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in September
From AK Press
Featuring Essays by:
Edward Said, Robert Fisk, Michael Neumann, Shahid Alam, Alexander
Cockburn, Uri Avnery, Bill and Kathy Christison and More
Today's
Stories
August 14, 2003
Peter Phillips
Inside
Bohemian Grove: Where US Power Elites Party
Brian Cloughley
Charlie Wilson and Pakistan: the Strange Congressman Behind the
CIA's Most Expensive War
Linville and Ruder
Tyson
Strike Draws the Line
Jim Lobe
Bush Administration Divided Over Iran
Ramzy Baroud
Sharon Freezes the Road Map
Tom Turnipseed
Blowback in Iraq
Gary Leupp
Condi's
Speech: From Birgmingham to Baghdad, Imperialism's Freedom Ride
Website of the Day
Tony Benn's Greatest Hits
Recent
Stories
August 13, 2003
Joanne Mariner
A Wall of Separation Through the
Heart
Donald Worster
The Heavy Cost of Empire
Standard Schaefer
Experimental Casinos: DARPA and the War Economy
Elaine Cassel
Murderous Errors: Executing the Innocent
Ralph Nader
Make the Recall Count
Alexander Cockburn
Ted Honderich Hit with "Anti-Semitism" Slur
Website of the Day
Defending Yourself Against DirectTV Lawsuits: 9000 and Counting
August 12, 2003
William Blum
Myth
and Denial in the War on Terrorism
Ron Jacobs
Revisionist History: the Bush Administration, Civil Rights and
Iraq
Josh Frank
Dean's Constitutional Hang-Up
Wayne Madsen
What's a Fifth Columnist? Well, Someone Like Hitchens
Ray McGovern
Relax,
It Was All a Pack of Lies
Wendy Brinker
Hubris in the White House
Website of the Day
Black
Mustache
August
11, 2003
Douglas
Valentine
Homeland Security for Whom?
Mickey
Z.
Bush's Progress
Bill
Glahn
RIAA Watch: Meet the New Bitch, Same
as the Old
Elaine
Cassel
Indicting DNA
Dr. Mohammad
Omar Farooq
Civil Liberties and Uncivil Super-Patriotism
Uri
Avnery
Who Will Save Abu Mazen?
Website
of the Day
RIAA Subpoena Clearinghouse
August
9 / 10, 2003
Alexander
Cockburn
California's Glorious Recall!
Saul
Landau
Bush and King Henry
Gary
Leupp
On Terrorism, Methodism, "Wahhabism"
and the Censored 9/11 Report
Paul de
Rooij
The Parade of the Body Bags
Michael
Egan
History and the Tragedy of American Diplomacy
Rob Eshelman
A Home of Our Own
Daoud
Kuttab
Life as an ID Card
Philip
Agee
Terror and Civil Society: Instruments of US Policy in Cuba
Jeffrey
St. Clair
Marc Racicot: Bush's Main Man
Walt Brasch
Schwarzenegger, "Hollyweird"
and the Rigtheous Right
Christopher
Brauchli
Bush, Bribery and Berlusconi
Josh Frank
Mean, Mean Howard Dean
Elaine
Cassel
Will the Death Penalty Ever Die?
Sean Carter
Total Recall
Poets'
Basement
Hamod, Engel, Albert
August
8, 2003
John
Chuckman
What the US Says Goes
Roberto
Barreto
Defend the Vieques 12!
Bruce Gagnon
Iraq War Emboldens Bush Space Plans
Elaine
Cassel
The Reign of John Ashcroft
Dave
Lindorff
Snoops Night Out
Website
of the Day
Zero Boy
August
7, 2003
M.
Shahid Alam
It the US a "Terrorist Magnet?"
Toni
Solo
Neo-liberal Nicaragua: a New Banana
Republic
Adam Lebowitz
Hiroshima Commemorated: the View from Japan
Hanan
Ashrawi
When the Bully Whines
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
Conscience Takes a Holiday
Jason
Leopold
Wolfowitz Lets Slip: Iraq Not Behind 9/11; No Ties to Al-Qaeda
Mike Kimaid
What's the Score?
Elaine
Cassel
The Smell of VICTORY: Ashcroft's Latest Stinkbomb
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
August 6, 2003
Steve
Higgs
Going to Jail for the Cause: It's Not
Easy Confronting King Coal
David
Krieger
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Robert
Fisk
The Ghosts of Uday and Qusay
Christopher
Brauchli
Bush's War on the National Forests
Elaine
Cassel
No Fly Lists
Stan
Goff
Military Equipment and Pneumonia
Hugh Sansom
An Open Letter to Nicholas Kristof on the Nuking of Japan
August
5, 2003
Uri
Avnery
The Prisoner of Ramallah: Arafat at
74
Forrest
Hylton
Terrorism and Political Trials: the
View from Bolivia
Ray
McGovern
"We Cook Estimates to Go"
David
Morse
Poindexter's Gambit
Edward
Said
Orientallism: 25 Years Later
George
W. Bush
My Darn Good Resumé
Hammond
Guthrie
It's Incremental, Watson!
Website
of the Day
National Prayer Day
August 4, 2003
Bruce
K. Gagnon
Another Peace Activist Detained by
Airport Cops: My Story
David
Lindorff
Fear-Mongering About Social Security
Mark
Zepezauer
George F. Will: Descent into Self-Parody
James
Plummer
Tracking You Through the Mail
Mickey
Z.
Marriage Insecurity from Sharon to Bush
Bruce
Jackson
News that Isn't News: How the NYT's
Pimps for the White House
August
2 / 3, 2003
Tamara
R. Piety
Nike's Full Court Press Breaks Down
Francis
Boyle
My Alma Mater, the University of Chicago, is a Moral Cesspool
David
Vest
Sons of Paleface: Pictures from Death's Other Side
Neve Gordon
Nightlife in Jerusalem
Uri
Avnery
Their Master's Voice:
Bush, Blair and Intelligence Snafus
Robert
Fisk
Paternalistic Democracy for Iraq
Jerry
Kroth
Israel, Yellowcake and the Media
Noah Leavitt
What's Driving the Liberian Bloodbath: Is the US Obligated to
Intervene?
Saul
Landau
The Film Industry: Business and Ideology
Ron Jacobs
One Big Prison Yard: the Meaning of George Jackson
Thomas
Croft
In the Deep, Deep Rough: Reflections on Augusta
Amadi Ajamu
Def Sham: Russell Simmons New Black Leader?
Poets'
Basement
Vega, Witherup, Albert and Fleming
August
1, 2003
Joanne
Mariner
Stopping Prison Rape
Alex Coolman
Who Moved My Soap: Trivializing
Prison Rape
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Stan Goff
Injury and Decorum: The Missing Wounded in Iraq
Wayne
Madsen
Europe Unplugs from the Matrix
Robert
Fisk
Wolfowitz the Censor
Elaine
Cassel
Ashcroft Loses Big in Puerto Rico
Website
of the Day
Stop Prisoner Rape
July
31, 2003
Ray
McGovern
The Prostitution of Intelligence
Brian
Cloughley
Wolfowitz's Operative Statement
Sheldon
Hull
The RIAA's Jihad:
The Devil's Music (Industry)
Elaine
Cassel
The Next Time You Crack a Lawyer Joke, Think of These Attorneys
Sheldon
Rampton
and John Stauber
True Lies: Propaganda and Bush's
Wars
Hammond
Guthrie
Speculation Blues
Website
of the Day
Army of One?
Congratulations
to CounterPuncher Gilad Atzmon! BBC Names EXILE Top Jazz CD
July
30, 2003
David
Lindorff
Poindexter the Terror Bookie
Marjorie
Cohn
Why Iraq and Afghanistan? It's About
the Oil
Elaine
Cassel
How Ashcroft Coerces Guilty Pleas
in Terror Cases
Zvi
Bar'el
The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War
Lisa Walsh
Thomas
Killing Mustafa Hussein: Death of a Child, Birth of a Legend?
Sean
Carter
Pat Robertson's Prayer Jihad: God, Sodomy and the Supremes
ND Jayaprakash
India and Ariel Sharon
Steve
Perry
Bush's Top 40 Lies
Standard
Schaefer
Correction about Bloomberg and Outscourcing
Website
of the Day
Bring Them Home Now!
Hot Stories
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Elaine
Cassel
Civil Liberties
Watch
Michel
Guerrin
Embedded Photographer Says: "I
Saw Marines Kill Civilians"
Uzma
Aslam Khan
The Unbearably Grim Aftermath of War:
What America Says Does Not Go
Paul de Rooij
Arrogant
Propaganda
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click Here
for More Stories.
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August
16, 2003
"Unusual Events"
at Nuke Power Plants
A
Timeline for August 14, 2003
By DON MONIAK
August 14, 2003 was an historic day for the nuclear
power industry, as nine nuclear reactors at seven power plants
in New York, Ohio, Michigan, and New Jersey were forced to shut
down during largest and most severe electricity blackout in U.S.
history.
While the rest of the world described
the blackout as a massive power failure, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC), in perhaps its most classic understatement
to date, termed the widespread loss of power as "instabilities"
in the electrical transmission grid, while assuring people that
All plants are in a safe condition, using their emergency diesel
generators where appropriate.(1).
The Commission elaborated on the issue
Friday, stating that "Safety systems at all the shut-down
plants operated successfully, and plants stabilized in a safe
shut-down condition. Adequate safety was maintained at all times."
All seven plants issued an "unusual"
event report, which the Commission described as "the lowest
of four classes of emergency, and means an incident is in process
or has occurred indicating a potential degradation of plant safety.
No releases of radioactive material requiring off-site response
or monitoring have occurred or are expected."
The Commission neglected to mention that
had the unexpected occurred, and a full-blown higher-level emergency
developed, the emergency sirens were not working at most plants--meaning
that a safety system was not operating correctly. The Indian
Point NPP in New York also suffered additional complications.
This will not prevent the Commission from issuing glowering reports
that the plants successfully prevented a major catastrophe--which
in the nuclear industry is the primary standard for "safe"
conditions.
Following is the timeline of events as
published by the NRC in its "Event Notification Report for
August 15, 2003." All times are Eastern Daylight Time, and
indicate time of report, not of actual event--in general a 30-60
minute difference.
09:10 The Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant
(NPP) in Wisconsin, which did not suffer any outages, did report
that, "all 13 Kewaunee County sirens had a communications
problem that rendered them out of service. The percent siren
coverage population lost is 68.52%."
16:33: The Perry NPP in Ohio declared
an emergency unusual event, stating: "Automatic reactor
scram due to a loss of offsite power. All [control] rods fully
inserted. Supplying power to vital buses via emergency diesel
generators. All system operating properly."
16:39 to 16:50: The infamous Indian Point
NPP in New York reported its two reactors having suffered an
"Automatic reactor scram due to a loss of offsite power.
All rods fully inserted. Supplying power to vital buses via emergency
diesel generators. All systems operating properly." The
event was later updated, with a declaration that "RPS Actuation
(loss of flow) due to loss of site ' power. Auto actuation of
AFW in response to the unit trips. Auto Start and Load of Emergency
diesel generators in response to the loss of off-site power."
16:46: The Ginna NPP in Upstate New York
reported an "Automatic reactor trip due to a loss of offsite
power. All rods fully inserted into the core. All emergency systems
operated as expected."
16:54: Davis Besse NPP in Ohio, which
is shut down due to numerous safety problems, declared an unusual
event due to loss of offsite power, stating " All systems
operated as expected. Decay Heat pumps are available if needed."
17:10: The Palisades NPP in Michigan
reported that, "At 1607 EDT a significant electrical power
grid disturbance occurred resulting in a momentary drop in voltage
at the site, including both 2400 VAC safety busses 1C and 1D.
The reduced voltage on the 2400VAC safety busses caused both
emergency diesel generators to auto start, but not load. The
plant is stable at pre-event conditions."
17:15: The Nine-mile NPP, Reactor 1,
in Upstate New York reported "Automatic reactor scram due
to a loss of offsite power. All rods fully inserted into the
core. All emergency core cooling systems are operating properly
and the emergency diesel generators are operating properly."
17:17: The FitzPatrick NPP in New York
reported, "Automatic reactor scram due to a loss of offsite
power. All rods fully inserted into the core. All emergency core
cooling systems and the emergency diesel generators are operating
properly."
17:34: The Nine-mile NPP, Reactor 2,
in Upstate New York reported, "The plant lost off site power
due to grid disturbance which resulted in a reactor trip from
100% power. The NOUE was declared because of loss of off site
power was greater than 15 minutes."
18:16: The Oyster Creek NPP in New Jersey
reported a "Reactor scram from 100% due to off site electrical
grid instability, but did not lose off site power. Reactor conditions
at 1730 are normal reactor water level, reactor pressure 850-1000psig,
MSIV's closed and all recirc pumps are off and reactor is in
hot shutdown with all rods inserted."
18:49: Indian Point NPP reported that
"Emergency sirens lost in four counties due to a loss of
power. At approximately 1830 hours power starting to be returned
to the sirens." 20:07 Ginna NPP updated its situation,
stating that it "Received grid disturbance that caused reactor
trip at 1611. The trip occurred due to over temperature delta
set point being reached from load swings experienced on the
generator. Subsequently in the recovery process, the Auxiliary
Feedwater Pumps auto started from a signal from the Main Feedwater
Pumps being secured. As a result of grid problems it was noted
that Ginna did not meet the required number of emergency sirens
(greater than 25% of sirens without power).
20:08. The Fermi NPP in Michigan reported,
"The reactor scrammed from 100% power due to fluctuations
occurring on the main generator and a loss of off site power.
All rods fully inserted and all MSIV's closed. Reactor level
is being maintained in the normal band of 173 to 214 inches using
RCIC. Reactor pressure is being controlled via SRV's in lo-lo
set mode between 905 and 1017 psig. Isolations occurred as expected
for level 2 and level 3. HPCI and RCIC started on level 2 signal."
21:08 Ginna NPP "exited" the
unusual event condition after restoration of off-site power.
23:40: More problems emerged at Indian
Point NPP Unit 3, which reported, "RPS Actuation (loss of
flow) due to loss of offsite power. Auto actuation of AFW in
response to the unit trips. Auto start & load of Emergency
Diesel Generators in response to the loss of offsite power. Unit
3 also experienced a second AFW auto start during the event.
Unit 3 also entered Tech Spec LCO 3.0.3 for loss of two offsite
circuits and one EDG inoperable. #31 EDG was declared inoperable
when its associated Fuel oil storage tank inventory decreased
below required."
August 15, 2003
00:35: Fitzpatrick NPP reported that,
"Reactor vessel pressure is 93 psig. Plant electrical loads
have been shifted back to offsite power and the EDGs were secured.
The licensee exited the Unusual Event at 0039. The licensee tentatively
plans to remain shutdown for a brief period to do some maintenance
work."
01:45. Nine Mile NPP units "exited"
unusual event status when power was restored.
02:10 Indian Point "exited"
the unusual event "upon confirmation of a stable off-site
power."
[1] NRC News Release. August 14, 2003.
The plants were:
Indian Point 2 and 3 (in New York)
Perry (in Ohio)
Fermi (in Michigan)
Ginna (in New York)
FitzPatrick (in New York)
Oyster Creek (in N.J.)
Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 (in New York)
Davis-Besse, Ohio. (already in shut down for "other reasons)
Don Moniak
is an anti-nuke organizer living in Aiken, South Carolina. He
can be reached at: donmoniak@bellsouth.net
Weekend
Edition Features for August 9 / 10, 2003
Alexander
Cockburn
California's Glorious Recall!
Saul
Landau
Bush and King Henry
Gary
Leupp
On Terrorism, Methodism, "Wahhabism"
and the Censored 9/11 Report
Paul de
Rooij
The Parade of the Body Bags
Michael
Egan
History and the Tragedy of American Diplomacy
Rob Eshelman
A Home of Our Own
Daoud
Kuttab
Life as an ID Card
Philip
Agee
Terror and Civil Society: Instruments of US Policy in Cuba
Jeffrey
St. Clair
Marc Racicot: Bush's Main Man
Walt Brasch
Schwarzenegger, "Hollyweird"
and the Rigtheous Right
Christopher
Brauchli
Bush, Bribery and Berlusconi
Josh Frank
Mean, Mean Howard Dean
Elaine
Cassel
Will the Death Penalty Ever Die?
Sean Carter
Total Recall
Poets'
Basement
Hamod, Engel, Albert
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