Bellefonte is a "Nuclear Zombie"

Art work by Edwin Vazquez displayed in an Article by Dr. Christian Parenti in "The Nation" http://www.thenation.com/article/zombie-nuke-plants?page=full

NEI Notes: TVA is committed to completing Alabama reactor , at what costs? Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's Science Director Lou Zeller comments in the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/business/energy-environment/16nuclear.html?_r=1

"'Right now,' said Eric T. Beaumont, a nuclear expert and partner in Copia Capital, a private investment firm in Chicago, 'it doesn't seem like the most prudent use of money.'”

“'They should definitely be doing something different,'” said Louis A. Zeller, science director for the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, a regional advocacy group. He likes to call Bellefonte 'the zombie reactor' because it is neither dead nor alive.'"

"Mr. Zeller and other skeptics say that beyond the obvious challenges the nuclear industry faces, the Bellefonte 1 project has inescapable flaws. The reactor is too expensive and too antiquated, they contend, and it lies in an earthquake zone."

"CRAZY" "'Mr. Beaumont, the industry analyst, said that “based on cost, I absolutely think you can say it’s crazy.' But that assessment might change over time, he allowed."

"WE JUST KNOW WHEN WE GET THERE" (Comment by TVA's CEO Tom Kilgore) “I can’t forecast out 8 or 10 years,” Mr. Kilgore said, but “we just know when we get there, Bellefonte 1 is a good economic proposition.” Knowing "when we get there" will have cost the TVA's rate payers $8-9 billion dollars for Bellefonte Unit 1 if complete. A "when we get there" management style has resulted in TVA's massive debt. TVA has estimated it will cost approximately $4-$4.5 billion to complete the Bellefonte project. Costs do not consider radioactive hazardous waste storage, decommissioning the nuclear reactor site and special security for the nuclear site, costing additional billions of dollars. Which relates to higher electrical rates for area business and citizens.

TVA's debt is prohibitive of further expensive nuclear construction. TVA's management failures have cost U.S. Taxpayers and TVA Rate Payers dearly, 3 other TVA mothballed nuclear projects, Hartsville, Yellow Creek, and the Clinch River Breeder Reactor have resulted in massive TVA debt, an example of "we just know when we get there" management philosophy. TVA's current debt is approximately $25 billion, the interest on their debt is approximately $23 billion. Congress has established a $30 billion debt ceiling for the TVA.

Read about a better way. http://bestcleanenergy.blogspot.com/

An example of a better way ( GE Combined Solar - Wind - New Technology CCG Plant) http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/37715/ and a big solution if combined with hydro pumped storage energy sites, such as Raccoon Mt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon_Mountain_Pumped-Storage_Plant

Regressive antiquated technology is risky for the citizens of the TVA region. TVA must set leadership examples utilizing sustainable energy and energy efficiency solutions for our 21st century future. 

BEST/MATRR, a local chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.
We are environmental stewards, join us in our mission and journey
to protect our air, land and water by visiting: http://www.matrr.org

Plutonium at nuke plant? - Decaturdaily.com

BLN, Bellefonte proposed Nuclear Units 1 & 2.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.
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Plutonium at nuke plant? - Decaturdaily.com

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Excerpt from the Decatur Daily: "A Public hearing is set Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 on Energy Department plan to use weapons-grade fuel at Browns Ferry."
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"The U.S. Department of Energy will hold a public meeting Tuesday at Calhoun Community College’s aerospace building from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to discuss plans to use mixed uranium-plutonium oxide, a processed version of weapons-grade plutonium, at TVA’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Limestone County. "

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Dr. Ed Lyman,PhD., specialist and expertise in Nuclear Power, Nuclear Weapons & Global Security-Nuclear Terrorism, Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C.. Dr Lyman, among others, will speak at the Decatur Hearings Tuesday in regards to the danger of utilizing Plutonium Mixed Oxide fuel in TVA's atomic reactors.. http://www.ucsusa.org/news/experts/edwin-lyman.html Dr Lyman has stated the following in regards to an error in the Decatur article: "The story has a mistake in the amount of plutonium that TVA reactors would have to dispose of - it's actually at least 34 metric tons. The seven tons mentioned in the story would be additional to the 34 metric tons."
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Browns Ferry is west 55 air miles from Scottsboro.

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Dr. Lyman will be in Scottsboro Monday to meet with the Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team, BEST. We will be discussing with Dr. Lyman usage of weapons grade Plutonium in TVA's aging reactors and TVA's manufactoring of Tritium in its reactors.
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The probability is very high that the TVA will use Plutonium oxide fuel and will manufacture Tritium in the Bellefonte Reactor Facility if the reactor becomes operational.
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BEST has extended a Hand of Friendship to the TVA for a sit down discussion and tour of Bellefonte to discuss various concerns over degraded equipment and issues related to engineering, geology-hydrology, tritium manufacture, usage of Plutonium fuel and security problems related to Bellefonte. Risk & Reliability factors have not been considered when utilizing plutonium fuel in the reactors designed for uranium fuel usage. The TVA at the Executive level has refused our offer for a meeting.
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In other information concerning Bellefonte, the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals action filed due to the NRC's circumvention of Atomic Reactor Construction Licensing Safety and Procedures regarding Bellefonte's construction license will proceed. The respondents, the NRC and the TVA, attempted to have the case thrown out. The judges agreed with the actions of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Petitioners, the case has merit and will proceed.
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It is the Petitioners position the NRC and the TVA have attempted to take shortcuts and violated Atomic Reactor Construction Licensing Safety and Proceedures in the licensing process resulting in a Federal Appeals Court Case which will now proceed.

More on the No Nuclear TVA Movement

"The TVA should be setting leadership examples instead of poisoning the enviroment." Comments by Mr. David Freeman. Link to the issue from the Chattanooga Times Free Press: http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/jun/13/chattanooga-ex-tva-head-blasts-plans-nuke-plants/

Link to the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League: http://www.bredl.org/

GROUPS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST TVA NUCLEAR PLANT IN ALABAMA

Today citizens groups announced their legal challenge to stop the proposed Bellefonte nuclear power plant. The groups filed a lawsuit which lists 19 major arguments against nuclear power at a proposed Tennessee Valley Authority site near Scottsboro, Alabama. The 176-page petition to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was filed by the Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. http://www.bredl.org/pdf2/080606BellefonteCOL_FINAL.pdf