New
York Times: The Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns following the
11 March earthquake and tsunami in Japan show that the time has
come for "redefining the level of protection that is regarded
as adequate" at American nuclear plants, a special task force
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded. The task
force reported that American plants need to plan for
simultaneous accidents at adjacent reactors, ensure that the
"hardened vents" added to reactors over the years to prevent
hydrogen explosions would actually work in an emergency,
inspect on a regular basis any improvements that have been
made, and find a better way to add water to spent-fuel pools.
The five-member commission is scheduled to meet next week to
consider the task force's recommendations.
