Union of Concerned Scientists News

Nuclear Plants in South Carolina, Missouri Face the Highest Quake Risks

WASHINGTON — The U.S. nuclear power reactors facing the highest risks of a meltdown from earthquakes are not in tremor-prone California, but states including South Carolina and Missouri, an analysis of government data published on Thursday said. The chances of …

New S.C. Law Creates Resilience Office to Address Flooding

COLUMBIA, S.C. — After five years filled with unprecedented flooding, South Carolina has now established an office to marshal the state’s efforts in stemming floodwaters and coordinating recovery and relief efforts. Gov. Henry McMaster held a ceremonial signing Tuesday in …

America’s Great Climate Exodus Is Starting in the Florida Keys

Lori Rittel is stuck in her Florida Keys home, living in the wreckage left by Hurricane Irma two years ago, unable to rebuild or repair. Now her best hope for escape is to sell the little white bungalow to the …

Nuclear Industry Push for Reduced Oversight Gaining Traction

WASHINGTON — Fewer mock commando raids to test nuclear power plants’ defenses against terrorist attacks. Fewer, smaller government inspections for plant safety issues. Less notice to the public and to state governors when problems arise. They’re part of the money-saving …

Climate Advocates Cheer Trump Policy Shift on Flood Insurance

About the photo: A member of a search and rescue team wades through floodwaters after Hurricane Florence in Carolina Beach, North Carolina on Sept. 17, 2018. Photographer: Callaghan O’Hare/Bloomberg Climate advocates say an overhaul of the nation’s flood insurance program …

Nuclear Chief Says U.S. Plants Safer After Japan Tragedy; Watchdog Disagrees

Two years after the nuclear crisis in Japan, the top U.S. regulator says American nuclear power plants are safer than ever, though not trouble-free. A watchdog group calls that assessment overly rosy. “The performance is quite good,” Nuclear Regulatory Commission …

U.S. Nuclear Plant Inspections Need to Improve

More than one-third of U.S. nuclear power plants suffered safety-related incidents over the past three years, and nuclear regulators and plant operators need to improve inspections to prevent such events, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said in a report …