.S. REACTORS, BUILT BY THE SAME COMPANY, G.E., THAT BUILT DAI'ICH'S FAILED REACTORS AND COST JAPAN'S PEOPLE UNTOLD GRIEF AND SUFFERING.

"U.S. nuclear plants similar to Fukushima spark concerns“  
As the United States prepares to build its first new nuclear power reactors in three decades, concerns about an early generation of plants have resurfaced since last year’s disaster in Japan.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant — the subject of a battle between state authorities and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over its continued operation — uses one of [31] U.S. reactors built with a General Electric-designed containment housing known as the Mark I. It’s the same design that was used at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where three reactors melted down after the station was struck by the tsunami that followed Japan’s historic earthquake in March 2011.”

THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY WILL SPEND MILLIONS ON LOBBYING, BUT NOT A COPPER PENNY ON SAFEGUARDING AMERICANS.

Lobbying Flurry Precedes U.S. Vote on Fukushima Rules“A proposed requirement that U.S. nuclear-power plants add $20 million devices to prevent radiation leaks, one of the costliest recommendations stemming from meltdowns in Japan two years ago, has attracted a flurry of last-minute lobbying.”

WILLING TO FIGHT CONGRESS AND NOT COMPLY
Joe Barton, NRC’s Allison Macfarlane Lock Horns“Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane and Rep. Joe Barton had a tense exchange Thursday morning after he pressed her on the agency’s response to the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. It happened after the Texas Republican asked Macfarlane whether she would commit to having the agency conduct a ‘full regulatory review between the Japanese system and the U.S. system.’”     
 
After Fukushima, Tasks Remain for the American Nuclear Industry“In response to the nuclear accident at Fukushima, the NRC ordered installation of ‘reliable hardened vents’ [BUT NOT FILTERED HARDENED VENTS] on older G.E.-designed boiling water reactors. Of 31 reactors, 23 already have ‘hardened vents’ and eight have no vents at all; even reactors with vents will need work on the valves to assure they are operable without electricity, which was a problem at Fukushima. The NRC is considering an order to add filters to the end of the hardened vents, outside the containment, which would trap more than 99 percent of the radioactive particles if the vent had to be used.”

Disaster by Design
PLEASE TRY TO READ THE FOLLOWING HIGHLIGHTED LINKS.
Nuclear Energy Activist Toolkits #32 and #47 described the emergency plan preparations REQUIRED by federal regulations for every operating nuclear power plant. Other federal regulations require design features backed by testing and inspection protocols intended to minimize the chances of a nuclear plant accident that might result in the emergency plans being needed.  

THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT BEING MET AND DO NOT ADDRESS KNOWN DESIGN FLAWS IN AMERICA'S AGING REACTORS AND FLAWS IN THE BUILDINGS THAT HOUSE THEM, WHICH WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO LAST MORE THAN 40 YEARS.

WE ARE RADIATED EVERY DAY IN AMERICA FROM EVERY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AND EVERY NUCLEAR REACTOR BUT THE NRC WON'T STOP THAT, NOR WILL CONGRESS....NOR DO WE BY MAKING DEMANDS THAT ALL NUKE FACILITIES BE CLOSED FOREVER.

THIS WAS ORDERED IN 1989, UPGRADED IN 2012 BUT NOT EVEN ONE OF THE 31 PLANTS HAVE COMPLIED WITH FILTERED 'HARD' VENTS!

IN 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Commissioners voted 5-0 to order plant owners to implement three safety upgrades recommended by the NRC task force examining the Fukushima accident.

One of the upgrades involved installing reliable hardened containment vents for boiling water reactors (BWRs). Or, more accurately, the Commissioners required that the hardened containment vents that the NRC ordered 23 years ago now be made to work when needed to do so.

BWRs always had the ability to vent their containments. The original method routed the flow through a filter system before releasing it to the atmosphere. But this arrangement had a serious drawback – the pressure inside containment during severe accidents might be higher than the design pressure of the ducting to and from the filter system. If so, venting the containment could over-pressurize the filter system causing it to break open. Highly radioactive gases released from ruptured ductwork could in turn cause safety equipment to fail and impede efforts by plant workers responding to the accident.
So, the NRC ordered plant owners in 1989 to install hardened containment vents that could stand the high pressures that might occur during an accident.

But this arrangement had its own serious drawback – the valves and dampers connecting the containment airspace with its hardened vent pathway cannot open without electrical power and compressed air. Safety studies performed since the 1980s consistently concluded that accident sequences most likely to require venting the containment involve loss of electrical power and compressed air.
So, the hardened containment vents would work during accidents, unless the accidents happened.

MADNESS, ISN'T IT?
So, the NRC ordered plants owners in 2012 to make the hardened containment vents actually WORKABLE during accidents. DURING!

But this arrangement still has a serious drawback – to harden the containment venting system, the venting pipes were routed around the unhardened filter system and directly to the atmosphere.

So if the reliable hardened [UNFILTERED] containment vent is used during an accident, many people may pay a very high price. For while gases released from nuclear power plants during normal operation and during design basis accidents must, by NRC mandate, be filtered, the gases released during more serious accidents are not filtered.

THAT'S RIGHT, NOT FILTERED, SO WE GET AS HIGH A DOSE OF RADIATION AS THE POWER PLANT CAN PUMP OUT AT A TIME WHEN RADIATION LEVELS WILL BE HIGHER THAN ANYONE CAN IMAGINE. 
WE BECOME FUKUSHIMA.

THIS IS AMERICA'S NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE SINCE THE MAJORITY OF US LIVE WITHIN A 100-150-MILE RADIUS OF A FAILING, ANCIENT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.

WE ARE ON OUR OWN AND WE WILL HAVE WHAT WE ALLOW.
WHY ALLOW THIS?





___________________



FURTHER READING:

Palo Verde: Running Without a Backup Power Supply

Nuclear Leaks: The Back Story the NRC Doesn’t Want You to Know about Palo Verde

The NRC Must Act to Reduce the Dangers of Spent Fuel Pool Fires at Nuclear Plants
Recent news reports point to a leaked memo that provides more details about the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) budget. If the details are officially confirmed, it would clearly show that the administration is preparing to undermine health protections nationwide, and especially in low income and minority communities.







//WW