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By Joseph Morton
From: Omaha World Herald
WASHINGTON — The safety of Nebraska's nuclear power plants should be a top consideration for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as it weighs dam releases amid Missouri River flooding, Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday.
During his weekly conference call with reporters, the Nebraska Democrat expressed concern about comments he read from a corps spokesman in Monday's World-Herald.
Nelson said it was “hard to believe” Erik Blechinger's comments that Nebraska's two nuclear plants aren't being factored in to the Army Corps of Engineers' schedule of dam releases.
Floodwaters briefly forced Omaha Public Power District's Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station Sunday to turn to diesel-powered generators. Meanwhile, officials of the Nebraska Public Power District's Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville are watching the waters rise beyond sandbags and barriers.
“Flood-risk reduction is our priority right now,” Blechinger told The World-Herald. “We are working closely with OPPD and NPPD, so I would never say that we wouldn't consider adjusting releases, but I can't imagine all the possible scenarios. Currently there is just no flexibility in the system.”
Nelson called those comments “unsettling.”
“To say that we were shocked is probably an understatement — to hear somebody who's closest to … the levers releasing the water say these have not been in consideration and raise questions about whether they would be … into the future,” Nelson said.
Nelson sent a letter to Brig. Gen. John McMahon, who oversees management of the Missouri River Basin for the corps, seeking a swift clarification.
“Given our discussion last week on the corps' responsibility to protect the people, communities, and infrastructure along the Missouri River, additional concern and caution would seem necessary in addressing the two nuclear facilities,” Nelson wrote.
Nelson said that although the plants seem safe for now, there is concern about potential risks if the floodwaters continue to rise. He said he wants something in writing from the corps that the corps is taking the nuclear plants into consideration.
“The corps needs to make it clear that the safety of Cooper Nuclear and Fort Calhoun nuclear power plants are among its highest priorities during the ongoing floods,” Nelson said. “Nebraskans, Iowans and others throughout the Midwest deserve to know that everything is being done so that these plants are safe.”
Asked about Nelson's letter, corps spokeswoman Monique Farmer released a statement that did not directly address his insistence that the corps take the plants' safety into consideration when making its plans.
She said safety is the corps' top priority and that none of its meetings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, OPPD or NPPD have required adjustments to the dam releases.
“We are working closely with OPPD and NPPD to keep them apprised of our reservoir control operations,” Farmer said. “We have maintained an ongoing dialogue with the NRC, OPPD and NPPD for the past several weeks and will continue to do so throughout the duration of this flood event.”
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