Monitors a host of energy and nuclear issues from a public interest perspective
Radioactive Hot Spot Caused by Rainwater Leak into Aging H-Canyon Reprocessing Plant at SRS, Causing Posting of “Contamination Area” on Floor; DOE Admits Previous Leaks but Unable to Stop Rainwater Intrusion that could Contaminate “Clean Parts of the Building” with Radioactive Material
As Problems Mount at H-Canyon: Can the Aging Facility be Operated Safely;
SRS Watch in “Rainwater contamination discovered at SRS processing plant” [H-Canyon spent fuel reprocessing plant]
WRDW TV, Augusta, Georgia, January 17, 2019
&
On January 17, a hearing is slated to go forward in federal court in Nevada on the unjustified shipment of 1 metric ton of surplus weapon plutonium from SRS to the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.
“Permit changes at WIPP face challenges”
Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal, January 13, 2019
Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2019
article linked here:
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article224278610.html
8 public interest groups that work on DOE issues send group extensive comments on DOE’s effort to end run Congress & redefine high-level waste (HLW) as something less, part of DOE’s effort to speed disposal and cut “clean-up”
Federal Appeals Court in Richmond, VA Issues Final Ruling Allowing DOE’s Termination of the Plutonium Fuel (MOX) Project at SRS; Determines Federal Court in South Carolina Mistaken in Blocking MOX Termination
Expected Ruling Affirms Earlier Temporary Decision,
– see SRS Watch news release of Jan. 8, 2019
Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, January 8, 2019
Photos ©High Flyer of Bungled MOX Project at SRS Reveal Termination Activities Proceeding; At VC Summer, Costly Equipment still Abandoned in Place, Massive Crane still Standing
The Sad Question Begs: Why is South Carolina Home to the Two Largest and Costliest Terminated Nuclear Construction Projects in the United States?
Federal Judge in Nevada Denies DOE Request to “Stay” the State of Nevada’s Request for the “Preliminary Injunction” (PI) on Plutonium Shipment from SRS to NV, January 2, 2019
State of South Carolina Intervenes in Case,
SRS Watch in
“State of Nevada request to stop SRS plutonium shipment goes to federal court”
WXGF TV, FOX 54< Augusta, Georgia, January 7, 2018
”Hearing set for lawsuit to block shipment of plutonium to Nevada”
Las Vegas, Nevada, Review-Journal, Jan. 7, 2019
105 employees by CB&I Project Services Group and 13 employees by Orano Federal Services, to be laid off by March 4, 2019
The MOX termination crew must be getting fairly lean in size.
nother WARN Act layoff notice – dated January 4, 2019 – given to an additional 105 workers of CB&I Project Services Group at the terminated MOX boondoggle, with “layoff”
“DOE and NNSA Should Improve Their Lessons-Learned Process for Capital Asset Projects”
GAO-19-25: Dec 21, 2018.
Given the legal volume cap of the amount of TRU waste WIPP can receive, such a license amendment would allow more plutonium disposal, by counting the volume of only the inner container and not the larger outer container.
Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, December 19, 2018
DOE Confirms Obstacles and Problems with Shipment, Including Increased Radiation Exposure to Workers & State of Nevada Legal Challenge
Columbia, South Carolina – The U.S. Department of Energy has filed with the federal district court in Columbia,
The donation from the Aria Foundation was, in part, due to our tabling at the Green Highways concert tour of musicians Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor in the summer of 2018.
Wants US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to Terminate “Construction Authorization” (License) for the Failed MOX Project; SRS Watch Continues to Call for Investigations and Congressional Hearings into Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Mismanagement at MOX Boondoggle
Columbia,
SCE&G ratepayers should not pay a dime more for the failed AP1000 nuclear rector project and be refunded the $2 billion already spent in financing costs.
“Commission expected to decide new SCE&G rates on Friday –
Be alert to a report likely to come out soon on NNSA’s (mis)management of the MOX debacle. Before the end of 2018? Doesn’t sound like the report will take the essential step to review and investigate any fraud,
See those layoffs, to be carried out by Feb. 4, 2019, and other layoffs in the updated WARN notice for South Carolina:
CB&I and Orano layoffs so far = 502 + 114 + 111 + 372 + 70 = 1168.
The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA), of which SRS Watch is a member, has challenged this approach: “Trump Wants to Reclassify Radioactive Waste from Nuclear Weapons to ‘Low Level’
Will in-depth investigations into MOX fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement root out more such criminal activity? Will the spotlight focus on the behavior of CB&I and Areva/Orano?
US District court document on property seizure linked here
372 CB&I Project Services Group, LLC – likely craft workers at the bungled project – to be laid off on February 4, 2019
“WARN Notification Report” of December 7,
Can this decrepit facility, used to reprocess DOE-controlled highly radioactive spent fuel, be operated safety in case of a seismic event or other unusual event?
DNFSB letter &
The spent fuel does not contain weapon-grade uranium (highly enriched uranium, HEU) so would not be shipped for nuclear non-proliferation reasons.
Letter from DOE to NRC, November 30,
DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD (DNFSB) weekly report,
November 30, 2018
TO: Christopher J. Roscetti, Technical Director
FROM: M. T. Sautman and Z. C. McCabe, Resident Inspectors
SUBJECT: Savannah River Site Activity Report for Week Ending November 30,
The jury’s out on that question. the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) thankfully continues to monitor the status of the aging H-Canyon’s radioactive air discharge tunnel
DNFSB weekly report for November 23,
