nuclear-news

Congressman calls for moratorium on licenses for nuclear reactors

Markey highlighted several key findings as evidence that the NRC should immediately suspend all pending nuclear reaction licensing applications until the following issues are addressed:……

Markey introduced legislation (HR 1242) that would impose a moratorium on new nuclear reactor licenses or license extensions until the facilities adopt new safety measures…..

Markey Cites New Report to Call For Nuclear Moratorium, Fire Engineering, By Chad Brand, CQ Staff Congressional Quarterly Homeland SecurityMay 16, 2011The fallout of the continuing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima power plant has Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., warning that the United States is not doing enough to ensure the safety of it own nuclear facilities.
Markey recently released a report, prepared by the Natural Resources Committee at his request, that blasts the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s track record of oversight and regulation of the nuclear industry. The report found that NRC regulatory programs are structured on flawed assumptions and underestimated safety risks. A history of ceding to industry requests to weaken safety standards has driven the problems at the agency, the document said.

The NRC’s decisions to grant license extensions to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2 and 3 and the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant since the incident at Fukushima constitutes proof that the NRC has not learned any lessons from the events in Japan, the report argued.

– Widespread malfunctions among emergency diesel generators at nuclear power plants.

– The absence of emergency backup power requirements at some spent fuel pools.

– The absence of requirements to prevent hydrogen explosions at reactors and spent fuel pools.

– Outdated seismic safety requirements, even as applications for new licenses and license extensions for many nuclear reactors continue to be processed by the NRC.

Markey introduced legislation (HR 1242) that would impose a moratorium on new nuclear reactor licenses or license extensions until the facilities adopt new safety measures…..

http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/Wire_News_Display/1418612350.html

May 19, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA