NRC: News Release - Region IV - 2002-035 - NRC Reduces the Significance of River Bend Safety Finding

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NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region IV
611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011
www.nrc.gov

No. IV-02-035		August 1, 2002
CONTACT:	Roger Hannah Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227	E-mail: OPA4.Resource@nrc.gov
NRC REDUCES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RIVER BEND SAFETY FINDING Printable Version
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reduced the significance a preliminary regulatory finding at the River Bend nuclear plant near St. Francisville, La., from yellow to white. This means the issue is of lesser safety significance than the NRC initially believed. Entergy Operations Inc., which operates the plant near St. Francisville, La., was notified of the NRC's final significance determination on July 31. The issue involved application of River Bend Station's emergency plan to members of the public who use facilities on the plant property. In a regulatory conference held June 3, Entergy presented new information indicating that some of the regulations the NRC asserted had been violated were in fact properly complied with. This resulted in the more significant (yellow) safety finding being rescinded by the Agency. In its final significance determination, the NRC maintained that Entergy had not met requirements to periodically provide members of the public who use on-site facilities with information on actions to be taken in the event of an emergency. This problem was evaluated as a white finding. The NRC evaluates regulatory performance at commercial nuclear power plants with a color- coded significance determination process which classifies regulatory findings as being in one of four color categories: green, white, yellow, or red in increasing order of regulatory safety significance.
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