nuclear-news

USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission dragging on safety improvements

Nuclear Chief: Safety Moves Behind Schedule, WSJ,  By RYAN TRACY March 6, 2012,  WASHINGTON—Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said
Tuesday the agency wasn’t on pace to meet its own timeline for improving safety at U.S. nuclear plants in response to the meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant a year ago.

The NRC will soon issue
its first orders in response to the Fukushima accident, but it is also
weighing a host of regulatory changes that could impose extra costs on
the operators of the 104 reactors in the U.S.

In an interview, Mr. Jaczko said the agency had “made progress” but
risked failing to meet its goal of making all the regulatory changes
within five years. “There is still a tremendous amount of work to be
done,” he said…….. The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nuclear
watchdog group, has questioned whether it is prudent for the industry
to move forward without clear guidance from regulators.

Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist with the group, said Tuesday the
industry’s decision to act first may make it politically difficult for
the NRC to require more stringent safety upgrades later. The industry
is “establishing its own guidelines and then daring the NRC to come
and tell them that they’re not adequate,” Mr. Lyman said. “Sometimes
speed is not a virtue.”

Messrs. Jaczko and Magwood said they appreciated the industry’s
efforts. But Mr. Jaczko said they didn’t address all of the NRC task
force’s recommendations, and Mr. Magwood said it was “too early to
tell” if the NRC would be satisfied with the industry plan.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204276304577265831408022076.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

March 7, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA