NRC Accused of Ignoring Nuclear Hazard Reports

Previously secret reports show that government inspectors missedor dismissed two-thirds of the problems at 56 nuclear power plantsthat the industry's own inspectors complained about, a nuclear safetywatchdog group contends.

Documents made public Wednesday by the group, Ralph Nader's PublicCitizen, showed that in Illinois, Nuclear Regulatory Commissioninspectors did not address, or contradicted, 60 percent of thefindings by the industry's internal inspection consultants, theAtlanta-based Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.

"Their reports show the NRC has abandoned tough regulation,"said Bill Magavern, head of Public Citizen's Critical Mass project.

And because the NRC refuses to make the Institute of NuclearPower Operations reports public, he said, "what you have is the NRCprotecting the industry from public scrutiny, instead of protectingthe public from problems in the industry."

Magavern wouldn't say how his group got the reports, covering1991 to 1993. A federal court earlier rejected the group's suit tomake such reports public.

Jan Strasma, an NRC spokesman here, said: "You can't compare NRCand INPO reports. The INPO usually goes in, by invitation and onlyoccasionally, to look at a particular problem or area at a plant,while the NRC reports are regular and deal with the entire gamut ofoperations."

Michael Wallace, nuclear operations chief for CommonwealthEdison, the nation's biggest nuclear utility, criticized thecomparison, saying, "NRC inspections only require compliance withminimum NRC standards and regulations.

"But we bring in INPO inspectors to tell us how we can try toimprove to be among the best in the industry. Their standards aremuch higher and their criticisms and suggestions much stiffer.

At a press conference after release of the Critical Mass study inWashington, D.C., critics of Edison said the documents show that Gov.Edgar should immediately place state inspectors in Illinois' sevennuclear power plants, six of which are operated by Edison.

A 1992 Illinois law calls for such action by 1997.

Greenpeace, the Illinois Public Interest Research Group and theNuclear Energy Information Service said the sub-par performance ofseveral Illinois nuclear power plants had led the group to requestrepeatedly a meeting with Edgar to discuss the need for prompt stateaction.

Edison's Dresden plant is on the NRC's "close watch" list of thenation's three worst nuclear power facilities, requiring extrainspections. Edison's Zion plant just got off the list, and federalofficials say its Quad Cities plant is likely to be put on the listin January.