UPDATE: Upton says he will tour the Palisades plant on Monday, May 13th, along with Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Kristine Svinicki.
Congressman Fred Upton says he's "outraged" by a new leak at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant near south Haven. The Saint Joseph Republican says he wants to get a first-hand look at the problem along with a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission "in the near future".
The Commission said Monday that 79 gallons of "slightly radioactive water" had leaked out of a tank at the plant and into Lake Michigan last weekend. Although the NRC says the incident did not pose a threat to the public or plant workers, Palisades remains shutdown while the cause of the problem is investigated.
In a written statement Tuesday, Upton says the plant should not be reactivated until the cause of the leak is fixed permanently. He says the leaking tank can't be fully inspected until it is completely drained of water. That will take until the end of the week.
MLive reports that the same tank caused the plant to shutdown last year. Palisades has been forced out of service six times since the beginning of 2012. The latest leak is the second this year.
