Study: 2011 Millstone Incident Was One of Two 'Most Threatening' in U.S.

A group of scientists released a study last Tuesday that ranked a Feb. 2011 test of steam control valves for one of the main turbines at as one of the two “most threatening" safety lapses at U.S. nuclear power plants during the year, according to a report from The Day online.

In the study, the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit safety and environmental advocacy organization, identified 15 “near misses” at various U.S.  nuclear plants that were subsequently investigated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Though a spokesperson for the NRC told The Day that there were no immediate safety concerns surrounding the incident in question at Millstone last year, the group of scientists claims that the study proves that plant owners and the NRC are not adequately addressing safety concerns.

Locally, outspoken environmental advocate Marie Domenici, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Southold Town Board in 2011, said in an interview last year that after the"The old mentality about nuclear power needs to change.”

"It's surprising to me that most people aren't aware of the hazards of this nuclear power plant," Domenici wrote on Facebook this week in reaction to this latest story. "But we also need to be concerned about Indian Point nuclear power plant just 34 miles north of Central Park. One can never live far enough away from any nuclear power plant!"