It’s been a busy week when it comes to nuclear security. Here in the U.S., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agreed to overhaul its management of the nation’s atomic power plants in response to concern that it failed to rapidly detect potentially disastrous damage to a reactor in Ohio. Yesterday, the NRC adopted almost all 50 recommendations that stemmed from an investigation into the incident at the Davis-Besse plant. The NRC will now conduct more thorough inspections and create a mechanism to intervene sooner when problems are detected. Meanwhile, in New York, a coalition of lawmakers, environmentalists, and citizens groups urged Gov. George Pataki (R) not to sign off on a disaster plan for Indian Point nuclear power plant, located just 35 miles from midtown Manhattan. They say the plant is dangerous and should be closed. And across the Atlantic, Greenpeace activists broke into a nuclear power plant in England to demonstrate its vulnerability to attack. Despite the breach, Trade Minister Nigel Griffiths said there was nothing wrong with the security at the plant.
