Next is VT Yankee (November 1972), currently up for relicensing,
leaking tritium from unknown pipes, with CEOs speaking with
"misinformation" to all the powers that be.
Pilgrim, not far from Plymouth Rock, on the coast in Massachusetts is
next on line (December 1972), also up for relicensing in 2012.
In New York, the Indian Point 2 (August 1974) license expires in 2013
and Indian Point 3 (August 1976) in 2015. Skyrocketing levels of
tritium and Strontium 90 are currently reaching the Hudson River.
Also in New York is Fitzpatrick, (July 1975) due to be relicensed in 2014, leaking tritium into Lake Ontario.
The history of tritium leaks goes back to 1997. Brookhaven National
Laboratory, which originally was owned by the Atomic Energy Commission
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Atomic_Energy_Commission),
is now owned by the Commission's successor, the United States
Department of Energy
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Energy),
which subcontracts the actual research and operation to universities
and research organizations. From 1947 until 1998 Brookhaven was
operated by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Universities_Inc.) when
Associated lost the contract in the wake of a scandal when tritium
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium) leaked into the Long Island
Central Pine Barrens
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_Central_Pine_Barrens)
groundwater on which it sits.
The oldest nuclear power plant, Oyster Creek in New Jersey, owned by
Exelon, was found leaking tritium eight days after it was relicensed
for another 20 years, and the decommissioned Connecticut Yankee was
found leaking tritium after the fact, doubling the cost allotted for
the cleanup. Congressmen from MA, NY and NJ have called upon the
Government Accountability Office to launch an investigation into the
corrosion of and leakage from buried pipes at the nation's nuclear
power plants. This is a national problem.
Much "misinformation" has been released from this Entergy/Pandora's
box, with citizens and taxpayers clinging to the vague "hope" that they
will not be forced to pay some awful price. The future of our
life-giving waterways is at stake.
Dorothy Tod lives in Warren.
