You are hereHome > WASHINGTON, March 29 – A new report released
today by the United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S.
PIRG) documents a history of safety problems at nuclear reactors
in the United States. These incidents – like the crisis at the
Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan – illustrate that nuclear
power carries with it risks that are simply not worth taking.
Since 1979, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has rated 17
instances at domestic nuclear power plants as a “significant
precursor” of core damage, meaning a dramatic increase in the
risk of a serious accident, according to Unacceptable Risk: Two
Decades of “Close Calls,” Leaks and Other Problems at U.S.
Nuclear Reactors. There have been four of these instances since
1990. “Nuclear power is simply too risky”, said Johanna Neumann,
Safe Energy Advocate with U.S. PIRG. “Even the best technology
can’t control what Mother Nature throws our way. We can’t afford
to gamble with technologies that could unleash radioactive
pollution into our c