The Michael Flynn Problem: All Over a Joint US/Russia Mideast $100 Billion Nuke Plant Deal

It would be a great relationship building project for the US and Russia. It would be the installed doomsday bomb in Saudi Arabia. All Iran needs to do is to target one of the 16 nuclear plants...the results would be massively disruptive to the Saudis and the rest of the world. The world and this region is just too unstable for these nuclear plants. But if we clean out the Mideast swamp? Who knows?

 

Where is our $100 billion 16 nuclear plant infrastructure project is the USA? 

Was all this Russia thing about aligning Russia more closely to the USA against the China juggernaut?  Can one even imagine a world with the USA and Russia teammates?  

House Democrats demand info on Michael Flynn’s alleged Saudi Arabia visit over Russia nuclear plant deal

WASHINGTON — House Democrats are demanding that Michael Flynn disclose more information about an alleged trip to Saudi Arabia to promote a possible joint U.S.-Russian project there that he failed to disclose when he renewed his security clearance.

President Trump’s former national security adviser, already in legal trouble, reportedly made a trip to the Middle East in the middle of the 2016 campaign, when he was a senior Trump adviser.

According to Newsweek, he was there to try to negotiate a joint project with Americans and Russians to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East. That trip was not disclosed when he renewed his top security clearance ahead of becoming Trump’s top national security official, with access to almost all of the U.S.’s top secrets.

The top Democrats on the House Oversight and House Foreign Affairs committees are now demanding he share any documents he has from those trips.

“In contrast to this report, we have no record of Gen. Flynn reporting this trip or any contacts with foreign officials on his security clearance renewal application or in his interview with security clearance investigators,” wrote Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Eliot Engel (D-Bronx).

Shortly after the trip, Saudi Arabia and Russia announced a $100 billion agreement to build 16 nuclear power plants in the country.

Was the Philippine Container Ship Crashing Into The US Destroyer Fitzgerald a Terrorist Attack

Update 6/21

Honestly, is this really military honor. The ethos of we never leave a brother behind. The NYT's has a big spread on deaths of the sailors...most of them came from immigrant communities. They are basically foreign slaves because good American kids aren't that patriotic today enough to join the Navy. They are basically working immigrant slaves in the military. Is it survival of the fittest against the immigrant Navy sailors and good American sailors thousands of miles away from the USA, in the of dark night and the collision of two ocean vessels . It has always been the elites against lower class in the Navy. Do you close the hatch behind a flooding compartment to save the ship or do you never leave your brother behind in a flooding compartment even if it causes you to lose the ship. You got to know somebody ordered the hatch closed knowing sailors could be alive in the compartment. You got to wonder if the guy making the order was thinking, well, most of them are immigrant anyways?  So lets save the ship by closing the hatch. They could have continued working on getting everyone out alive and no bodies behind, or prepare the sailors to abandoned the ship and continue the operation to save lives and bring out the dead. Being next to Japan, there would have been a flotilla of aircraft and ships heading to the collision area in order to pick up the sailors floating in the seas if it came to that.

We are in era of fake heroism. The bankrupt forth estate is run by nothing but corporate right wing fanatics. This is a classic propaganda ploy by the admirals and administrative deep state to pump up fake heroism, protect the military industrial complex and politicians.You know they charged their administrative aids to juice up whatever heroism and altruism stories you can find about the collision. We want to flood the media with heroism stories in the opening stages of the catastrophe with preventable deaths. This sets the fundamental historic story of the event in a concrete foundation of altruism at sea. This is how we always successfully protected ourselves. The Navy is really good at this.

Do you remember the condition of our Navy in the second half of the Vietnam war. Ship sabotage by  demoralized sailors were rampant. Race riots abounded on many ships. There was tremendous preventable fires and explosions on aircraft carriers. All sorts of stupid accidents and fires everywhere. Maintenance on ships was horrific and ship safety took a back seat to meeting the goals of our war.  Are we in that condition today, but it is hidden from us. Is it more altruistic to crush your adversary as quickly possible using the full force of a nation's capabilities. To be as brutal as one can imagine. Get the dirty job done as quick as possible.  Or drag out a war for years and decades where  most of your troops are demoralized. You fight a long term was on the cheep. You hollow out your military forces with a extraordinary military tempo for decades. Right in WWII, we crushed our enemies as fast as we could. Then we rebuilt countries into Japan and Germany of today. Is it really moral and    

 


Update 6/20

Does this indicate the North Koreans did it?

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 24m24 minutes ago

"While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!

They say the ship bridge might not be manned during this. What a perfect opportunity to take over the ship.

Seems North Korea is preparing for nuclear explosion. Was the Fitzgerald  a North Korean intimidation project. When we detonate our bomb, if a USA retaliatory response...this is the example of our terrorism plague.

There seems to be a lot of organize terrorism events showing up in a short period of time coming from different entities. Iran, ISIS and North Korea among other. Now for us, death by thousands of terrorism paper cuts. What if effectively Iran, North Korea, ISIS declared war on us. Terrorism that creates massive chaos, but not enough for the US to go full scale war. A war or skirmish that illuminates our political weakness? Can you even imagine the chaos in the White House with this. Stock markets would crash world wide. You think this might discover more financial problems during the 2008 crash. It's not any war would should fear, but the financial implosion aftermath.   These bad actors must understand how politically vulnerable we at this point of time. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to permanently damage the USA. If war strikes, is the terrorism in Europe a bad actor plan to strip Europe for the American umbellar. Will Europe become a neutral player? I think our bad actors are setting up a big play...    

Update: This now should be a full national security investigation. Was the Fitz a target of opportunity or was the operation carefully planned and coordinated. The Japanese are saying the container ship captain is being investigated for professional negligence.

This guy from a on board sailor's mother letter says the container ship turned off it GPS tracking and all of its outside lights. He thinks its a North Korean operation as the Fitz was doing surveillance around North Korea. I am skeptical.  

What to make of this: (AFP) — Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it captured three Iranian Revolutionary Guards aboard an explosive-laden boat heading to an oil platform in the Gulf, further ratcheting up tensions in the region.

...It looks like the container ship was aiming directly for the bridge. It T-boned our ship right in the middle of our ship at ninety degree angle. The container ship went spearfishing for a US Navy ship.
You would think if this was a accident, the ships would have hit at a glancing blow, hit the US Fitzgerald in the forward or after quarter. If this was a accident, eventually either bridge would see each other, attempt to turn away from each other, but to late. That would get you to hit in the aft or forward quarter at a glancing blow. Honestly, it was a honey shoot for a torpedo hitting amidships and directly aimed at the bridge.    

Hmm, our Navy Seals just went into a Philippine town held by the ISIS. They wanted us to clear out the terrorist.  Remember, the Philippine president was recently bad mouthing us.  ISIS is mowing down people in cars, trucks and vans. Is it a reach saying a ISIS sympathizer intentionally drove the container ship to the Fitz as a terrorist attack...getting even? Was the container ship hunting the Fitz?  

Energy Secretary Rick Perry Just killed The Nuclear Industry

I would put it global warming is just too complicated to predict. Pricing green energy and the increasingly gamed systems, especially with electricity, is just too corrupt to do any good.  The electric system corruption leaking into our broad society is much more damaging to the planet than global warming. We need to reset everything...

Overnight Energy: Perry questions role of carbon dioxide in climate change

By  06/19/17 05:46 PM EDT 

PERRY QUESTIONS CARBON'S ROLE IN CLIMATE: Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he doesn't believe carbon dioxide is the "primary control knob" behind climate change on Monday, a position at odds with the conclusions of most climate scientists.

Asked by CNBC on Monday if he believes carbon dioxide is "the primary control knob for the temperature of the Earth and for climate," Perry said no, and that "most likely the primary control knob is the ocean waters and this environment we live in."

"This shouldn't be a debate about is the climate changing, is man having an affect on it? Yeah, we are," Perry said. "The question should be, just how much and what are the policy changes that we need to make to affect that?"

Perry's position goes against the scientific evidence presented by most federal, international and private sector researchers, who have concluded that increasing greenhouse gas emissions, driven primarily by human activity, have directly contributed to higher temperatures around the globe.

Perry becomes the second of President Trump's energy and environmental officials to go on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to dispute well-established climate science. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt said on the same show in March that he "does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor" to climate change.

More Belgium Nuclear Reactor Cracks-Can't Trust Nuclear Institutions and Ultrasonic Inspection?

The cover-up began as a too restrictive detector orientation issue. The procedure requires a specific detector orientation. They knew initially the detector would only pick up a proportion of the vessel cracks (fraud). They next inspection they reoriented the detector finding more "so called" old cracks. UT is snake oil as the results are highly susceptible to the skills of the operators. The NRC even thinks the same in a new report. It depend too much on human interpretations.

The US nuclear industry is too highly dependent on UTing all piping. It is inexpensive and quick...not bullet proof reliable for safety systems.  

 

Dozens of new cracks discovered at Belgian nuclear reactors

Published time: 11 Jun, 2017 04:00 Edited time: 11 Jun, 2017 09:34

The latest ultrasonic inspections have detected a substantial number of new micro cracks in nuclear reactors at the Tihange and Doel power plants in Belgium since the last study conducted three years ago, Belgian and German media report.

At least 70 additional cracks were uncovered at the Tihange 2 nuclear reactor during an ultrasonic inspection in April of this year, Belga news agency reports. Some 300 new flaws have also allegedly been discovered at the Doel 3 reactor tank during a check last November, according to tagesschau.de.  

Belgian Interior Minister, Jan Jambon, confirmed the micro fissures at Tihange 2 following a parliamentary inquiry posed by Green Group leader Jean-Marc Nollet, DW reports. The reported new cracks at Doel 3 have not yet been confirmed. 

The cracks do not pose any danger to operations at the nuclear plants, says operator Engie-Electrabel, which carried out the inspections under instructions from the Belgian Atomic Regulatory Authority (FANC).

The operator said the new flaws were discovered due to a “different positioning of the ultrasound device.” Engie-Electrabel maintains that as long as cracks do not expand, they do not pose a danger to the reactor’s operations.

Branding Engie-Electrabel “irresponsible,” environmentalist group, Nucléaire Stop, has criticized the operator for still running Tihange 2 reactor despite a 2.22 percent increase in faults.

In February 2015, FANC said 3,149 cracks had been found at Tihange, while 13,047 were discovered at Doel. The operator must now submit additional analyzes of the situation by September.

Tihange lies only 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) from the German border, while Doel is 150 kilometers away, near Antwerp. Germans living in the area close to this border have been exerting pressure on the government to force Belgium to shut down the aging reactors.

Both of the reactors have experienced leaks and cracks for some time now. Doel 3 has a capacity of 1,006 megawatts, while Tihange 2 a capacity of 1,008 megawatts. The reactors are almost 35-years-old but are still generating about 14 percent of the nation’s power capacity.

New South Korea President Ends Nuclear Power

The world is increasingly losing trust in the nuclear industry. Actually South Korea is using US NRC's licensing process to bring on line a set of nuclear plants. It is was a huge scandal. Why would we be involved licensing a South Korean nuclear plant? I believe we have been charging the SK's at a standard rate of $250  an hour. We were heavily subsidizing this licensing process and diverting very expensive NRC resources from inspecting US plants. The South Korean economy is riddled with political corruption and they just impeached their last president. I guess the NRC would do whatever it takes to keep their plant licensing troops employee. I guess all the new South Korean new plant NRC licensing will stop.   

Right, any accident now would hasten the collapse of the system.  

I worry North Korea going crazy, then bombing a big nuclear facility. A kind of doomsday kind of attack. Even if a sub launched ballistic misses the site, it would change the landscape of the nuclear industry world wide. It would be unimaginable on a world wide bases...  

…South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In said that South Korea is not safe from the risk of earthquake, and a nuclear accident caused by a quake can have such a devastating impact. Photo: Bloomber…

South Korea to scrap all plans to build new nuclear reactors

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-In says he will dump the atomic-centric power supply and open the door to the post-nuclear era

Seoul: South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-In vowed on Monday to scrap all plans to build new nuclear reactors as he seeks to steer Asia’s fourth-largest economy clear of atomic power.

Moon, who swept to power with a landslide election win last month, campaigned on promises to phase out atomic energy and embrace what he says are safer and more environmentally-friendly power sources including solar and wind power.

The Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan sparked by a powerful earthquake in March 2011 sparked widespread public concern in neighbouring South Korea over its own aged atomic plants.

“We will dump our atomic-centric power supply and open the door to the post-nuclear era,” Moon said in a speech marking the decommissioning of the country’s first nuclear reactor, the Kori-1.

“I will scrap all preparations to build new reactors currently underway and will not extend lifespan of current reactors,” he said.

Many reactors are located dangerously close to residential areas in the densely-populated nation, Moon said, warning of “unimaginable consequences” in case of a nuclear meltdown.

“South Korea is not safe from the risk of earthquake, and a nuclear accident caused by a quake can have such a devastating impact,” he said.

South Korea currently operates 25 nuclear reactors, which generate about 30% of the country’s power supply.

Many of them will see their lifespans expire between 2020 to 2030, with decisions on whether to extend some of their operations set to be made during Moon’s 2017-2022 term.

Moon, during his presidential campaign, vowed to try to eventually shut down all nuclear power plants across the country, although doing so will likely take decades.

Major corruption scandals involving state nuclear power agencies in recent years and a series of earthquakes last year further fanned public distrust and concerns over the safety of the plants.

Bottom of Form

Moon on Monday also vowed to decommission “as soon as possible” another aged atomic plant in the southeast, whose original 30-year lifespan had been extended by another decade to 2022.

He also vowed to introduce “post-coal” policy in line with his campaign promise to abandon coal power to ease air pollution in the country, which has the highest level of small air pollutant particles among OECD member nations.

But experts say shutdown of coal power plants could dramatically hike utility cost in the country where coal power generates about 40% of entire power needs.

Death on the Conn River Hinsdale Railroad Bridge: I warned everyone it was comming

I warned them this was a extraordinary dangerous bridge and a death was right around the corner. This was a totally preventable accident. I bet you the bridge is about 100 years old.  

Saturday, August 30, 2014:The Local Cult of Teenager Death: Brattleboro Ford and the Local Newspaper

This bridge should be torned down or the entrances should be fence off. Could create a fenced walk way across the railroad bed.

Bet you the family can sue the owners...

Recovery mission continues: Missing man identified as Hinsdale, N.H., resident

By Harmony Birch, hbirch@reformer.com

HINSDALE N.H. — Andrew Laffond, 29, from Hinsdale, was seen falling off an old railway bridge and into the Connecticut River around 8 p.m. Wednesday night.

Thursday morning and afternoon, the New Hampshire Fish and Game department surveyed the scene to see if it was safe to send divers into the river, while officers from the Hinsdale Police Department offered assistance and surveyed the banks.

Laffond was with a friend walking along a bridge linking Brattleboro, Vt., and Hinsdale when he fell. Two fisherman saw the fall from the shore.

Attempts to find Laffond on shore have proven unsuccessful. The New Hampshire Fish and Game department has been conducting a recovery mission, meaning they don't expect to find Laffond alive. Officers have traveled from across the state to find Laffond.

Lt. David Walsh, from New Hampshire Fish and Game, said he didn't have "high hopes" for recovering a body on Thursday. The department sent out four divers around 2 p.m. and were waiting on a sonar device.

"It's a very strong current and there is no visibility," Walsh said. "So it's the worst diving scenario possible, and if it becomes too dangerous we have to pull up."

The sonar device should work regardless of visibility. If nothing can be recovered through diving and sonar, Walsh said, the next step would be to "hurry up and wait." The water from the river should go down and visibility should increase within the next few days. Divers will rotate each day that the recovery mission continues.

Walsh has called the Vernon Dam to see if officials could decrease the water, or put up a barricade, but he said nothing could be done.

The rail bridge has been inactive for as long as Police Chief Todd Faulkner has been in Hinsdale, at least 21 years. He said the bridge gets a lot of foot traffic. "We know that it is usually [used] by individuals who don't want to be monitored," he said. Brattleboro's homeless population uses the bridge, according to Faulkner. It's not common for people to fall off the bridge, he said. It's not illegal to walk across the bridge, but Faulkner has had complaints about kids jumping off during the summer time and complaints about parties.

Faulkner confirmed that there was an ongoing open investigation into the incident.

The river is still being used for recreational purposes. Walsh said if someone finds anything relating to the recovery they should call 911. It's possible that a body could float down the river. Walsh recounted an incident where a body had floated 38 miles from Charlestown, N.H. to Vermont. If nothing is found within a few days, Walsh will be calling Massachusetts to expand the search.

The search started Wednesday night after authorities received a call for help around 8:25 p.m. The Brattleboro Police and Fire departments, Rescue Inc., and the Hinsdale Police and Fire departments attempted to find Laffonds's body but were unsuccessful. The area of the river he fell in was in New Hampshire territory, but Brattleboro rescuers contributed to the operation because of their proximity, equipment and because they have trained divers, Brattleboro Fire Chief Mike Bucossi said.

The search and rescue team had rafts deployed within five minutes of their arrival and set up a base of operations at the Riverside Drive Industrial Complex. Other departments were checking the man's home and making search efforts on the shore, Brattleboro Fire Captain Ron Hubbard said. However, divers determined after getting into the water that the situation was unsafe in which to dive.

"It's murky. It's swift. There's a flow of debris," Hubbard said.

Like New Hampshire Fish and Game, The Brattleboro Fire Department was operating a recovery mission.

"No one saw him come out of the water," Bucossi said.

However, Rescue Inc.was on standby. Rescue Inc. Chief Drew Hazelton said he had medical personnel on site to serve as a support unit. Rescue Inc. left the scene around 10 p.m., Hazelton said. Bucossi said his team started packing up around 10:30 p.m.

Conditions are expected to improve as the weather warms up and water lowers.

"We hope and pray for the best," Walsh said. "But we're prepared for the worst."

Junk Plant Hope Creek: Really, No Part 21 Procedure On Site?

Update June 13

I guess my information was wrong. Now a non dependable source. Had to run it to ground to the best of my ability. You lose credibility during a operation like this.  

R1ALLEGATION RESOURCE <R1ALLEGATION.RESOURCE@nrc.gov>	3:14 PM (4 hours ago)
to me

Mr. Mulligan,

I am responding to your email dated June 6, 2017, regarding the Hope Creek Part 21 program.  I forwarded your questions and concerns to the NRC Region I branch responsible for oversight of Hope Creek.  We reviewed the PI&R team report that you referenced (IR 05000354/2015008), and talked to the Salem and Hope Creek resident inspectors regarding their knowledge of the Part 21 program.

You stated that the lack of a Part 21 procedure is contrary to 10 CFR Part 21.21, which requires, in part, that, “Each individual, corporation, partnership, dedicating entity, or other entity subject to the regulations in this part shall adopt appropriate procedures to… Evaluate deviations and failures to comply to identify… a reportable defect or failure to comply that could create a substantial safety hazard...”

The NRC Region I staff has determined that PSEG meets 10 CFR Part 21.21 through the implementation of three separate procedures:

·         LS-AA-115-1006, which evaluates incoming Part 21 reports;

·         LS-AA-120, which describes the process and expectations for issue identification; and

·         CC-AA-309-1012, which describes the process for conducting Part 21 Technical Evaluations.

While the Region I staff has concluded that the current guidance meets the requirements of 10 CFR Part 21.21, we continue to inspect Part 21 issues as they arise and monitor PSEG’s performance in this area.

Sincerely,

Nicole Warnek

Sr. Allegation Coordinator

Update June 11

Maybe Allegations wasn't keeping the inspections in the LOOP. Maybe the inspectors answered me off the cuff without thinking. They assumed the Site had a part 21 procedure, but never checked.   

Update June 7

I don't know why I didn't do this first. The Hope Creek NRC's admin assistant relayed from the inspectors saying they "do" have a part 21 procedure. But they are too busy to talk to me.

Maybe it is a new procedure?  


Update: The Allegation official was the team leader in the below chiller inspection. The licensee had a horrendous repeated problem with trying to solve this part 21 issue and failed to report this to the NRC. It would be a NRC automatic reflex response to check out the part 21 procedure or any other similar botched issue in the plant. I accused the team leader, now a Allegation official...they should have picked up the missing procedure, they didn't do their job. It looks to me like you were protecting PSEG by not violating them on the missing part 21 procedure. This is preliminary information. This is the strange NRC's response. I expected them to either say Hope Creek has a part 21 procedure or not. Bet you the lawyers were involved?

"I led the biennial Problem Identification and Resolution team inspection in my role as a qualified reactor inspector. It was not related to my current position in the Allegation/Enforcement team. 

Happy to talk more about the Part 21 observation documented in my inspection report. Note that it is 2.5 years old, and I am not aware of the current status of any Part 21 procedures." 

At first blush, I find it preposterous a US nuclear plant won't have a part 21 procedure. How many plants in the USA don't have a part 21 procedure? It implies that many required procedures at many plants are missing. I am now working closely with the NRC as we speak. 

Does this blurt from the inspection report indicate the missing Part 21 procedure...the missing and late reportability issue?

Regarding Part 21. PSEG has no part 21 procedure.

https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1508/ML15085A348.pdf

Temperature Switch Potential Part 21 Issue Notification (NOTF) 20626121 documented an October 2013 trip of the ‘A’ main control room chiller. PSEG performed an apparent cause evaluation (ACE) and determined that the trip was due to the bearing oil temperature switch momentarily pegging high. The ACE cited electromagnetic interference (EMI) as the most likely cause, and the switch was sent to a vendor for failure analysis. In an August 2014 report, the vendor confirmed EMI as a likely cause of the switch failure. The ACE included an action item (ACIT) to evaluate the switch for Part 21 reportability, if EMI was found to be the cause and was determined to be within the switch specifications. This ACIT was initially due in January 2015, but, at an MRC meeting attended by the inspection team in late January 2015, the due date was extended to June 2015. The inspectors noted that, if the issue were ultimately determined to warrant reporting under 10 CFR Part 21, the station would have 60 days from the time of discovery to submit the required Part 21 report.

The inspectors determined that Hope Creek has not taken timely action to determine whether the temperature switch EMI issue is reportable under the Part 21 process. As of the time of the inspection, it had been 16 months since the switch initially failed, and six months since the failure analysis report was received, and the station had not yet determined if the switch had operated within its design, or if the failure constituted a deviation or non-conformance subject to the Part 21 process. The inspectors determined the performance deficiency was minor, because the issue is most likely not required to be reported under 10 CFR 21. Specifically, the inspectors noted that the vendor’s failure analysis determined the switch was only subject to EMI at levels below those typically present in the nuclear power plant environment, and below the levels that NRC requires electrical components to be designed and tested to NRC Regulatory Guide 1.180, “Guidelines for Evaluating Electromagnetic and Radio-Frequency Interference in Safety-Related Instrumentation and Control Systems.” 

A NRC Allegations employee recently led the NRC team who inspected Hope Creek surrounding a Part 21 issues. They had other part 21 issues.

Why didn't the employees force PSEG to write the procedure. This indicates safety culture problems and intimidations...

General Provisions
§ 21.1 Purpose.

The regulations in this part establish procedures and requirements for implementation of section 206 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. That section requires any individual director or responsible officer of a firm constructing, owning, operating or supplying the components of any facility or activity which is licensed or otherwise regulated pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, or the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, who obtains information reasonably indicating: (a) That the facility, activity or basic component supplied to such facility or activity fails to comply with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, or any applicable rule, regulation, order, or license of the Commission relating to substantial safety hazards or (b) that the facility, activity, or basic component supplied to such facility or activity contains defects, which could create a substantial safety hazard, to immediately notify the Commission of such failure to comply or such defect, unless he has actual knowledge that the Commission has been adequately informed of such defect or failure to comply.

Junk Plant Grand Gulf-What a Absolute NRC Disgrace

Delay, Delay, Delay....

The NRC paper tiger...

Remember the abysmal capacity factor in the last two years, the four month shutdown over not following procedures and the recent slow start-up over unclear procedures.

No wonder the staff is so demoralized over a management philosophy such as what caused the below...

GRAND GULF NUCLEAR STATION – NRC TRIENNIAL FIRE PROTECTIONINSPECTION REPORT 05000416/2017008

Dear Mr. Larson:

On April 21, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed an inspection at your Grand Gulf Nuclear Station and discussed the results of this inspection with you and other members of your staff.  The results of this inspection are documented in the enclosed report.

NRC-Identified and Self-Revealing Findings

 Cornerstone:  Mitigating Systems

• Green.  The team identified a non-cited violation of License Condition 2.C.(41) for failure to correct a condition adverse to fire protection in a timely manner.  Specifically, the licensee failed to complete evaluations of multiple spurious operations (MSO) concerns identified in 2011.  The licensee entered this finding into their corrective action program as Condition Report CR-GGN-2017-03996. 

The failure to correct a condition adverse to fire protection in a timely manner was a performance deficiency.  The performance deficiency was more than minor because it was associated with the protection against external events (fire) attribute of the Mitigating Systems cornerstone and it adversely affected the cornerstone objective of ensuring the availability, reliability, and capability of systems that respond to initiating events to prevent undesirable consequences.  Specifically, untimely resolution of these MSO actuations placed the facility at risk of being unable to safely shutdown the facility in response to a fire. 

The finding was screened in accordance with Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 0609, “Significance Determination Process,” Attachment 4, “Initial Characterization of Findings,” dated June 19, 2012.  Because the finding affected the ability to achieve and maintain post-fire safe shutdown, the team reviewed the finding using IMC 0609, Appendix F, Attachment 1, “Fire Protection Significance Determination Process Worksheet,” dated September 20, 2013.  The finding was screened as a Green finding of very low safety significance in accordance with Task 1.3, “Ability to Achieve Safe Shutdown,” Question A.  Although the licensee failed to completely evaluate the impact of MSOs that could potentially result in the loss of suppression pool inventory, the team determined that for all fire areas one division of the residual heat removal system and the supporting standby service water system remained available along with suppression pool level indication.  The team confirmed that suppression pool makeup for the standby service water system would remain available.  For the postulated control room fire that led to control room evacuation, a senior reactor analyst performed a Phase 3 evaluation to determine the risk significance of this finding.  The senior reactor analyst determined this finding was of very low safety significance.  The finding had a cross-cutting aspect in the Conservative Bias component of the Human Performance area because the licensee failed to use decision making-practices that emphasize prudent choices over those that are simply allowable.  Specifically, the licensee reclassified a condition report to be non-adverse allowing resolution to be given a lower priority prior to completing the evaluations required to provide a technical basis for that decision [H.14].  (Section 1R05.01.b)

• Green.  The team identified a Green non-cited violation of Technical Specification 5.4.1.a for the failure to implement and maintain adequate written procedures covering a fire in the control room.  Specifically, the licensee failed to maintain an alternative shutdown procedure that ensured operators could safely shut down the plant under all postulated fire scenarios within the time limits established by the thermal hydraulic analysis.  The licensee entered this finding into their corrective action program as Condition Report CR-GGN-2017-04011.  As an immediate compensatory measure, the license issued Standing Order 17-0010 to provide operators additional guidance.  

The failure to implement and maintain adequate written procedures covering timed operator actions during a fire in the control room was a performance deficiency.  The performance deficiency was more than minor because it was associated with the procedure quality attribute of the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone and it adversely affected the cornerstone objective of ensuring the availability, reliability, and capability of systems that respond to initiating events to prevent undesirable consequences.  Specifically, the alternative shutdown procedure failed to ensure operators could safely shut down the plant under all postulated fire scenarios within the time limits established by the thermal hydraulic analysis.  The team evaluated this finding using Inspection Manual Chapter 0609, Appendix F, “Fire Protection Significance Determination Process,” dated September 20, 2013, because it affected the ability to reach and maintain safe shutdown conditions in case of a fire.  A senior reactor analyst performed a Phase 3 evaluation to determine the risk significance of this finding since it involved a postulated control room fire that led to control room evacuation.  The senior reactor analyst determined this finding was of very low safety significance.  

The finding did not have a cross-cutting aspect since it was not indicative of present performance in that the performance deficiency occurred more than 3 years ago.  (Section 1R05.05.b.1)

• Green.  The team identified a Green non-cited violation of License Condition 2.C.(41) for the failure to implement and maintain in effect all provisions of the approved fire protection program.  Specifically, the licensee failed to adequately isolate control circuits for safe shutdown equipment to ensure independence from the effects of a fire in the control room.  The licensee entered this finding into their corrective action program as Condition Report CR-GGN-2017-04028.  As an immediate compensatory measure, the licensee issued Standing Order 17-0010 to provide operators additional guidance. 

The failure to adequately isolate control circuits for safe shutdown equipment from the effects of a control room fire was a performance deficiency.  The performance deficiency was more than minor because it was associated with the protection against external events (fire) attribute of the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone and it adversely affected the cornerstone objective of ensuring the availability, reliability, and capability of systems that respond to initiating events to prevent undesirable consequences.  Specifically, the spurious actuation of safety relief valves would adversely affect the safe shutdown equipment relied upon to achieve and maintain safe shutdown conditions.  The team evaluated this finding using Inspection Manual Chapter 0609, Appendix F, “Fire Protection Significance Determination Process,” dated September 20, 2013, because it affected the ability to reach and maintain safe shutdown conditions in case of a fire.  A senior reactor analyst performed a Phase 3 evaluation to determine the risk significance of this finding since it involved a postulated control room fire that led to control room evacuation.  The senior reactor analyst determined this finding was of very low safety significance.  

The finding did not have a cross-cutting aspect since it was not indicative of present performance in that the performance deficiency occurred more than 3 years ago.  (Section 1R05.05.b.2)

• Green.  The team identified a Green non-cited violation of Technical Specification 5.4.1.a for the failure to maintain adequate written procedures covering a fire in the control room.  Specifically, the licensee failed to ensure that all steps in Procedure 05-1-02-II-1, “Shutdown from the Remote Shutdown Panel,” could be performed as written.  Specifically, the licensee’s procedure did not provide specific guidance to the control room staff on how to actuate the low pressure core spray pump breaker lockout relay.  The licensee initiated Condition Report CR-GGN-2017-03368 to address the deficiency and immediately implemented Standing Order 17-0009, which provides specific guidance to the control room staff on how to actuate the low pressure core spray pump breaker lockout relay.

The failure to provide a procedure that operators understood to implement the requirements of the approved fire protection program for a fire in the control room was a performance deficiency.  The performance deficiency was more than minor because it was associated with the procedure quality attribute of the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone and it adversely affected the cornerstone objective of ensuring the availability, reliability, and capability of systems that respond to initiating events to prevent undesirable consequences.  Specifically, the alternative shutdown procedure failed to ensure operators could safely shut down the plant during a control room fire causing circuit faults.  The team evaluated this finding using Inspection Manual Chapter 0609, Appendix F, “Fire Protection Significance Determination Process,” dated September 20, 2013, because it affected the ability to reach and maintain safe shutdown conditions in case of a fire.  A senior reactor analyst performed a Phase 3 evaluation to determine the risk significance of this finding since it involved a postulated control room fire that led to control room evacuation.  The Senior Reactor Analyst determined this finding was of very low safety significance.  

The finding did not have a cross-cutting aspect since it was not indicative of present performance in that the performance deficiency occurred more than 3 years ago.  (Section 1R05.05.b.3)

Junk Plant Millstone-Dominion is a Gonner!

You can't tell this hasn't changed the mentality of all the employees. Would you do sneaky things if your job was on the line? You can't convince me they haven't already been throttling funding to the huge site. 

I told you, the pre 2008 utility business model with far flung plants from your base state is dead. Its obsolete in the new fracking era.

As time has gone on with this legislation, Dominion have gotten more strident with the "we are shutting down" if we aren't getting corporate welfare. It is as if they see as the storm is approaching the plant, it is massively strengthening.  

Millstone Owner To Reconsider Keeping Nuclear Plant Open If Legislation Fails

Dan Weekley, vice president of corporate affairs at Dominion, discusses the pending legislation related to Millstone. (Stephen Singer)

Dan Weekley, vice president of corporate affairs at Dominion, discusses the pending legislation related to Millstone. (Stephen Singer)

Stephen Singer Contact Reporter

The corporate owner of Millstone said Monday it will reconsider keeping the Waterford nuclear plant open or making other unspecified changes if the legislature fails to back a measure broadening its access to electricity markets.

With a Wednesday deadline looming for the end of the 2017 session of the General Assembly, lawmakers have yet to debate legislation in the Senate or House that Millstone parent company, Dominion Energy Inc., has lobbied hard to pass. A similar measure failed at the end of last year's legislative session.

"Regrettably, if Connecticut chooses not to act, we will begin a strategic reassessment of our plans for Millstone Power Station," Dominion spokesman Kevin Hennessy said.

The Richmond, Va.-based energy company alluded to Connecticut's loss of the headquarters of General Electric Co., which left Fairfield for Boston, and the impending departure of the Hartford headquarters of Aetna Inc., which announced last week it's negotiating with other states to relocate.

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"It would be surprising and a missed opportunity for Connecticut not to reduce the highest electric rates in the continental United States, meet its long-term carbon goals and ensure the sustainability of a major employer this year given recent events," Hennessy said.

"We remain committed to finding a long-term solution that benefits the people of Connecticut, but we also must be fiscally responsible with our investments," he said.

The legislature's energy and technology committee approved the legislation in March. But several lawmakers criticized Dominion for refusing to prove it needs special attention from the legislature by opening its books.

Dominion said it should not be held to a standard different from other companies that benefit from legislation.

The Millstone legislation has become the most contentious energy bill in the legislature this year. A coalition of non-nuclear power generators, environmentalists and consumer activists lobbied against the measure, accusing Dominion of seeking a "corporate payout."

Dominion countered by saying the bill authorizes it to bid for state power contracts on an equal footing with other generators. Millstone would be able to reduce prices by selling directly to energy retailers rather than on hedge fund markets that create no value for consumers and instead drive up prices, Dominion says.

The rise of abundant and relatively cheap natural gas has put plants like Millstone at a severe economic disadvantage. Several plants in the U.S. have closed, with Exelon announcing last week it will shut its Three Mile Island plant in 2019 unless Pennsylvania state officials include nuclear power in alternative-energy goals.

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz said Monday that legislation favored by Dominion "doesn't look good right now, but there's three days left and anything can happen."

He said he's not convinced that Millstone would be irreparably harmed by the legislature's failure to act. "I don't know that it's a pressing problem if we don't act in the next six months," he said.

House Majority Leader Matt Ritter said Monday a shutdown of Millstone is not imminent.

"They're not closing tomorrow. They're not closing next year," the Hartford Democrat said.

Andy Pusateri, an analyst with Edward Jones, said Dominion ultimately wants to keep Millstone open and suggested it raised the possibility of shutting the plant as perhaps a "negotiating tactic."

"At the end of day if they don't see them as cost-effective or the legislature doesn't do what it takes to make them profitable, they'll retire them," he said.

Thedilemma faced by policymakers and the industry is that gas prices are projected to stay low, making it hard for nuclear plants to compete, Pusateri said. But as natural gas prices climb, nuclear power may be back in demand, he said.

The stakes are high for the state's economy, particularly in southeast Connecticut where the Millstone nuclear plant operates. A study commissioned in October by Dominion said Millstone generates $1.47 billion in annual economic impact and employs more than 1,000 workers. It accounts for 59 percent of the power consumed by Connecticut utility customers, Dominion said.

Three nuclear plants operate in New England: Millstone, Pilgrim in Massachusetts and Seabrook in New Hampshire. Nuclear power accounted for 30 percent of energy generated in the region in 2015, down from 34 percent the previous year, according to ISO-New England.

Vermont Yankee retired in 2014 and Pilgrim is set to close in 2019.

A spokeswoman for ISO-New England would not comment on what the region's grid operator would do if Millstone shuts.

Rep. Lonnie Reed, the House chairwoman of the energy and technology committee, said failure to pass the bill could lead to another hit to Connecticut's economy...

Senior NRC Employees Unable to Control Their Monstrous Bureaucracy

Mike Mulligan <steamshovel2002@gmail.com>	11:46 AM (1 hour ago)
to NRC

Mrs. Warnek,

We got to straighten out our communication channels. So your last response came to me through my yahoo e-mail address. Yet, you know my yahoo e-mail won't  get through the NRC's virus protection system. I have to answer you through my goggle e-mail account. It is clumsy as hell. It is pretty neat I predicted last night it would occur again. It's not like I haven't tried to address this before with the NRC. I have had to get the NRC Chairman involved in the past to try and fix this. I am sure if you do a search in your system you will pick up email to the chairman and all responses back a forth. Yahoo is in the top three email platforms in the USA. It is used by millions of people. Why do we have to go over this over and over again. Why can't it be fixed the first time. I find it highly disrespectful as a member of the public...how the agency treats us. I have 100% confidence a NRC email will get through my virus protection software. I have 100% confidence my e-mail through my yahoo account "will not" get through the NRC's virus protection system. I thoroughly documented my NRC yahoo Daemon- NRC virus protection software rejection exploits on my blog. Just google The Popperville Town Hall, yahoo Daemon. 

I am not saying anything of this issue is involved with you. My gripe is with the NRC system in not fixing the problem the fist time. The NRC's inability to not be able to detect and correct it on their own. The inability of the agency to be self directed. 

The NRC is going to have to come up with policy in how the public uses yahoo e-mail sent to the Allegation department or anywhere else in your system, or fix your software. I know your IT system is extraordinarily complex and involves many contractors. 

I am not saying the NRC is rejecting my particular emails. Your virus software just thinks my e-mail is garden verity yahoo spam. Yahoo massive level spam overwhelms many organizational IT systems throughout the nation.  

 

http://steamshovel2002.blogspot.com/2012/12/nrc-mailer-daemon-message.html

NRC MAILER-DAEMON message?

Millstone: Connecticut Said Drop Dead To The Financially Starved Facility

This was a bad week for the nuke industry. TMI is said to shutdown in 2019. Pilgrim had its last shutdown. Trump backed out of the Paris climate agreement, the governmental welfare gravy train for the utilities is dead.

Remember there has been a drastic collapse in electric prices in the last three or four years. This recent increase in prices is just a temporary blip on the continuing collapse.  

Wholesale Electricity Prices and Demand in New England

Dominion is a out of state company. If it was a Connecticut utility, would the legislators be more sympatric to Millstone. Having far flung electric plants "states" away from the parent company is a 1990s and non fracking business model. The times of increasing cheap natural gas has severely disrupted this model. What, Millstone/Dominion is a Richmond Virginia based utility and Seabrook/Nextera is a Juno Florida based utility. I think safety is highest when the plants are locally controlled. Why has all the nuke plants in the New England controlled by southern foreigners?      

In the face of Trumpism, which way has the public approval rate turned in the last year and in the future? I think the approval rate is heading for a drastic turn to worst. The public is beginning to think the nuclear industry is a gasping dinosaur.  I also think the greater public will scapegoat the nuclear industry based on the floundering Trump administration. You can't trust anything government, why should the nuclear industry even be alive.

I wish Dominion would spend their millions of political monies on upgrading equipment and training than buying drinks for the politicians.   

Dominion Energy loses legislative fight over Millstone pricing

By: Mark Pazniokas | June 3, 2017

A long, intense and expensive lobbying campaign by Dominion Energy has failed to find the votes in the Connecticut General Assembly for legislation intended to improve the profitability of its Millstone Nuclear Power Station by changing the rules for procuring electricity.

“It’s dead. It’s a toxic brand now, literally radioactive,” Rep. Lonnie Reed, D-Branford, the co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee. “Let’s let it go and figure out a new way.”

Dominion said it was seeking changes that would lower electric rates and stabilize profits generated by the state’s only nuclear-power plant, the source of nearly half of Connecticut’s electricity and most of its carbon-free energy. Opponents say the bill would cost ratepayers and produce a windfall for the plant’s owner, Dominion.

In interviews Friday night and Saturday, key legislators told CT Mirror that a Senate bill sought by Dominion over the opposition of environmentalists, consumer groups, other energy producers and the utility Eversource cannot go forward, unless it is reduced to a call for a study.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, another energy co-chair, said in interviews Friday night that a concept passed unanimously by the Senate a year ago, only to be blocked in the House, no longer has even a simple majority.

Only Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, an energy co-chair whose district includes Millstone, declined to concede defeat, interrupting a somber conversation with Winfield to say only, “The session’s been a struggle.”

But a small army of Dominion officials and lobbyists, a visible presence at the State Capitol on Friday, had decamped on Saturday, when only the House was in session.

Kevin R. Hennessy, a Dominion government affairs executive, said failure to pass the bill would be a loss for Connecticut.

“The status quo, which our opponents champion, is not working for Connecticut,” he said. “It would be surprising and a missed opportunity for Connecticut not to reduce the highest electric rates in the continental United States, meet its long-term carbon goals and ensure the sustainability of a major employer this year given the events of this week.”

In the year since the Senate passed the original bill, Dominion’s opponents have mounted a lobbying and advertising campaign that matched or even exceeded the effort by Dominion.

“That full-on bill is not going to happen. Anything more than a study is not going to happen,” Reed said. “Dominion doesn’t want a watered-down bill. They want to play hardball in the post-session atmosphere.”

Low natural gas prices have driven down the daily auctions that set the wholesale price of electricity. Under the legislation, Dominion would have been able to use long-term contracts to lock in prices for up to half its Millstone output as a hedge against daily market volatility.

Dominion had been insulating itself from the highs and lows of the spot market by selling energy through a series of futures contracts that run for three years. But the daily market is so volatile that the futures market has faltered.

The bill would have allowed power from Millstone to compete in the market with biomass and trash-to-energy plants if the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection decided it was in the best interest of consumers.

Dominion has neither threatened nor reassured Connecticut on the status of Millstone in an era when electricity generated by cheap natural gas has depressed the electric markets, accelerating the closure of nuclear plants that still have years of service left on their operating licenses.

AARP, a grass-roots advocacy group for retirees that has grown into a broader consumer lobby, opposed the legislation unless Dominion agreed to open its books and demonstrate that Millstone was on the verge of unprofitability. Without providing details on Millstone’s finances, Dominion instead pointed to nuclear plants in Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and elsewhere that have closed or are slated to close.

Analysts that track the power industry did not help Dominion’s cause, noting that the company’s public filings and other information showed it would be profitable for at least the near future. UBS, for example, told investors earlier this year: “We continue to note that Millstone appears poised to drive positive cash flow through the forecast period. This would appear to reduce the merit of a legislative deal in CT.”