According to Reuters, a government-assigned task force in charge of assessing the current state of nuclear energy in the country has reported that, after a month of work, it has not found any major problems with any of the country's 104 nuclear power plants.
The federal task force went into action following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster that occurred in March following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan. The goal of the panel of experts is to look at where things failed at Fukushima and see if there are any similar risks at U.S. nuclear power plants. According to CNN, the task force was designed to complete a three-month study; so far, it is one month in. At the end of the three-month period, the task force will present its findings and any recommended changes or problems it might have with nuclear power plants in the U.S.
The CNN article also included a statement from task force leader Charles Miller, who spoke with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Thursday. Miller said:
"As we stand today, the task force has not identified any issues that we think would undermine our confidence in the continued safety and emergency planning for nuclear plants in this country. That said, we do expect that we're likely to have findings and recommendations that will further enhance the safety of the nuclear plants in this country."
According to Dow Jones Newswires, the meeting Thursday between the task force, which consists of five experts, and theNuclear Regulatory Commission was the first in a series of meetings set to take place. Additionally, the task force has made its findings so far available to the public and noted it will most likely have recommendations on how to enhance safety preparation for nuclear power plants once the study is completed. After the panel releases safety recommendations, U.S. officials could take swift action to make sure the precautions are implemented in the country's 104 nuclear reactors.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, in which the power plant's cooling system failed, many states that utilize nuclear energy began looking at their safety plans and disaster preparations. Some states also put their plans to build more reactors on hold until nuclear energy was completely reassessed in the country and their individual state.
Rachel Krech provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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