Fire When Not Ready

By law, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the sole governmental agency responsible for protecting Americans from the risks posed by fire hazards at nuclear power plats. By chronic malpractice, the NRC is the sole governmental agency exposing Americans to unnecessarily high risks from fire hazards at nuclear power plans.

The NRC knows the fire hazard is very real, estimating that the reactor meltdown risk from fire hazards is about 50%, or roughly equal to the meltdown risk from ALL other hazards, combined. And that risk assessment assumes the plants are in complete compliance with fire protection regulations.

The risks Americans face from fire hazards at nuclear power plants increased dramatically on 9/11. While adequate fire protection has never been more important, the NRC allows nuclear plants like Shearon Harris to continue operating in known violation of fire protection regulations. Because the nuclear industry cannot or will not meet fire protection regulations and the NRC does nothing about it, Americans face undue risk.