nuclear-news

NRC’s nuclear safety moves slow and inadequate

There is some dissent among nuclear experts despite the NRC’s assurances.

 radioactive tritium has leaked into groundwater at three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites.

Nuclear safety in the U.S. a slow affair Smart Planet, By David Worthington | January 8, 2012 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is taking a years long methodical approach to advanced nuclear safety in the United States while other nations, including France and Japan, are acting more expeditiously.

Japan’s ongoing Fukushima crisis has placed nuclear power under scrutiny throughout the world, and public interest groups in the US have expressed safety concerns about its aging reactors. Watchdogs have criticized the NRC for softening regulations or  even ignoring violations……

The NRC also maintains that there is no immediate threat to U.S. public safety in the interim, and plants are capable of dealing with severe events. Burnell said. Regulators came to that conclusion after three months of “intense review.” Some plants resolved “minor” issues where necessary.

“All U.S. plants are capable of dealing with severe events, no matter how long they’ve been operating. All the plants, regardless of whether they’ve received renewed licenses, must comply with the new requirements. Plants continue to apply for license renewal and the NRC continues to review those applications,” Burnell explained.

There is some dissent among nuclear experts despite the NRC’s assurances. The Associated Press recently uncovered that safety regulations have been deemed “unnecessarily conservative” by the NRC, and engineers have manipulated tests to allow for faulty equipment to remain in compliance “without peril.” Meaning, there’s problems, but no immediate threats that would cause critical systems to fail.

The problems arise from America’s aging nuclear infrastructure, where plants are operating decades past their intended lifespans. There are a total of 104 nuclear plants in the U.S today, according to NRC data. 61 were recently given another 20 years to operate, and most of the remaining plants should be relicensed with NRC reviews and upgrades, according to June interview with a nuclear scientist.

Leaks are prolific at U.S. nuclear sites, but NRC officials have dismissed the impact as being too insignificant to affect public health. The AP’s investigation found that radioactive tritium has leaked into groundwater at three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites…..

In the wake of Fukushima, Japan has been significantly more aggressive in dealing with legacy power plants. It intends to shutter reactors after 40 years of service. Relicensed U.S. plants will be operating for nearly a century by the time they finally close down, …. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/nuclear-safety-in-the-us-a-slow-affair/11867

January 10, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA