Tell the NRC to Ensure Safety and Accountability in Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning

Nuclear reactors across the United States are aging and are nearing the end of their operational lives. A dozen have already closed in the last decade. Over 90 more will close in the decades to come and the lengthy, dangerous, and dirty process of dismantling them and cleaning up the mess, or decommissioning, will begin. It is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) job to ensure safety, transparency, and accountability throughout the decommissioning process. But exactly the opposite is happening. The NRC is proposing a grossly inadequate and illegal set of regulations on decommissioning of nuclear reactors that would put the health and safety of communities and workers in danger. 

The proposed changes weaken the safety provisions in the decommissioning process for both citizens and the environment and put far too much authority in the hands of the profit-driven nuclear industry. Given that the NRC is charged with protecting public health and the environment, the current draft of the rules must be revised to strengthen local community and state engagement, and the NRC must take responsibility for ensuring that public safety and environmental protection are prioritized throughout the full decommissioning process. The NRC must have oversight and enforcement of decommissioning, particularly as more reactors are closing and decommissioning becomes a more prevalent public health and safety concern. Tell the NRC that it must do more, not less, to exercise oversight and hold the industry accountable throughout the process.

Speak up today and let the NRC know that the proposed rule is NOT adequate. 
Deadline to comment: Tuesday, August 30, 2022