Nuclear energy in the United States
Nuclear reactors in California and New York State are on different paths
Pacific Gas & Electric has decided to take the aging Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, near an earthquake fault in California, offline within 10 years and replace it with wind and solar power. But an even older reactor, Indian Point, near New York City, will continue to operate, despite defects and opposition.
Warnings About a New Nuclear Reactor
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission may soon approve a new power plant designed by Westinghouse. The company claims passive safety features make the AP1000 the safest and cheapest reactor available. But critics, including the NRC’s most senior safety engineer, charge the novel reactor shield building could “shatter like a glass cup.”
An End to Nuclear Power in Vermont?
Japan’s nuclear crisis raises new concerns about aging reactors in the United States. Thirty-nine year old Vermont Yankee could provide a test case. Federal regulators renewed its license just days after the Japanese disaster struck, but Vermont’s governor pledges to shut down the plant.
Top of the Hour: US Looks at Japan’s Nuclear Crisis, Morning Headlines
The Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko has responded to the nuclear crisis in Japan, “In a comparable situation in the United States, we would have issued evacuation instructions to a larger, larger distance away from the plant,” he said. Reuters correspondent Dan Sloan reports with the latest from Tokyo.
Fukushima and the Fallout
The situation at the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan continues to worsen. U.S. Media is reporting that water levels are dropping in more than one of the six reactors at the plant, leaving nuclear fuel rods exposed. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission has warned that Japanese regulators may be downplaying the risk of radiation […]
Lawmakers Debate Nuclear Energy
As Japan works to contain a nuclear disaster, lawmakers in the United States are debating the role of nuclear energy in this country. So far the Obama administration and members of congress have continued to support nuclear energy, but renewed fear has forced them to question the safety of reactors on U.S. soil. The Takeaway’s […]