MBEF on Developments in Japan
The entire world has spent the last few days glued to news reports on the events in Japan, concerned for the people of that nation as they struggle with an unprecedented natural disaster. We mourn the loss of lives and our hopes and prayers are with the people of Japan in their recovery from this devastating earthquake and associated tsunami.
In addition to monitoring the response to the devastation the earthquake and tsunami caused, we are also reading and watching news about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The plant was hit by multiple earthquakes and a tsunami and, as a result, experienced significant system difficulties over the weekend.
While we continue to monitor this situation in Japan, we remain committed to our belief that nuclear power must remain an option to address Missouri’s future energy needs. Instead of discarding the possibility of nuclear power, we must examine what happened in Japan and work to learn as much from this crisis as possible so that we might avoid a similar situation in the future.
It is important to remember that one of the important aspects of the early site permit process we’re supporting in the Missouri General Assembly right now is a seismology review, as well as reviews of other types of natural disaster scenarios. These reviews are specifically required to analyze site-related risks and must be completed before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will issue a permit.
Safety precautions, stringent design requirements and strict construction standards help to ensure against these types of events. We will continue our efforts to keep nuclear power an option in Missouri – and we’ll also continue to make sure that nuclear power is generated using the most safe, secure practices possible.
For more information on the situation in Japan, please visit the Nuclear Energy Institute’s regular updates athttps://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/.
