The Nation - News from May 19, 1989

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission took a critical step toward commercial operation of the $6-billion Seabrook, N.H., nuclear plant, approving a license for low-power testing of the reactor. The commission immediately froze the license to give a federal appeals court seven days to rule on a request by opponents for an emergency stay pending further legal review. It was an important milestone for a plant that is already a decade behind schedule and billions over budget, and which has been plagued by protests, politics, regulatory mazes and financial troubles. The NRC acted after unanimously rejecting opponents’ request for a regulatory stay based on an array of safety and financial arguments. NRC Chairman Lando W. Zech Jr. said the commissioners determined that the low-power license was “appropriate.” He said the license, which allows the reactor to operate at up to 5% of power, would not be issued until May 25, unless the court rules before then.