 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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