January 29, 2008

This is from the front page of today's The News & Advance, of Lynchburg, Virginia.

January 27, 2008

This is from the front page of today's Daily Press, of Hampton oads, Virginia.

January 19, 2008

Nuclear R&D center considered near Lynchburg

The Virginia Energy Plan, issued last year, called for the state to increase funding for energy-related research and development. It identified Lynchburg as the stateÕs nucleus for the nuclear industry because of the presence of Areva NP and the Babcock and Wilcox Company. Bob Bailey, director of the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research, hopes raising a research and development facility with a strong nuclear program could attract state investment dollars in the future. The Center is using a $400,000 Virginia Tobacco Commission grant to finish a business plan, which will also focus on the wireless industry -- many companies in Central Virginia develop wireless technology. Bailey is confident that the Center will raise the estimated $8-million in construction costs from a variety of public and private sources. They'll know for sure in early April, he said. CAER will look to the state General Assembly for operating money.

[Source: Bryan Gentry, "CAER seeks funds for facility", The News & Advance (Lynchburg VA), January 19, 2008, p. 1]

March 12, 2004

* Virginia - not that great for solar, sez Dominion

March 11, 2004

* Virginia - possible overexposure of hospital patient (UVA-Charlottesville)

March 3, 2004

Chantilly-based company fined $3,000 after moisture density gauge bounced out of pickup near Chesapeake, Virginia

An employee of CTI Consultants, Inc. left a moisture density gauge unsecured in the bed of his pickup truck, while he drove the truck to a temporary job site. As the worker drove down a public highway, the gauge fell out of the back of the truck. He realized that he had lost the gauge about 15 minutes later, and reported the loss to the Radiation Safety Officer for CTI Consultants. The gauge was found by the local police soon after the loss and the undamaged gauge was returned to CTI Consultants. Although the source was in the shielded condition at the time it was lost and there was a relatively short length of time that the source was lost, this violation is of concern to the NRC because (1) the failure to control the gauge resulted in the temporary loss of radioactive material in the public domain; and (2) such sources can result in substantial unintended radiation dose to an individual if the source is removed from the shielded position. The portable moisture density gauge contains an 11 millicurie cesium-137 source and a 40 millicurie americium-241 source. The company's corrective actions included reinstructing all gauge users emphasizing compliance with all NRC and CTI requirements. The company also implemented a policy that requires the Radiation Safety Officers to conduct spot checks on gauge users to verify that they are conducting business safely.
Note: a PDF copy of the entire document is available from NRC at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html, by entering accession number ML040630081

December 10, 2003

* North Anna - 4.5 earthquake centered 29 miles from plant

June 30, 2003

Virginia - Dominion customers will save an estimated $477-million over first 10 years of turning transmission lines over to regional grid operator

Virginia electricity customers would save $477 million over the next ten years if Dominion hands over its transmission wires to PJM Interconnection LLC, the regional grid operator, according to Dominion's application for state approval to do it. The application stressed that Virginia customers would not get cut off due to shortages that might develop elsewhere, and that the routine access to an extra 170,000 megawatts would mean more reliable service for Virginia customers. Virginia recently passed a law which requires transmission-owning companies to join regional transmission organization like PJM by January 1, 2005, but does not allow joining one until July 1, 2004. An article in today's Energy Daily cites Dominion's project manager, Christine Schwab, as saying that the Virginia law delayed Dominion's planned integration with PJM by about a year, from Oct. 1, 2003, to Nov. 1, 2004. The company will also require approval from federal FERC. [Ref: Tina Davis, "Dominion Asks Virginia Regulators For PJM Nod; Cites 'Native Load' Protection", The Energy Daily, June 30, 2003]

June 27, 2003