| September 29, 2010 |  |
NRC is Failing to Protect Public by Allowing Nuclear Plants to Leak Radioactive Water with Immunity, Report Finds
Agency Has Ignored More Than Two Dozen Violations Since 2006
WASHINGTON (September 29. 2010) – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) routinely fails to enforce its regulations prohibiting nuclear power plants from leaking radioactively contaminated water, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report, “Regulatory Roulette: The NRC’s Inconsistent Oversight of Radioactive Releases from Nuclear Power Plants,” found that the NRC ignored more than two dozen contaminated water releases that have occurred since 2006. The agency did not issue any fines or impose any sanctions for these federal safety requirement violations.
Over the past several months there have been leaks discovered at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Massachusetts, the Salem plant in New Jersey, and the Vermont Yankee plant. Radioactive leaks can include cobalt-60, cesium-137, tritium and strontium-90, which can increase the risk of cancer and other radiation-induced health problems.
“NRC’s enforcement record was spotty before 2006,” said David Lochbaum, author of the report and director of UCS’s Nuclear Power Safety Project, “but since then, the agency has given power plants a free pass when it comes to leaking radioactively contaminated water.”
Lochbaum will discuss his findings at an all-day NRC workshop on groundwater protection in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, October 4. The workshop will be broadcast on the web and include teleconference capability.
NRC regulations allow nuclear plants to release radioactively contaminated water only through controlled and monitored pathways and the total amount of radioactivity has to remain below an overall cap. According to Lochbaum, the agency’s requirements are sufficient to protect the public and the environment from radioactively contaminated water -- but only if they are enforced.
The report reviews a dozen cases in detail, including some in which the NRC enforced its regulations and others in which it did not. The report found that the severity of the leak played no role in determining whether the agency sanctioned the plant owner, or how severe the sanction was. “The NRC might as well have based its decision on whether to enforce its safety regulations by spinning a roulette wheel,” said Lochbaum.
“There is a three-way contract among the NRC, power plant owners, and the public,” said Lochbaum. “The NRC honors its contract with plant owners by never demanding higher safety levels, but breaks its contract with the public by repeatedly accepting much lower safety levels.”
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
