NRC Downgrades Palisades Nuclear Power Plant

I have been going to my grandma's lake house in Palisades Park in Covert, Michigan my whole life.  Palisades Park is within walking distance of the Palisades nuclear power plant.  Until recently the power plant has operated without major incident.  In each of the last two years, however, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") has downgraded the plant's ranking.

The NRC rates reactors green, white, yellow, and red, in descending order.  Most of the country's reactors are in the highest green category.  At the end of 2011 the plant was downgraded to white and on February 13 the plant was downgraded to yellow because of two violations.  The most serious violation involved an equipment malfunction that a manager said could have killed someone.  The yellow rating requires that the plant undergo increased NRC inspections.  The Palisades plant has 30 days to appeal the decision.  

I'll still go to my grandmother's lake house this summer, but I'll definitely keep an eye on the Palisades plant's status.  For more information, please read the Detroit Free Press' article.  Also, thanks to my aunt Kitzie Connor for forwarding the article.