Shearon Harris update

In April, public officials representing Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Chatham County, and Pittsboro met with Rep. David Price to ask his help in getting an investigation started of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's enforcement actions (or lack thereof) at the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant. (Mark Kleinschmidt represented the Town Council.) Yesterday brought this news from NC WARN:

GAO Will Study Enforcement of Nuclear Plant Fire Regulations

Statement from NC WARN Executive Director Jim Warren:

Today, Congressman David Price announced that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has accepted his request to study the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s enforcement of fire safety standards at U.S. nuclear power plants.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, will now assemble a team for the study, which is expected to begin in September. This is a very important juncture in the years-long campaign by public interest groups to force nuclear power plant owners to stop cutting corners on vital safety issues. Fire represents a leading risk factor for meltdown at nuclear plants.

NC WARN encourages the people of North Carolina to thank Representative Price, and the many local and state officials who sought his involvement in this issue due to particular concerns about violations at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant in Wake County.

Since last fall, the regional public has increasingly voiced concern to public officials and Progress Energy management based on reports by NC WARN and others about 14 years of violation at Harris, and the company’s plans to delay compliance for years longer.