USA/FILE: The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gregory Jaczko urges proactive measures, one year after Japan crisis

Record ID: 216133

  • Title: USA/FILE: The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gregory Jaczko urges proactive measures, one year after Japan crisis
  • Date: 14th March 2012
  • Summary: FUTABA, FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CRIPPLED NUCLEAR REACTOR
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Japan
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVAAB9PK40M42KA5FF33Z8PN9RJW
  • Story Text: A year after a devastating tsunami wrecked Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Gregory Jaczko on Tuesday (March 13) called for the urgent implementation of safety reforms for America's nuclear plants to avoid a similar disaster.
    "While the initiating events are of a very low likelihood, the events at Fukushima reinforced that any nuclear accident with public health and safety or environmental consequences of that magnitude is inherently unacceptable," Jaczko said, speaking at the 24th Annual Regulatory Information Conference in Bethesda, Maryland.
    Jaczko noted that 90,000 victims remained displaced in Japan and said future safety measures should address not just the radiological, but the social and economic consequences of a nuclear disaster.
    "We will ultimately have to address the issue of how we deal with nuclear events that lead to significant land contamination and displacement, perhaps permanently, of people from their homes and their livelihoods in their communities. These are difficult questions that do not have easy answers, but they are ultimately issues that we have to address now, while these issues are fresh in our mind. Any nuclear accident that happens like Fukushima in this country, will be unacceptable," Jaczko said.
    The commission on Friday started implementing several new safety enhancements at U.S. power reactors, calling for all plants to submit a compliance plan to the agency by February 2013, and to incorporate all changes by Dececember 2016.
    The proposed rules were among the most important changes identified by the NRC's Fukushima task force last year and viewed as upgrades that could move forward without significant delay.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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