Fresh fuel rods have not been irradiated. Thus, they have no decay heat because no fissions have occurred in them.
The problem in the spent fuel pools at Fukushima Diachi is that the spent fuel was generating a lot of decay heat as a result of the cumulative fissions which the uranium (and plutonium) had accrued. This decay heat, if the heat is not removed, can cause the fuel to heat up and eventually melt.
The fresh fuel is more likely to sustain a chain reaction, but the addition of boric acid easily obviates this possibility. During refueling operations, the boric acid concentration is kept at a sufficiently high level as to preclude a chain reaction. Nuclear detectors are constantly monitored to ensure that a chain reaction is not occurring.
According to Wikipedia there are three Nuclear plants located along the Missouri. All have only one working reactor each. No Japanese Cascading issues here.