Probe finds risks at Ohio nuke plant

Probe finds risks at Ohio nuke plant

CLEVELAND

Nuclear-plant workers in Ohio violated several safety regulations and had to avoid a 6-foot-deep hole in the floor when increased radiation levels forced them to flee their work area in April, federal regulatory officials said in a preliminary report.

Four workers at the Perry Nuclear Power plant on the shores of Lake Erie were exposed to higher radiation levels than normal April 22 while they were attempting to remove a monitor that measures nuclear reactions. Plant officials failed to appropriately evaluate the radiological hazards associated with the removal process, which is a violation of regulations, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in an inspection report released Thursday.

In light of the violations, the NRC is considering monitoring the plant more closely, which could include costly inspections.

Companies seek to build small casinos

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

New Jersey’s plan to breathe new life into the struggling Atlantic City casino market may be paying off.

Three companies say they’re interested in building one of the two new, smaller casinos in Atlantic City that state lawmakers authorized earlier this year.

A group including the Seminole Indians of Florida, through their Hard Rock franchise; Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment, which scrapped plans to build a $2 billion Boardwalk casino, and a group of Atlantic City-area business people told New Jersey casino regulators Friday they want to participate in a pilot program to jump-start the nation’s second-largest gambling market.

New Jersey amended its law earlier this year to provide for a casino with as few as 200 rooms, and one that eventually would be 500 rooms. The idea was to lower the entry bar to the struggling market and spur new investment.

BP wants to end future-loss claims

NEW ORLEANS

BP is arguing that victims of last year’s Gulf oil spill should not be paid any more claims for future losses because the areas affected by the spill have recovered, and the economy is improving.

The British oil company makes its case in a 29-page document filed with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which administers the $20 billion fund for victims.

It criticizes several aspects of the fund’s policies and claims that sometimes it has paid victims more than is allowed under the federal Oil Pollution Act.

IMF OKs $4.2B payment to Greece

WASHINGTON

The International Monetary Fund has approved providing Greece just over $4.2 billion in the latest installment of a rescue package aimed at helping the country pull back from an impending debt default.

The move by the executive board was expected after a decision last week by eurozone finance ministers to give Greece their portion of a $17.39 billion loan payment that is part of a $259 billion package agreed on last year.

Associated Press