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As you may know, FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Oak Harbor, Ohio has been shutdown for over two years because a football-sized hole was discovered by workers during routine maintenance. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is deciding any day now whether or not to allow FirstEnergy to restart Davis-Besse, perhaps the nation's most poorly managed, and therefore most dangerous, nuclear reactor.
We need Ohio's leaders to stand up for the health and safety of all Ohioans by opposing attempts to restart Davis-Besse.
Please take a moment to ask Governor Taft and his Director of Public Safety to speak out against restarting Davis-Besse. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=595&id4=OHFreep
BACKGROUND
On March 6, 2004 workers at FirstEnergy's dangerous Davis-Besse plant stumbled upon a football-sized hole in the plant's reactor head. This hole left only 3/8 of an inch of cracked and bulging stainless steel between radioactive material and the public. After two years of investigations and repairs it is more apparent than ever that neither FirstEnergy nor the NRC is prepared to operate this plant safely. Unfortunately, the NRC is deciding any day now whether or not to allow FirstEnergy to restart Davis-Besse.
Ohio PIRG is calling on the NRC to keep Davis-Besse closed because:
* FirstEnergy's negligence allowed corrosion to destruct the reactor head to the point that a football-sized hole formed leaving just 3/8 of an inch of cracked and bulging stainless steel separating Ohioans, and an entire region, from dangerous radioactive emissions.
* Even after two years to get it right, the NRC still has found evidence of continued mismanagement and negligence at the plant. In fact, there is an ongoing grand jury investigation of FirstEnergy and its managers at Davis-Besse.
* FirstEnergy has refused to correct all of the structural problems remaining at the plant including two problems that in the event of an accident could prohibit much needed cooling water from getting to parts of the reactor to keep it cool. These problems leave the plant, and our entire region more vulnerable to a meltdown.
* The NRC has also found evidence that FirstEnergy employees were discouraged from calling attention to safety problems at the plant. As recently as November 2003, one-fourth of control room and equipment operators believe that FirstEnergy is more concerned with profit than safety. As of February 12, 2004 the NRC could provide no assurance or proof that there was renewed trust amongst the plant's workers that FirstEnergy was prioritizing safety first.
* The NRC has failed to implement its own recommendations to make improvements to their oversight. These corrections are critical to ensuring that problems at Davis-Besse, and other nuclear plants around the country are identified long before they bring the public to the brink of nuclear meltdown.
Yet despite this litany of problems at Davis-Besse, not to mention a lack of security in the face of terrorist threats, the NRC is under enormous political pressure from FirstEnergy and the national utility industry to let the plant restart.
Please take a moment to ask Governor Taft and his Director of Public Safety to speak out against restarting Davis-Besse. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=595&id4=OHFreep
Sincerely,
Erin Bowser
Ohio PIRG State Director
We need Ohio's leaders to stand up for the health and safety of all Ohioans by opposing attempts to restart Davis-Besse.
Please take a moment to ask Governor Taft and his Director of Public Safety to speak out against restarting Davis-Besse. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=595&id4=OHFreep
BACKGROUND
On March 6, 2004 workers at FirstEnergy's dangerous Davis-Besse plant stumbled upon a football-sized hole in the plant's reactor head. This hole left only 3/8 of an inch of cracked and bulging stainless steel between radioactive material and the public. After two years of investigations and repairs it is more apparent than ever that neither FirstEnergy nor the NRC is prepared to operate this plant safely. Unfortunately, the NRC is deciding any day now whether or not to allow FirstEnergy to restart Davis-Besse.
Ohio PIRG is calling on the NRC to keep Davis-Besse closed because:
* FirstEnergy's negligence allowed corrosion to destruct the reactor head to the point that a football-sized hole formed leaving just 3/8 of an inch of cracked and bulging stainless steel separating Ohioans, and an entire region, from dangerous radioactive emissions.
* Even after two years to get it right, the NRC still has found evidence of continued mismanagement and negligence at the plant. In fact, there is an ongoing grand jury investigation of FirstEnergy and its managers at Davis-Besse.
* FirstEnergy has refused to correct all of the structural problems remaining at the plant including two problems that in the event of an accident could prohibit much needed cooling water from getting to parts of the reactor to keep it cool. These problems leave the plant, and our entire region more vulnerable to a meltdown.
* The NRC has also found evidence that FirstEnergy employees were discouraged from calling attention to safety problems at the plant. As recently as November 2003, one-fourth of control room and equipment operators believe that FirstEnergy is more concerned with profit than safety. As of February 12, 2004 the NRC could provide no assurance or proof that there was renewed trust amongst the plant's workers that FirstEnergy was prioritizing safety first.
* The NRC has failed to implement its own recommendations to make improvements to their oversight. These corrections are critical to ensuring that problems at Davis-Besse, and other nuclear plants around the country are identified long before they bring the public to the brink of nuclear meltdown.
Yet despite this litany of problems at Davis-Besse, not to mention a lack of security in the face of terrorist threats, the NRC is under enormous political pressure from FirstEnergy and the national utility industry to let the plant restart.
Please take a moment to ask Governor Taft and his Director of Public Safety to speak out against restarting Davis-Besse. Then, ask your friends and family to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=595&id4=OHFreep
Sincerely,
Erin Bowser
Ohio PIRG State Director