2/25/2013 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Minutes

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I addressing severe accidents.For example, Set Timeliness Goals for Safety Issues the agency does not evaluate or test the The safety and security 7be NRC should apply the same type severe accident management guidelines of timeliness goals to nuclearplant that reactor owners have voluntarily de- risks associated with safety that it does for business-related veloped, so neither the NRC nor the spent fuel would be requests from reactor owners. public can be confident these guidelines The NRC has established goals for com- would be effective. Extending NRC re- reduced by transferring pleting business dealings in a timely man- quirements,inspections,and enforcement the fuel from pools to ner, but has not done so for resolving to cover a wide range of severe accident outstanding safety issues.By treating safe- conditions would ensure that effective dry casks once it is cool rywith the same urgency it gives to busi- plans and the equipment needed to deal ness dealings,the agency can provide the with such accidents are put in place. (See enough. robust, timely oversight that is needed. recommendation 1 below.) (See recommendation 8 below.) Strengthen Emergency Planning Improve Protection against Requirements densely packed than those at Fukushima Terrorist Attacks 7be NRC should ensure that everyone and pose even greater hazards. The NRC should make more realistic at significant risk from a severe acci- The safety and security risks associated assumptions about the capabilities of dent—notjustpeople within the arbi- with spent fuel would be reduced by terrorists who might attack a nuclear trary 10-mile zone currently used for transferring the fuel from pools to dry powerplant, and these assumptions emergency planning—is protected casks once it is cool enough(i.e.,five years should be reviewed by U.S. intelligence In the United States,emergency planning after removal from the reactor).With less agencies. for a nuclear reactor accident is limited fuel in the pools, the remaining fuel Current assumptions about potential to a 10-mile radius around the reactor. would be easier to keep cool if power is attackers are unrealistically modest and do Yet the U.S.government advised Ameri- lost,and less radiation would be released not reflect real-world threats.For example, cans within SO miles of the Fukushima in the event of an accident or terrorist they may ignore the possibility that ter- Daiichi reactors to evacuate—a decision attack. However, because dry casks are rorist groups could use rocket-propelled validated by the high contamination expensive,reactor owners have chosen to grenades—a weapon widely used by in- levels recorded well beyond 10 miles from fill their pools to maximum capacity,and surgents around the world. New as- the plant. A severe accident at a U.S. the NRC has not required owners to sumptions developed by the NRC reactor could similarly require the evacu- transfer their spent fuel to dry casks. (See should be reviewed by an interagency ation of people outside the 10-mile plan- recommendation 4 below.) body that includes the intelligence com- ning zone and other protective measures munity, the National Nuclear Security to avoid high radiation exposures.The NRC Enforce Fire Protection Regulations Administration, and the Department of should therefore require reactor owners 7be NRC should compel the owners Homeland Security. (See recommenda- to develop emergency plans for a larger of more than three dozen reactors to tion 15 below.) area, based on a scientific assessment of comply with fire protection regulations the populations at risk for each reactor they currently violate. Strengthen Safety Standards for site. (See recommendation 3 below.) Because a fire can disable both primary New Reactor Designs and backup emergency systems, it is a The NRC should require any new Move Spent Fuel to Dry Casks leading risk factor for reactor core dam- reactors to be safer than existing reactors. The NRC should require plant owners to age. Following a 1975 fire at the Browns Current policy only requires advanced transfer fuel from storage pools to dry casks Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama,the NRC reactors to provide the same level of pro- when the fuelhas cooled enough to do so. issued regulations in 1980 intended to tection as existing reactors—most of _ The Fukushima crisis illustrated the dan- reduce the fire hazard at all reactors, and which were built at least 30 years ago.To gers of keeping spent fuel in storage pools it amended those regulations in 2004 to ensure that any new nuclear plant is sig- when the plant lost power needed to cool provide an alternative option for compli- nificantly safer than existing ones, the its pools. It is still unclear whether cool- ance. However, more than three dozen NRC should require features designed to ing was resumed in time to prevent the reactors still do not comply with these prevent severe accidents and to mitigate spent fuel from overheating and melting, fire protection regulations,and their own- such an accident if one occurs. (See rec- and releasing radiation. However, the ers have made no firm commitments to ommendation 18 below.) spent fuel pools at U.S. reactors could comply anytime soon.(See recommenda- have fared worse,since they are far more tion 7 below.) hI N U.S. NUCLEAR POWER AFTER FUKUSHIMA 3