Historical Run

NRC, industry rewrite history

ROCKVILLE, Md.  —  This is the last of four stories. Parts one, two and three are at links to right.

When commercial nuclear power was getting its start in the 1960s and 1970s, industry and regulators stated unequivocally that reactors were designed only to operate for 40 years. Now they tell another story — insisting they have no inherent life span, and can run for up to a century, an Associated Press investigation shows.

By rewriting history, plant owners are making it easier to extend the lives of dozens of reactors in a relicensing process that resembles nothing more than an elaborate rubber stamp.

As part of a yearlong investigation of aging issues at the nation's nuclear power plants, the AP found relicensing often lacks fully independent safety reviews. Records show paperwork of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sometimes matches word-for-word the language in a plant operator's application.

Also, the process relies heavily on such paperwork, with very little onsite inspection and verification.

And tighter standards are not required to compensate for decades of wear and tear.

So far, 66 of 104 reactors have been granted license renewals. Most of the 20-year extensions have been granted with scant public attention. And the NRC has yet to reject a single application. The process has been so routine that many in the industry are already planning for additional license extensions, which could push the plants to operate for 80 years, and then 100.

Regulators and industry now contend the 40-year limit was for economic reasons and to satisfy antitrust concerns, not for safety issues. They contend a nuclear plant has no technical limit on its life.

But an AP review of historical records, along with interviews with engineers who helped develop nuclear power, shows the opposite: Reactors were made to last only 40 years. Period.

The record shows a design limitation on operating life was an accepted truism.

In 1982, D. Clark Gibbs, chairman of the licensing and safety committee of an early industry group, wrote that most nuclear power plants are designed for a duty cycle of 40 years.

Three years later, when Illinois Power Co. sought a license for its Clinton station, utility official D.W.

Zenyatta Set to Make Another Historical Run - Bodog Beat

QUALITY ROAD and ZENYATTA — two of the most accomplished horses in America — are set to run in Grade-1 stakes at Saratoga and Del Mar on Saturday and both will be very heavy favorites to confirm their lofty rankings atop the racing world.

At 5:48 PM EDT, (2:48 PM PDT), Quality Road will meet a relatively strong field in 1-1/8 mile, $750,000 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. In that field will be the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner, MINE THAT BIRD, who has not won since that memorable upset victory at Churchill Downs; BLAME, winner of six of his last seven starts, including the Grade-1 Stephen Foster at Churchill on June 12; HAYNESFIELD, winner of his last four including the G-2 Suburban at nine furlongs around one turn at Belmont. Also in the field is MUSKET MAN, who has won more than $1 million and who placed third to Mine That Bird in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and third behind RACHEL ALEXANDRA and Mine That Bird in the Preakness two weeks later.

Despite the obvious depth of this Whitney field, Quality Road is listed as a prohibitive odds on favorite to win his third straight G-1 stakes.

At 6:00 PM, PDT, (9:00PM EDT), undefeated Zenyatta is scheduled to face a non descript field of five seemingly overmatched rivals in the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar by the Pacific Ocean. Of course, Zenyatta is gunning for her 18TH straight victory, an amazing winning streak considering that no other horse in American racing history has won 17 straight while competing in major stakes. What also may be difficult to wrap your mind around is the fact that Zenyatta has one style of running, a style that rarely succeeds in American racing so prone to favor horses with front running and/or tactical speed. Zenyatta comes from far back in the pack and more often than not from dead last. She also rallies despite traffic issues, pace issues or when jockey Mike Smith simply spots the field four, five or six paths to swing widest of all for her big late punch.

Can she be beaten?

No horse is invincible. In fact, Zenyatta did face one of her closest calls in this same 1-1/16 mile stakes last year when the unaccomplished ANABAAS CREATION was in front through the length of the stretch only to fall victim to Zenyatta in the final stride. Zenyatta’s second closest call occurred in her most recent outing, when the very good filly ST. TRINIANS made a bold run to the lead at the top of the stretch in the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park. In that exceptionally run race, St. Trinians spurted into the clear while Zenyatta was accelerating at a similar clip into the stretch. Inside the final furlong, however, St Trinians  looked home free, holding a 2-1/2 length lead until Zenyatta reached into her reserve tank and put on a devastating final burst to win by 1/2 length driving clear.

someone gon run wit that like they read it in a historical document though and ima cry

hope you had a great historical run this morning!

You have a bug in your software that clicking 'Run Historical' an error comes up telling me I can't run two searches, I clk 1 time

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