Relaxing nuclear power safety rules

Aero · Post by **Aero** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:55 pm

News from the AP reports that safety regulations for existing nuclear power plants are being systematically relaxed, bases on instances of safety violation. The article reports on a large number of examples which the fear mongers will find convincing. The justification is that the existing regulations are to conservative and so relax them to the point of compliance.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/201106 ... FHTG1.html

It may be true that existing regulations are unreasonably conservative in many instances but if, as reported, the same brush is used to paint all regulations, then it is inevitable that the safety of our nuclear power industry will be undermined. Such systematic undermining can only end in catastrophe, IMO.

Aero · Post by **Aero** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:53 pm

Somebody is looking into it.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/201106 ... IFP00.html

U.S. nuclear power plant operators haven't figured out how to quickly detect leaks of radioactive water from aging pipes that snake underneath the sites - and the leaks, often undetected for years, are not going to stop, according to a new report by congressional investigators.

The report by the Government Accountability Office was released by two congressmen Tuesday in response to an Associated Press investigation that shows three-quarters of America's 65 nuclear plant sites have leaked radioactive tritium, sometimes into groundwater.

Don't seem to need an earthquake to break a nuclear power plant, rust will do it too, it just takes longer.