Georgia’s two nuclear sites got more than a safety violation a month
over a dozen years, and now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
is shut down.
Maybe we need power sources that don’t need so much safety inspection,
like solar and wind and efficiency and conservation.

AP wrote yesterday,

166 violations issued at Ga. nuclear power plants,

A congressional study expected to be released later this month shows
that two nuclear power plants in Georgia were issued 166 safety
violations between 2000 and 2012.

The unreleased Government Accountability Office report obtained by
the Associated Press shows that Plant Hatch in Baxley was issued 90
safety violations during the time period. According to the report,
three of the violations were higher-level offenses.

According to the report, Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro was also issued
75 safety violations between 2000 and 2012.

Allison Macfarlane wrote on the NRC blog 9 October 2013,

From the Chairman: An Update on the NRC Shutdown,

Despite our best hopes, the NRC on Thursday will be joining the rest
of the federal government in shutting down due to a lapse in
appropriations. I believe we all share a deep disappointment that
this action has become necessary.

By using “carryover” funds, we’ve been able to stay
open, but those funds have now been depleted. Wednesday is the last
full day that the NRC will be operating normally until we receive an
appropriation. Beginning on Thursday, we will not conduct
non-emergency reactor licensing, reactor license renewal amendments,
emergency preparedness exercises, reviews of design certifications
or rulemaking and regulatory guidance.

So Plant Hatch, same design as Fukushima, runs without oversight.
Plant Vogtle, too.
If they were solar plants, or even better distributed rooftop solar,
nobody would need to constantly inspect them to make sure they
didn’t leak radioactivity or melt down or explode.

-jsq