http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/gmo/nrarcv/99-153.htm

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 22, 1999

Answers

[added bold emphasis mine]

No. 99-153

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Thursday, July 22, 1999)

NRC ISSUES INTERIM ENFORCEMENT POLICY ON Y2K

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved issuance of an interim enforcement policy that allows the use of "enforcement discretion" under certain circumstances for nuclear power plants during Y2K transition periods.

The interim policy describes the process for utilities seeking exercise of "enforcement discretion" from the NRC during primarily the December 31 - January 1 transition. This process would allow a plant to continue operation without being in compliance with its license conditions, only if there is a minimal potential impact on safety while continued plant operation is considered necessary to help maintain a reliable and stable electrical grid. The interim policy builds on the agency's existing policy on exercise of enforcement discretion to consider the unique aspects associated with the Y2K transition.

Enforcement discretion will only be exercised if the NRC is satisfied that the action is consistent with protecting public health and safety and is warranted in the circumstances presented by the utility.

Prior communication with NRC and approval to exercise enforcement discretion to allow continued plant operation in certain circumstances are required. Without this approval utilities are expected to take actions in conformance with their license requirements and applicable regulations. A communications loss between nuclear power plants and the NRC is unlikely given the communications contingency plans developed. However, if established communication channels are lost, utilities could use the satellite telephone that NRC resident inspectors will have at each plant site to contact the agency and obtain approval for enforcement discretion, if necessary.

All nuclear plants are expected to be Y2K ready prior to December 31. The interim enforcement policy is part of NRC's contingency planning for Y2K. A request for comments on the interim policy was announced in a June 14 press release. As part of NRC's Y2K contingency planning, the agency will have staff available at its Operations Center December 31 to respond to Y2K issues and requests for enforcement discretion.

The interim policy applies to three Y2K transition or rollover periods: December 31, 1999 through January 3, 2000; February 28, 2000 through March 1, 2000; and December 30, 2000 through January 1, 2001.

The full text of the interim policy will be published shortly in the Federal Register and will be available in the NRC's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC. It will also be available on NRC's Y2K web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NEWS/year2000.html.

The "Year 2000" or Y2K problem refers to computers' potential inability to recognize dates beginning with January 1, 2000, and beyond. It arises from computer programs that use two-digit numbers to represent a calendar year (such as "98" for 1998). For example, computer systems could read "00" as 1900, rather than 2000, potentially causing computer systems to malfunction. "Y2K ready" means that functions provided by computer systems will be carried out successfully with the coming of the Year 2000.

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-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 22, 1999.

Wonderful news, so the nukes will keep on keeping on, regardless of whether they are ready for 2000. Now, lets see, HOW MANY months does it take for those core thingys to cool down in the event that 2000 proves to be a disaster?

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), July 22, 1999.

I was told that the nukes would turn and burn regardless of their y2k probems way back last December. You see...The East coast is too dependant on them to shut them down. So now folks we get to play Russian roulett "Chernobol rules"

I just hope no one wants to make their day. (Dirty Harry's quip). Shakey

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), July 22, 1999.

for months, i,ve been begging bro. in-law to get out of mass. i,ve had a nagging premonition' that east & west coast.s are toast.

-- flame away. (dogs@zianet.com), July 23, 1999.

Shakey, good analogy... playing Russian roulett with "Chernobol rules."

The Y2K newz just ISN'T getting "better" the closer we get.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 23, 1999.

KOS: That tired old 'months to cool down' line is so played out I won't bother to correct you. Newbies, review archives.

Shakey: Chernobyl cannot happen in the US. Totally different design.

There ARE potential problems related to y2k. Nuclear plants are not one of them.

-- nucpwr (nucpwr@hotmail.com), July 23, 1999.

This is similar to what some of the other federal and state agencies are doing to encourage remediation and contingency plans prior to the rollover. I believe the EPA was the first to come out with this type of policy.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), July 23, 1999.

I doubt that Nuke plants will fail catastrophically.

On the other hand, we won't have to worry about the flashlights running out of batteries if we glow all on our own.

watch six and keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), July 23, 1999.

nucpwr, as a newbie who is struggling to get food, water, heat taken care of, I just don't have the time to adequately research this crucial issue. I actually have spent some time in the archives on this question and still have no definitive sense of things. Can't you just summarize for those of us who are trying to do everything and do it right *now*? It would be a great help! Thank you.

-- Newbie (newbie@now.com), July 24, 1999.

newbie,

asking nucpwr is similar to little red riding hood asking the wolf for safe directions to her grandmothers.

this same thread is running at www.euy2k.com. this is rick cowles forum on the electrical industry. there are many threads that address the nuclear issue and there is a wealth of information in both the current threads and the archives.

see my post to this same issue, originally posted to euy2k, listed below.

NRC ISSUES INTERIM ENFORCEMENT POLICY ON Y2K text: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved issuance of an interim enforcement policy that allows the use of "enforcement discretion" under certain circumstances for nuclear power plants during Y2K.

well, isn't this just ducky... allowing the fox into the chicken coop.

"enforcement discretion" doesn't that sound innocuous... i wonder how much they pay the guy that comes up with these euphemisms for allowing the licensees full sway with decisions critical to our well being?

text: The interim policy describes the process for utilities seeking exercise of "enforcement discretion" from the NRC would allow a plant to continue operation during primarily the December 31 - January 1 transition. This process without being in This process without being in compliance with its license conditions, only if there is a minimal potential impact on safety while continued plant operation is considered necessary to help maintain a reliable and stable electrical grid. The interim policy builds on the agency's existing policy on exercise of enforcement discretion to consider the unique aspectsassociated with the Y2K transition.

let's look at this statement first:

text: "would allow a plant to continue operation during primarily the December 31 - January 1 transition. This process without being in compliance with its license conditions, only if there is a minimal potential impact on safety"

now i thought that this, initially, meant that if something were to go awry at an already y2k 'ready' plant there would be a certain amount of slack regarding the normal regulations binding their activities.

now i am not so sure... does this mean that they do not have to achieve y2k 'readiness' to begin with? the phrasing is very nebulous, perhaps, purposefully so. and then, in the event they go into the rollover in a non y2k 'ready' state are they allowed to deviate even further?

now the next:

text: This process without being in compliance with its license conditions, only if there is a minimal potential impact on safety

now what are the guidelines? and to whom is ascribed the authority to determine what is a "minimal" potential impact on safety? and do all those that decide have they same 'rigid' standards? are there any 'cowboys' among the decision makers?

and this:

text: The interim policy builds on the agency's existing policy on exercise of enforcement discretion to consider the unique aspects associated with the Y2K transition.

ah, yes... the "unique" aspects associated with y2k. so unique no one knows what will happen. so not only do we allow the damn things to remain online, now, we allow them to operate in a much less safer fashion than they were required to before the "unique" aspects.

text: Enforcement discretion will only be exercised if the NRC is satisfied that the action is consistent with protecting public health and safety and is warranted in the circumstances presented by the utility.

this really cracks me up... first they are keeping the nukes up in a potentially unstable environment in order to keep the grid stable and while this travesty unfolds they are relaxing safety standards in an already shaky environment.

who the hell is running this popsicle stand ?

text: Prior communication with NRC and approval to exercise enforcement discretion to allow continued plant operation in certain circumstances are required. Without this approval utilities are expected to take actions in conformance with their license requirements and applicable regulations. A communications loss between nuclear power plants and the NRC is ***unlikely*** given the communications contingency plans developed. However, if established communication channels are lost, utilities could use the satellite telephone that NRC resident inspectors will have at each plant site to contact the agency and obtain approval for enforcement discretion, if necessary.

loss of communication unlikely!!!

these people are most assuredly deluded and dangerously so.

who the hell are they kidding? the landlines are in trouble. think about it!! satellite telephones... anyone want to guess about the state of the gps?

i have been made privy to an article that attests to the nonreadiness of the gps system and the dependence of the telecommunications system on same... this includes the satellite phones.

i wonder if anyone ever told 'them' about the inability of satellite phones to operate in certain densely shielded areas... even in the best of times.

aren't nuclear power plants densely shielded?

the government is making contingency plans based on hope... hope that the gps will function properly, and the nrc is tying our lives and the safety of our communities into that same hope.

anyone that believes that the nuclear power plants should not be taken down for the rollover is living in the land of fantasy. anyone that accuses those who are concerned about this issue require some serious psychoanalysis.

we cannot just sit idly by while they play games with our lives. the shabby logistics and shaky base on which they lay their plans will kill us all before this fiasco is over.

text: All nuclear plants are expected to be Y2K ready prior to December 31. The interim enforcement policy is part of interim policy was announced in a June 14 NRC's contingency planning for Y2K. A request for comments on the press release. As part of NRC's Y2K contingency planning, the on the press release.

and this is 'the plan'

text: As part of NRC's Y2K contingency planning, the agency will have staff available at its Operations Center December 31 to respond to Y2K issues and requests for enforcement discretion.

hello... hello... is anybody there? hello...

-- marianne (uranus@nbn.net), July 24, 1999.

Bottom line: grid status quo, profit status quo, electricity on to make money, not rock the boat. 1/1/2000? Who cares about human lives, health, the environment. What a surprise if the status quo rolls over. We can all just roll in our graves. Happy New Year!

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), July 24, 1999.