Being at least somewhat interested in what's happening in Washington, DC.....

I occasionally check out the Congressional Record (one of the links on the linked page). Additionally, the Congressional Record can be searched and viewed and browsed via the GPO Access site. Unfortunately, the farthest that either site goes back is 1989. For material prior to 1989, you'll have to find a Federal Depository library...

However, there is some Congressional Record (and related) material available at another section of the Library of Congress website. The material available here has records of documents and debates in Congress from 1774-1875. Pretty cool! It would be cool to see an archive site that had Congressional materials from the inception of this country to the present....

Seeing that I work at one of TVA's fine nuclear facilities and live relatively close....

I figured it might be useful to cull the NRC's site for documents related to my site and post the links. Many are technical or purely administrative in nature, but there are interesting tidbits of info from time to time. Here are the results for NRC documents (all PDF) related to Browns Ferry for the month of April (sorted by ascending date):

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3, Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2 and Watts Barr (WBN) Nuclear Plants - Insurance Status.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 - Schedule Update for the Extended Power Uprate Amendment Requests (TAC Nos. MD5262 and MD5263) (TS-431 and TS-418).

04/23/09 Notice of Category 1 Public Meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority, Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 & 3, to Discuss NRC's Reactor Oversight Process Annual Assessment.

Brown Ferry, Unit 2 - Notification of Inspection and Request for Information.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 & 3 - Technical Specification (TS) Changes TS-431 & TS-418 - Extended Power Uprate (EPU) - Transmittal of Containment Parameters and Total Shutdown Power Fractions.

Browns Ferry - Notification of Insp. & Request for Info. for Problem Identification & Resolution Inspection.Browns Ferry - Notification of Inspection. & Request for Info. for Problem Identification & Resolution Inspection.

Press Release-II-09-020: NRC to Discuss 2008 Performance of Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant.

LER 09-001-00 for Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Regarding Manual Reactor Scram Following Stator Cooling Water Equipment Failure.

Brown Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, 2, and 3 - Request For Withholding Information From Public Disclosure (TAC Nos. MD5262, MD5263, And MD5264) (TS-431 And TS-418).

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 - Public Letter and RAI - Request For Additional Information For Extended Power Uprate-Round 23 (TAC Nos. MD5262 And MD5263) (TS-431 And TS-418).

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Technical Specifications Change 464 - Application for Technical Specification Improvement to Adopt Technical Specification Task Force TSTF-476, Rev. 1, "Improved BPWS Control Rod Insertion Process".

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) - Response for Additional Information Regarding Units 1, 2, and 3 - Technical Specifications (TS) Change 444 - Adoption of Changes to Standard Technical Specifications Under Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) .....

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, NRC Security Inspection Report 05000259-09-402, 05000260-09-402 & 05000296-09-402.

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) Units 1, 2, & 3 - Technical Specifications (TS) Changes TS-431 and TS-418 - Extended Power Uprate (EPU) - Response to Request for Information Regarding Containment Parameters for NRC Confirmatory Analysis...

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3, Submittal of Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report - January Through December 2008.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3, Offsite Dose Calculation Manual 0-ODCM-001, Revision 0019.

Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3 - Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report for 2008.

IR 05000259-09-002, 05000260-09-002 and 05000296-09-002, on 01/01/2009 - 03/31/2009, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3; Surveillance Testing, Identification and Resolution of Problems, and Event Follow-up.


Here are the results from May 1 to May 24 (sorted by ascending date):

Changes to Distribution Lists for TVA Dockets.

Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2 and Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Project Manager and Backup Reassignments.


From here on out, I will try to post the results weekly for anyone interested. One of the documents included mentioned the estimated number of people living in a 50 mile radius as about 778,000. That's a lot of stakeholders who would like to know that we are operating safely. More to come...

Mmmmmmmm, bacon!!!

Bacon Flavored Vodka; Is it Really Something We Needed?
Bacon flavored vodka is sure to be the next party sensation as fans of vodka seek to figure out exactly what it tastes like. Issued from the Bakon Vodka Company, the bacon flavored vodka is seeking to fill a niche.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1784346/bacon_flavored_vodka_is_it_really_something.html

Classic garden couscous...

Courtesy of http://www.neareast.com/

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken breast, skinless, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons white cooking wine
1 Package (5.9 oz.) NEAR EAST Couscous Parmesan Mix
2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets, thawed, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

Preparation Instructions

1. In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken and garlic for 5 to 8 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside.
2. Stir in water, cooking wine and contents of spice sack; bring to a boil.
3. Stir in Near East couscous and broccoli; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and tomatoes right before serving.

6 Servings (1 cup each)

Nutrition Information
Calories: 220, Calories from Fat: 50, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 430mg, Total Carbohydrate: 23g, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 19g

Remember!!!

Happy Memorial Day!