CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Rancho Seco Plant Operators Fined

Federal regulatory officials have fined operators of the now-closed Rancho Seco nuclear power plant $50,000 for failing to properly train key workers to respond to emergencies. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which is shutting down the publicly owned plant, said it will pay the fine, even though the problems have been corrected. “The district’s first priority is, has been, and will continue to be the protection of the public’s health and safety,” the utility district’s David Boggs said. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that 43 of the 77 workers belonging to the core of Rancho Seco’s emergency response team were not properly trained.