Reactor safety and the research budget

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) effort to broaden its concerns since the Three Mile Island accident from unlikely events to the potential hazards of small mishaps has identified a long list of safety problems to study at a time when its 1982 budget will be cut by 12 percent. While about 75 percent of the cut will come from safety technology staff and research, the NRC is also asked to accelerate licensing procedures. The administration's efforts to improve efficiency may backfire, however, if public opposition to nuclear energy increases. The integrity of aging steel vessels became central to this conflict when the NRC staff registered concern about the possibility of pressurized thermal shock and cracking. Computer studies at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory failed to resolve the uncertainty, and solutions range from two-year plant closing to anneal weakened steel to developing a schedule for clarifying risks. There are 16 other items on the unresolved safety issues (USI) list which are less threatening than thermal shock, but could have serious consequences. A recent review of NRC's research effort recommended support for 11 new problem areas and a more logical structure for the long-range research plan