Sens.: Bill Will Stop Early Nuke Relicensing

Two Democratic congressmen from Massachusetts have filed a bill to prevent Seabrook Station's preemptive relicensing and other early nuclear power plant applications because they feel granting a lengthy extension is akin to a doctor assuring a long-term smoker they'll never get cancer, according to the Hampton Union.

Edward Markey and John Tierney, both of whom represent Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives, said HR 6554 would prohibit the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from awarding a license extension to any plant seeking one more than 10 years before the expiration of its current license, according to the paper.

Many concerns have been raised about Seabrook Station's safety over the past year as the plant's owners have sought a 20-year extension of its operating license, which doesn't expire until 2030. This means HR 6554 would prevent the license extension from taking place until 2020.

“Allowing the NRC to give a 60-year-long clean bill of health to reactors that are in their nuclear adolescence, especially one with documented safety issues such as Seabrook, is like allowing a doctor to assure a 20-year-old smoker they will never get lung cancer,” Markey wrote in a joint press release issued with Tierney dated Sept. 26, according to the Hampton Union. “This legislation will help ensure that the effects of aging on America's nuclear power plants are more well-known before granting any license extensions, so nearby residents can have some confidence that the reactors' 'golden years' won't involve catastrophic aging-related safety failures.”