nuclear-news

Chaos in information after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Fukushima Disaster Left U.S. NRC Confused, Documents Show Bloomberg, February 22, 2012, “…….More than 3,000 pages of transcripts released yesterday by the NRC show the agency was struggling to assess the severity of Japan’s nuclear disaster, even as it gave the White House a recommendation for U.S. citizens to evacuate within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the damaged reactors.

The transcripts highlight what Jaczko called the “fog of war” as the agency responded to the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. The agency’s information about developments, provided by local officials, news media and Tokyo Electric Power Co., owner of Fukushima
Dai-Ichi, created a chaotic environment where details weren’t always accurate.

“There was not a lot of information” in the first hours after the
accident, Jaczko told reporters yesterday. “Much of what we knew came
from a variety of sources,” including the Japanese government and the
news media, he said.

Weighing Rules

The five-member NRC is weighing rules to improve safety at 104 U.S.
nuclear reactors, and may issue its first Fukushima- related orders by
March 9. The orders may require plants to have adequate instruments to
monitor spent-fuel cooling pools and equipment to deal with power
failures. Regulators also are considering a rule directing plant
owners to have sturdy venting systems to relieve pressure in General
Electric Co.-designed reactors that are similar to those that failed
at Fukushima…..
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-22/fukushima-disaster-left-u-s-nrc-confused-documents-show.html

February 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general