Re: Hanford cleanup strategy

[High Plains Drifter <magna1@jps.net>]

Sandy Perle wrote:

> Debby is correct, as far as basing decisions on today's standards,
> for past practices, if that were actually the case. One only needs to
> look at some of today's operations throughout the industry to see the
> same types of nuclear mismanagement. Look at your nearest power
> plant if you want to see "potential mismanagement".

Sandy is partly right, but the NRC has to take some responsibility for the
problems.  They tried to managed (almost hands on sometimes) every function at a
commercial reactor facility with people mostly with experience with the nuclear
navy, none to very little hands on operating experience with large reactors built
on a budget, and degrees from journalism to zoology.  Most of the early nuclear
engineers out the Rickover era got their total nuclear engineering training in a
matter of 6 months.  Combine that with their issuance of conflicting requirements
for the past 20 or so years.  Someday ask a manager of a BWR or a gas cooled
reactor about the learning curve they went through with their Canoe U folks.  Three
Mile Island was a direct result of nuclear navy training and experiences (both
operators and HP were blow away by the events).  If you review the events following
TMI you will find that Harold Denton was the only qualified nuclear
engineer/physicist that understood what the plant was going through and what the
end results would be.

High Plains Drifter
magna1@jps.net