Advertisement Former top regulator now says nuclear power 'hazardous' In explosive new book, calls for U.S. reactors to be shut down before 'catastrophe' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The former top regulator of nuclear power in America, who in the midst of an international crisis promoted U.S. nuclear power plants as operating "safely and securely," now says in an explosive new book that the United States should abandon the "failed technology" altogether."I now believe that nuclear power is more hazardous than it is worth," Greg Jaczko writes in his debut book, "Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator," which is based on his three years as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under President Barack Obama. "Because the industry relies too much on controlling its own regulation, the continued use of nuclear power will lead to catastrophe in this country or somewhere else in the world. This is a truth we all must confront," Jaczko wrote.The book is published by Simon & Schuster and will be released on Jan. 15; Hearst Television National Investigative Unit obtained an advanced copy.In his first television interview about the 196-page book, Jaczko said he isn't trying to scare people with his warnings about the dangers of the industry he used to oversee."I'm just trying to be honest," he said. "I went rogue by being honest."When asked if the 59 commercial nuclear sites in the United States and their 98 reactors are as safe as they could be, Jaczko replied, "No, I don't think they are."Fukushima Reforms Jaczko led the NRC during the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 and the American response to evaluate the vulnerability of reactors in the U.S.On March 11, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami overwhelmed the Fukushima plant's defenses causing radiation leaks, mass evacuations and billions of dollars in devastation; the cleanup is expected to take decades -- at least.In the wake of the incident, the NRC created a task force to issue recommendations within 90 days for how to improve safety at U.S. nuclear sites. The final report included 12 major recommendations, some of which have not yet been implemented eight years later, Jaczko said."I think the industry, right after the accident, came forward and offered a number of alternative solutions to dealing with the kind of accident that you had at Fukushima ... cheaper solutions, easier solutions."But the industry, represented by the Nuclear Energy Institute, said it's spent $4 billion on improvements since the 2011 disaster, including installing safety warehouses -- known as FLEX facilities, for "flexible coping strategies" -- at every U.S. nuclear plant, to stage emergency equipment on-site in case of a problem. Those individual facilities replaced a previous system where emergency equipment was pre-positioned in a few regions of the United States, to be shipped to a nuclear plant in distress, sometimes a great distance away.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which Jaczko used to lead, declined a request for an interview for this story and would not answer all of the questions submitted to it in writing. Instead, it said in a statement, in part: "The NRC continues to conclude every U.S. operating nuclear power plant can maintain public health and safety even if severe events affect a plant's installed electrical power systems… U.S. nuclear power plants are appropriately designed, built, maintained and operated to withstand severe events and protect public health and safety."The NRC also said it has addressed other safety issues spotlighted after Fukushima, such as greater hydrogen control at reactors, as well as taken steps to mitigate possible damage from earthquake-caused fires and floods, which are exceedingly rare, experts say.Some people intimately familiar with the industry, like Jaczko and the lawmakers he used to brief, have believed more could be done.Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced nuclear safety regulation in prior sessions of Congress. A spokesperson did not respond to inquiries about whether the senator would do so again this year.Jaczko resigned in 2012, after repeatedly clashing with his fellow commissioners.'I should have pushed'Jaczko delivered assurances, similar to those of the nuclear industry, from the White House Briefing Room three days after the Fukushima disaster, when he addressed reporters and responded to a question about the reliability of U.S. nuclear energy."Nuclear power plants in this country operate safely and securely," Jaczko said on live television on March 14, 2011.Now, eight years later, he said he'd phrase the answer much differently."You have to continue that sentence and at the end say: 'But they can have accidents, they will have accidents. And we have to be prepared for that," Jaczko said in the interview."Everything that I had kind of come to believe was wrong... There are things that after the accident I learned and realized: 'You know, that's something I should have pushed and promoted.'" Know of waste, fraud, abuse, or want to hold someone accountable? Send investigative tips to the National Investigative Unit at investigate@hearst.com.