Charges filed in acid-leak investigation at nuclear plant

[Algorem]

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-22/1137719651182790.xml&storylist=cleveland

< ...U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a Lakewood Democrat and FirstEnergy's harshest critic, commended White's work but said FirstEnergy itself should be held accountable... >


1/20/2006, 1:30 a.m. ET
By CONNIE MABIN
The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — The 4-year-old investigation into serious damage to a reactor at a nuclear plant has produced charges against two former employees and a contractor, all of whom are accused of misleading regulators into thinking the damage was less severe...

NRC inspectors found an acid leak in 2002 that nearly ate through a 6-inch steel cap on the reactor vessel at the plant, which sits along the Lake Erie shore about 30 miles east of Toledo...

Siemaszko has said he was wrongly fired. He said managers rejected his requests that the reactor head be cleaned...

FirstEnergy, the nation's fourth-largest investor-owned utility, has 16 power plants and 4.4 million customers in New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.



3 accused of lying about reactor

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113774992055330.xml&coll=2

First Energy plea is likely in probe of Davis-Besse

Friday, January 20, 2006
John Funk and Mike Tobin
Plain Dealer Reporters

...The document says the scheme lasted for several months after an August 2001 NRC bulletin warning of cracks and likely leaks at Davis-Besse and similar reactors across the country...

Federal authorities later estimated the reactor lid would have ruptured in as little as 60 days had the corrosion hole not been discovered.

Other investigations revealed that critical safety systems designed to prevent a meltdown of the reactor's core in the event of a rupture had been severely limited by years of poor maintenance and might not have kept radioactive steam and debris from escaping the containment building...

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a Lakewood Democrat and FirstEnergy's harshest critic, commended White's work but said FirstEnergy itself should be held accountable...

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov

FirstEnergy Corp.: http://www.firstenergycorp.com

[Throckmorton]

1. It is a good idea to read this stuff before posting

This article makes it sound like acid was poured on the reactor head, which is not at all the case.

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/vessel-head-degradation/faqs.html