Update #61: Sept 13, 2011
by Nelle Maxey
No Disclosure
Remember the blacked out report Tepco presented to the government committee investigating Fukushima accident last week? Looks like it will be awhile (if ever) before we learn what actions were actually taken at the plant in those critical hours following the earthquake. The saga continues as NHK reported today.
TEPCO submits blacked-out manual to Diet committee
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has submitted its accident manuals to a Diet committee with most of the contents blacked out.
The Lower House special committee investigating the nuclear disaster has asked the industry ministry to order the utility to resubmit the manuals in their original form, as required by law.
The committee had asked TEPCO to submit its procedural manuals for accidents by the end of last week.
The company turned in manuals that had been heavily redacted.
Then, on Monday, it presented 3 pages, including a cover sheet, containing an index of actions to be taken in serious accidents. But most of the index was blacked out and TEPCO collected the papers immediately after the meeting.
The company explained that its manuals contain restricted information covered by intellectual property rights. It said the information cannot be made public because nuclear materials must be safeguarded.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency under the ministry says it will consider what action to take.
Here is SKF with the details of how NISA is actually orchestrating this non-disclosure:
TEPCO Did It Again – Blacked-Out Table of Contents of the severe accident manual that was demanded on September 6 by a Diet committee.
On instruction from the regulatory agency Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency [NISA], TEPCO submitted an almost completely blacked-out document. Not satisfied, to say the least, the committee asked for re-submission.
NISA accordingly instructed (the link is in Japanese, PDF) TEPCO again on September 8, telling the company to "report to the agency by 6PM as to what conditions are necessary for the disclosure of the information, if any".
On September 12, TEPCO submitted the front cover and the table of contents of the document "Operation Manual for Reactor 1 (Severe Accident)", 3 pages total, with 48 lines out of 50 were blacked out. All the lawmakers in the committee could read was "fire extinguishing line" and "inert gas".
TEPCO's Matsumoto explained that the manual is a company's internal document and not for public consumption, and the company has to protect intellectual properties and the physical protection of nuclear facilities. (Information from Asahi Shinbun, 9/12/2011)
We can blame TEPCO all we want. But again, the company is following instruction from NISA, and NISA makes no effort to have the information disclosed.
The Diet committee is asking for re-re-submission.
The other Fukushima story at NHK today regards evacuees returning to there homes. There is a map at the link to show the location of Kawauchi SW of the plant. So despite all the cautions of experts reported yesterday, the bureaucracy plods along with their plans.
Evacuated village aims to return home in March
The irradiated village of Kawauchi in Fukushima Prefecture says it aims to decontaminate the area, restore lifelines and bring all its residents back by next March.
Mayor Yuko Endo announced the recovery plan before the village assembly on Tuesday.
The village and its hinterland are designated as either being inside the 20-kilometer no-go zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant or areas where residents must be prepared to evacuate in an emergency.
90 percent, or 2,800 of the villagers, have left.
Local governments must submit recovery plans as a condition for the central government to lift the emergency evacuation areas.
The Kawauchi plan calls for thoroughly monitoring underground water for radioactive substances. Decontamination of schools and other areas is to be completed before the end of the year.
Once the government gives the all clear, the village plans to build temporary housing for the 350 residents who are from the no-go zone.
Kawauchi is the first of the 5 municipalities in Fukushima under emergency evacuation orders to announce a recovery plan.