Japan’s last operating commercial nuclear reactor is set to go offline on Saturday. It will be first time the nation has gone nuclear-free in more than four decades, and it stems from concerns about the nation’s 50 commercial reactors raised by last year’s meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Japan’s leaders had sought to avoid this scenario and were counting on quick stress tests to clear the way for many of the reactors to resume operations. But the government has run up against a crippling public distrust that recently found a powerful voice in local leaders who are orchestrating a rare challenge to Tokyo’s centralized power. The New York Times
San Onofre nuclear power plant might never return to full power. Southern California Edison, which owns the plant in north San Diego County, is preparing to ask regulators for permission to resume partial operations next month. The utility hopes to restart its Unit 2 reactor in early to mid-June, and Unit 3 one to three weeks later. The reactors, however, would run at only an estimated 50 percent to 80 percent of capacity. “Whether we can do something in the longer term to operate at greater power levels, in terms of a mechanical fix, has yet to be determined,” an official said. The nuclear plant has been closed since Jan. 31, when a steam generator tube in the plant’s reactor Unit 3 began leaking. Los Angeles Times
Wyoming’s governor won delay on disclosure linking fracking to groundwater contamination. The postponement that Gov. Matt Mead extracted from Lisa Jackson, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, gave state officials more than a month to raise dozens of questions about the finding that the controversial drilling procedure may have tainted groundwater near the gas patch community of Pavillion. An investigation by The Associated Press that reviewed more than 11,000 emails showed that Wyoming officials took advantage of the postponement to “take a hard line” and coordinate an “all-out press” against the EPA in the weeks before the agency’s Dec. 8 announcement.
Shortages of crucial drugs ease. The Food and Drug Administration said 42 shortages of drugs for treating cancer and other illnesses have occurred so far this year, versus 90 in the comparable period of 2011. FDA officials attributed the improvement to earlier notice from drug-makers about looming supply issues. Efforts to combat shortages escalated last year when 250 medicines were in short supply, up from 56 in 2006. Some doctors have had to postpone care or use second-best drugs or more costly alternatives to compensate for shortages. President Obama made shortages a national priority with an executive order in October, and the FDA asked companies for voluntary notification about supply disruptions. Reuters
Regulators propose $655,125 in civil penalties against Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air over safety. The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking a $445,000 fine against Horizon Air, a regional carrier, for allegedly operating a Bombardier Dash-8-400 turboprop aircraft on 45 flights in March last year when it wasn’t in compliance with required inspections for cracked or corroded fittings on engine housings. Separately, the FAA proposed a penalty of $210,000 against Alaska Airlines — which, along with Horizon, is a unit of Seattle-based Alaska Air Group. The agency accused Alaska Airlines of failing to properly document and tag deactivated systems and equipment before making repairs. The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press
Tennessee trucking company told to reinstate employee who refused to drive while ill and fatigued. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also ordered Mark Alvis Inc. of Brush Creek, Tenn. to pay the driver more than $180,000 in back pay, interest and compensatory and punitive damages. An OSHA investigation found that the company fired the driver in May, 2010 in retaliation for his refusal to do a delivery. The employee had informed a dispatcher that he was ill and fatigued and did not have enough allowable service hours remaining, under federal regulations, to do the job. OSHA investigated after the driver filed a whistleblower complaint, and ruled in his favor. OSHA
Recalls and warnings: Franck’s Compounding Lab products, H-E-B Ready-to-Eat meals, Figi’s lemon bars, SONIC toothbrushes
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
