The quote below is from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's contingency plan for Y2k, May 10, 1999. These have been substantially revised but the basic plan is still in place - wait to see what happens; if there's a problem on the 2000 rollover at a nuke plant, the staff can call the NRC Operations Center which will then determine, by something called "Enforcement Discretion", whether further action, including shutdown, needs to be taken.

"Attachment 1, p.v.

The NRC agrees with the comments that support staff should be provided in the NRC Operations Center to assist licensees in operability determinations, and also have the authority to grant enforcement discretion when appropriate. The NRC Operations Center will be staffed and ready to process any request from a licensee.

....As stated in the introduction of the contingency plan, it is not possible to be 100 percent certain that all potential problems will be found and corrected successfully when we pass from 1999tinto 2000. Therefore, the NRC is planning in advance, via the Contingency Plan and the Interim Enforcement Policy Regarding Enforcement Discretion, to develop procedures and guidelines to assist the staff and licensees during this transition period. These documents will provide guidance to the licensees, staff in the regional offices, and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation on the process for the NRC to exercise enforcement discretion with regard to Limiting Conditions for Operation(LCOs) in power reactor technical specifications or license conditions. It is prudent that the NRC proceeds with these plans for ensuring that public health and safety and the environment will contine to be protected, even if unforeseen Y2k problems occur."

Doesn't that make everyone feel safe and secure? nancy

-- Anonymous, October 14, 1999

Answers

Decisions, decisions!! I just can't make up my mind whether the NRC provides the greatest amount of warm fuzzies, or the fact that the computer whiz who destroyed the bios on my computer is the whiz that is doing all the remediation at one of our large hospitals. Seriously, I thought the NRC's mission was for public safety. That sure went by the wayside fast. I think they should all be shut down and brought up a few at a time in different areas of the country. If I understand it, they can do that the day or evening before roll over and wait a few hours and bring them up again. I suspect that if we hear of an "accident" in another country before roll over hits the east coast, there will be a scramble to shut them down and then bring back up. But then...that might be TOO sensible!!

Taz

-- Anonymous, October 14, 1999

I'm just glad that the nukes don't need any electricity to safely power themselves down, and that the deisel generators at the nukes have all been tested and are safe, and that our government is always straightforward and honest with us, and that...

-- Anonymous, October 14, 1999