Georgia Gazette Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Join host Rickey Bevington tonight for Georgia Gazette. On tonight's show … Nuclear power and public safety. Neighbors of Plant Vogtle react to the federal government’s hearings on safeguarding nuclear plants against terrorism. The beginning of a second revolution in Iran? A local Iranian-American and Georgia Gazette commentator parallels the 1979 overturn with what’s going on today… And images are managing to seep out of the tightly controlled media in Iran… social media has ushered in all kinds of controversial content… should it be policed? Answer our facebook poll. These stories and more tonight on Georgia Gazette at 6, 7 in Athens, re-broadcast at 11, hear our show any time at www.gpb.org/georgiagazette , and download a free podcast on iTunes.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wants More Information About Radioactive Waste Disposal

A panel of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it wants further study of how a nuclear power plant will dispose of low-level radioactive waste if it builds two new proposed nuclear reactors.

The NRC panel says Southern Nuclear Operating Company, which manages Plant Vogtle in Burke County near Augusta, has not given enough information on its plans to dispose of low-level radioactive waste for the proposed reactors. The panel says that warrants additional review and debate.

The issue has come up in the NRC's licensing process for the reactors.

Opponents of the reactors call it a setback for Vogtle.

But Southern Nuclear officials say the company has full confidence that the NRC will grant the license.

The company plans to dispose about 95 percent of its low-level radioactive waste from the reactors at a site in Utah, according to Beth Thomas, a spokeswoman for Southern Nuclear. The plant already sends 95 percent of its low-level waste to the site.

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