North Anna Nuclear Plant’s Clear Water Act Ruling Upheld
According to the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, a Richmond Circuit Court has upheld its previous ruling against the North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia. This ruling has implications for other nuclear power plants because it involves the question of water pollution under the Clear Water Act must be considered during the approval process for nuclear power plants.
“The court denied the power company’s motion for reconsideration. In effect, not only is the North Anna nuclear power plant in violation of federal pollution standards, the Commonwealth of Virginia was remiss in granting a variance which described parts of Lake Anna as a Waste Heat Treatment Facility and not of waters of the United States,” BREDL said in a press release.
Lou Zeller, Science Director, said, “This decision has ramifications for not only for Dominion Virginia Power’s effort to build a third reactor at Lake Anna, it also calls into question other inland water permits for nuclear and coal plants throughout the nation.”