Politics & Government

Relicensing of Nuke Plant 35 Miles from Hellertown Questioned

Environmentalists say Limerick plant needs a new safety study

The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, says the  Limerick nuclear power plant near Pottstown needs an updated safety study before its license should be renewed.

The group claims that the plant's owner, Exelon, "hasn't conducted a legally adequate environmental analysis," according to a story by the Associated Press.

The group cites the Fukushima nuclear dis­as­ter as a rea­son for updat­ing the analysis for mitigating unlikely but severe accidents - an analysis that the Defense Council says is decades out-of-date.

Find out what's happening in Hellertown-Lower Sauconwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Exelon says the allegation is "unfounded," the AP reports.

The article continues, "A spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says an independent three-person panel will look at whether the group has standing to intervene, and whether its complaints are worthy of an inquiry."

Find out what's happening in Hellertown-Lower Sauconwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The plant provides electricity to an estimated 2 million households, according to State Impact.

The Limerick plant is about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Montgomery County. The plant is about 35 miles from Hellertown.


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