Agenda - 05-02-2002 - Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 5 Q. I can see steam from the cooling tower but am not in the 10 mile radius. I am maybe less than 15 miles from the plant. If the worst accident happened, would I have time to get my son at school? A. There are many factors in relation to the question, including the type of accident (whether it might be a slow or fast developing emergency), the direction of the plume, the distance you are from the school, timeliness in notification of the public, etc. Evacuation plans within the 10-mile emergency planning zone call for moving all population, including school children, to reception areas outside the 10-mile zone. For the rest of the area, schools would be dismissed on an earlier schedule and children would return home by normal means. Q. I'm from Wake County and extremely concerned about the silence and inaction of Wake Co. Commissioners. Can you think of ways they could be induced to become involved in these forums and conversations? Could we publicize (and shame) the silence and "hands off' attitude of our congressional delegation? (Specifically Price, Ethridge, and Edwards). A. Share information and concerns with your elected officials. They're there to serve you. Q. Dr. Alvarez said that closing down the SH nuclear plant would not solve the problem, but if the plant continues to generate the spent fuel rods that pose a potential terrorist target, isn't the plant itself the long-range problem, the primary liability? Shouldn't one mitigation strategy include ways to phase out the SH plant? A. Spent fuel stored at power plants will continue to pose a risk until and unless a safe and accepted disposal option is found, regardless of whether a plant is operating or not. The Yucca Mountain repository is at least eight years from opening, and probably many more. Even if opened, it will take many years to ship the waste presently existing at the nuclear plants to Yucca. As long as the power reactors operate, they will continue generating waste fuel that must be cooled in pools for up to five years, so the pools will continue to be potential targets. Reducing the density of the pools would reduce but not eliminate the risks. Q. Do you agree that we could do more if we concentrate on having the NRC regulate by rule that all pools be emptied of waste and we use dry cask storage as the Navy does with the added use of dirt berms instead of asking the industry? Who controls the NRC? It seems to be a force of its own. A. Many people believe the NRC does not operate independently from the industry it regulates, which is largely attributable to the industry's influence with Congress. Any effort to force the NRC to do as the questioner suggests must overcome the money-in-politics problem, as well as the revolving door between the NRC and the industry.