Nuclear Roulette - 14 Incidents at U.S. Nuclear Facilities in 2010

Union of Concerned Scientists criticizes U.S. nuke plant safety

The organization's report, focusing on 14 incidents at U.S. nuclear facilities last year, concludes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has a mixed record of responding to safety issues, sometimes catching deficiencies, other times overlooking or dismissing operational problems.

Among the lapses cited in the report is a case in which critical safety components were disabled at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in Maryland because of the failure of an electrical device that had been in use beyond its service lifetime.

The report says this was the result of the reactor owners ending a program to routinely replace safety components. Only later, it says, did the plant initiate a new system for monitoring degradation of safety parts.

Source: CNN