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29 <br />Chapter Ten • Solvrng the Nuclear Waste Disposal Crisis <br />I <br />I The (\RC re~1tlired utilities to perform IPEs for their nuclear pu~:er p ants. <br />~' but did nut re~luire the scopadtu~ht1~Ph,relea edttdo the pubinc trumtan .~ ~~ n <br />prindple---minimiatn, the r <br />~ involvtng fuel dan~ge. It could bin hu~~ acing the ffectivenless of thel firs <br />~ ern nuclear p~,~: er plant up ~ the integrity of the <br />_' and second defense-in-depth principles ~~ithout affechn~ <br />third principle. That ~;r:~een lu_ed bUrd~e NRC to justify relaaen bcontainment <br />' results from lPE_~ have b <br />' leakage rate limitst ` h`lfueltdamage occurs. more rad tnon will be retleasedtto <br />Thus, if an acctden <br />' the em•ironment. <br />The independence of the three defense-in-depth lavers provides strengt ~. <br />'~ Nuclear po~~'er plant desigi~~' 1`~ min maize tlhe 11an~es that a pustu ated accident <br />nuclear pu~•'er plant design_ <br />I causes fuel damage. Fur added protetrion, nuclear pu~~'er plant designs minimize <br />the radioacti~•ity released` °; lthat ustifiesene keningPhe~lird a~ ertbased on the <br />ing fuel damage. ~.ny ach 1 <br />perceived effe;tii n k manlieement tom ~rds~the C ernubyl philosophy of exclu- <br />defense-in-de} tl o <br />sively focusing on accident pre~-entiun and miti~atiun. <br />The i op, Middle, ~-~/ <br />and Bottom Lines Are l SAFI,1G , , electrical <br />;~iudear power has played an impurta <br />energy needs of the United tr n ~enucleartpu~ne plants lessened our dependence <br />1970s and l9SOs, electricity <br />on foreign ~~il imports. The led r un•er indust'n' s assertions that nuclear energy <br />and 19y05 supported the nuc p <br />was better fur the environment than other available sources. Nuclear pu~~•er <br />plants toda~'supply over ~0` ~ ~~f this nation's electricity needs. <br />The success of the nuclei cpltreer~tnd~ p e r(a) m nimizekl e than e th t~`~n <br />icy based un defense-in-depth . E <br />accident uccvrs. (b) mi l~ancestthatlthe radiuatctivit,•creleasedufTU ~n accident <br />and (c~ miniirrize the c <br />~:ith Fuel damae reaches thtllF'icl ie~te~it>~~~te i go 1 of prun a a+3 ~fet clean elt'~r <br />pu~.•er industt~• t~, continue ~uten- <br />tnc~t~~. ~t rs impt'rati~•e tha Sul lip ued` hel e ~ ~irunment frc n~tan aaide ~t are tuu <br />hal ~un~e~lutnres t~' the E <br />^,a~.~, to ~u.nf~• c~limu'ati`i~nt , ~~urr 1That`ris~k manl~ement philus~ pih~~`~1i~rnut <br />ahilit~ that much an .~~~ <br />work at Lh~•rnuha, it ~:uuhi n~~t ha:~• ~~'url.e~i at Three vlile lsla~~~{. ~~n~i it ~~ ill nut <br />~: url. in the ttiture <br />iti1 <br />