Environmental groups file to block nuclear plant

By Bill Theobald, Gannett Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Environmental groups on Wednesday filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in an attempt to block the construction of the second nuclear reactor at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Barr plant.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, the Tennessee Environmental Council, We The People Inc., and the Sierra Club filed the petition regarding the plant in Rhea County along the Tennessee River.

The groups call on the NRC to block the project because of its high cost and the availability or less risky, more affordable energy alternatives.

"TVA keeps pushing for more nuclear reactors in spite of massive cost overruns they always have when they build them," said Bill Reynolds, a member of the Tennessee chapter of the Sierra Club, in a written statement.
The group also raises concerns about the safety of the reactor design.