NRC chief warns of loss of public confidence in nuclear plants
Sep 24 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Bob Audette Brattleboro Reformer,
> Vt.
>
> Mishaps at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant such as the
> collapse of a cooling tower cell in 2007 and a transformer fire in
> 2004 can lead to an erosion of public confidence in the safe operation
> of nuclear power plants around the country.
>
> That's what Dale Klein, the commissioner for the Nuclear
> Regulatory Commission, said in an August speech sponsored by the
> American Nuclear Society.
>
> Other problems at other nuclear plants around the country --
> including leaks in underground piping, cracks in nozzle welds, spent
> fuel pool leaks, transformer failures, tritium leaks and degraded
> underground cables -- only serve to reinforce the view that nuclear
> power isn't safe, said Klein.
>
> Even though most of the items were not matters of significant
> safety risk, Klein said that "low-risk significance of an issue is
> sometimes irrelevant in the eyes of the public, and these incidents
> can undermine public co nfidence."
>
> He told the attendees at the conference that materials
> degradation is not a matter of speculation for license renewal
> applications.
>
> "A number of instances in recent years make it clear that this is
> a concern right now," said Klein.
>
> He referred to the "broken windows" theory of law enforcement put
> forth by professor James Q. Wilson in the early 1980s.
>
> "The idea was that when small signs of disorder or decay, such as
> vandalism and graffiti, are allowed to persist, it leads to bigger
> crimes because people assume that the neighborhood does not have any
> standards and that no one is enforcing the law," said Klein. "One
> lesson we can take from (Wilson's) theory is that perception leads to
> reality."
>
> Therefore, said Klein, it's up to the nuclear industry and the
> NRC to fix the "broken windows" that erode public confidence.
>
> Klein also warned that complacency over small things in the
> nuclear industry can lead to big problems. Relying too much on a
> plant's design and its technology to ensure safety can only lead to
> trouble, said Klein, such as with the partial core meltdown at the
> Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pa., in 1979.
>
> Klein called the Three Mile Island incident "a wake-up call"
> for the NRC and the nuclear industry, said Klein. As a result, the
> Institute of Nuclear Power Operations was established to set
> performance objectives, criteria and guidelines for the industry, to
> conduct regular detailed evaluations of nuclear power plants and to
> provide assistance to help nuclear power plants continually improve
> their performance.
>
> "INPO has played an important part in establishing the strong
> safety record the nuclear power industry has had over the last few
> decades," said Klein.
>
> But if new plants are built, he said, the industry has to
> maintain a strong safety culture "both for the sake of public
> confidence and for avoiding complacency," he said.
>
> New power plants will have more passive safety features than are
> employed in current nuclear power plants, which could lead to
> complacency, said Klein.
>
> "Several things that are safety related in today's plants may not
> be safety related in future plants, such as the essential service
> water system," said Klein. "My concern is that operators might become
> complacent about all those features that are no longer safety-related
> and thus no longer require a high level of active attention. That
> cannot be allowed to happen."
>
> Bob Audette can be reached at [email protected], or at
> 802-254-2311, ext. 273.
> Vt.
>
> Mishaps at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant such as the
> collapse of a cooling tower cell in 2007 and a transformer fire in
> 2004 can lead to an erosion of public confidence in the safe operation
> of nuclear power plants around the country.
>
> That's what Dale Klein, the commissioner for the Nuclear
> Regulatory Commission, said in an August speech sponsored by the
> American Nuclear Society.
>
> Other problems at other nuclear plants around the country --
> including leaks in underground piping, cracks in nozzle welds, spent
> fuel pool leaks, transformer failures, tritium leaks and degraded
> underground cables -- only serve to reinforce the view that nuclear
> power isn't safe, said Klein.
>
> Even though most of the items were not matters of significant
> safety risk, Klein said that "low-risk significance of an issue is
> sometimes irrelevant in the eyes of the public, and these incidents
> can undermine public co nfidence."
>
> He told the attendees at the conference that materials
> degradation is not a matter of speculation for license renewal
> applications.
>
> "A number of instances in recent years make it clear that this is
> a concern right now," said Klein.
>
> He referred to the "broken windows" theory of law enforcement put
> forth by professor James Q. Wilson in the early 1980s.
>
> "The idea was that when small signs of disorder or decay, such as
> vandalism and graffiti, are allowed to persist, it leads to bigger
> crimes because people assume that the neighborhood does not have any
> standards and that no one is enforcing the law," said Klein. "One
> lesson we can take from (Wilson's) theory is that perception leads to
> reality."
>
> Therefore, said Klein, it's up to the nuclear industry and the
> NRC to fix the "broken windows" that erode public confidence.
>
> Klein also warned that complacency over small things in the
> nuclear industry can lead to big problems. Relying too much on a
> plant's design and its technology to ensure safety can only lead to
> trouble, said Klein, such as with the partial core meltdown at the
> Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pa., in 1979.
>
> Klein called the Three Mile Island incident "a wake-up call"
> for the NRC and the nuclear industry, said Klein. As a result, the
> Institute of Nuclear Power Operations was established to set
> performance objectives, criteria and guidelines for the industry, to
> conduct regular detailed evaluations of nuclear power plants and to
> provide assistance to help nuclear power plants continually improve
> their performance.
>
> "INPO has played an important part in establishing the strong
> safety record the nuclear power industry has had over the last few
> decades," said Klein.
>
> But if new plants are built, he said, the industry has to
> maintain a strong safety culture "both for the sake of public
> confidence and for avoiding complacency," he said.
>
> New power plants will have more passive safety features than are
> employed in current nuclear power plants, which could lead to
> complacency, said Klein.
>
> "Several things that are safety related in today's plants may not
> be safety related in future plants, such as the essential service
> water system," said Klein. "My concern is that operators might become
> complacent about all those features that are no longer safety-related
> and thus no longer require a high level of active attention. That
> cannot be allowed to happen."
>
> Bob Audette can be reached at [email protected], or at
> 802-254-2311, ext. 273.