Editorial—-Behind the thinking on where meetings take place

An important meeting pertaining to the future of Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Plant take place next week, but you’ll have to go to Atlanta to be present for it. And we have asked the question why.

Especially considering that one of the items on the agenda goes to what Duke is doing to prevent or mitigate the potential effects that a flood or a tornado might have on its Oconee plant. In times of drought, flooding seemed unthinkable. And the idea of a tornado powerful enough to penetrate the concrete reactors seemed unlikely. Then came Japan and weather events in this country.

Here’s what the NRC spokesman tells us: “The Oconee major projects meetings have been going on for several years and they continuously rotate between the NRC headquarters, the site, and the regional office in Atlanta. The previous meeting earlier this year (January) was at Oconee, so this meeting will be held in the region. There will be future meetings at the site and anyone interested enough can contact us to get the telephone bridge number and listen to the meetings in other locations.”

The August 28 meeting at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s office on Atlanta’s Peachtree Center Avenue is open to the public and allows for questions from the public once the business part is finished.

That’s our view. What’s yours?