Story

A Former Regulator Rethinks Nuclear Energy

January 16, 2019 | 1a
By
Indira Lakshmanan
The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The famous Three Mile Island nuclear facility which in 1979 suffered a loss of coolant leading to a partial meltdown of the plant's second reactor, TMI 2. TMI 1 is still in operation, while the coolant stacks for TMI 2 will remain forever dormant. Image by JL Johnson. United States, 2012. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The famous Three Mile Island nuclear facility which in 1979 suffered a loss of coolant leading to a partial meltdown of the plant's second reactor, TMI 2. TMI 1 is still in operation, while the coolant stacks for TMI 2 will remain forever dormant. Image by JL Johnson. United States, 2012. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Greg Jaczko was the lead regulator of nuclear power in the United States from 2009-2012. In that role, he advocated for tough nuclear power safety regulations.

But in his new book, he writes he “now believe[s] that nuclear power is more hazardous than it is worth.”

Jaczko, who resigned in 2012, goes so far as to suggest the United States should abandon the technology altogether.

His book Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator details his new position on these issues.

Guest host Indira Lakshmanan spoke to him about his new book and about the future of nuclear power in the United States.

Guests

Gregory B. Jaczko Former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2009-2012); Author, "Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator"; @Jaczko