Report: TVA reactors inefficient

'False testimony' in White trial denied

The U.S. Attorney's office today denied any attempts to hide plea bargain agreements with convicted felon Mack Shelton from imprisoned Knoxville jeweler T. Lynn White during White's 1985 trial on charges of civil rights violations.

The denial by the U.S. Attorney's office during a hearing in federal court for White, who is demanding a new trial because of allegations of new evidence that Shelton made deals with the U.S. Government in exchange for his testimony against White.

White and Knoxville businessman Troy Castile were sentenced in 1985 to four years in prison for conspiring to have a house belonging to a black family in White's neighborhood burned down.

In asking for a new trial last fall, White said Shelton claims he was made to testify through threats and promises made by the U.S. Government.

"It's our position that prior to the time of trial, there were commitments made to (Shelton) that we didn't know about," said Charles Susano, White's attorney.

"It's our position in this case that the government used false testimony in this case," Susano added.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Cennaco disputed Susano's claims and said the government was only carrying out it's responsibilities and did not violate any guidelines for plea bargains.

White has alleged that Shelton, who was the government's star witness against White and Castile, was threatened with harsher prosecution if he did not testify against White and Castile and was promised easier treatment both in trial and in jail if he cooperated.

Shelton is serving prison sentences for convictions of felonious assault, possession of burglary tools, extortion, theft of government property, mail fraud and civil rights violations.

Report: TVA reactors inefficient

By J. PATRICK WILLARD
The Knoxville Journal

Four Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear reactors are among the 15 least efficient in the United States, according to a report released today by the a Ralph Nader consumer group.

The report by the Critical Mass Energy Project found that rather than being "too cheap to meter," nuclear plant costs are rising to a point where they may be "too costly to continue."

Critical Mass officials said nuclear plants may be costing $7 to $13 billion per year more than industry estimates. The report, entitled "Too Costly To Continue," was based on two years of research of the nuclear industry.

The report was warmly greeted by members of the Tennessee Valley Energy Coalition who have called on TVA to defer restart efforts on Browns Ferry Units 1 and 3.

"I think it underscores what we've been saying about Browns Ferry 1 and 3," said TVEC Director Mark Siegel.

"In the long run, we suspect that coal-fired steam plants would be less expensive than the nuclear plants would be," Siegel added.

The TVA reactors were cited as an example of the inability of nuclear reactors to produce as much power as predicted by nuclear experts. The four TVA reactors have produced only about 46 percent of their lifetime capacity, compared with industry estimates of 70 to 80 percent, according to Critical Mass officials.

The reactors noted in the report include all three units at Browns Ferry and Sequoyah Unit 1.

The report also charged that nuclear power is not a dependable source of electricity. Long outages and rising operation and maintenance costs have made nuclear power less affordable. According to the Critical Mass report, operations and maintenance costs were 20 percent higher in 1986 than in 1985.

TVA's five nuclear reactors have been off line since 1985, when the Browns Ferry and Sequoyah plant's were closed for safety precautions. The long shutdown has drastically reduced the lifetime capacity factors for the TVA reactors, since they have produced no electricity during the two-year period.

Critical Mass officials suggested that nuclear power is not needed now to meet the country's energy needs. "If no nuclear plants had operated during 1986 there would have been a 28 percent surplus of electrical generating capacity nationwide," the report said.