NRC Fails in its Core Mission to Keep the Public Safe
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
Imagine a world with no stoplights, safety belts, speed limit enforcement and no requirements for the auto industry. The death toll would be astronomical. That is the effect of what Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and some other senators who are nuclear advocates want for the nuclear industry.
We have been down this road before. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was established in 1974 because its predecessor was guilty of promoting the nuclear industry over public safety. My 25-year observation with NRC regulations and enforcement at the Indian Point nuclear reactor has convinced me that this agency is already a captive of the industry.
Manchin’s promise to block the reappointment of the last NRC commissioner concerned about public safety – Jeff Baran – or anyone else concerned with safety is disgraceful.
“We’re just looking for people who understand that we have to have nuclear energy in the mix,” Manchin said.
Public safety does not start with what is good for the industry. It starts with what is good for the millions of people who live near nuclear power plants. Clever people solve problems. Smart people and smart regulators avoid them. We need a regulatory agency that sticks to its original mission – protecting public safety, not industry profits.
Marilyn Elie
Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition
Cortlandt Manor
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