That was the wrong thing to happen, because now we have all of these aging nuclear power plants, and 75 percent of them are leaking tritium into the groundwater. We’ve also lost the continuity of how to upgrade the older plants. We don’t have an industry that knows how to upgrade what’s been aging for the last 40 years. The plants were only built with a lifespan of 40 years, so now what? The NRC has been turning a blind eye to the red lights that have been flashing – they’re kicking the can down the road or lowering the standards that have been around for 40 years. They’ve been relicensing these aging nuclear power plants. There’s been no independent watchdog or auditing for what’s been going on.

They’ve lost the managerial oversight that they should be exercising.

Is it unrealistic to expect a problem-free world when it comes to energy?

Problems are always going to happen.

Both industry and government know that, and they should be prepared to address it. That’s what regulatory government is for. They’re called the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – but they’re not regulating. And that hurts the industry, our energy policy and the public.

To contact John W. Kindt, call 217-333- 2177; email jkindt@illinois.edu.