Those sneaky bastards! In an amazing show of journalistic ability, the Metro Pulse has uncovered a secret plot to transport lots of nasty nuclear stuff through Knoxville.
The Associated Press reports that an energy consortium is thinking of establishing a billion-dollar uranium enrichment plant near Erwin, Tenn., and reveals that a TVA contract already has 33 metric tons of blended uranium coming out of Erwin to fuel the Brown's Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama. How does all that hot stuff get from Northeast Tennessee to Brown's Ferry without being shipped through Knoxville? Uh, well...the risk is minimal, you know, minimal.
From the TVA website, January 15, 2002:
“At the same time, it determined that 33 metric tons of the original 200 did not meet the specifications necessary to convert it directly into low-enriched uranium that could be used by the commercial sector as reactor fuel.”
Enter TVA and the BLEU Team.
“TVA signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with DOE in 1998 to pursue a program to use the out-of-specification 33 metric tons of highly enriched uranium,” Robert says. “DOE and our team worked together to solve the technical, commercial and environmental problems associated with using this uranium.”
TVA completed an environmental review and in 2001 TVA and DOE signed an Interagency Agreement. Then the BLEU program was initiated.
From the NFS website dated March 28, 2001 (yes, over a year ago):
A new project to supply fuel for multiple TVA nuclear plant units will have Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) playing a significant role. The effort to convert surplus highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) for commercial power reactor fuel points to the company’s importance in nuclear materials management.
"By converting surplus nuclear material left over from the Cold War, NFS is playing a key role in turning what could have become a burdensome and costly waste into a vital resource for the TVA and its customers," said NFS President Dwight Ferguson. "America is rediscovering the value of nuclear power in the midst of an energy crisis. HEU-to-LEU conversion can help fuel the U.S. economy and reduce a Cold War legacy.”
And finally, from the Elizabethton Star:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published notice Monday in the Federal Register of its intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment regarding the blend-down of 33 metric tons of bomb-grade uranium into low-enriched reactor fuel at Nuclear Fuel Services Inc. of Erwin.
The fuel would be used to power reactors at Tennessee Valley Authority's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama
Hmmmm. TVA, NFS, Framatone, and the EPA have all issued press releases on this deal over the course of two years. But because a MP staffer read the AP wire and saw the story for the first time, it is a revelation?
Please!
As for the snappy little ending there, perhaps a little research would tell the MP just how minimal the risk truly is. Then instead of trying to frighten people with non-existent boogeymen, they could try actually informing them for a change.
It's just a thought.
Posted by Rich at July 22, 2002 11:20 PM