Power grid security

Trump administration is ignoring a massive problem at U.S. nuclear plants

From day one, the Trump administration has looked for ways to prop up money-losing nuclear power plants, which face increasing competition from cheap natural gas and renewable energy sources.

At first, the main effort was a direct bailout — Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s failed plants subsidize nuclear (and coal) power plants by raising consumer energy bills.

Now the administration has started cutting corners in nuclear safety and oversight. Trump appointees, who are a majority at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), are allowing the nuclear industry to avoid costly upgrades to plants that are not designed to withstand current flood risk.

What’s especially shocking about this decision, made by the NRC in January, is that a remarkable “54 of the [60] nuclear plants operating in the U.S. weren’t designed to handle the flood risk they face,” as Bloomberg reported last week after reviewing information exchanged between the plant owners and the NRC.