Talk of the bay: Application points to dawn of new nuke age
By Times Staff
Published September 25, 2007
The "nuclear renaissance" is edging closer to reality. Power producer NRG Energy Inc. said Tuesday it will file the first application to build a new nuclear reactor in the United States in nearly 30 years. The two units are slated for a Texas facility about 90 miles southwest of Houston. The application process is expected to take 42 months. There are nearly 30 plants being planned throughout the country, most of them in the southeast. Progress Energy has preliminary plans to build two: one in North Carolina and the other in Florida's Levy County, just a few miles from its existing Crystal River nuke plant. The application for the Levy County plant is expected to be filed some time in 2008, spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs said.
Smoke yet to lift on OSI buyout deal
It has been three months since shareholders of OSI Restaurant Partners narrowly approved a management-led buyout of the Tampa company, but litigation surrounding the deal persists. Two class-action lawsuits accused top OSI officials of accepting a low-ball bid, and next month a Tampa judge will hear arguments as to whether a proposed settlement of the complaints is fair. The plaintiffs' attorneys, who would receive a combined $5-million under the settlement, assure us that it is. Ex-OSI shareholders who wish to voice an opinion can do so in writing or at the hearing. For more information, call one of the two plaintiffs' law firms involved, Lerach Coughlin, at (619) 231-1058.
Insurance site survives the storm
Florida's insurance woes continue, but at least the Florida Insurance Council has fixed its Web site. The Web site for the largest insurance trade association in the state has been under repair since it fell victim to an overseas hacker in June. The European hacker destroyed the Web site after using it to illegally download and sell books and music. The council unveiled its revamped Web site Monday at www.flains.org.Presumably, it's more hack-proof. If only Florida's insurance problems could be fixed in three months ...