Public invited to attend Harris fire safety meeting Tues. a.m.

A top Nuclear Regulatory Commission official will be in Raleigh this week to meet with several watchdog groups and discuss ongoing fire safety concerns at Shearon Harris and other nuclear power plants, and the public and media are invited to come and listen in.

NRC Commissioner Gregory B. Jaczko will meet with representatives of the N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network, Union of Concerned Scientists, Nuclear Information & Resource Service, and Beyond Nuclear on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 9 to 10 a.m. in the Department of Insurance Hearing Room on the third floor of the Dobbs Building, 430 N. Salisbury St. (click here for directions). The groups launched a legal action a year ago over the Harris plant's 14 years of violating regulations to prevent fires, a leading risk factor for nuclear accidents.

The meeting comes as the Government Accountability Office, Congress's investigative arm, and the NRC's Office of Inspector General are looking into fire safety at nuclear plants. The GAO got involved at the request of U.S. Rep. David Price (D-N.C.). N.C. WARN Executive Director Jim Warren said he expects that GAO and OIG officials will attend the Tuesday meeting.