Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
BREDL NUCLEAR


Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant
Southern Nuclear Company of Georgia

Burke County, GA

Southern Nuclear Company of Georgia wants to build additional nuclear power plants near Waynesboro, GA. This would increase the negative health impacts on nearby residents and increase the cost of electric power.



BREDL's Comments on Draft EIS for Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant - Dec. 28, 2007: Major problems we identified in the Plant Vogtle draft Environmental Impact Statement:
1) It dismisses the mounting evidence of negative impacts on the health of people living around nuclear plants;
2) The assessment of radiological releases to the public is fatally flawed; and
3) Radionuclide emissions data indicates harm to public.

The public record contains evidence that Vogtle has not and will not meet the requirements under federal law 10 CFR § 100.21 (c)(1). Test results for Vogtle indicate the existing nuclear power plant is the source of a variety of radionuclides which contaminate sediment, river water, fish and drinking water. There is an increase in negative health impacts in proximity to and contemporaneous with Plant Vogtle operations. Southern Nuclear Operating Company seeks to add two new nuclear reactors to the two already in operation at its Plant Vogtle power station near Waynesboro, Georgia. The company submitted an application for an early site permit in 2006.

View BREDL's Comments


PUBLIC HEALTH RISK OF NEW VOGTLE REACTORS

June 20, 2007: The data presented in this report detail the increases in environmental radioactivity and local rises in cancer rates since the Vogtle reactors began operating. The parallel between these two trends is to be taken seriously, as radioactive fission products are carcinogenic, and are especially toxic to the young. The addition of two new reactors at Vogtle would double the capacity of the plant and presumable double the radioactive emissions. Assuming there is no major reduction in health risk to the local population – such as an influx of new medical services or a large reduction in poverty – the local population will be at increased risk of cancer, based on the findings in this report.

Report: Health Risks of New Reactors at Vogtle, June 2007
Vogtle - child cancer mortality change
Bio: Joseph J. Mangano, MPH, MBA, is Director, Secretary, and the National Coordinator of the Radiation and Public Health Project.

Mr. Mangano is a public health administrator and researcher who has studied the connection between low-dose radiation exposure and subsequent risk of diseases such as cancer and damage to newborns. He has published numerous articles and letters in medical and other journals in addition to his book Low Level Radiation and Immune System Disorders: An Atomic Era Legacy which examines the connection between radiation exposure and widespread health problems.

October 31, 2006: Help Stop Nuclear Power in Georgia - Southern Nuclear Company of Georgia wants to build additional nuclear power plants near Waynesboro. This would increase the negative health impacts on nearby residents and increase the cost of electric power. The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League is joining with other groups who oppose this expansion. Will you help us?
(Declaration of Standing Deadline was December 8, 2006)
How you can help | 40 mile radius map (1MB)
Declaration of Standing
Legal Declaration/Standing Q&A Fact Sheet


March 16, 2006: Nuclear Power Licensing Factsheet - One-Step Licensing of Nuclear Plants Short-circuits Safety