The following was posted in the euy2k.com forum today. The NRC needs to hear from you, and quickly. If you live anywhere near a nuclear facility, you really need to educate yourself on the Y2K issues, then give the NRC some feedback ASAP.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has posted four "requests for public comment" in the past few weeks. I strongly encourage you to read all four, and provide your reasoned input. In fact, if you don't have enough time in the day to post here *and* provide a response to the NRC (pro or con,it matters not to me) I would certainly prefer that you use your time to write a letter to the NRC (make sure you follow the directions in the "requests for comment" explicitly).

Any letter that you write need not be long. In fact, the shorter the better. Whatever position you support, I would recommend that you say *why* you support your particular position. If you have a technical background, and can provide a technical basis for your views, so much the better!

I assure you, your comments will make a difference. You only need to review the public comments to NRC Draft Generic Letter 98-01, and then look at the final version of GL 98-01 to see the difference that public input made. Take this opportunity to make your voice heard.

Here's links to each of the comment requests:

1. NRC Contingency Plan, comments due 2/15/1999
2. Petition for rulemaking: Y2k Shutdown of Nuclear Facilities, comments due 2/24/1999
3. Petition for rulemaking: Y2k Emergency Planning, comments due 2/24/1999
4. Petition for rulemaking: Y2k Availability of Backup Power, comments due 2/24/1999

-- Dan Webster (cant@spamme.com), February 07, 1999

Answers

Dan, This post deserves forum participation. Many thanks.

-- Watchful (seethesea@msn.com), February 07, 1999.

As I read it, the NRC is trying to relax some of it's rules and allow some "creative" decision making on 1/1/2000. The purpose is to lessen the chance of the regional or total nationwide electric grid going down.

The Nuclear Information and Resource Service is asking for specific regulations that will shut down plants that cannot prove compliance in three separate areas:

1. That every microprocessor, computer and software component has been tested individually and end to end as a whole, with all test results made public and verified by outside sources.

2. That each facility conduct a full scale practise exercise, approved by the NRC, to test the failure of one or more control and/or safety systems due to Y2K.

3. That each facility be able to prove that it's backup power systems will be functional, can provide all the A/C current needed to run the plant safely, and that each facility have on hand 60 days supply of fuel.

All of these must be proven by 12-1-99 or the NRC would require the non compliant plant to shut down until such proof is provided.

Given the state of remediation, #1 will probably shut down every nuclear plant in the country. At least it would get us past the summer peak season.

These are hard decisions, folks. Loss of the nuclear component significantly increases the chances of the national grid going down, causing significant economic loss and probable deaths. A serious nuclear incident could also involve significant loss of life.

The NRC is asking for our comments. I suggest we provide them.

-- Jon Williamson (pssomerville@sprintmail.com), February 07, 1999.