Nuclear spills spur notification legislation
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Printable FormatChicago Tribune staff reports
Illinois' two Democratic U.S. senators teamed up Wednesday with a Republican congressman to introduce legislation that would require nuclear power companies to tell federal, state and county officials about unplanned releases of radioactive substances.
The Nuclear Release Notice Act would require notification when radioactive releases exceed federal limits and when two releases below those limits occur within 2 years from "the same source, process or equipment at a facility."
The bill was introduced by Sens. Barack Obama and Richard Durbin, as well as U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, whose district comprises Braidwood Generating Station, an Exelon Nuclear facility in far southwest Will County.
Exelon recently disclosed that radioactive tritium spilled or leaked from Braidwood four times between 1996 and 2003. Those spills, which local officials and residents said should have been disclosed years earlier, resulted in levels of tritium in groundwater near the plant exceeding federal limits.
Exelon Nuclear spokesman Craig Nesbit said his company is still reviewing the bill. "Exelon is committed to full notification to all affected people and all levels of government, and we are further committed to going beyond the formal requirements of the law," he said.