With the world’s attention focused on the unfolding nuclear crisis in Japan, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is launching a safety review of the nation’s 104 nuclear power plants.
As the Associated Press reports, the NRC’s move was ordered by President Obama Thursday. “When we see a crisis like the one in Japan, we have a responsibility to learn from this event and to draw from those lessons to ensure the safety and security of our people,” Obama said.
At least one industry group welcomed the news. “A review of our nuclear plants is an appropriate step after an event of this scale,” said Marvin Fertel, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s president. “The industry’s highest priority is the safe operation of 104 reactors in 31 states and we will incorporate lessons learned from this accident.”
At the same time, a watchdog group, the Union of Concerned Scientists, accused the NRC of lax regulation in a new assessment released Thursday. As reported by The New York Times, the analysis charges that the NRC frequently allows minor safety mishaps such as electrical malfunctions and leaky pipes to linger, even though they could create serious dangers.
Obama also tried to ease Americans’ concerns about the radiation spewing from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex, saying the radiation is not expected to arrive in harmful amounts in the U.S. However, Customs and Border Protection said that radiation had been discovered on cargo arriving from Japan, though not on passengers or luggage.
Separately, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will review the government’s distribution plans for potassium iodide pills, which serve as a defense against thyroid cancer for people exposed to high levels of radiation, Reuters reported.
