RTD: North Anna Nuclear Generating Station shut down due to water leak

Robert Zullo of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports: "North Anna nuclear reactor in Louisa County shuts down after water leak." 11 December 2017. 

Dominion Energy shut down one of two reactors at the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station yesterday after what it described as a small water leak. A representative for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that on-site inspectors will be overseeing the issue, and that at this time the agency sees no need for a special inspection.

This is probably not a substantial issue, but considering the current struggle against Dominion in regards to their planned 613 mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, I thought it was salient to remind everybody of some significant facts regarding the North Anna station. Namely: during construction in the 1970s, Dominion discovered a seismic fault line at the site of the plant, which substantially increased risk of earthquake damage. In 1977, the state fined the utility $32,500 for attempting to obscure the fact of the fault line. As of 2010, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimated that the site's annual risk of experiencing an earthquake powerful enough to cause core damage was approximately 1 in 23,000: by contrast, the annual odds of being struck by lightning in the U.S. is about 1 in 700,000, according to National Geographic. IE, the risk is greater than that of a stereotypically rare but plausible scenario. In 2011, tremors from the a 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in nearby Mineral tripped emergency sensors and caused both reactors to go offline. The quake also cracked some buildings on the site, and shifted stored spent nuclear fuel.

Why bring this up in the context of the ACP? Mostly because the case of the Lake Anna facility demonstrates that Dominion has lied about the safety of its infrastructure before, and escaped significant consequences for what should have been considered criminal negligence. We should be skeptical about their safety claims.

Two vital State Water Control Board meetings this week

We've got two important State Water Control Board meetings coming up tomorrow and Tuesday (December 11th and 12th 2017). The Water Control Board will be considering- and attempting to approve- permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Last week, they rubber-stamped approvals for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which has not yet had a substantive environmental impact review. Go over to No ACP, Free Nelson, and Appalachian Voices for more information. It's very important that the public show up to oppose this pipeline; come for a day, come for an hour, just come for however long you can.

Both the December 11th and 12th meetings will begin at 9:30am, and be held at the Trinity Family Life Center (3601 Dill Road, Richmond VA).

If the meeting regarding the Mountain Valley Pipeline is any indication, there will be a substantial police presence.

Pipelines and other fossil fuel related infrastructure are dangerous. Not just in terms of leaks and explosions, although those things will definitely happen and definitely devastate the communities and ecosystems around the project, but in terms of the existential threat posed by climate change. Every multi-billion-dollar pipeline like this is the energy industry doubling-down on climate-change-accelerating power sources. Do you think Dominion Power will bother investing in renewables if it's got a pipeline to send natural gas to harbors for export? Of course not; renewables just aren't a substantive part of their plans, not because they're untenable, but because they will be somewhat less profitable during the transition. We can't just sit by while the architects of the climate apocalypse speed up the disaster.

Help NO ACP with their Resistance Bus

NO ACP, the pipeline resistance group, has obtained a bus. They’re raising money to help refurbish it so that they can use it in their efforts to preserve the environment and assist other organizations. 

You can learn more and donate through Fundly here.

"Resist: No Atlantic Coast Pipeline" Rally at VCU

Monday, January 30th 2017, from 7-8pm, at the VCU Monroe Park Campus Compass (900 Park Avenue, Richmond VA), Divest VCU for Climate Justice and the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition are holding a rally against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, in response to the Trump administration's recently-published list of 50 top infrastructure priorities.

Speakers Lakshmi Ford from Friends of Buckingham County, Virginia, Drew Shannon from the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and Jam Bakhtiari from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will provide tools for organizing to resist ant new fossil fuel infrastructure.

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. 

Ditch Dirty Fuels! Rally at the Virginia Capitol

Tomorrow, Monday January 23rd 2017, from 11:45am-1pm, at the Virginia State Capitol (1000 Bank Street, Richmond VA), Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, and the Chesapeake Bay Group Sierra Club are holding a rally to demand a switch from dirty fracked gas to sustainable, clean energy sources like solar and wind. 

For more information and to RSVP, see the link.

"Troubled Water: Voices from Bath" Anti-Atlantic Coast Pipeline Premiere in Richmond, VA

Wednesday, November 30th 2016, from 6:30-10:30pm, at the Hofheimer Building (2818 West Broad Street, Richmond VA), the multi-media anti-Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, "Troubled Water: Voices from Bath," will have its Richmond debut. From the event description: 

"Troubled Water: Voices from Bath is a multi-media, multi-perspective experience, addressing issues of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and the potential impacts in Bath County, VA. Through exquisite photos and a moving documentary-style film, this project shares stories of Bath residents, their history, relationship with the land and dreams for it. It gives voice to those with deep understanding of the unique environment of the Bath County area and, above all, illustrates and magnifies the highly personal ways the ACP is affecting the vibrant community and magnificent environment of Bath County and the heartlands of Virginia."

Free, open to the public. For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, see this link.