Tag Archives: nrc

Wednesday morning’s 9 vaguely interesting things

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1) Michigan and Arizona voters choose a new oligarchy over a new theocracy! - Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, had 41 percent to Santorum’s 38 percent, with 99 percent of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. Romney won Arizona with 47 percent to Santorum’s 27 percent, with 89 percent of the vote counted.

Animation: Mitt loves Michigan

…

2) Too late Santorum: we already know you’re a religious nut || After big primary loss, Santorum retools message for must-win Ohio - In a speech on Tuesday after results were known, Santorum moved his message away from the social issues for which he is known and tightened his focus on themes dear to blue-collar voters who will have a big say when the race moves to Super Tuesday next week, which includes what is now the must-win state of Ohio. [...] Usually happy to speak for about 45 minutes about topics ranging from abortion to radical Islam, Santorum kept his speech brief after losing, making rising gas prices and revitalizing the manufacturing sector the core elements of his comments, saying “bureaucrats in Washington don’t care about flyover country.” “Are we a country that believes in big government, do we believe in the smart and elite in this country to manage us or do you believe in free people and a free economy and building a great America from the bottom up?” Santorum said.

3) Obama forcefully rebuts Mitt Romney in speech to auto workers union – “Because I’ve got to admit, it’s been funny to watch some of these politicians completely rewrite history now that you’re back on your feet. These are the folks who said if we went forward with our plan to rescue Detroit, “you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.” Now they’re saying they were right all along. Or worse, they’re saying that the problem is that you, the workers, made out like bandits in all of this; that saving the American auto industry was just about paying back unions. Really? Even by the standards of this town, that’s a load of you-know-what. About 700,000 retirees saw a reduction in the health care benefits they had earned. Many of you saw hours reduced, or pay and wages scaled back. You gave up some of your rights as workers. Promises were made to you over the years that you gave up for the sake and survival of this industry, its workers, and their families. You want to talk about values? Hard work – that’s a value. Looking out for one another – that’s a value. The idea that we’re all in it together – that I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper – that is a value.” Watch:

…

4) Don’t worry fringe-right bigots who hate President Obama for apologizing for soldiers burning Korans in Afghanistan: your hero George W. Bush also hates America and freedom and liberty and the troops and Jesus — 05/21/2008: President Bush has apologized to Iraq’s prime minister for an American sniper’s shooting of a Quran, and the Iraqi government called on U.S. military commanders to educate their soldiers to respect local religious beliefs. Bush’s spokeswoman said Tuesday that the president apologized during a videoconference Monday with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who told the president that the shooting of Islam’s holy book had disappointed and angered both the Iraqi people and their leaders. “He apologized for that in the sense that he said that we take it very seriously,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said. “We are concerned about the reaction. We wanted them to know that the president knew that this was wrong.” Oh Dana, shitting on Muslims is never wrong.

5) Gingrich: Santorum ‘Strongly Overreacted’ To JFK’s Religion Speech - Newt Gingrich chided fellow GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum today for saying he wanted to “throw up” when he heard a speech by President John Kennedy about the need for a separation of church and state. Santorum has walked back the comments a bit, but Gingrich told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham that Santorum “strongly overreacted” to JFK’s speech (he also misrepresented it, as Salon’s Joan Walsh pointed out). “At the time it was seen as a brilliant and effective speech, and I think it was,” Gingrich said, comparing Kennedy to GOP icon Ronald Reagan.

6) Union of Concerned Scientists: U.S. nuclear oversight too lax – A study of safety lapses at nuclear power facilities in the United States found that owners of atomic plants too often either close an eye to problems or fail to adequately address them, a watchdog group said Tuesday. The report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) in its study found 15 cases of safety equipment problems and security shortcomings at 13 nuclear plants last year, calling that number “high.” [...] The group said that lax NRC oversight has allowed some problems to fester for decades, and found that 47 nuclear reactors — nearly half of the 104 nuclear plants operating in the United States today — still do not comply with fire regulations established by the NRC in 1980 and amended in 2004. It also said that there are 27 reactors with inadequate protection against earthquakes.

7) Fukushima contamination ‘chronic and lasting’ – Radioactive contamination levels from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant have fallen sharply since the accident but will be “chronic and lasting” for many years, a French watchdog said Tuesday. “The initial contamination linked to the accident has greatly declined,” Didier Champion, crisis manager at the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), told reporters almost a year after the disaster. “That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more, far from it. Today, and for many years to come, we will have a situation of chronic and lasting contamination of the environment.”

8) Panetta: Iran Hasn’t ‘Made The Decision To Develop A Nuclear Weapon’ - LINDSEY GRAHAM: Do you believe the Iranians are trying to develop a nuclear weapon? LEON PANETTA: I think they’re developing a nuclear capability [but] our intelligence makes clear that they haven’t made the decision to develop a nuclear weapon. Graham moved on and chose not to publicly disagree with the Secretary of Defense but the message from Panetta was clear. U.S. intelligence, at this time, does not conclude that Iran is in the process of building a nuclear weapon. These views are echoed by the the IAEA — the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency — which, just last week, reiterated its “serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme,” but came short of concluding that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon.

9) It is beyond batshittery that this is even up for discussion.

Fire inside protected area and injured worker at Fort Calhoun nuclear plant

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Event Number: 47001 | Date: 6/30/2011

OFFSITE NOTIFICATION DUE TO PERSON BEING EVACUATED

“At 1423 CDT, the Control Room was notified of a fire inside the protected area isolated to a portable water evacuation pump. At 1425 CDT, the Control Room was notified the fire was extinguished and the presence of an injured person; the Control Room immediately notified Washington County 911 to request emergency medical assistance. At 1511 CDT, injured person was transferred off-site by medical helicopter.

“This four-hour notification is being made pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi), event or situation related to health and safety of on-site personnel for which notification to other government agencies has been made. NRC Resident informed.

“Due to this event, 1/2 gallon of gasoline was discharged to the Missouri River. The spill was reported to the State of Nebraska on 6/30/2011.

“This condition is also being reported pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi) for News Release or Notification of Other Government Agency. Applicable state agencies have been notified per plant procedures.”

The injured person is a plant employee and was injured while refueling a portable generator. The injured person suffered burns to the forearms and neck. The licensee intends to issue a press release.

The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified.

Here’s the press release from the Omaha World-Herald: Fire injury: A worker refilling the gas tank of a portable pump at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station was burned Thursday after the tank caught fire. He was taken by medical helicopter to a Lincoln hospital for treatment of arm and facial burns. The employee was injured as he used an extinguisher to put out the fire, said Jeff Hanson, a spokesman for the Omaha Public Power District. The portable pump was outside the security building — surrounded by sandbags to keep floodwaters away — but the building is not part of the power facility. The pumps are used to remove water that seeps under the barrier. Hanson said the Fort Calhoun plant was not endangered in the incident. The worker was not identified, so that relatives could be notified.

Image of Fort Calhoun collected 6/28/11 by DigitalGlobe (click to enlarge):
http://www.digitalglobe.com/downloads/featured_images/us_fortcalhoun_npp_june28_2011_dg.jpg

Image: DigitalGlobe

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Flooding at Fort Calhoun: Water surrounds reactor building, spend fuel pool building

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Flood tests not over for nuke plant:

Because of the collapsed water-filled dam, river water surrounds the main reactor building, mechanical building, spent fuel pool building and other structures.

Barriers at entrances to the buildings are keeping that water from entering, Hanson said. A “minor” amount of water did seep into the plant’s turbine building, he said, and was pumped out.

The buildings themselves and associated pumps and electrical equipment are designed to handle flooding up to 1,014 feet above sea level. The river is a little over 1,006 feet now and is forecast to reach a crest of 1,008 feet, barring extraordinary rains.

What if the river keeps rising? Read more…

Meanwhile, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko offered support for both utilities after visiting the plants. He said both Fort Calhoun and Cooper remain safe.

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NRC issues press release regarding Fort Calhoun’s berm collapse

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NRC issues press release on Fort Calhoun’s berm failure (PDF doc):

06/26/2011 IV-11-031

NRC Activates Incident Response Center for Tracking Events at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant

The collapse of the berm also allowed floodwaters to surround the main electrical transformers. Operators transferred power from offsite sources to the emergency diesel generators as a precautionary measure due to water leakage around the concrete berm surrounding the main transformers. Efforts are underway to reconnect to offsite power once all safety checks have been completed.

NRC inspectors were onsite at the time and responded to the event. They have verified that reactor shutdown cooling and spent fuel pool cooling remain unaffected. NRC augmented its resident inspection staff on June 6, to provide around the clock coverage of site activities. The plant has been shutdown since April 7 for a refueling outage.

In response to the event, the NRC has activated its Incident Response Center from which it is monitoring events. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko plans to visit the site tomorrow.

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Fort Calhoun: nuclear material being cooled by backup generators after berm collapse

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After the 2,000 foot berm which collapsed on Sunday at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant — from ABC News:

The breach allowed Missouri River flood waters to reach containment buildings and transformers and forcing the shutdown of electrical power.

Backup generators are cooling the nuclear material at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station.

The plant has not operated since April, and officials say there is no danger to the public.

The berm is the Aquadam, the huge inner-tube structure which was surrounding the plant. The WSJ reports electricity was restored, but I don’t see that reported anywhere else. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is scheduled to visit the plant today:

The berm’s collapse allowed floodwaters to wash around the main electrical transformers. As a result, emergency diesel power generators were started. Later in the day, power was restored.

The NRC’s Mr. Dricks said temperature monitors were working properly and temperatures of key parts of the nuclear power plant were normal. Water has not seeped into any of the containment structures, he said.

Two NOUEs were submitted to the NRC:

46988: BOTH EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS SUPPLYING PLANT EMERGENCY BUSES PER PLANT PROCEDURE

“At approximately 0125 [hrs. CDT], the AquaDam providing enhanced flood protection for FCS [Ft. Calhoun Station] Unit 1 failed. At 0221, as a precautionary measure, DG-2 [Diesel Generator] was automatically started per plant procedure to divorce bus 1A4 from offsite power. At 0250, DG-1 was automatically started to divorce bus 1A3. Both Emergency Diesel Generators loaded on buses as designed. 345KV and 161KV offsite power remain available.

“This is reportable pursuant to 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A), ‘System Actuation of the Emergency Diesel Generators’. All safety related flood protection barriers remain in place.

“Current river level is 1006.5′ MSL and stable. FCS remains in a NOUE [Notification of Unusual Event] due to high river level.

46989: OFFSITE NOTIFICATION DUE TO PETROLEUM RELEASE TO THE MISSOURI RIVER

“At approximately 0125 CDT, the AquaDam providing enhanced flood protection for Fort Calhoun Station Unit 1 failed. This resulted in approximately 100 gallons of petroleum being released into the river after a protective barrier was breached and many fuel containers were washed out to the river. The fuel/oil containers were staged around the facility to supply fuel for pumps which remove water within the flood containment barriers. The spill was reported to the State of Nebraska at 10:45 AM CDT on 6/26/2011.

“This condition is being reported pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi) for News Release or Notification of Other Government Agency. Applicable governmental agencies have been notified per plant procedures.”

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

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Berm collapse at Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant — NRC says ‘no danger’

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Omaha World-Herald:

OMAHA, Neb. — A berm holding back floodwater at a Nebraska nuclear power plant has collapsed.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the 2,000-foot berm at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station collapsed about 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

There is no danger. The plant has been shut down since early April for refueling, and the commission says there’s no water inside.

Also, the Missouri River isn’t expected to rise past the flood level the plant was designed to handle.

The NRC says its inspectors were at the plant when the berm failed and have confirmed that the flooding has had no impact on the reactor shutdown cooling or the spent fuel pool cooling. NRC spokesman Victor Dricks says the plant remains safe.

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko will visit the plant Monday.

Except on 23 JUNE 2011 the report was:NRC on Fort Calhoun: “there is now two feet of water in many areas onsite.”

UPDATE: 27 JUNE — Fort Calhoun: nuclear material being cooled by backup generators after berm collapse

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NRC on Fort Calhoun: “there is now two feet of water in many areas onsite.”

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The NRC has augmented its inspection staff at Fort Calhoun where there is now two feet of water in many areas onsite. In addition to the two resident inspectors, three more inspectors and a branch chief are there to provide around the clock coverage of licensee activities.

[...] An earthern berm protects the electrical switchyard and a concrete barrier has been built around electrical transformers to protect them. Satellite phones have been distributed to key workers. Extra food and water has been stockpiled.

Existing diesel fuel tanks have been topped off and two additional fuel tanks have been brought onsite. Special gas-fired pumps are available in the event of station blackout. If there is a complete loss of power on site the pumps can circulate cooling water through the spent fuel pool and reactor core.

NRC Blog: The Rising River Puts Flood Preparations to the Test

They report that “The plant has erected an Aquadam around the powerblock…The water-filled berm is eight feet tall and 16 feet wide at the base, and provides protection for up to six feet of water,” and discuss how the Aquadam is protecting the plant and vital equipment.

So why is there two feet of water in many areas of the plant then? Is it coming in another way, like through drains? Because there was a Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s EVENT NOTIFICATION REPORT last Friday at Fort Calhoun:

ADDITIONAL PENETRATION IDENTIFIED FOR MITIGATION DURING WALKDOWN

“Operations identified a potential flooding issue in the Intake Structure 1007 ft. 6 in. level. The area of concern is a the hole in the floor at the 1007 ft. 6 in. level where the relief valve from FP-1A discharge pipe goes through the raw pump bay and discharges into the intake cell. There is one penetration of concern. Flooding through this penetration could have impacted the ability of the station’s Raw Water (RW) pumps to perform their design accident mitigation functions.

“Efforts are in progress to seal the penetration.

“This eight-hour notification is being made pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72 (b)(3)(v).”

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Report: 48 of 65 U.S. nuclear stations leaked radioactive tritium

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“The public health and safety impact of this is next to zero. This is a public confidence issue.” — Nuclear Energy Institute’s Tony Pietrangelo

“Radiation is actually good for you.” — Nuclear physicist and part-time brain surgeon Ann Coulter

Report: 75% of U.S. nukes sites leaked radioactive tritium

The Associated Press found that 48 of the 65 power stations in the U.S. had reported leaking tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) records blamed many of the leaks on corroded buried piping. At 37 of the sites, contamination to groundwater exceeded the federal drinking water standard.

While no public water supplies are known to have been contaminated, the leaks did reach the wells of homes in Illinois and Minnesota. In New Jersey, tritium was found in a discharge canal feeding Barnegat Bay… In 2007, cesium-137 was found along with tritium at the Fort Calhoun plant near Omaha, Nebraska. The Indian Point nuclear site near New York City was found to have leaked Strontium-90 two years before that.

And the problem is growing — as the AP notes:

The number and severity of the leaks has been escalating, even as federal regulators extend the licenses of more and more reactors across the nation.

List of Power Reactor Units

U.S. Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors - Years of Operation

I’m glad to see that Colorado doesn’t have a nuclear reactor.

NRC Weekend Event Reports from Cooper Nuclear Station: Nebraska flooding

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Cooper Nuclear Station submitted two reports to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center on Sunday: a NOUE because of the river level (Fort Calhoun did this last week as well), and a notification that oil had been released into the Missouri River from a training facility because levees are being over topped. It’s noted that the training facility is lower than plant grade and that there is no radiological contamination in that area.

19 JUNE 2011: 05:27 [ET]: Event Number: 46969

UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO MISSOURI RIVER FLOODING

At 0402 CDT on 6/19/2011 a Notification of Unusual Event was declared due to the elevation of the Missouri River reaching 899.1 feet above mean sea level. This is above the Emergency Action Level HU1.5 elevation of 899 feet. The Missouri River is expected to crest at 899.5 feet within the next couple of days. It is expected that the elevation of the Missouri River will remain above 899 feet for most of the summer.

Actions are in progress in accordance with the site flooding procedure, including strategic placement of sand bags at building entrances and important facilities. There is no major plant equipment out of service at this time. Personnel access to the site is not presently impeded. Emergency evacuation routes remain available.

19 JUNE 2011: 22:36 [ET]: Event Number: 46970

RELEASE OF OIL TO THE MISSOURI RIVER

“Notification is being made to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality regarding the release of oil to the Missouri River from the Cooper Live Fire Training Facility. Currently, levees separating the Training Facility and the Missouri River are being over topped due to flooding of the Missouri River. This condition has resulted in flooding of the burn pits in the fire training facility, with the subsequent release of the residue which includes unburned fuel oil. Any release of this water containing oil to the Missouri River is uncontrolled at this time. Then is no radiological contamination in this area.

“Current river level is approximately 900.5 ft. MSL, approximately 3.0 feet below plant grade elevation. The fire training area is lower than plant grade. A press release is not planned at this time. River level is currently projected to be 899 ft. by Wednesday 6/22.”

Related:

Level 4 nuclear emergency / classifications: America (NRC) vs. International (INES)

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There are rumors that Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant in Nebraska is under a Level 4 emergency classification. Fort Calhoun is currently under a “Notification of Unusual Event (NOUE)” — which is the 4th (and lowest) emergency classification in the US. This is completely different from a Level 4 event on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). There’s a HUGE difference between the NRC’s Emergency Classifications and the INES’s Emergency Classifications.

Neither Fort Calhoun or Cooper Nuclear Station are being classified by the INES scale. (NOTE: Fort Calhoun was on “Alert” classification in addition to the NOUE classification  for one day this month.) Here are the definitions and links:

Emergency Classification in America:

Emergency Classification is a set of plant conditions which indicate a level of risk to the public. Nuclear power plants use the four emergency classifications listed below in order of increasing severity.

  • Notification of Unusual Event - Under this category, events are in process or have occurred which indicate potential degradation in the level of safety of the plant. No release of radioactive material requiring offsite response or monitoring is expected unless further degradation occurs.
  • Alert - If an alert is declared, events are in process or have occurred that involve an actual or potential substantial degradation in the level of safety of the plant. Any releases of radioactive material from the plant are expected to be limited to a small fraction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protective action guides (PAGs).
  • Site Area Emergency - A site area emergency involves events in process or which have occurred that result in actual or likely major failures of plant functions needed for protection of the public. Any releases of radioactive material are not expected to exceed the EPA PAGs except near the site boundary.
  • General Emergency - A general emergency involves actual or imminent substantial core damage or melting of reactor fuel with the potential for loss of containment integrity. Radioactive releases during a general emergency can reasonably be expected to exceed the EPA PAGs for more than the immediate site area.

~~~~~~~~~

The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES):

Level 4: Accident with local consequences:

Impact on people and environment: 

Minor release of radioactive material unlikely to result in implementation of planned countermeasures other than local food controls.

At least one death from radiation.

Impact on radiological barriers and control:

Fuel melt or damage to fuel ­resulting in more than 0.1% release of core inventory.

Release of significant quantities of radioactive material within an installation with a high ­probability of significant public exposure.

Related:

The flooding of Nebraska’s nuclear power plants: Fort Calhoun and Cooper Nuclear Station

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 This morning, The Omaha World Herald reports there’s absolutely nothing to worry about with the flooding and the two nuclear reactors. Why is anyone worried? Don’t worry!

Tim Burke, vice president at Omaha Public Power District, said the plant’s flood barriers are being built to a level that will protect against rain and the release of record amounts of water from upstream dams on the Missouri River.

“We don’t see any concerns around the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station,” Burke said at a briefing in Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle’s office.

The nuclear plant, 20 miles north of Omaha, was shut down April 9 for refueling. It has not been restarted because of the imminent flooding.

Cooper Nuclear Station, which is about 70 miles south of Omaha near Brownville, Neb., continues to operate even as it makes similar flood protections. Cooper is owned by Nebraska Public Power District. The river would have to rise about 6 feet higher for the plant to go into a cold shutdown.

[...] However, other problems at the plant and some of the flood precautions themselves have unnerved people:

>>A fire at the outset of flooding temporarily disrupted power to the spent fuel pool.

>>The nuclear station shifted to an alert status.

>>Flights over the plant have been restricted.

>>Fort Calhoun was and continues to be one of the NRC’s most tightly monitored plants because of problems it had before the flooding.

Dricks said the NRC has taken the unusual step of sending more inspectors and a branch chief to Fort Calhoun. A branch chief is a top regional regulator. In this case, it’s the individual responsible for overseeing Fort Calhoun inspections and compliance.

Also, OPPD is bringing in additional boats, food and water for employees, which is not a cause for alarm, Dricks said. “It’s called prudence.”

[...] Elizabeth Ishan Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the flight restrictions at Fort Calhoun are intended to keep curiosity seekers out of the immediate vicinity. Planes can still fly near the plant if they have flight plans and are in contact with air traffic controllers. Smaller aircraft are restricted in how close they can get to the plant.

Otherwise, there’s a risk of midair collisions that could jeopardize operations on the ground. “When you keep the area above the ground safe, you’re going to keep the people on the ground safe, too,” Cory said.

John Remus of the Corps of Engineers said the river level at Fort Calhoun had yet to reflect the full release of water from Gavins Point Dam.

Note that Cooper Nuclear Plant is located in Brownville, NE and, like Fort Calhoun, happens to also be under an FAA Temporary Flight Restriction until further notice:

06/07/2011 1/6704 ZMP NE HAZARDS BROWNVILLE., NE zoom to 1/6704
06/06/2011 1/6523 ZMP NE HAZARDS FORT CALHOUN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT BLAIRNE, NE

Via DBKP: On June 14, 2011, the report Cooper Nuke Plant Will Get More NRC Oversight:

NRC inspectors said some of the station’s procedures for manually operating valves – which are part of system for releasing coolants under high pressure – wouldn’t work in the event of a fire. The independent emergency cooling system is one means available to provide water to cool the reactor in case of an emergency.

“Fire protection programs are a critical component in plant safety and the NRC is paying special attention to ensure [Cooper] takes actions to fully correct this issue,” according to Region IV Administrator Elmo E. Collins.

According to an informative post at the site The People’s Voice, the Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant and the Cooper Nuclear station are ‘partially submerged’ by Missouri floodwaters.

Below: The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station from the air Thursday [6/16/11]. OPPD was putting the finishing touches on federally ordered flood-defense improvements before flooding began. MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Enlarged photo

Here are the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s EVENT NOTIFICATION REPORTS  for June/2011 at Fort Calhoun or Cooper Nuclear Plant:

  • 08 June 2011 | Fort Calhoun Event 46932: ALERT declared due to fire in switchgear room. Alert exited later in the day. Fort Calhoun remains in Unusual Event HU 1, EAL 5 for River Level greater than 1004′ elevation as reported under EN #46929.

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Top 10 U.S. nuke plants ranked by quake risk

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Based on 2008 data, a map of earthquake damage risk in the United States. The highest risk areas are purple, red and orange. (MSNBC)

US nuke plants ranked by most likely to suffer core damage from an earthquake:

1. Indian Point 3, Buchanan, N.Y.: 1 in 10,000 chance each year. Old estimate: 1 in 17,241. Increase in risk: 72 percent.

2. Pilgrim 1, Plymouth, Mass.: 1 in 14,493. Old estimate: 1 in 125,000. Increase in risk: 763 percent.

3. Limerick 1 and 2, Limerick, Pa.: 1 in 18,868. Old estimate: 1 in 45,455. Increase in risk: 141 percent.

4. Sequoyah 1 and 2, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.: 1 in 19,608. Old estimate: 1 in 102,041. Increase in risk: 420 percent.

5. Beaver Valley 1, Shippingport, Pa.: 1 in 20,833. Old estimate: 1 in 76,923. Increase in risk: 269 percent.

6. Saint Lucie 1 and 2, Jensen Beach, Fla.: 1 in 21,739. Old estimate: N/A.

7. North Anna 1 and 2, Louisa, Va.: 1 in 22,727. Old estimate: 1 in 31,250. Increase in risk: 38 percent.

8. Oconee 1, 2 and 3, Seneca, S.C.: 1 in 23,256. Old estimate: 1 in 100,000. Increase in risk: 330 percent.

9. Diablo Canyon 1 and 2, Avila Beach, Calif.: 1 in 23,810. Old estimate: N/A.

10. Three Mile Island, Middletown, Pa.: 1 in 25,000. Old estimate: 1 in 45,455. Increase in risk: 82 percent.

Read more…

Map of nuclear reactors:

U.S. Commercial Nuclear Power Reactors - Years of Operation