Gregory Jaczko: “No Immediate Safety Concerns” for U.S. Nuclear Power, But Reviews Underway After Japan Accident

Calling it “a seminal event in the history of nuclear power,” the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy that the tsunami-triggered accident at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Japan is likely to provide nuclear safety lessons for regulators in this country as well as Japan.

“Every time we’ve had an incident in the nuclear industry, we have learned lessons and I don’t expect this will be any different,” NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko said in a 6 May luncheon talk at the 36th annual Forum. But he added, “At this time, we haven’t seen anything that would tell us there is an immediate change or an immediate safety concern with any of the plants that we operate in this country.”

Read more about the NRC review of U.S. plants, and its response to previous nuclear incidents.