When: Press conference, Tuesday, April 4, 2006 at 10:30 a.m.
Where: East steps, Michigan State Capitol, Lansing, Michigan(back-up location in case of inclement weather: Rooms 402/403 in the State Capitol Building).
Speakers:
James Clift, Michigan Environmental Council (MEC), Lansing
Alice Hirt, Don’t Waste Michigan, Holland
Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Washington, D.C.
Attendees from the following groups available for questions: Clean Water Action; Coalition for a Nuclear-Free Great Lakes; Cranbrook Peace Foundation; Sierra Club, Mackinac Chapter; WAND Michigan (Women’s Action for New Directions).
News Items:
–Discussion of recent developments showing that high-level radioactive waste will remain stored at Palisades for decades to come, and MEC efforts to preserve and protect large sums of Michigan ratepayer money in a trust fund to guarantee that these wastes will be managed as safely and securely as possible on the Lake Michigan shoreline for as long as they remain there.
–Palisades critics will announce a petition — based upon government agency whistleblower testimony to NRC regarding violations of safety regulations at the plant’s outdoor “parking lots” for high-level radioactive waste storage on the Lake Michigan shoreline.
–Intervenors against the proposed 20 year license extension at Palisades will announce details of their appeal to the five NRC Commissioners regarding the embrittlement of the pressure vessel, and the risks of reactor rupture due to pressurized thermal shock (PTS), melt down, and catastrophic radioactivity release. In addition, a request to U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow for a General Accounting Office investigation of the embrittlement/PTS risks will be announced.
–Publication of a summary report based upon Freedom of Information Act obtained revelations concerning a recent “heavy load drop” near-miss incident. Internal NRC and Palisades documents show that company incompetence set the stage for an incident that could have caused a major radiation release with the potential for large scale casualties. Despite NRC knowledge of the incident, the public was kept in the dark for several months.
This press conference will take place one day prior to the NRC holding hearings in South Haven, Mi — near Palisades on its draft environmental impact statement regarding a 20 year license extension.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Full-size replica of high-level radioactive waste storage container, with banners calling for enforcement of nuclear safety regulations and opposing 20 additional years of extended operations at Palisades.
Additional information concerning the coalition effort against the 20 year license extension at Palisades can be found at: