We are concerned that utility deregulation and new ownership of reactors may increase risks of accidents because of increased pressure to run the plants closer to the margin. This risk is heightened by the fact that the 103 operating reactors around the country are deteriorating with age more quickly than expected. Current regulation is inadequate to protect public health and safety . For example, one aging-related problem is reactor embrittlement. Cracks in the reactor vessel caused by constant neutron bombardment could lead to a meltdown.
Steam generators are also susceptible to premature degradation.
The failure of as few as ten tubes can lead to a reactor meltdown, yet the NRC has inadequate steam generator tube standards. For example, the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant is located 24 miles north of New York City, along the Hudson River. It had been scheduled for steam generator tube replacement in 1993, yet this never happened thanks to increasingly lax NRC requirements. There is a consistent pattern and history of lax NRC enforcement and oversight ranging from fire prevention to worker fatigue. The agency is focused on increasing the industry s profitability, not protecting humans and the environment.