Tighter U.S. nuclear safety rules proposed

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

Calling existing nuclear safety rules a “patchwork,” a Nuclear Regulatory Commission task force is recommending tightened regulations and sweeping safety upgrades for the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors.

If enacted, the proposed measures would constitute the biggest safety reforms for the industry since the NRC upgraded its rules after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The recommendations are the result of a 90-day assessment of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan. An earthquake and a tsunami there devastated cooling systems, leading to explosions, three reactor-core meltdowns and ongoing releases of radiation.

While the NRC task force concluded that a similar sequence of events “is unlikely to occur in the United States,” it still advised new rules aimed at preventing radiation releases after natural disasters.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/tighter-us-nuclear-safety-rules-proposed/2011/07/13/gIQA5WtwCI_story.html

[ChrisBorg]

1. I guess if you pay no taxes you can get away with murder

The task force did call for swifter action on 12 recommendations, which could be forced on the nuclear power industry as “orders.” Among those: inspecting for earthquake and flood risks, protecting emergency equipment from disasters, and hardening exhaust vents in older GE reactors.