Palisades Safety Hearing Likely This Year

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A hearing has been granted by an arm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to a coalition of environmental groups concerned that the Palisades power plant in Van Buren County will not be safe to operate beyond next year. The NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will allow Palisades representatives, NRC staff, and environmentalists to make their case at the proceeding which has not yet been scheduled. Kevin Kamps, with Beyond Nuclear, says the aim is to shut the plant down.

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The ASLB is part of the NRC, but is independent. The environmental coalition asked for the hearing as the NRC considers whether to allow Palisades to stay open into 2017, and both Palisades and the NRC have until mid July to request an appeal. If there is none, then the hearing will be scheduled.