Tuesday, May 10, 2011
 
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IEMA assures lawmakers of safety of Illinois' nuclear power plants

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[May 10, 2011]  SPRINGFIELD -- Japan's nuclear crisis from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has caused global concerns, which have washed onto U.S. shores.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency on Thursday assured lawmakers that the nuclear power plants in the state are safe and well-prepared for the unthinkable.

In testimony Thursday morning before a Senate Energy Committee hearing, IEMA Director Jonathon Monken said the state has the "most comprehensive state-of-the-art nuclear safety program in the nation."

Susan Landahl, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Exelon Nuclear, owner of Illinois' six nuclear power plants, stressed the company's safe operations.

"It's understandable that many Americans are asking if the events in Japan impact us, whether they should be concerned about our own nuclear plants, and I'm here to assure you that ... I have full confidence that the Illinois nuclear plants are safe, as well as our other plants in the United States," Landahl said to the panel of senators.

Monken said the six nuclear plants in Illinois are being monitored around the clock for any abnormal level of radiation.

"We have a second redundant system of trained professional state nuclear reactor operators that are stationed in each of the six nuclear power stations," Monken said. "These resident inspectors report on their assigned plant each day, conducting independent inspections of critical safety equipment."

Monken said the state is prepared for an emergency response because IEMA is constantly conducting drills with other response agencies, and that all six plants each have a response plan.

"As I mentioned previously, data from the remote monitoring system is continuously transmitted to the REAC (Radiological Emergency Assessment Center)," Monken said. "During an emergency, professional IEMA reactor analysts and health physicists in REAC analyze information and develop protective action recommendation for the public."

State Sen. Iris Martinez, D-Chicago, was concerned about the status of the nuclear plants' infrastructure.

"Have we updated to keep us in par with other states or other countries that have possibilities of radiation?" said Martinez.

Monken assured the panel that the plants are continually undergoing updates.

"It's an ongoing process as far as the equipment that we have that are available to us as resources to address these types of issues," Monken said. "A lot of these systems, take for example the monitoring system that we have in a ring around of each plant, those sensors are actually designed and constructed by our personnel."

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The local nuclear plants generate more than 10 percent of the national total of electricity produced by nuclear power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nuclear plants have been in Illinois for about 50 years, and no dangerous incidents have been recorded, according to Mark Satorius, regional administrator for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"An incident is kind of a generic term, (but) how many actual events have we had that have necessitated evacuations? None," Satorius said.

Although very low-level iodine radiation from Japan recently has been detected in central and northern Illinois, Monken said it poses no health threat.

Not everyone is convinced that nuclear plants can be safe.

Linda Lewison with the alternative energy advocacy group Nuclear Energy Information Service said that instead of nuclear power plants, a focus needs to be put on more green energy.

According to its website, the Nuclear Energy Information Service is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization committed to ending nuclear power.

Lawmakers asked who would pay for the additional alternative energy if there were no nuclear plants.

"If you bring the subsidies in the cost of nuclear energy and the cost of other fossil fuel services, renewable energy looks much better," Lewison said. "In Illinois and other places, private sectors are taking the lead (in solar panels and wind manufacturers)."

[Illinois Statehouse News; By MARY J. CRISTOBAL]

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