Washington- The ranks of workers who make sure the nation's nuclear
power plants are operating safely are spread thin, in part because of the
problems at the Davis-Besse nuclear reactor.
Basic reactor inspections are still being conducted partly by using
private contractors, Cynthia Carpenter, deputy director of inspection
program management at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told agency
commissioners on Thursday.
However, a report from the NRC staff shows that inspectors have cut
some procedures to a bare minimum allowed under NRC rules.
If done year after year, these "coping strategies" could "erode the
staff's ability" to identify possible problems at nuclear power plants,
said the April 21 report from William Travers, NRC executive director for
operations.
The NRC staff insists that safety is not being compromised and that the
staffing problems are temporary, caused by unanticipated events like the
one at Davis-Besse.
But at the meeting Thursday, held to discuss agency oversight issues,
several commissioners said they were concerned. Commissioner Greta Dicus
said she worries that the agency is "robbing Peter to pay Paul."
Workers at Davis-Besse, near Toledo, last year discovered a large hole
in the reactor's carbon-steel lid, leaving only a thin, cracked liner to
protect the reactor. The hole was caused by corrosion from a boric acid
leak that went undetected by NRC inspectors for years.
With repairs under way and the plant under intensive scrutiny before it
can restart, the NRC has sent extra staff members to the plant.
When the plant restarts - no date has been set - Davis-Besse will have
three NRC inspectors on site for two years, said James Dyer, director of
the agency's Chicago region. In the past, Davis-Besse has had as few as
one.
The agency decided several years ago to cut back on the number of
inspectors at each nuclear power plant and to borrow others from regional
offices when needed. But job transfers and promotions from regional
offices to headquarters have created vacancies in the regions.
In addition, staff members were borrowed to deal with security matters
after Sept. 11, 2001, Carpenter said.
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