Safety of nuclear power plants

The (Gloversville, N.Y.) Leader Herald: Action to prevent a nuclear power plant disaster such as that in Japan is needed immediately, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said last week. Jaczko is right — on that subject. But what about other concerns involving the NRC?

An NRC task force spent three months devising recommendations to improve safety at U.S. nuclear power plants. Specifically, safeguards against earthquake and flood damage are contained in the panel’s report.

Jaczko said the full NRC should devote no more than 90 days to deciding how to proceed with the recommendations. On that, he is correct.

But even if the suggestions are implemented, Americans can have little confidence the NRC will administer them properly. That is because of a report earlier this year that NRC officials altered their own rules many times, allowing nuclear power plant operators to bend and sometimes break regulations intended to avoid catastrophes.

Then there was the report that Jaczko was not candid in discussing another critical program with his fellow NRC commissioners. It involved President Barack Obama’s plan to stop work on a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev. Some commissioners expressed surprise on hearing the program was being scrapped, saying Jaczko had not kept them in the loop on it.

The disaster at a Japanese nuclear power plant ... should worry Americans.