TVA Signs on for Mixed Oxide Fuel to be Produced Near Augusta

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a federal nuclear operation and a major energy supplier in the South, has tentatively signed on to use mixed oxide fuel from a plant under construction near Augusta.

TVA has signed a letter of intent for the fuel, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration, and a final decision will come after the agency evaluates use of the fuel for reactors at the Sequoyah and Browns Ferry nuclear plants in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively.

The fuel would be made from weapons grade plutonium -- a total of 34 metric tons -- at the Savannah River Site, a massive federal entity near Augusta that processes nuclear materials, and used in commercial nuclear reactors. It is currently under construction, and at $4.8 billion, is one of the most expensive projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

TVA is so far the only agency on board to use the fuel. Duke Energy, which provides power to the Carolinas, did not renew a contract with the MOX plant earlier this year after delays in construction of the plant. The company has said it supports the plant, however, and might consider renewing its plans for the fuel at a later date.

Supporters of the MOX plant say it's a crucial part of nuclear nonproliferation efforts and provides yet another resource for energy. Opponents say the MOX project is too expensive and dangerous; they also have expressed skepticism over whether the fuel will work in the reactors.

Officials expect the plant to start producing fuel in 2016.

Federal Government Considers Savannah River Site Near Augusta for Mercury Storage

The federal government is considering the Savannah River Site near Augusta, along with six other sites, for the storage of more than 10,000 metric tons of mercury.

Officials are searching for a site to store the mercury, as federal law will ban the sale or export of the element by 2013, and require the federal government to store it.

Mercury is produced in the manufacturing of caustic soda and chlorine at a handful of plants in the U.S. It's also a by-product in gold mining, and in recycling and waste recovery.

Mercury is controversial, since it causes developmental disabilities in children, and also harm fetal development.

It's already a sore spot in Augusta, where environmental groups have been calling for the Olin Corporation to stop using the element in the manufacture of chlorine. A bill in Congress also seeks to eliminate mercury from the few chlorine plants that still use it. Olin, meanwhile, has maintained that is mercury use its safe.

The Savannah River Site is a massive federal entity that processes nuclear materials near Augusta.

The U.S. Department of Energy, meanwhile, will hold a public comment period on the proposal to store mercury. There will be a public meeting in North Augusta, South Carolina on July 30.

For more information, click here.

Nuclear Companies Near Augusta Say They Need Thousands of Workers

A new study says the nuclear industry could potentially create thousands of new jobs in the Augusta area throughout the next decade.

The region's major employers, including companies who manage operations at commercial nuclear power plants in Georgia and South Carolina as well as a federal site that processes nuclear materials near Augusta, say they will need 10,000 jobs.

The jobs would range from nuclear chemists and computer engineers to plant operators and sheet metal workers.

The study comes as power companies seek to meet rising demand for electricity with nuclear energy. That includes the construction of nuclear power plants would be among the first built in the U.S. in decades. State public service commission officials in both Georgia and South Carolina have already okayed new reactors, but the companies building them are still seeking approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Construction of a controversial new nuclear fuel plant near Augusta is also underway, although no power companies have committed yet to buying the fuel.

The Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization commissioned the study through Booz Allen, a technology consulting firm. The organization has said it is looking to develop a strategy between private and public entities to meet the growing demand for nuclear workers. The organization is also working to lease a portion of privately owned land at the site for development, possibly for a nuclear energy park or reactors that would be used for reactors.

Across the U.S., meanwhile, the nuclear industry has said it is looking to step up the recruitment and education of a new generation of workers to meet the emerging demand.

Congressional Bill Would End Mercury Use in Chlorine Plants

A U.S. House subcommittee has approved a measure that would require chemical plants manufacturing chlorine and caustic soda to stop using mercury.

Olin Corporation in Augusta is one of a handful of plants that uses mercury to make chlorine.

Supporters of the measure say that technology is outdated and harmful to the environment.

Olin, meanwhile, says its manufacturing process is safe.

Mercury is toxic, and can cause neurological problems in both children and fetuses.

For more information about the bill, click here.

School Board in Augusta Set to Furlough Employees and Cut Teacher Pay

The Richmond County school board has passed a $225 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, making up for a projected $24.5 million shortfall with employee furloughs, cuts in teachers' pay and reductions in teaching staff.

Many of the system's employees will face a furlough of four days -- and therefore cuts in pay. Teachers, who by state law cannot be furloughed, will still take a pay cut in local salary supplements they receive from the school board.

Dr. Dana Bedden, Richmond County schools superintendent:

"Please accept my apologies for any difficulties and hardships the furlough may create. While the furloughs were not something I would preferred, I really believed they were better than layoffs."

Bedden noted that about 90 percent of the school system's budget is personnel costs.

Despite the furloughs and pay cuts, many teachers and employees will still receive pay raises mandated by the state. The raises, known as step increases, will cover a portion of their incomes that they would otherwise lose with the furloughs.

The board is also eliminating several teaching positions through attrition and the non-renewal of some teacher contracts.

The budget comes as school systems across the state grapple with major funding issues due to the troubled economy and significant losses in revenue.

For more information about the budget, click here.

Nuclear Reactors Near Augusta Get License Renewals

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses for two nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, near Augusta.

The renewal is good until the year 2047 for one of the existing reactors and 2049 for the other.

Plant Vogtle, meanwhile, has received widespread attention -- and controversy -- as it also seeks to build two more reactors. Georgia Power, a majority owner of Plant Vogtle, and Southern Nuclear Operating Company, which operates the plant, have been seeking approval to build the additional reactors. The state public service commission says the reactors would meet an increasing demand for electricity in Georgia. Environmental groups, meanwhile, have argued that the demand is not big enough to justify the reactors.

The state public service commission has given the okay for the proposed new reactors, but the NRC is still reviewing the proposal. Construction of the reactors would be among the first in the U.S. in decades.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, oppose the proposed new reactors.

For more information about the existing reactors and the license renewals, click here.

U.S. Senators to Hold Hearings After Veterans Test Positive for Infections

A U.S. Senate committee will ask officials with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs how mistakes at three VA medical centers in the Southeast, including a clinic in Augusta, may have exposed veterans to infections such as HIV and hepatitis.

The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs has set a June 24 hearing for VA officials to explain how mistakes with endoscopic equipment possibly exposed patients to infectious body fluids in Augusta, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Miami.

The committee's announcement comes shortly after a U.S. House of Representatives Veterans Affairs subcommittee announced it would hold its own hearing on June 16.

The VA has warned more than 10,000 former patients at the three medical centers to get follow-up blood checks. Five of the patients have tested positive for HIV so far, and 43 have tested positive for hepatitis.

In Augusta, the problem affected rhinoscopes in an ear, nose and throat clinic at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. Officials in February said an employee improperly sterilized the rhinoscopes with disinfectant designed for exam tables instead of a stronger one specifically designed for the scopes.

A top doctor at the federal agency has stressed that the positive results for the diseases may not have come from hospital mistakes.

Worker Spots Bear Near Augusta

This week…a stranger in town.

A worker for a neighborhood association near Augusta looked up, not to see a friend or neighbor, but a bear strolling down a street.

The bear sighting at the residential area near Lake Thurmond has prompted homeowners to make sure they don’t leave out pet food or garbage in their yards; bears most often become a threat to residents when they spot a tasty treat.

Black bears are most often found in the northern portions of Georgia and South Carolina, but they sometimes tend to wander away along creeks and other waterways.

No word on where the bear might be at this point.

Federal Audit Questions Safety of Projects at Savannah River Site Near Augusta

The U.S. Department of Energy’s inspector general is sharply criticizing the DOE for safety and quality assurance controls in multiple projects at the Savannah River Site near Augusta.

An audit report by the inspector general focuses on the procurement of materials used in the construction of a mixed oxide fuel plant (MOX) that would convert weapons-grade plutonium to fuel for commercial reactors, as well as a tritium extraction facility and a salt waste processing plant to treat radioactive waste.

“In a worst case scenario, undetected, nonconforming components could fail and injure workers or the public,” the inspector general’s report says.

The inspector general noted problems with $11 million in weakened rebar procured for the $4.8 billion MOX facility, one of the Department of Energy’s most expensive projects. The company building the MOX plant said earlier this year that the problems had been corrected.

But the correction of such errors is costly, the inspector general says, adding that quality assurance and communication between contractors involved in the three projects should be improved.

“Although these are positive steps, weaknesses in oversight and communication remain; therefore, additional action is necessary.”

The audit also noted that none of the six safety issues reviewed by the inspector general at the tritium extraction facility adequately met quality assurance standards. The facility would replenish the nation’s tritium supply. The Savannah River Site conducts nearly all of the Department of Energy’s tritium activities.

In addition, any potential failure of a component procured for the salt waste project could have caused a radioactive spill of up to 15,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, meanwhile, disagrees with the inspector general’s safety concerns and related cost impacts, noting instead that the problems were of low significance, the report says.

The inspector general’s investigation spans from September 2008 until April 2009.

To see the report, click here.

Georgia Golfer Makes Cut at 73rd Annual Masters Tournament

Larry Mize has made a comeback at the 73rd annual Masters Tournament, making the cut after the first two rounds, according to projections from tournament officials. Mize, an Augusta native, scored five-under-par 67 on Thursday and four-over-par 76 on Friday, his score slipping along with the scores of many other players.

Mize blamed wind for the higher scores on Friday.

Mize, who now lives in Columbus, won the Masters in 1987 and has only made the cut twice in the last ten years.

Ryuji Imada, who played on the University of Georgia golf team, also made the cut, but barely, according to the projections.

Oliver Wilson, who attended Augusta State University, and Stewart Cink, of Duluth, did not make the cut. Cink blamed both wind and pin placements by tournament officials for his score.

Chad Campbell Takes Lead at Masters With Record Five Birdies Despite Course Complaints

With a record five birdies on the first five holes, Chad Campbell took the lead at the Masters Tournament in the first round of play on Thursday.

Campbell finished the day at seven under par 65, followed by Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan at six under par 66. Shingo Katayama and Larry Mize, an Augusta native, came in at five under par 67.

It was a day of low scores, despite complaints by Tiger Woods and other golfing legends that the lengthening of the course at Augusta National by 500 yards in the last decade had hurt the game, making those low scores far more difficult, especially on the back nine.

Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, meanwhile, has said the course still needs a proper test in good weather, since high winds plagued the last rounds in both the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, the first since the last substantial changes were made in 2006.

The second round of play begins today.

Tiger Preps for 15th Masters After Eight Months Off From Game

Fans gather at the Masters leaderboard on Tuesday.

Practice rounds for the Masters Tournament are underway in Augusta, and Tiger Woods is back trying to get his fifth green jacket.

Woods made a comeback recently, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Florida. That was his third tournament after knee surgery took him away from the game for eight months.

Woods spoke to reporters in Augusta on Tuesday.

Tiger Woods:

"I started hitting better and better, got my feel for the game again and went out and played at Bay Hill, which was nice. Those two tournaments prior to that allowed me to do that."

This is Woods's 15th Masters. He's matched with Stewart Cink, a player from Georgia and Jeev Milkha Singh in the first round of play on Thursday.


Hear Tiger Woods talk about his comeback, his thoughts on the Augusta National course and more:

Powered by Podbean.com

Powered by Podbean.com

Hear Phil Mickelson talk about his rivalry with Tiger and his prospects for 2009:

Powered by Podbean.com

Today is the last day of practice rounds. The Par 3 competition, a friendly game between golfers with their children serving as caddies, begins at 2 p.m. You can view it live at the Masters website. For more information on the Par 3 competition and the Masters, click here.

Legislators Look at Cuts to Medical Research While Proposed Medical School Expansion is Safe

Georgia lawmakers are beginning their review of state budgets passed by both chambers of the legislature, trying in a conference committee to resolve differences between the two.

One issue is a proposed cut in medical research funding to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

The state senate, in its budget passed today, included a $10 million cut in funding, with about half of that coming from a cancer research center at MCG. Officials say that could devastate the center.

Senator Ed Tarver (D-Augusta) wants the money restored. He says instead, the legislature should shelve the proposed expansion of the college, especially a proposed satellite campus in Athens.

But proponents of expansion say it's badly needed to stave off a doctor shortage.

The issue, therefore, raises a question...Which investment is better? Especially in a money crunch? It's one of the many hard decisions lawmakers will be hashing out this week over a budget that's full of cuts to state agencies, education and public services.

Tarver and some other Augusta-area lawmakers have been opposed to expansion. They do not want Augusta to lose resources to other cities, particularly Athens. Proponents, including Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, say it's the best way to bring medical students to the state, and then retain them when they become doctors.

The other $5 million would be cut from other medical research. The House, meanwhile, also proposed that cut but did not consider funding reductions to the cancer center.

U.S. Energy Secretary Confirms $1.6 Billion Coming to Savannah River Site

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the $1.6 billion will help speed up the de-commissioning of nuclear reactors and contaminated areas at the Savannah River Site near Augusta.

The money could provide up to 3000 new jobs in the area, although it's unclear how many of those jobs would be permanent. The funding is part of the new economic stimulus package that targets the environmental clean-up of nuclear sites in the U.S.

The Savannah River Site for years refined nuclear materials for weapons. But employment numbers there dropped by thousands after the Cold War ended.

Federal officials say the funding will pay for the clean-up of about 40 percent of the site's massive industrial area, and ship out about 4500 cubic meters of waste.

About $6 billion is going out to nuclear sites in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Savannah River Site is getting the second-highest funding. The Hanford Site, in Washington state, is getting most at about $2 billion.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy

Augusta Gets Free Wi-Fi

Six communities in Georgia are going high-tech with free wireless internet service, even making hotspots out of of homes.

Augusta has gone online with its internet.

Augusta's mayor says the service will cover a four mile area, including much of the city's downtown, as well as universities, and some schools and businesses. He says some low-income residents will also have access to the service in their homes.

Mayor Deke Copenhaver:

"Basically our world has shifted and access to information is of the utmost importance."

Many cities have zones providing free access to wireless internet, but they often subsidize the costs. Augusta's wi-fi is subsidized by a grant from the state.

People in the wi-fi zone will get two hours of free service a day, and additional hours at what Augusta officials call a competitive rate.

The state provided funding for similar projects in Decatur, Dublin, Gwinnett County, Milledgeville and Thomasville in a first round of grants in 2006. Savannah, Statesboro and Hapeville were awarded grants in 2008.

Powered by Podbean.com

Augusta State University Jaguars Men's Basketball Team Heads to National Championships

The ASU Jags and their coach, Dip Metress, celebrate the win that put them into national championship play. Photo courtesy of Augusta State University.

The Augusta State University Jaguars men's basketball team is off to the NCAA Division II national championship.

That's after a win over the University of South Carolina-Aiken on Tuesday.

The Jags, now one of the conference's "Elite Eight," will take on Christian Brothers University of Memphis in the tourney's first game on March 25 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

This is the Jags' second NCAA national tourney.

The team nearly won the championship last year. The Jags had led Winona State University for much of the tournament's last game in 2008, but came in second when they were defeated in the final minutes of nail-biting play.

With the win on Tuesday, the Jags also captured the division's Southeast Regional title.

State Public Service Commission Approves New Nuclear Reactors for Plant Vogtle in Eastern Georgia

The state Public Service Commission approved Georgia Power's plan to build two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Augusta.

The panel voted 4-1 on Tuesday.

Set to be completed in 2017, the reactors could be the first new nuclear units to start construction in the nation since the 1970s. The proposal must also receive an OK from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Georgia Power said the $14 billion project is needed to meet surging electricity demand in Georgia. But critics say there are questions about where the waste would be stored.

The legislature has passed a bill that would allow the utility to collect about $1.6 billion in costs from ratepayers before the reactors go online. Gov. Sonny Perdue must still sign the bill.

(AP)

Powered by Podbean.com

Power Company Out of Fuel Deal with Plant Near Augusta

Photo of MOX plant under construction. (Courtesy Shaw Areva Mox Services)

A power company in North Carolina says its contract to buy fuel made from weapons-grade plutonium at a plant near Augusta has expired.

A spokeswoman for Duke Energy, based in Charlotte, says the company did not renew the contract after re-negotiations broke down with Shaw Areva Mox Services, a private company building the plant that will process the fuel. That comes after apparent delays in production of the fuel, she says. Duke had planned to use the fuel in some of its nuclear reactors.

The U.S. Department of Energy is funding the plant's construction. At $4.8 billion, it's one of DOE's most expensive endeavors.

Critics have long argued the plant is a waste of government money and say the contract's expiration is a major blow to the mixed oxide fuel (MOX) plant at the Savannah River Site near Augusta. They say Duke was the plant's only customer so far. The plant, which is under construction, is expected to go online by 2016.

But Duke Energy says it still supports the plant's construction, and may later renew efforts to get the fuel.

Duke says it successfully used similar fuel from France in one of its reactors for nearly three years.

Powered by Podbean.com

State EPD Says Four Mid-sized Cities May Face Ozone Pollution Status

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has made its official recommendation on which cities in Georgia need to clean up their air. This year, in addition to metro Atlanta, four mid-sized cities were recommended to be non-attainment areas. That means they'll have to work harder to curb ground level ozone pollution.

The cities: Augusta, Athens, Macon and Columbus.

The EPD's recommendations are not final. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will ultimately have the final say.

In the meantime, the cities will study how to clean up their air. One big contributor to ozone pollution is automobile traffic. Cities will look at how to reduce those emissions.

Non-attainment would also put tighter controls on industry.

The cities are likely failing now because they're having to meet tougher federal air quality standards. The EPA will make its final decision on the cities' non-attainment status by March 2010. The state would then have three years to come up with a plan to deal with the ozone.

Ozone is a component of smog, which causes respiratory illnesses.

Powered by Podbean.com

People in Augusta Area Ask Where Did Snow Go

The wintry weather expected to hit the Augusta area on Sunday has practically turned into a non-event. Forecasters had issued a winter storm warning for the area, expecting snow and icy conditions, but that didn't happen after dry air moved into the storm system. Students in the area get a break, though, since some area school systems, such as Columbia County, had already cancelled classes for today. The Richmond County school system in Augusta, meanwhile, will start classes one hour late. Augusta State University will begin classes at 10 a.m., and Paine College will start two hours late.