Steam rises from the cooling tower of the Unit 1 reactor at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant near Spring City, Tenn.Nuclear “near-misses” declineThe number of events at nuclear power plants that prompted special inspections by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – dubbed “near misses” by the Union of Concerned Scientists – has declined over the past four years.2010: 192011: 192012: 182013: 14Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission filings compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists
Safety problems that triggered extra inspections or oversight by regulators declined again last year at U.S. nuclear power plants.
But a nuclear watchdog group said Thursday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues to be marred by inconsistent enforcement and safety lapses in overseeing America’s 100 nuclear power plants.
“Like Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic character Dr. Jekyll, the NRC is plagued by a split personality,” said David Lochbaum, the Chattanooga-based director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Nuclear Safety Project. “In many cases, the agency does an admirable job protecting the public and industry workers by enforcing safety regulations. But the agency too often turns into Mr. Hyde, and that kind of behavior could lead to a serious accident.”
Lochbaum, who previously worked at TVA’s Browns Ferry plant and spent a year working for the NRC as a reactor safety trainer, praised the agency for tightening oversight on aging plant components and for placing Georgia’s nuclear licensing and inspection program on probation for lax performance.