U.S. nuclear program under greater scrutiny
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan has caused countries around the world to reconsider its nuclear plans; Germany recently announced that it was ending its nuclear program, while Sweden, Venezuela, and China have all announced that they were temporarily suspending their nuclear programs to conduct safety reviews; lawmakers and engineers in the United States are also pushing for greater scrutiny of nuclear power plants; in its latest report the Union of Concerned Scientists sharply criticized the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for not properly enforcing safety regulations at nuclear power plants;
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan has caused countries around the world to reconsider its nuclear plans. Germany recently announced that it was ending its nuclear program, while Sweden, Venezuela, and China have all announced that they were temporarily suspending their nuclear programs to conduct safety reviews.
Lawmakers and engineers in the United States are also pushing for greater scrutiny of nuclear power plants.
In reaction to the events unfolding in Japan, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I- Connecticut) urged the United States to proceed cautiously with its nuclear program.
“I think it calls on us here in the U.S., naturally, not to stop building nuclear power plants but to put the brakes on right now until we understand the ramifications of what’s happened in Japan,” he said.
Representative Edward J. Markey (D – Massachusetts) was more direct, calling for tougher regulations on nuclear power plants.
“The unfolding disaster in Japan must produce a seismic shift in how we address nuclear safety here in America,” he said.
Representative Markey is pushing for the consideration of a freeze on building nuclear plants in earthquake prone areas, requiring stronger containment vessels, and a thorough review of the thirty-one plants in the United States that operate similar technology to the failing Japanese reactors.
Last Thursday the Union of Concerned Scientists weighed in on the nuclear issue and sharply criticized the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in its latest report, accusing the regulatory body of not properly enforcing safety regulations at nuclear power plants.
The report found that NRC had allowed nuclear power plant operators to ignore or delay making repairs to leaky pipes, electrical malfunctions, and other potentially serious problems.
In a prepared statement, David Lochbaum, the director of the organization’s nuclear safety program and the report’s author, said, “It’s like the spinning wheels on a slot machine. One ingredient showing up causes a puddle on the floor. Two ingredients yield a near miss. All three ingredients showing up can cause nuclear disaster.”
The report examined fourteen “near miss” cases in 2010 in which serious problems resulted in special inspections by federal regulators. Twelve of these cases involved safety concerns like faulty pumps, rusty pipes, fires, and leaking roofs and floods near emergency equipment.
Lochbaum said, “Hours after the fire had been put out, workers re-energized
