BrattleboroCitizensBreakfast

May15,2015
GibsonAikenCenter

TheNuclearDecommissioningCitizensAdvisoryPanel(NDCAP)
KateOConnor,Chairperson
oconnorkatevt@gmail.com

Note:TheNextNDCAPMeetingwillbeheldMay28,2015,6pm9pm,Brattleboro
UnionHighSchool(BUHS),multipurposeroom.

The19memberpanelincludessixcitizenrepresentatives,twoEntergyreps,representation
fromtheVermontagencyanddepartmentheadsaswellasrepsfromNHandMA.Sinceits
organizationalmeetinglastSeptember14th,ithasmetregularly,moreoftenthanthe
legislativelymandatedquarterlymeetings.KateacknowledgedMartinLangeveld,ofVernon,
alsoacitizenmemberofthepanel,andelectedViceChair.

Thepanelspurpose,succinctlyput,isthatitcantellVYwhattodojusttheydonthavetodo
it.ItisamechanismforshiningthelightonwhatishappeningatVYandthepanelcanadvise
theLegislature.

InDecember2014,VYstoppedoperating.Somemaymistakenlybelievethatthestoryends
there.Thereisstillfuelrodsinthespentfuelpoolsandtheneedstobuildaconcreteslabto
containmorespentfuelpoolsandbuildingwhichneedtocomedown.

EntergyVYsplancallsforwaiting60yearsbeforetakingthebuildingsdown.Therearethree
typesofdecommissioningfromwhichVYcanchoose:1
1. DECONwithinfiveyears
2. SAFSTORina60yeartimeframe
3. ENTOMBburyingtheplantunderconcrete
VYhaschosenSAFSTORitwilltakefiveyearstomovefuelrodsintodrycaskstorage,then
thewaitingbegins.

Thereisnotenoughmoneyinthedecommissioningfundtodotheworknow.Itisestimated
that$1.2billionwillbeneededandonly$650millionisinthefundcurrently.Ifthefund
remainsinvestedat23%interestfor40years,itishopedtherewouldbesufficientmoniesfor
decommissioning.
1

USNRC:BackgrounderonDecommissioningNuclearPowerPlants
http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doccollections/factsheets/decommissioning.html


Thefuelrodsneedtobemovedtodrycasks,concreteandsteelstoragecontainers.
Presentlythereare13casks58casksintotalwillbeneededtocontain3,000rods.By2020
allfuelrodswillbemovedtodrycasks.HowlongtheysitthereisuptotheFederal
government.Whilethereisa"promise"tomovethemoutby2052,theYuccaMountainsite
identifiedforpermanentstoragehasnotopenedandwillnotopen.Weneedtopayattention
towherethefuelwillgolikelythecaskswillremainthereforalooklonglongtime.Thedry
caskissuewillcomeupatNDCAP'snextmeetingonMay28,asVYhasappliedforapermit
tobuildanotherconcretepadtoaccommodateadditionalcasks.

Whiletherearerulesforrunninganuclearplant,thereisnorulebookfordecommissioning.
Typically,VYwillasktheNRCforexemptionsfromoperatingrulesonthegroundsthatthe
plantisnolongeroperating.Forexample,ifacertainnumberofstaffarerequiredtobeon
dutytowatchthefuelrodswhentheplantisoperating,althoughthefuelisstillthere,VYwill
askforanexemptionforalowerstaffingratioastheplantisnowshutdown.cf:EntergyVY
Staffingprojections
here
.

ThereiscontinuingtalkabouttheEPZ(EvacuationPlanningZone).After2016,therewillbe
nomoredrillsastheradiationfromVYwillnotbeashigh.TheEPZwillbereducedtothe
footprintoftheplant.

TheStatekeepssuingbutitisunlikelyitwillprevailexceptbykeepingtheissuesatthe
forefront.

TheNRChelditslasthearingearlylastyearandthatwaspresumablythelastopportunityfor
thepublictofilecomments.TheNDCAPgivestheopportunitytospeakdirectlytoEntergy
andtotrytogettheinformationout.FortheState,theonlyissueisthatVernonand
WindhamCountywillbethehostcommunityforspentfuelfortheforeseeablefuture.

TheVTCongressionaldelegationneedstopayattentiontotheseissuesandtheycantellthe
NRCwhattodo.VYisnottheonlynuclearplanttobedecommissioned.Iftheissuesarenot
resolved,allotherplantswillfollowthesamenonrules.

SummaryofQuestions&Answers
:

Separatefromthelackofmoneyfordecommissioning,thereisnoanswerfor
availabilityoffundingforradiologicalmonitoring,timespentbythePublicService
Departmentattorney,etc.VYwouldarguethatisnotneededanymore.
ThepressurepointstochangetheprocessisfoundinthefactthatVYisfollowingthe
(no)rulessetupbytheNRCondecommissioning.Theauthorityfornewrulesmustbe
setbyCongress.Ratherthanitbeingamatterofbeingproorantinuclear,itsamatter
of(a)makingthecasetodecommissionsafely(b)lookingatourcommoninterests:
2

and(c)formingcoalitionsand(d)takingtheissuestoWashingtonDC.Weallneedto
beinthistogether.
MartinLangeveldmentionedthatJeffreyLewishasstartedanInstituteforNuclear
HostCommunitiesandhasreachedouttotosimilarlysituatedcommunitiesinJapan
andEurope.2
Whatifthedecommissioningfunddisappearsduetoeconomicfactorssuchas
inflation?ifitneverreaches$1.2billion?ifEntergyisnotaroundanymore?Thereare
nofirmanswers.MartinLangeveldofferedthatEntergyalreadyoutsourcesand
insourcesdecommissioningfunctionsNDCAPiskeepinganeyeonhowthefundis
investedanda$1.2billionlevelisbasedonaconservativegrowthrate.
Wehavelearnedandarestilllearningfrompriorplantclosings.DavidMears,
CommissioneroftheDepartmentofEnvironmentalConservationisintouchwithCT,
MEandMA.
ClayTurnbullofthe
NewEnglandCoalitiononNuclearPollution
(NEC)madethe
followingobservations:
Entergycouldimprovethelevelofthefundbyputtingmoneyintoit.
Thebuildingscontainothercontaminants,suchasasbestos.
TheStatehasnotsuedEntergyVermonthasdefendeditsrighttoenforce
Statelaws.
TheNECintervenedinthePSBdocketinordertolookattheeconomics

"JEFFREYLEWIS&JENNIFERSTROMSTEN:THEPOSTVYECONOMY"VTDigger,June22,2014
http://vtdigger.org/2014/06/22/jeffreylewisjenniferstromstenpostvyeconomy/