The United States nuclear power industry came under further
scrutiny this week as Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., proposed a temporary
moratorium on reactor construction, and the chair of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission addressed another nuclear safety hearing before Congress.
In a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water
hearing called by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko
reiterated assurances that American nuclear plants are safe, statements he’s
made in a number of forums since the beginning of a multiple-reactor crisis in
Japan triggered by an earthquake March 11.
On the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Markey proposed
legislation that would halt licensing and relicensing of nuclear reactors until
new safety requirements are codified in response to the accidents in Japan.
Specifically, the bill would require operators to up their backup diesel
supplies from 7 day to 14 days worth of fuel. Also, battery generators would be
required to hold enough power for 72 hours, as opposed to the requirement for
4-to 8-hour battery backup now. It would also compel the Department of Energy
to consider the Japanese accidents when calculating the risk of default on loan
guarantees for nuclear projects, according to a release from Markey’s office.
The Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade group, opposes
the measure. Its president Marvin Fertel issued a statement saying “America's
nuclear power plants are producing 20 percent of America's electricity at high
safety levels. Rep. Markey's call for a moratorium ignores the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission's 90-day safety review and processes already in place in
the licensing processes to review new information that may arise during new
plant construction.”