Federal safety board has concerns about Y-12 seismic safety
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) – A federal safety panel is raising concerns about whether some facilities at the Y-12 nuclear plant in Oak Ridge could withstand a major earthquake.
The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/17mHg6j) reports the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board recommended in correspondence this month that the National Nuclear Security Administration conduct a new evaluation of the risks at Building 9215 and Beta-2E before proceeding with a plan that would extend use of the facilities.
Extending use of the facilities is one way the government is proposing to make the multibillion-dollar Uranium Processing Facility more affordable.
The newspaper reports a National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman declined to comment on the letter.
The government is trying to get out of the 9212 uranium complex as quickly as possible because of deterioration.
