Vermont has joined five other states in asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to consider the threat of terrorism and earthquakes when nuclear plants apply to have their licenses renewed.
Under the NRC’s current rules, only environmental concerns and the effects of aging on a nuclear plant are taken into account when a plant seeks a 20-year renewal of its license to operate.
In a letter yesterday to NRC Chairman Dale Klein, the states’ attorneys general said the commission should also consider the population density around a plant and the adequacy of evacuation plans.
The two Indian Point plants in Buchanan, New York, are now up for relicensing and Vermont Yankee is seeking to extend its license for 20 years beyond the scheduled expiration in 2012.