A federal watchdog agency on Monday criticized the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for failing to use the best practices for the cost-benefit analysis that it uses to justify its rules.
The Government Accountability Office in a report said cost-benefit analysis used by the nuclear power regulator used only one of four "characteristics" that the congressional watchdog agency recommended, The Hill newspaper reported.
“While the overall procedures incorporate some best practices for each of the four characteristics, we found the NRC's cost estimating procedures satisfied only one characteristic,” said the watchdog's report that was released Monday by Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Upton is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, while Vitter is the top-ranking Republican on the senate's Environment and Public Works Committee.
The report was born of concerns from Republicans that an NRC rule requiring nuclear power plants use filtered venting systems was not properly analyzed, the newspaper said.
The NRC said in response that its cost-benefit analysis could stand some improving, but that it did not completely endorse the GAO's best practices recommendations for how do its cost analysis.