"Leaks Trouble Nominees for Nuclear Panel"

"Tritium leaks like the one that threatens the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant are undermining confidence in other reactors around the country, three experts nominated by President Obama to join the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday at their confirmation hearing.

The leaks by themselves do not appear to have had any impact on public health, one of the three, William D. Magwood IV, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “The point is not that it’s not hurting anyone,” he said. “The point is it’s showing you don’t have your act together.”

Mr. Magwood, a former director of the Energy Department’s office of nuclear energy, spoke in much the same language that foes of reactors have been using for weeks to describe the leaks at Vermont Yankee, on the Connecticut River near the Massachusetts border, and other nuclear plants."

Matthew L. Wald reports for the New York Times February 9, 2010.