NRC’S Reckless Disregard For Health And Safety Is Shameful

“Safety is NOT a primary concern of NRC”.   If NRC’s primary concern was safety, NRC would be closing Limerick Nuclear Plant as soon as possible.

NRC has in fact shown reckless disregard for the consequences of Limerick Nuclear Plant operations on the people in the Greater Philadelphia Region.

Despite ACE’s repeatedly expressed public concerns on a broad range of unprecedented health and safety issues related to Limerick, NRC’s responses have shown that NRC REALLY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT HEALTH AND SAFETY.

NRC’s reckless disregard is identified by inaction related to Limerick’s threats and harms below:

1. More Radiation Releases from Limerick Using High-Burn Fuel
2. Radioactive Contamination of Vital Drinking Water Resources
3. Depletion And Pollution of Drinking Water for Almost 2 Million People From Pottstown To Philadelphia
4. Massive PM10 Air Pollution (More Deadly Than Ozone) from Limerick’s Cooling Towers
5. Faster Corrosion Of Equipment and Systems Than Estimated
6. Unprecedented Earthquake Risk Could Result in Fukushima-Like Multiple Meltdowns
7. Tons of Deadly High-Level Radioactive Wastes Piling Up On-Site, In Our Back Yard, with No Long-Term Safe Solution
8. More Dangerous High-Level Radioactive Waste Storage and Transport from Using High Burn Fuel
9. Limerick is Less Safe Four Years After Fukushima.  NRC Failed to Require Exelon Comply With NRC’s Post Fukushima Recommendations To Minimize Meltdown Risks.
10. Inadequate Safeguards Against Terrorists Air Strikes, Missiles, Drones, and Cyber Attack Threats
11. Derailment and/or Explosions from Crude Oil Bomb Trains Traveling Through the Limerick Site

Costs to Exelon always trump public safety in NRC decisions. Exelon is making a mockery of NRC’s 2012 Post-Fukushima Orders to prevent meltdowns.

NRC is allowing Exelon to delay costs of compliance (for up to 7 years, maybe longer). That seriously jeopardizes the health and financial interests of millions of people in the Greater Philadelphia Region because NRC’s 2012 recommendations were about mitigating meltdown risks at Limerick.

Meltdown threats are increasing dramatically at Limerick from massive fracking that can trigger earthquakes, to tornado wind/missile hazards, and cyber and drone attacks.  Yet, Limerick’s Fukushima-like reactors are no safer now than before the Fukushima meltdowns in 2011:

• Despite increasing risks for Limerick meltdowns, NRC allowed Exelon to avoid costs for radiation filters. In 2012, NRC’s own staff said these filters were imperative, regardless of cost to industry, because the vents installed to minimize explosions would become “radioactive fire hoses into the sky”.  Three years after NRC’s 2012 orders, Exelon still doesn’t even have plans completed for vents.
• Despite increasing risk of earthquakes from fracking, and the unprecedented risk of meltdowns from Limerick’s reactors and fuel pools built with substandard cement directly over fault fractures, NRC is ignoring risks.  Four other earthquake faults are within 17 miles of Limerick.  Even the 8-23-11 Virginia earthquake jolted Limerick. Miles of Limerick’s underground pipes and cables vital to preventing meltdowns can be disrupted, yet are not actually inspected.  Often, NRC allows Limerick’s monitoring systems to remain inoperable for long periods of time, even over a year sometimes. NRC’s solution to Limerick’s unprecedented earthquake risks: Allow Exelon until 2019 to complete a “self-serving seismic study”.  Hardly risk reduction!
• Despite increasing tornado risks, even in our region, NRC admitted in its 3-17-15 audit report that Limerick is not reasonably protected against the tornado wind/missile hazard.  Equipment needed to mitigate a tornado would not be available.

NRC’s PR people appear to be either uninformed or ethically challenged. NRC would close Limerick if they really care about our safety.  For more information see www.acereport.org or e-mail aceactivists@comcast.net