Atomic Safety Licensing Board Comes to Scottsboro

Yesterday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC's, Atomic Safety Licensing Board, ASLB, came to Scottsboro for hearing objections to the license application for 2 proposed Nuclear Reactors, units 3 & 4, at Bellefonte, Alabama (BLN). Bellefonte is located approximately 6 miles from the Courthouse Square in Scottsboro, Alabama. The hearing was an all day affair lasting from 9AM until 4PM. Article from the Knoxville News Sentinel: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/31/environmentalists-hope-stop-tvas-bellefonte-expans/

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Petitioners, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team (BEST) and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) presented arguments in support of their petition as to the reasons why nuclear reactors should not be built at Bellefonte. The applicants, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, submitted a rebuttal to the petitioners request. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, staff was also present to rebut petitioners comments and apparently side with the TVA on all issues and was given a "respondents table" to essentially make presentations along with the TVA in support of the TVA. Essentially the petitioners were forced to make arguments before the NRC Licensing Board with the NRC Staff serving as an adjunct administrative agency to the TVA. This is fundamentally unfair to any petitioner and appears to violate the intent of Federal administrative procedures concerning a process of fair and impartial adjudicating functions. The NRC should never be allowed to participate in the proceeding as a party to which the same governmental agency must make a judgement. This would be akin to prosecutor in a criminal trial serving as judge and jury.

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This proceeding was a Federal administrative licensing review process, a quasi-judicial proceeding with rules and regulations to govern conduct and procedure. However, it was remarkable to this observer and writer that the petitioners not only had to argue and present their case to the NRC's 3 Judge ASLB, they had to rebut arguments from the TVA and the NRC staff jointly. Some would call this a "Kangaroo Court," due to the NRC's involvement as a supporter of TVA's arguments, instead of an administrative law hearing.

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It was announced in today's Scottsboro paper, The Daily Sentinel, that the TVA may seek licensing of units 1 and 2. It was stated in the news article that nuclear reactor construction at today's rates would cost $3.5 to $4.5 billion. A grossly underestimated cost as reflected in this article. http://www.energyonline.com/Industry/News.aspx?NewsID=7236&Progress_Energy_Florida_Files_with_State_PSC_to_Construct_Nuclear_Reactors

Realistic costs are estimated between $14-$18 billion, inflation causes the costs to grow daily. TVA seems to be stuck in a 1980 cost time warp which is unrealistic and very deceiving to tax payers. My article on TVA debt, very revealing. http://arklite.blogspot.com/2008/07/close-look-at-tva-debt-by-experts.html

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Blue Ridge Environmental Defense Leagues site and information on Bellefonte. http://www.bredl.org/nuclear/Bellefonte.htm

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"Stop" Bellefonte picture by Tom Moss; Atomic Energy Licensing Board picture by Garry Morgan