The Nrc Is The Absent Minded Regulator

The United States is desperately in need of newcompany bought nuclear materials with the approval
plants. Every nuclear power plant in the United Statesof the NRC based on a paper application which
is rapidly approaching its end of life. While there arecontained a post office box as its listed address. The
many solutions to this problem, the most obviouscompany was not investigated in any way by the
solution is to build more nuclear plants. Nuclear powerNRC Bogus Company Gets Nuke License. While the
is a proven resource. The United States has an ampleNRC debated the damage that could have been
supply of uranium. Nuclear power does not createdone, they updated the policy which left the
any carbon-based pollution which supposedlyresponsibility of investigating companies requesting
contributes to the green house effect.this particular type of license up to the individual
What is the problem?analyst. If an analyst did not want to perform the
The Nuclear Power Industry is regulated by theadditional task of investigating a company applying
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC hasfor the right to purchase nuclear materials license -
only received one application to build a nuclear powerthe analyst was not required to do so. The policy has
plant since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.been changed. Currently, if a nuclear power plant fails
With the 103 U.S. approaching their end of life, theto meet security standards, there is no fine. The
NRC needs a new generation of nuclear plants to bepenalty is a terse entry on a website buried amongst
built in order to stay relevant. Without nuclear powerhundreds of security results for every other nuclear
plants, the NRC's other roles of regulating nuclearpower plants. In the case of the sleeping guards at
medicine, nuclear waste, and nuclear weapons arethe Peach Bottom plant in Pennsylvania, the NRC on
either handled by other agencies or could be. Thesite representative was notified months in advance
NRC relies on the Nuclear Power Industry for itsthat guards were sleeping at critical areas within the
existence.plant. Nothing was done until a video of guards
When a huge bureaucracy relies on the group that itsleeping was made public.
regulates for its existence, is the bureaucracyThe question is not whether nuclear power is the
effective? Some would say, like the Atomic Energyenergy source for the future. The question is do you
Commission, the NRC is too large to be easilyfeel safe? Do you feel safe with guards sleeping at
disbanded and without Nuclear Power Plants the NRCplants? Do you feel safe with the level of oversight
would still survive. Regardless of whether the NRCthe NRC is providing? Would you feel safer if the
would truly disappear if nuclear power plants the realNRC had to regulate the construction of large
question remains - is the NRC effective in theirnumbers of new nuclear plants constructed to meet
oversight?the energy needs of the United States for the next
The NRC has a history of weak oversight. Fortwenty years.
example, as part of a GAO investigation, a fake