fred upton

The latest on the leak at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant

Stateside Staff — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:54:41 +0000

In West Michigan, crews are continuing to try and figure out what caused the release of slightly radioactive water from the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in southwest Michigan.

The plant was shut down a little over a week ago because of the leak, and crews say they have discovered a new crack in a water tank that's been leaking on and off for at least two years.

Michigan Radio's West Michigan reporter Lindsey Smith joined us today to talk about

Listen to the full interview above.

Palisades closer to solving leaky tank issues, Upton says he’ll return before plant reopens

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:41:30 +0000

Crews are still trying to figure out exactly what caused an unplanned release of slightly radioactive water from the Palisades Nuclear Plant last week. They have discovered a new crack in a water tank that’s been leaking on and off for at least two years.

The plant was shut down a little over a week ago because of the leak.

“The risk to the plant safety was very small. There really was no increased risk,” Palisades Chief Operating Officer Tim Mitchell told reporters Monday afternoon.

'Outraged' by leak, Upton to tour Palisades Nuclear Plant

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:32:47 +0000

Congressman Fred Upton (MI-06) will head to southwest Michigan this afternoon, to check out the condition of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.

The unplanned release of slightly radioactive water into Lake Michigan earlier this month “outraged” the Republican congressman, who chairs the U.S. House’s Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Every option must be on the table to ensure that the continuing leak will not occur again,” Upton said in a statement last week, suggesting that a full replacement of the leaky water tank may be in order.

Officials from the nuclear plant maintain that the leak will not harm the public or any of the plant’s 650 workers.

A commissioner from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be accompanying Upton on his tour today.

The congressman is expected to speak publicly after the visit.

Michigan Radio's Lindsey Smith will be there and she'll bring us more later today.

Palisades leak angers Congressman Upton; new documents show alternative fix for leaky tank

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:52:01 +0000

A powerful voice in Washington is demanding a permanent fix to the leaky water tank at the Palisades Nuclear Plant.

Congressman Fred Upton says he’s “outraged” by the unplanned release of slightly radioactive water into Lake Michigan over the weekend. Regulators say there is no risk to public safety.

Upton chairs the House’s Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over domestic nuclear regulatory activities.

The plant is in Congressman Upton’s district. Entergy, the company that owns the plant, was one of the top contributors to his election campaign last year.

Upton is demanding accountability and a permanent fix to the tank, which has leaked on and off for at least two years.

In a written statement, Upton says he plans to personally visit the site with a Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner.

“It is my understanding that the water tank will be emptied by the end of the week with the hope that the cause of the leak can be identified shortly thereafter. Every option must be on the table – including a full replacement of the tank – to ensure that the continuing leak will not occur again,” Upton said.

Requests for an interview were not immediately returned.

New documents show Entergy had asked regulators for an alternative fix for the leaky tank on April 25^th. Those documents assumed the leaks had stabilized.

“The current leak rate is stable without an increasing trend which suggests that the current through wall flaws have self-relieved the initiating stresses, are not growing, and remain well below the calculated allowable flaw length.”

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating why the leak rate went from one gallon per day late last week to 90 gallons a day in one 24-hour period.

In the documents, Entergy requests an alternative fix for the tank “that would add a fiberglass-reinforced vinyl ester liner to the tank bottom and to a portion of the tank wall in lieu of identifying the location of the thru-wallleak(s) and performing code compliant repairs.”

Dingell Says FDA Not Regulating Meningitis-causing Company

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:43:15 +0000

Congressman John Dingell says it will take time to figure out the best response to a meningitis outbreak caused by tainted steroids. But he's urging Congress to take action and make sure it never happens again.

Dingell says the Food and Drug Administration doesn't have the authority to regulate the company that made the contaminated medicine which has killed 15 people so far, including 4 in Michigan.

Chair of House Energy and Commerce Committee suggests cutting subsidies for oil and gas companies

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:01:21 +0000

Congressman Fred Upton says he’s in favor of getting rid of federal subsidies for the oil and gas industry.

He made the comments during a debate last Monday night in Kalamazoo. The debate was hosted by The Kalamazoo Gazette/Mlive.com and public radio station WMUK. You can hear the entire debate on their website.

During a discussion about renewable energy, Upton said the country “doesn’t need tax subsidies” for any energy companies.

Upton railed against President Obama’s investment in failed solar panel company Solyndra.

“We don’t need subsidies like this, particularly when the taxpayer losses every dime in their pocket. So I’m for putting all of these on an even footing. Let’s look at the oil and gas subsidies. Let’s taken them away. Let’s let them compete just like everyone else at the same level. We can do that with the tax code to take those special provisions away,” Upton said.

6th Congressional Republican candidates talk about Kalamazoo River oil spill

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 22:23:15 +0000

Republican Congressman Fred Upton and his primary challenger Jack Hoogendyk talked mostly about health care the federal deficit and energy issues during a debate Tuesday afternoon. The two Republicans debated for an hour on WKZO.

Their talking points were about the same but Hoogendyk says he’s more conservative than Upton, who’s been in Congress 25 years now.

Who’s more conservative? Upton and Hoogendyk square off in debate in Kalamazoo

Lindsey Smith — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 04:53:00 +0000

Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) has been in office for 25-years. Former state representative Jack Hoogendyk challenged Upton in the republican primary in 2010 and lost.

The questions during the hour-long debate in Kalamazoo Sunday night were centered on 5 themes; economy, energy, health care, spending, and how to help the 6^thCongressional district.

Around 130 people came to an auditorium on Western Michigan University’s campus for the debate.

Niece of Michigan Congressman on Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover

The Associated Press — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:30:12 +0000

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) - The 19-year-old niece of a Congressman from southwestern Michigan is on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Kate Upton was born in Michigan but raised in Florida. Her uncle is Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton of St. Joseph.

The magazine cover was unveiled Monday.

Asked Tuesday about her selection as cover model, Fred Upton's office says it doesn't comment on family.

Hoogendyk challenges Upton…again

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:43:34 +0000

Updated 5:09p.m.

Michigan Republican Upton targeted as "too liberal"

Mark Brush — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:52:28 +0000

The conservative PAC "Club for Growth" has a new television ad targeting Michigan Congressman Fred Upton's "liberal" voting record.

From a Club for Growth press release:

“Fred Upton voted to bail out Wall Street, supported billions in wasteful earmark spending and has voted to raise the debt limit by trillions while raising his own pay by thousands,” said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. “Michigan Republicans can do better than a Congressman who has consistently voted to balloon the size of our already bloated government. After twenty-five years of Fred Upton and his liberal policies, it’s time for a change.”

Here's the ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndrzuk1X5Uw

Fritz Klug of the Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Upton might have a primary challenger in Jack Hoogendyk—Hoogendyk lost against Upton in a 2010 primary:

“I’ve got a lot of people asking me about it,” Hoogendyk said in an interview with the Kalamazoo Gazette. “Fred is a great guy, and I respect him, but I think a different direction is needed in Washington.”

Hoogendyk, who represented Michigan's 61st House District from 2003 to 2009, ran against Upton in the 2010 primary and lost with 43 percent of the vote. But he spent only $62,000 on the race, compared to Upton’s $2 million.

Michigan's "Super Committee" members talk about failure

Mark Brush — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:34:26 +0000

The Michigan contingent of the so-called Congressional "Super Committee" hosted a media call today to discuss the failed deficit reduction talks between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Dave Camp (R-Midland) and Fred Upton (R-St.Joseph) were part of the twelve-member bipartisan panel officially known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

The Committee's task: Come up with a way to reduce the nation's deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next ten years.

How would you fix the federal budget deficit?

Lindsey Smith — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:00:13 +0000

Congressman Fred Upton is looking for your ideas on how to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Upton is one of twelve lawmakers selected to serve on a special Congressional committee that will try to come up with a compromise on long-term spending.

Seven of the twelve lawmakers on the special committee will have to agree on a proposal in order to get it to the full Congress for approval. Last month, Upton called it “an enormous task.”

Crowd demands Michigan Congressman Fred Upton talk jobs (video)

Mark Brush — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:11:50 +0000

Michigan Radio's West Michigan reporter Lindsey Smith went to Kalamazoo yesterday to report on a community forum with Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph).

Upton was invited by the Kalamazoo County Advocates for Senior Issues and he discussed the economy, health care, and social security with the group.

But as Smith reported the "crowd of 200 people also demanded he talk about what he’s doing to create jobs and improve the economy. Several interrupted and shouted at Upton. Those doing the interrupting asked him about the economy."

Here's some video of that forum. Upton attempts to talk about the information on his chart, but he's interrupted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axsLUEApuCc

Upton calls work to reduce long-term spending “an enormous task”

Lindsey Smith — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:25:39 +0000

Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) discussed the U.S. economy, health care reform, and the future of Social Security at a forum in Kalamazoo Monday.

Upton is one of twelve lawmakers selected to serve on a special Congressional committee. That committee will try to determine a compromise on long-term spending to help reduce the federal deficit.

Upton says the federal debt is “unsustainable”. He says the way to fix it is to get the economy moving so more people can get a job.