Waxman: Japan Crisis 'Like Chernobyl'
The Hill reports:
The worsening nuclear crisis in Japan is beginning to look like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a leading Democratic lawmaker said Wednesday.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said that in the wake of the incident, the U.S. must conduct a thorough review of the safety of its nuclear sites, but stopped short of calling for a moratorium on nuclear power development.
"I think we have to have a lot of pause after what's happened in Japan," said Waxman during an interview on ABC's "Top Line" webast. "They're looking like Chernobyl or close to it at the moment."
Waxman's comments underscore the increasing concern of U.S. officials as the Japan's nuclear power plant crisis heads toward a tipping point.
Japanese authorities are trying to prevent a large leak of nuclear material from the Fukushima Daiichi power plan, which was severely damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the country last week.
Click here to read more.
