[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: GAO Opens DB Investigation
Unfortunately, there's a lot of truth in what you say. Although the "some" of the
industry that puts profits ahead of safety is small, they have a large impact. I hope
that you will help make us stronger by convincing them that they are putting their plants
at risk.
I can't agree that the NRC is "thoroughly cowed" by the industry. It will be a long time
before DB restarts. The problem is that, as with most regulators, they tend to be
reactive rather than proactive. While good at following up on problems that have been
identified, they generally are not able to identify potential problems before they are
manifested. Although there were many indicators of the DB problem, they did not cross
any regulatory tripwires, and thus stayed "under the radar" until a near miss occurred.
All things considered, the NRC is arguably the most competent regulatory agency out
there.
This is what makes "self regulation" so important. The foundation of good
self-regulation is what the NRC calls a "safety conscious work environment." This
includes management support for employees who raise safety concerns, even if they seem to
be the "fly in the ointment." I think you'll find that with virtually every major event,
there have been employees who know about the unacceptable risk but were either afraid to
pursue corrective actions, or tried and were rebuffed.
Continue to keep an eye on us.
The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.
Curies forever.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com
Norman Cohen wrote:
> Hi Bill
>
> As a critic who's making you all stronger, I'd say that what the DB investigations
> continue to show is that some of the nuke power industry has a penchant for putting
> safety at risk in order to secure short-term profits. This was true at Indian Point
> (steam generator rupture) as well as at the Bess-Mess.
>
> Beyond that, DB shows an NRC so thoroughly cowed by the nuke industry that they have
> become unwilling to enforce the rules when enforcement is really necessary.
>
> Whatever radsafers think of us 'anti's, someone's got to be out there "watching the
> watchers".
>
> Peace
> Norm Cohen
>
> William V Lipton wrote:
>
> > The disclosures, so far, from the "Davis Bessie Messie" further convince me that
> > the most serious threat to the nuclear industry is our inability to critically
> > evaluate ourselves. This problem did not result from a single oversight, but is
> > the result of a weakness that seems to have been in place for years.
> >
> > Somehow this weakness never got on the radar screens of the NRC or INPO, at least
> > not to the point where they took effective preventive actions. I hope that the
> > GAO investigation and other 3rd party investigations find out why.
> >
> > Our critics make us stronger. Our "friends" are killing us.
> >
> > The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
> > It's not about dose, it's about trust.
> > Curies forever.
> >
> > Bill Lipton
> > liptonw@dteenergy.com
> >
> > "Richard F. Orthen" wrote:
> >
> > > >From Bill Corcoran at NSRC:
> > > GAO opening investigation of Davis-Besse nuclear plant
> > >
> > > Thursday, September 05, 2002
> > >
> > > CLEVELAND -- The investigative arm of Congress is opening an investigation
> > > into why federal regulators let a northwest Ohio nuclear plant stay open
> > > after government engineers suspected it was leaking coolant.
> > > The General Accounting Office's investigation of the Davis-Besse plant in
> > > Oak Harbor is the seventh one so far. Workers found a hole in the reactor
> > > cover in March while the plant was shut down for routine maintenance. It
> > > remains closed.
> > > Spokesmen for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the plant's operator,
> > > Akron-based FirstEnergy Corporation, told The Plain Dealer they would
> > > cooperate with this latest investigation.
> > > Several reviews already have said plant managers and the NRC missed the
> > > growing hole for up to eight years.
> > > GAO spokesman Bob Robinson says the agency will begin its work within the
> > > next three months.
> > >
> > > Rick Orthen
> > >
> > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > ************************************************************************
> > You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
> > send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
> > radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
> > You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/
>
> --
> Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr Ave.,
> Linwood, NJ 08221; 609-601-8583 or 609-601-8537; ncohen12@comcast.net UNPLUG SALEM
> WEBSITE: http://www.unplugsalem.org/ COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE WEBSITE:
> http://www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org The Coalition for Peace and Justice is a
> chapter of Peace Action.
> "First they ignore you; Then they laugh at you; Then they fight you; Then you win.
> (Gandhi) "Why walk when you can fly?" (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
>
> ************************************************************************
> You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
> send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
> radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
> You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/