The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and the earthquake that forced the North Anna, VA, nuclear power plant's temporary shutdown have focused attention on the seismic criteria applied to siting and designing commercial nuclear power plants. Some Members of Congress have questioned whether U.S nuclear plants are more vulnerable to seismic threats than previously assessed, particularly given the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) ongoing reassessment of seismic risks at certain plant sites. The design and operation of commercial nuclear power plants operating in the United States vary considerably because most were custom-designed and custom-built. Boiling water reactors (BWRs) directly generate steam inside the reactor vessel. Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) use heat exchangers to convert the heat generated by the reactor core into steam outside of the reactor vessel. U.S. utilities currently operate 104 nuclear power reactors at 65 sites in 31 states; 69 are PWR designs and the 35 are BWR designs. One of the most severe operating conditions a reactor may face is a loss of coolant accident (LOCA), which can lead to a reactor core meltdown. The emergency core cooling system (ECCS) provides core cooling to minimize fuel damage by injecting large amounts of cool water containing boron (borated water slows the fission process) into the reactor coolant system following a pipe rupture or other water loss. The ECCS must be sized to provide adequate makeup water to compensate for a break of the largest diameter pipe in the primary system (i.e., the socalled "double-ended guillotine break" (DEGB)). The NRC considers the DEGB to be an extremely unlikely event; however, even unlikely events can occur, as the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Fukushima Daiichi proves. U.S. nuclear power plants designed in the 1960s and 1970s used a deterministic statistical approach to addressing the risk of damage from shaking caused by a large earthquake (termed Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysis, or DSHA). Since then, engineers have adopted a more comprehensive approach to design known as Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA). PSHA estimates the likelihood that various levels of ground motion will be exceeded at a given location in a given future time period. New nuclear plant designs will apply PSHA. In 2008, the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) updated the National Seismic Hazard Maps (NSHM) that were last revised in 2002. USGS notes that the 2008 hazard maps differ significantly from the 2002 maps in many parts of the United States, and generally show 10%-15% reductions in spectral and peak ground acceleration across much of the Central and Eastern United States (CEUS), and about 10% reductions for spectral and peak horizontal ground acceleration in the Western United States (WUS). Spectral acceleration refers to ground motion over a range, or spectra, of frequencies. Seismic hazards are greatest in the WUS, particularly in California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. In 2010, the NRC examined the implications of the updated NSHM for nuclear power plants operating in the CEUS, and concluded that NSHM data suggest that the probability for earthquake ground motions may be above the seismic design basis for some nuclear plants in the CEUS. In late March 2011, NRC announced that it had identified 27 nuclear reactors operating in the CEUS that would receive priority earthquake safety reviews.

This safety evaluation report (SER) documents the technical review of U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) Aircraft Impact Assessment (AIA) application by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff.

This EIS includes the analysis by the NRC and Corps staff that considers and weighs the environmental impacts of building and operating two new nuclear units at the CPNPP site and at alternative sites, and mitigation measures available for reducing or avoiding adverse impacts.

This supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) documents the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff's analysis and conclusions regarding the environmental impacts of constructing and operating two new nuclear units (Units 3 and 4) at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) site near Waynesboro, Georgia, and the mitigation measures available for reducing or avoiding adverse environmental impacts.

One of the challenges Gen. John P. Jumper, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, sends to Air Force students, researchers, and staff offices is to investigate future concepts of operations (CONOPS). One in particular relates to this study, the CONOPS for space and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The Air Force is very sensitive about incorporating new technology into its operations. While the authors advocate a feasibility study for reactor sin space in a CONOPS, they also explore a deeper problem with widespread theoretical employment of nuclear technology in space. They point first to the mission enabling advantages of nuclear reactors in space - factors like light weight, high power, long life, and potentially lower costs. A reactor would supply electrical power to a space vehicle and perhaps provide ionic or electrical propulsion. They see that nuclear-powered spacecraft would serve long-range National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions as well as permit effective hyperspectral satellites that would have profound benefits for the Department of Defense. The limiting factors for nuclear power in space are a compelling mission requirement and broad acceptance in popular support. The first factor is rather obvious but the second is driven by a broad-based fear of risks in the employment of nuclear technology. Many have general doubts about such an undertaking. Some opponents perceive cataclysmic dangers. A failure of space launch carrying nuclear systems would produce something on the order of a "dirty" nuclear bomb. Opponents are rigorous in their protest. Two things were clear to these researchers. One, nuclear space developers must convince the public that they are capable of developing a safe and robust system. Two, because the political battle is primarily over perceived risks rather than empirically based understanding, employment of value-focused decision strategy is necessary to convince the public and congressional leaders of the feasibility of a space nuclear program.

The NASA History Program was first established in 1959 (a year after NASA itself was formed) and has continued to document and preserve the agency's remarkable history through a variety of products. The NASA History Division serves two key functions: fulfilling the mandate of the 1958 "Space Act" calling for NASA to disseminate aerospace information as widely as possible, and helping NASA managers understand and thus benefit from the study of past accomplishment and difficulties. NASA publishes documents on topics such as: Documentary History, Memoirs, Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, and many more. This is one of those documents.

as this paper goes to press, Iran has just come through its longanticipated presidential election. despite predictions of a victory for a well-known clerical "moderate," former president and expediency council head akhbar hashemi-rafsanjani, the winner was the hard-line conservative mayor of tehran, Mahmoud ahmadinejad, a relative unknown. the terms hard-liner and conservative are used virtually interchangeably by many inside and outside Iran; they are relative terms, since there are no political parties in Iran, with their meaning dependent on context and issue. the election consolidated control of all branches of the Iranian government-legislative, executive, and judicial-in conservative hands. It also brought to the presidency for the first time in the republic's history a non-cleric who ran a populist-style campaign attacking corruption and non-Islamic practices that had crept into government since the death of the ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NCR) 2011-2012 Information Digest provides a summary of information about the NRC and the industry it regulates. It describes the agency's regulatory responsibilities and licensing activities and also provides general information on nuclear-related topics.

At present, different concentrating solar thermal technologies (CST) have reached varying degrees of commercial availability. This emerging nature of CST means that there are market and technical impediments to accelerating its acceptance, including cost competitiveness, an understanding of technology capability and limitations, intermittency, and benefits of electricity storage. Many developed and some developing countries are currently working to address these barriers in order to scale up CST-based power generation. Given the considerable growth of CST development in several World Bank Group partner countries, there is a need to assess the recent experience of developed countries in designing and implementing regulatory frameworks and draw lesson that could facilitate the deployment of CST technologies in developing countries. Merely replicating developed countries' schemes in the context of a developing country may not generate the desired outcomes. Against this background, this report (a) analyzes and draws lessons from the efforts of some developed countries and adapts them to the characteristics of developing economies; (b) assesses the cost reduction potential and economic and financial affordability of various CST technologies in emerging markets; (c) evaluates the potential for cost reduction and associated economic benefits derived from local manufacturing; and (d) suggests ways to tailor bidding models and practices, bid selection criteria, and structures for power purchase agreements (PPAs) for CST projects in developing market conditions.|Security sector reform (SSR) is widely recognized as key to conflict prevention, peace-building, sustainable development, and democratization. SSR has gained most practical relevance in the context of post-conflict reconstruction of so-called ""failed states'"" and states emerging from violent internal or inter-state conflict. As this volume shows, almost all states need to reform their security sectors to a greater or lesser extent, according to the specific security, political and socio-economic contexts, as well as in response to the new security challenges resulting from globalization and post-9/11 developments. Alan Bryden is a researcher at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces. Heiner Hnggi is assistant director of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.

This book describes how the effects of nature's own nuclear reactors have shaped the Earth, the Solar System, the Universe, and the history of life as we know it. It focuses on observed effects that are poorly explained by our standard theories, identifies certain errors in those theories, and shows how these effects are caused by natural nuclear fission reactors. The theory of Plate Tectonics is wrong, and it is shown that expansion of the Earth causes continental drift. A physically reasonable mechanism is proposed for expansion and observational data are presented to show that this occurs. Evolution is explained as punctuated equilibrium, with mutations caused by abrupt surges of radiation, and related life forms that have been interpreted as seperate species are actually the result of radiation injury. This view is particularly effective as applied to humans. The ability of the dinosaurs to live so large is explained by use of Earth Expansion and a more massive atmosphere to provide buoyancy and effective transpiration of oxygen. These effects also explain how pterodactyls and ancient birds could fly. Expansion induced by impacts at the end of the Cretaceous caused the atmosphere to thin and the dinosaurs collapsed. Analysis of geological and biological data supports this. The astronomical distance scale is shown to be wrong, based on the misconception that trigonometric parallax is an absolute measurement. It isn't, and the method is led astray by the overwhelming number of asteroidal fragments masquerading as stars. The measurements of an expanding Universe are shown to be in error, and an expanding Universe is not needed by an alternative interpretation of Einstein's equations. This interpretation is based on the equal creation of matter and antimatter, which is known to occur. Spiral galaxies are not vast Island Universes of stars as we have thought, but are shown to be the strewn fields of debris from the nuclear fission detonation of distant planets.The Universe is not made up of 96% Dark Matter and Dark Energy, but is instead very ordinary. Abundant evidence and references provide support for all these interpretations. This book opens new opportunities for research by correcting several fundamental errors in our concepts of the Earth, Life, and the Universe.

This report provides technical details applicable to access control methods and technologies commonly used to protect facilities licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It contains information on the application, use, function, installation, maintenance, and testing parameters for access control and search equipment and the implementation of protective measures that support access control. This information is intended to assist licensees in designing, installing, employing, and maintaining access control systems at their facilities.

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is a fast reactor system developed at Argonne National Laboratory in the decade 1984 to 1994. The IFR project developed the technology for a complete system; the reactor, the entire fuel cycle and the waste management technologies were all included in the development program. The reactor concept had important features and characteristics that were completely new and fuel cycle and waste management technologies that were entirely new developments. The reactor is a "fast" reactor - that is, the chain reaction is maintained by "fast" neutrons with high energy - which produces its own fuel. The IFR reactor and associated fuel cycle is a closed system. Electrical power is generated, new fissile fuel is produced to replace the fuel burned, its used fuel is processed for recycling by pyroprocessing - a new development - and waste is put in final form for disposal. All this is done on one self-sufficient site. The scale and duration of the project and its funding made it the largest nuclear energy R and D program of its day. Its purpose was the development of a long term massive new energy source, capable of meeting the nation's electrical energy needs in any amount, and for as long as it is needed, forever, if necessary. Safety, non-proliferation and waste toxicity properties were improved as well, these three the characteristics most commonly cited in opposition to nuclear power. Development proceeded from success to success. Most of the development had been done when the program was abruptly cancelled by the newly elected Clinton Administration. In his 1994 State of the Union address the president stated that "unnecessary programs in advanced reactor development will be terminated." The IFR was that program. This book gives the real story of the IFR, written by the two nuclear scientists who were most deeply involved in its conception, the development of its R and D program, and its management. Between the scientific and engineering papers and reports, and books on the IFR, and the non-technical and often impassioned dialogue that continues to this day on fast reactor technology, we felt there is room for a volume that, while accurate technically, is written in a manner accessible to the non-specialist and even to the non-technical reader who simply wants to know what this technology is.

Takashi Hirose wrote this book in a heat of passion mixed with terrible sadness in the weeks following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. But he is far from a newcomer to this field; he has been writing books and articles warning of the terrible dangers of nuclear power since the early 1980s. In this book, which was a best seller in Japan, he not only describes the comic-if-not-so-tragic series of fumbling errors that lead to the meltdown at Fukushima, but also makes clear the absurdity of putting nuclear power plants anywhere on the earthquake and volcano prone Japanese archipelago - and by extension, anywhere in the world. This is the first translation into English of any book by this authoritative critic of nuclear power.

This "Technical Evaluation Report on the Content of the U.S. Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain License Application; Administrative and Programmatic Volume" (TER Administrative and Programmatic Volume) presents information on the NRC staff's review of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Safety Analysis Report (SAR), provided on June 3, 2008, as updated on February 19, 2009. The NRC staff also reviewed information DOE provided in response to NRC staff requests for additional information and other information that DOE provided related to the SAR. In particular, this report provides information on the NRC staff's evaluation of DOE's proposed administrative and programmatic activities regarding the following: * Research and Development Program to resolve safety questions; * Performance Confirmation Program; * Quality Assurance Program; * Records, reports, tests, and inspections; * DOE organizational structure; * Key positions assigned responsibility for safety and operations; * Personnel qualifications and training; * Plans for startup activities and testing; * Plans for conduct of normal activities; * Emergency planning; * Controls to restrict access and regulate land uses; and * Uses of geologic repository operations area for purposes other than disposal of radioactive wastes.

Public Meltdown describes the public debate around re-licensing the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant in Vermont. The plant's initial 40-year license expires in March 2012, and the plant's owner, the Louisiana-based Entergy Corporation requested permission to extend the license for another twenty years. This book describes the debate and ensuing "public meltdown" as plant owners announced leaking tritium and misleading comments.

This document is a supplemental safety evaluation report (SSER) for the license renewal application for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 2 and 3 (IP2 and IP3) as filed by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

This short history of nuclear regulation provides a brief over-view of the most significant events in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's past. Space limitations prevent discussion of all the important occurrences, and even the subjects that are included cannot be covered in full detail. The first chapter of this account is taken from George T. Mazuzan and J. Samuel Walker, Controlling the Atom: The Beginnings of Nuclear Regulation, 1946-1962 (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1984). The second chapter is largely based on J. Samuel Walker, Containing the Atom: Nuclear Regulation in a Changing Environment, 1963-1971 (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1992). The third chapter is adopted in significant part from J. Samuel Walker, Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 2004). The findings and conclusions on events that occurred after 1979 should be regarded as preliminary and tentative; they are not based on extensive research in primary sources.

To achieve energy security and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction objectives, the United States must develop clean, affordable, domestic energy sources as quickly as possible. Nuclear power will continue to be a key component of a portfolio of technologies that meets our energy goals. This book provides a roadmap for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) research, development and demonstration activities that will ensure nuclear energy remains a viable energy option for the United States.

This report provides information about designing, installing, testing, maintaining, and monitoring intrusion detection systems (IDSs) and subsystems used for the protection of facilities licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Do You Know? T. Boone Pickens is investing $10 billion in the biggest wind farm in the world, in Texas? Why not put that money into the nuclear power industry, which is lobbying for UNLIMITED corporate welfare government subsidies that are claimed to be necessary to build ANY new nuclear plants none of which could be online until 2015 at the earliest? The DNA from genetically modified organisms (GMO s), including viruses and other species normally alien to our bodies, has already entered our vital organs, and the bacteria in our intestines, though this was not supposed to happen as a result of the gene-alteration of our foods? One controlled study found that rats fed GMO potatoes developed smaller brains, testicles and livers, as compared to rats fed the unaltered parent line of the very same potatoes. Beware, half USA non-organic sugar may be GMO by 2008 if not stopped by labeling or angry consumers. Italy wants to dump 20,000 tons of its nuclear waste into the USA, with the help of the EnergySolutions corporation? This could be the first big step in making the USA the world s dumping ground for all the world s nuclear waste. Although most Tennesseans don t know it (yet) five landfills in their state are readied now to accept radioactive waste, much of it not to be monitored as it should be. Such waste can enter our industrial and food chains, concentrating in our bra-clips and zippers, for example, while also possibly causing cancer, abortions, mutations, etc., for thousands and millions of years. No safe technique to contain radioactive waste has yet been scientifically devised. The U.S. is about to start an arms race in space, under the cover of Missile Defense Nuclear weapons and nuclear powered launch vehicles could be included in our violation of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 which the USA primarily authored after the Soviet Union fired Sputnik, the first manmade satellite, into Earthly orbit. 163 nations formally reaffirmed opposition to weaponizing space on November 20, 2000. Weapons are now the USA s #1 industrial export, while defense consumes half of USA federal budget ($3 trillion) during economic crisis.

The news out of Abu Dhabi on Dec. 27, 2009 was the direct motivation to write this book. South Korean consortium has just won the largest single nuclear power plant construction project in recent years to deliver four state-of-the-art Generation III pressurized water reactors to the United Arab Emirates. This book will bring to life the agonizing process of pursuing peaceful nuclear energy in South Korea during the last half-century for the "Atoms for Peace" dream from a poor developing country. Particular focus is placed on the localization process of nuclear power technology since 1980 from an insider's view. This case study on the Korean nuclear power technology could shed some light for other nations as they enter the brave new world of nuclear renaissance. Once on the Silk Road countries like China, India, UAE and Turkey show the most active nuclear power programs together with Japan and Korea today. After all, history repeats itself as new technologies transfer through the Nuclear Silk Road, crossing civilizations.