Skip to main content

ABC News Intern Update

It's been a while since we've heard from ABC News and the Carnegie Fellows that put together the "Radioactive Roadtrip," for Prime Time Live back in October. As it turns out, NRC has been following up on the network's investigation, and has released most of its findings.

And despite ABC's chest beating, there's simply not much there.

From today's edition of Platts Inside NRC (subscription required):
NRC has nearly completed a review of the security at research and test reactors (RTR) and has not issued any enforcement action, an NRC spokesman said.

As of early December, the agency had only one case pending based on the information provided by ABC News from its investigation into alleged security lapses at university reactors, said Eliot Brenner, director of NRC's Office of Public Affairs. The agency is preparing "closure letters" that will be sent to the RTRs where no security issues were identified, he said earlier this month.

Brenner asked ABC last month if the network would release all the video filmed during its investigation and if it would allow the agency to look at any written notes taken by the interns. ABC had not responded to the request as of December 2, he said.
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, NRC issued a detailed Q&A concerning security at Research and Test Reactors. To access the report, go to NRC's Adams document database and search on document number ML053180250.

Technorati tags: , , , ,

Comments

Anonymous said…
What I'd like to know from ABC News is, why did they take down the message forum on this story's website? Last I checked, they still hadn't restored it. Seems like a case of being able to dish it out but not take it.
Anonymous said…
One good thing I can see that did come out of the ABC fiasco is that the facility I work for is improving its tour program. Not from a security viewpoint, but in doing a better job of educating visitors on everything we do.

Popular posts from this blog

Fluor Invests in NuScale

You know, it’s kind of sad that no one is willing to invest in nuclear energy anymore. Wait, what? NuScale Power celebrated the news of its company-saving $30 million investment from Fluor Corp. Thursday morning with a press conference in Washington, D.C. Fluor is a design, engineering and construction company involved with some 20 plants in the 70s and 80s, but it has not held interest in a nuclear energy company until now. Fluor, which has deep roots in the nuclear industry, is betting big on small-scale nuclear energy with its NuScale investment. "It's become a serious contender in the last decade or so," John Hopkins, [Fluor’s group president in charge of new ventures], said. And that brings us to NuScale, which had run into some dark days – maybe not as dark as, say, Solyndra, but dire enough : Earlier this year, the Securities Exchange Commission filed an action against NuScale's lead investor, The Michael Kenwood Group. The firm "misap...

Wednesday Update

From NEI’s Japan micro-site: NRC, Industry Concur on Many Post-Fukushima Actions Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues • There is a “great deal of alignment” between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the industry on initial steps to take at America’s nuclear energy facilities in response to the nuclear accident in Japan, Charles Pardee, the chief operating officer of Exelon Generation Co., said at an agency briefing today. The briefing gave stakeholders an opportunity to discuss staff recommendations for near-term actions the agency may take at U.S. facilities. PowerPoint slides from the meeting are on the NRC website. • The International Atomic Energy Agency board has approved a plan that calls for inspectors to evaluate reactor safety at nuclear energy facilities every three years. Governments may opt out of having their country’s facilities inspected. Also approved were plans to maintain a rapid response team of experts ready to assist facility operators recoverin...

Nuclear Utility Moves Up in Credit Ratings, Bank is "Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy"

Some positive signs that nuclear utilities can continue to receive positive ratings even while they finance new nuclear plants for the first time in decades: Wells Fargo upgrades SCANA to Outperform from Market Perform Wells analyst says, "YTD, SCG shares have underperformed the Regulated Electrics (total return +2% vs. +9%). Shares trade at 11.3X our 10E EPS, a modest discount to the peer group median of 11.8X. We view the valuation as attractive given a comparatively constructive regulatory environment and potential for above-average long-term EPS growth prospects ... Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy. SCG plans to participate in the development of two regulated nuclear units at a cost of $6.3B, raising legitimate concerns regarding financing and construction. We have carefully considered the risks and are comfortable with SCG’s strategy based on a highly constructive political & regulatory environment, manageable financing needs stretched out over 10 years, strong partners...