SANATOGA PA – About 150 people arrived Thursday (Sept. 22, 2011) for two hearings at Sunnybrook Ballroom in Sanatoga over whether the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should allow the twin nuclear reactors at Exelon Corp.’s Limerick Generating Station to be licensed for operation beyond 2024, more than a decade from now. And just as the size of the crowd was about evenly divided between the meetings, so too, it seemed, were its opinions.
Some praised the Limerick operation, its safety record, and its positive effects on the economy. Others openly worried about environmental safety, the inability to evacuate area residents if an emergency arose, and the storage and disposal of spent fuel rods.
- Watch a video (above) of opinions expressed during the evening meeting, or see it at The Post’s YouTube user account.
- See a gallery of photos (below) from the evening meeting. Click on any thumbnail image to enlarge it.
The evening meeting, which began at 7 and followed an afternoon session that began at 2, appeared well controlled. People were there for a serious purpose, many said, but they smiled and waved at neighbors they knew, looked at several display tables and talked with representatives staffing them, and generally treated differing opinions respectfully.
There was, however, a significant law enforcement presence to ensure the meetings were orderly. The Lower Pottsgrove Police Department placed four officers inside the ballroom during the evening proceeding as a precaution. No trouble was expected, one officer said, “but you never know and you don’t want to take chances,” he added.
The 13-year time lag between Thursday’s meetings and the expiration of current licenses at Limerick, in 2024 and 2029 respectively, was mentioned by several commenters as a concern. They wondered how the NRC could adequately judge, so far in advance, if Exelon would be a suitable candidate for relicensing.
Related (to federal re-licensing of Limerick Generating Station):
- Police Detail At Limerick Hearings Cost $1,468
- Local Voices Endorse, Worry Over Nuclear Relicensing
- NRC Holds Public Meetings Thursday At Sunnybrook
- NRC Holds Public Meetings Sept. 22 At Sunnybrook
- NRC Legal Notice: Meetings Ahead At Sunnybrook
- NRC Staffers Stop By, Say ‘Hi’ To Commissioners
- Exelon Nuclear Renewals Win Two Early Endorsements
- Exelon Officially Asks To Extend LGS Operating Licenses
- Meeting Wednesday To Review Limerick Nuclear Safety
- LGS License Renewals Topic At May Chamber Breakfast
Other coverage:
- Nuclear regulators hear comments about Limerick plant (WFMZ-TV)
- Terrorism, Cost, Evacuation Discussed At Nuke Hearings (Pottstown Patch)
- Tweeting Live From The NRC’s Hearings (Limerick Patch)
- Pros, cons aired at hearing on Limerick nuclear plant (The Mercury)
A recent article in National Geographic depicts a new innovative reactor design that employs a much safer and efficient means of producing energy. The design employed at Limerick is old and inefficient. Perhaps the public might insist that a side by side operation be employed with a phase out of the light water reactors in favor of the new design.
Recommend those interested read the article and see that a nuclear future can be after than the one we are currently on the path of.
Here are some links
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/china.html
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/visions-now-next#/next
Seeing as how far out the license extensions are, the public might better be served by insisting on a safer design and a transition to it in the next phase of nuclear power generation. Certainly the population in the vicinity of Limerick would be better off.