Earlier this year, I also had the opportunity to learn a little about the Experimental Breeder Reactor – II (EBR-II) on a trip to the Atomic Museum at Idaho National Labs near Arco, Idaho. A little background can help shine some light on the significance of EBR-II. The Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986, focused attention on both the Department of Energy's nuclear facilities and perceived safety problems in the nuclear power industry.1
In the aftermath of the tragedy at Chernobyl, the fifth (5th) Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), John Stewart Herrington (born May 31, 1939), a Republican and Businessman. The Department of Energy under Secretary Herrington intensified safety reviews of the Department's large production and research reactors. Secretary Herrington served under President Ronald Reagan, during President Reagan’s second term.
Secretary Herrington also established a special safety panel to review the N-reactor near Richland, Washington. This reactor according to at least one source was the only American graphite production reactor even remotely similar to the Chernobyl reactor.
The DOE’s Civilian Reactor Research and Development Program had been pursuing the development of passively safe nuclear power plants before Chernobyl. The goal was that these nuclear power plants would be simpler to build and operate, and therefore less costly than light water reactors. Tests of the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-II) demonstrated that the small, experimental sodium-cooled fast test reactor, operating at full capacity, would automatically shut down when power was cut off to all cooling systems. In essence “Natural laws of physics, not engineered safety systems, kept reactor core temperatures within safe limits.3” The successful shutdown of the EBR-I in Idaho confirmed that such passively, or inherently, safe reactors might play a role revitalizing the nuclear power industry.
One of the things that my father, who was admitted to practice in 13 states, and a Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist and Rule 31 Civil Mediator, always thought was that one of the great things about practicing law was working with experts and gaining limited momentary insight on issues relevant to various types of civil litigation. We worked with a Metallurgist in a personal injury case and obtained a successful dismissal of a frivolous civil case against our client through a Motion for Summary Judgment which I drafted and filed. I get to work with expert Psychologists, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors, Licensed Professional Counselors, Certified Public Accountants, and other experts and while I will never be a scientist, I can as a layman, appreciate the important public facing accomplishments which have shaped the history of our great nation. I stand amazed and reinvigorated as I continue to learn and fight for my clients. If you have a legal need, then don't hesitate to contact us.
- Department of Energy – A Summary History, 1977-1994.
- "John Stewart Herrington." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Date of last modification.
- "Successful Nuclear Reactor Experiments Demonstrate New Approaches to Safety," DOENEWS: R-86-052, April 4, 1986. Also See Department of Energy – A Summary History, 1977-1994.