March, 08 2013, 03:23pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Bill Walker: (510) 759-9911
Damon Moglen: (202) 352-4223
San Onofre: Secret Report Confirms Edison Knew of Major Problems
Friends of the Earth: ‘Bombshell’ for plans to restart crippled reactor
WASHINGTON
A secret Mitsubishi Heavy Industries report released today confirms that Southern California Edison knew about serious problems in the radically redesigned replacement steam generators for the San Onofre nuclear reactors years before the defective equipment was installed, yet failed to make changes to fix the problems. The report was released today by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) revealed its existence and demanded it be made public.
The report documents that Edison knew of specific safety concerns with the replacement steam generator design as early as 2005, and failed to incorporate changes proposed to fix it because they would trigger a more lengthy and public review by the NRC. It fatally undermines Edison's case for restarting one of the plant's crippled reactors and for receiving any compensation from the California Public Utility Commission.
"This is a bombshell," said Damon Moglen, energy and climate director for Friends of the Earth. "Edison clearly knew about design problems with the San Onofre replacement steam generators yet failed to take corrective action. Instead Edison gambled with the safety of millions of Southern Californians. It is inconceivable that the NRC would now give approval to restart these damaged reactors without the thorough, public review of a license amendment proceeding."
David Freeman, former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and a senior advisor to Friends of the Earth, said the Mitsubishi report could prove pivotal with the California Public Utility Commission, which is considering whether Edison can pass on to its customers the $671 million cost of the faulty generators, plus the cost of repairs and replacement power during the plant's shutdown, now in its 14th month. Said Freeman: "It's clear that ratepayers in Southern California can not be expected to pay for Edison's defective equipment if Edison acted imprudently. At nuclear reactors, prioritizing construction speed over safety is the height of imprudence."
Since Sen. Boxer and Rep. Markey revealed the existence of the report, Friends of the Earth has demanded that the NRC Petition Review Board consider it in proceedings currently underway. The Petition Review Board, in response to a petition from Friends of the Earth, is determining whether Edison improperly failed to apply for a license amendment before installing replacement steam generators of a radically different design than was permitted under the reactors' operating license.
Nuclear engineers Arnie Gunderson of Burlington, Vt., and John Large of London, consultants to Friends of the Earth, are reviewing the Mitsubishi report and will provide expert analysis.
Friends of the Earth fights for a more healthy and just world. Together we speak truth to power and expose those who endanger the health of people and the planet for corporate profit. We organize to build long-term political power and campaign to change the rules of our economic and political systems that create injustice and destroy nature.
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'Make Polio Great Again': Alarm Over RFK Jr. Lawyer Who Targeted Vaccine
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"The United States has been a leader in the global fight to eradicate polio, which is poised to become only the second disease in history to be eliminated from the face of the earth after smallpox," said Liza Barrie, Public Citizen's campaign director for global vaccines access. "Undermining polio vaccination efforts now risks reversing decades of progress and unraveling one of the greatest public health achievements of all time."
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According to the newspaper:
Mr. Siri is also representing ICAN in petitioning the FDA to "pause distribution" of 13 other vaccines, including combination products that cover tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A, until their makers disclose details about aluminum, an ingredient researchers have associated with a small increase in asthma cases.
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Ayman Chit, head of vaccines for North America at Sanofi, told the newspaper that development of the vaccine began in 1977, over 280 million people worldwide have received it, and there have been more than 300 studies, some with up to six months of follow-up.
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Asked about RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine record during a Time "Person of the Year" interview published Thursday, the president-elect said that "we're going to be able to do very serious testing" and certain vaccines could be made unavailable "if I think it's dangerous."
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Both comments generated concern—like the Friday reporting in the Times, which University of Alabama law professor and MSNBC columnist Joyce White Vance called "absolutely terrifying."
She was far from alone. HuffPost senior front page editor Philip Lewis said that "this is just so dangerous and ridiculous" while Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan declared, "We are so—and I use this word advisedly—fucked."
Ryan Cooper, managing editor at The American Prospect, warned that "they want your kids dead."
Author and musician Mikel Jollett similarly said, "So if you're wondering if Donald Trump is trying to kill your kids, yes, yes he is."
Multiple critics altered Trump's campaign slogan to "Make Polio Great Again."
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) responded with a video on social media:
Without naming anyone, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, put out a lengthy statement on Friday.
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