ST. PAUL, Minn. – Government agencies that failed to notify the public about a 400,000-gallon leak at the Monticello nuclear plant have escaped any review through oversight processes in Congress or the State Legislature. The agencies learned of the leak in November. Not until mid-March did the agencies acknowledge that the leak hadoccurred – and even then 300,000 gallons remained uncorralled. Excel Energy, owner of the 50-year-old plant, also kept the leak under wraps. In positions to have kept public apprised:
Katrina Kessler, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Appointed by Governor Tim Walz.
Jill Malcolm, now retired as stateb Minnesota Health c9mmissioner. Succeeded in December by Brooke Cunningham. Appointed by Governor Tim Walz.
Sarah Strommen, commissioner of the Minnesota Natural Resources Department. Appointed by Governor Tim Walz
Brooke Clark, secretary of the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Appointed by President Joe Biden.
Bob Frenzel chief executive of Xcel Energy. Hired by Xcel Board of directors.
Exel complied with a requirement and notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission promptly, and the commission notified the state agencies and also posted a notification but it was obscure and escaped public attention. Incredibly, considering the plant ant has 670 employees, the secret didn’t get out. When word spread in March, the response was paternalistic: “Never a need to worry. We had it under control.” Here is a sampling of what responses in March to inquiring journalists:
> The risk was contained on site.
> Tritium spills happen from time to time and usually are at low offsite levels.
> There was no danger to public health, therefore the public had no need to know about it.
Verbatim
Victoria Mitlyng, a spokesperson with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission: “This is something that we struggle with because there is such concern with anything that is nuclear.The concern is very, very understandable. That is why I want to make extra clear the fact that the public in Minnesota, the people, the community near the plant, was not and is not in danger.” In an interview with the Associated Press, Mitlyng said there was no pathway for tritium to get into drinking water. The facility has groundwater monitoring wells in concentric circles, and plant employees can track the progress of contaminants by looking at which wells detect higher amounts, she said. There have been Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors on site to observe Xcel’s response, sshebaid.
Verbatim
Michael Rafferty, spokesperson for Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: “We knew there was a presence of tritium in one monitoring well. However Xcel had not yet identified the source of the leak and its location. Now that we have all the information about where the leak occurred, how much was released into groundwater and that contaminated groundwater had moved beyond the original location, we are sharing this information.” In an interview with the Associated Press, Rafferty said tHat once regulatory officials were sure the contamiNated water hadn’t move off site, people had no need to worry about their safety.
Nuclear portrait
Minnesota has two nuclear power stations, both upstream from Winona on the Mississippi River, both operated by Xcel:
>Monticello: Produces 647 megawatts, One unit. License expires 2030.
> Red Wing: Produces 1,114 megawatts, Two units. License expires 2033.
Wisconsin has one:
> Two Rivers. North of Manitowoc. Owned by NextEra Energy. Produces 1,800 megawatts. Two units
Dairyland Power decommissioned a nuclear station downriver from LaCrosese at Genoa in 1991. It produced 50 megawatts.
Dominion Resources of Virginia decommission a nuclear power station at Kewaunee, southeast of Green Bay, in, 2013. It produced 560 megawatts.
The Chernobyl plant in Ukraine was decommissioned in 1995 after a meltdown. It produced 3,500 megawatts.
G;obally the largest huclear station is in South Korea at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. Produces 7,800 megawatts. Seven units.