this comes at the same time that the nuclear regulatory commission is warning that eighteen nuclear plants in the eastern and central portion the united states might not be able to withstand earthquakes or its after effects we're all aware of how earthquake and subsequent subsequent tsunami ravaged the fukushima nuclear power plant in japan the radiation leakage and poisons the n.r.c. is giving operators at vulnerable nuclear plants for years here in the united states to conduct seismic tests to determine if their plants can withstand earthquake however nuclear energy critics argue that the n.r.c. is moving too slowly to address the threat to the nation's nuclear plants and that as a result there is the possibility of the fukushima level disaster happening in the united states joining me now to discuss the nation's aging nuclear infrastructure and the n.r.c. is new warning and what's going on in california is kevin camps radioactive waste watchdog would be a nuclear or kevin welcome thank you good to have you with us with regard to the sand is it the north freights and in a free synonym fo

nuclear regulatory commission established guidelines after 9/11 for restoring reactors disabled by a terrorist attack. they say the u.s. commission explained the guidelines to japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency on at least two occasions. and the commission asked japanese officials to improve the anti-terrorism measures at their nuclear facilities. but the independent panel says the agency did not adopt the u.s. recommendations. >> translator: if the advice had been taken in, there would have been less damage to the nuclear plant. that shows the stubborn nature of japan's nuclear industry. >> the japanese government says it will examine the report's findings in detail. the main opposition liberal democratic party wants a parliamentary committee to question former prime minister kaum. members say he should provide greater detail about how the government responded. a working group at japan's nuclear overseer has come out with its recommendations on the disaster. members proposed setting up two separate facilities to help communities respond to possible crises. an off-site emerg

commission mes today to discuss the tragic events in japan, and to begin to consider possible actions we may take. >> o'brien: nuclear safety in the u.s. is the responsibility of the nuclear regulatory commission , an agency with a staff of 4,000 and five politically appointed commissioners, led by chairman gregory jaczko. to what extent is what happened at fukushima kind of a complete surprise to the whole nuclear industry worldwide? >> i think there wasn't really the full appreciation for what the impacts could be from a tsunami and how that flooding could disable almost all the electrical distribution systems. so, what was really new, in a way, was the fact that here was something we hadn't really envisioned that could take out all of these basic safety systems. >> o'brien: america's 104 nuclear reactors may not face high risks from a tsunami, but they have to be prepared for earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, fires, potential terrorist attacks, or, as happened last summer in nebraska, a historic flood. in june, the swollen missouri river flooded the ft. calhoun nuclear plant. nrc chairman jaczko went to see for himself. >> the level at which there's an impact on the safe operati

that's a quote from the spokesman for the nuclear regulatory commission.owever, the concerns were high enough that the plant is now closed. officials say the radiation leak likely occurred in the steam generator tubes of san onofre's reactor number 3. that steam system, which is supposed to be shielded from any exposure to radiation, was replaced in december 2010. so, the question is, why did those parts fail now? >> it could be a mechanical issue, due to new equipment. there is also the possibility that the equipment was defected and this is a harbinger of more problems. >> reporter: san onofre is one of dozens of u.s. reactors facing new scrutiny after japan's nuclear crisis. right on the coast, in the heart of america's earthquake country. just next door to the navy's west coast hub, camp pendleton. we came here the day the fukushima daiichi plant in japan melted down. plant officials were eager to reassure the public the same thing could not happen here. is this plant safe? >> absolutely. this plant is safe. >> reporter: after japan, the nuclear regula

exelon is moving forward after an approval from the nuclear regulatory commission. the commission said the deal for $7.9 billion could not change operations or leadership. state regulators are expected to make a deal tomorrow. then it will go off to the federal energy regulatory commission. >>> and the statehouse is considering the same-sex marriage bill. the delegates have spent entire day preparing for the debate and deciding where they will come down once a vote is taken but one delegate who supports the bill is in the hospital scheduled for emergency surgery tomorrow. so if the vote is taken tomorrow, advocates could have a tough time getting the 71 votes without her. >>> a scam artist for abc2 news, we've been following for years. well, it -- he's been on the radar for decades. lamondes williams was convicted last fall for running a pyramid scheme involving rental cars. he was sentenced to 10 years for duping people, calling him a fraudster. we told you about him in 2009 when he was running a scheme on apartments. >>> everybody loves a good sail sale. what if c

governments and many local entities and many public utility commissions and the federal energy regulatory commission, nuclearcommission, and epa and probably several others like the army corps of engineers. how'd you find a government? is it too big and depressive? is it over-regulating all these things? >> one might as well throw out the political rhetoric rick for both sides and start over. it is almost unthinkable to have something as important as energy and not have some forms of public regulation. exelon operates 17 nuclear plants. are you going to trust us to do that without some federal oversight? the nrc is, in general, and efficient knowledgeable and constructive regulator. environmental pressures to -- we may sometimes think the epa is too intrusive and it may sometimes be but do we really think that businesses will get all the environmental pressures without some government pressure? i don't think so. it is fascinating to hear the political rhetoric. some people think that the only good things and all wisdom comes from the government. that is horse manure. you have other people who act as a privat

nuclear regulatory commission has given the go ahead to building the country's first new reactors in more than three decades. the head of the panel cast a no vote. he cited safety concerns stemming from the fukushima crisis. commission members voted 4-1 to approve the project to build two nuclear power reactors at a plant in the state of georgia. the chairman objected. he said builders need to commit to safety measures to address risks exposed by the accident last march. >> there are significant safety enhancements that have already been recommended as a result of learning the lessons from fukushima. and there's still more work ahead of us. knowing this, i cannot support issuing this license as if fukushima had never happened. >> engineers at westinghouse electric designed the reactors. toshiba is the major other than of the firm. construction could begin this year. the reactors are expected to start operation in 2016 in everything goes according to plan. the u.s. stopped building nuclear plants after the three mile island accident in 1979. members of the administration say they will

the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission was the only vote against the plan. he wanted safety changes in light of the japanese nuclear disaster. >>> the marine corps is under fire after a team posed for a picture in front of a logo in front of flag that lookedlike similar to the nazi ss. there was no malicious intent so they will not face discipline. >>> a bizarre standoff in los angeles. the suspected car thief climbed on to the roof of a house to get away from police. for five hours, he jumped back and forth between two houses, taunting officers and even smoked a zret. the s.w.a.t. team finally got him with a bean bag round. >>> time for the weather across the country. a half foot of lake-effect snow in the windy city. a few inches later on from detroit to pittsburgh. rain from houston and new orleans to little rock and memphis. showers in the arcarolinas. showers in the pacific northwest. >> 50 friends seattle to albuquerque. just one bone-chilling degree in fargo. 10 in the twin cities. 16 in omaha. 40s in the northeast. atlanta up to 56. miami, a nice 81.

by a 4-1 vote, the nuclear regulatory commission okayed a plan to build two new atomic reactors in easterneorgia. the new reactors would be built on an existing site owned by the southern company. the construction plan would have the 14 billion dollar reactors operating as soon as 2016. two other nuclear plants in south carolina are also being considered for approval in the next few months. >>> following the deadly soccer riot in egypt, the muslim brotherhood is flexing its newfound muscle in egypt, calling for the military there to surrender power to a new civilian government. the group once outlawed in egypt now controls more than 50% of the seats in a newly elected parliament. the brotherhood wants one of its leader named prime minister so he can form a new government instead of waiting until the june deadline for the generals now in charge to hand over power. more than 70 people died in the soccer riot which the muslim brotherhood showed the military failed to provide leadership, security, and economic stability. >>> here is a look at some of the other stories making news early today i

the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission was the only votted safety changesan. he wanted safety changes in light of the japanese nuclear disaster. >>> the marine corps is on the defensive after a fighting team posed for a picture in front of a flag that had a logo on it that looked similar to the nazi. the marines said they thought it was mend to represent sniper scouts. there was no malicious intent so they will not face discipline. >>> a bizarre standoff in los angeles. the suspected car thief climbed on to the roof of a house to get away from police. for five hours, the unarmed man jumped back and forth between two houses, taunting officers and even smoked a cigarette. the s.w.a.t. team finally got him with a bean bag round. he was taken away by ambulance. >>> time for the weather across the country. a half foot of lake-effect snow in the windy city. den from detroit to pittsburgh. rain changes to snow in kentucky. rain from houston and new orleans to little rock and memphis. showers in the carolinas. showers in the pacific northwest. >> 50s from seattle to al

nuclear regulatory commission established guidelines after 9/11 for restoring reactors disabled by a terrorist attack. they say the u.s. commission explained the guidelines to japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency on at least two occasions. and the commission asked japanese officials to improve the anti-terrorism measures at their nuclear facilities. but the independent panel says the agency did not adopt the u.s. recommendations. panel members say that if the guidelines had been followed, the damage at fukushima daiichi would have been less severe. the japanese government says it will examine the report's findings in detail. the main opposition liberal democratic party wants a parliamentary committee to question the prime minister, kan. they say kan should provide greater detail on how the government responded. >>> a working group at japan's nuclear overseer has come out with recommendations on the disaster. members propose setting up two separate facilities to help communities respond to possible crises. an off site emergency response center failed to function properly during

. >> reporter: after japan, the nuclear regulatory commission updated its seismic model. and a report issued found that 96 reactors in the central and southern u.s. are in regions at higher risk of a quake than previously thought. this event is likely just faulty equipment. plant officials are assuring the public and the workers it's not in danger. people are underbly nervous after what happened in japan. david wright, abc news. >>> u.s. combat troops could leave afghanistan by the end of next year under a new military plan. that's about 18 months sooner than expected. trainers and advisers will remain in the country through 2014. the approach is similar to the one used to end u.s. military involvement in iraq. >>> and egypt is in mourning right now following a deadly riot at a soccer match. at least 74 people were killed. hundreds injured. it started after the home team secured an unlikely win against egypt's top club. fans running on to the field attacking players 37 many accusing security forces of doing nothing to stop the attacks. news casters overcome with emotion w

. >>> the nuclear regulatory commission did something today it hasn't done since 1978. it approved licenses for two new nuclear power plants. the atlanta-based southern company will build and operate the plants in eastern georgia near augusta. they're projected to come online in 2016. the last approval for a nuclear plant in this country came just before the meltdown at three mile island in pennsylvania. that event, of course, brought approvals to a stop for an entire generation. >>> america's women in uniform may soon have new roles on the battlefield. the pentagon today changed its rules to give women jobs in more forward positions. closer to the front lines, still not in the combat infantry, but as we've seen in iraq and afghanistan, despite the official ban on women serving in combat, in reality, many have been right there in the fight and they paid a heavy price. more than 140 women in the u.s. military have been killed, another 860 wounded. >>> on the presidential campaign trail today, the issue of contraception and the catholic church took center stage once again

for the first time since the 1979 three mile island accident, the nuclear regulatory commission has approved a license for a new nuclear plant. the nrc approved a request for two reactors near augusta, georgia. the vote clears the way for officials to issue an operating license for those reactors and they could begin operating as soon as 2016 and 2017. >>> syria's violent crackdown on anti-government protestors continues to escalate. forces loyal to the president al-assad have surrounded the city, the center of the 11 month uprising, for nearly a week the army has been trying to crush pockets of violent resistance there. groups say more than 60 people were killed on thursday alone. >>> our time coming up on 4:35. at 4:40. a $25 billion settlement which will help homeowners who are in trouble reduce their debt. jessica will break down the mortgage deal in your -- money. >>> new hope for a possible cure. a new drug for cancer may also help alzheimer's patients. >>> we're back with your weather first in two minutes. you are watching 9news now. >>> 4:37 on this friday morning. and we are looking

nuclear regulatory commission today is expected to approve licenses for two new nuclear reactors. why is it significant? it's the first time it's had the approval in 30 years. reactors will be built 170 miles east of atlanta, georgia. >>> time to get moving in america's heartland. first lady michelle obama will kick off today a three-day tour promoting her let's move campaign. mrs. obama begins the tour in des moines, iowa. >>> 6:53. today you can turn on "jeopardy." you'll see a contestant from our area. >> yes, a senior at goucher you are college and has made it to the semifinals. of the college championship. way to go. this is sarah bart, a history major at goucher and originally from philadelphia. she says her dream category would somehow combine geography, mascots and beer. who would can argue with that? >>> abc2 beginning at 7:00 -- what was that again? beer. >> and mascots and geography. good luck. >>> let's talk about what is going on, on the weather front. as you head to the bus, some schools a little delayed especially in carroll county but you know what? we have to deal

basic construction had begun more than a year ago, anticipating that the nuclear regulatory commission would license the new reactors, which it did last week. they're the first ones approved since 1978, the year before the partial meltdown at three mile island in pennsylvania. president obama called again for more nuclear energy as part of an overall national strategy in his state of the union address last year: >> by 2035, 80% of americas electricity will come from clean energy sources. ( applause ) some folks want wind and solar. others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. to meet this goal, we will need them all and i urge democrats >> brown: day, therere 104 ommeiareactors in operation at 65 nuclear power plants nationwide. all told, nuclear power provides 20% of the country's total electricity and 8% of energy consumption from all sources. but the earthquake and tsunami in japan last year underscored the potential dangers, when reactors at the fukushima daiichi plant suffered partial meltdowns. the damage released dangerous levels of radiation and led to mass evacuations that

nuclear regulatory commission released 3,000 pages of transcripts showing its response in the days following the disaster at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant in japan. the documents show the agency contemplating evacuation advisory for u.s. citizens two days after the quake and tsunami disabled the facility. the transcripts cover in-house conferences over ten days from march 11th last year when the quake hit northeastern japan. a recording of an emergency conference call shows commission members discussing the seriousness of the situation. >> there is somewhat alarming language that talks about, and i'll just quote, the iaea tells us the earthquake triggered a power failure at the fukushima, daiichi unit two nuclear power plant. >> the documents show a senior member wanting to evacuate people within the radius of about 80 kilometers of the plant two days after the disaster. cesium had been detected leading an official to fear the core of the reactors were partially damaged. chairman gregory jaczko had a scenario in which reactors one, two and three all melted down. the u.s. ultimate

i know that nuclear regulatory commission has just licensed a plant and another one coming with larger reactors. but it seems to me that this is a good investment and something that will be very beneficial to energy mix going forward. so i thank you for that. with regard to carbon capture technologies, i don't know if you've had this question from other colleagues. i apologize if i'm repeating something here. but the ccs programs i think are still lacking direction in this budget. i don't think there's a pathway here as to how long and how much it's going to cost to be able to develop carbon capture technologies. i would like to see the budget laid out. but in the absence of that, i would hope that the department would do so. i did introduce an amendment last year that would require the department to assess how

yesterday nuclear regulatory commission they approved the proposal moving forward. now, the nrc says the deal worth about $7.9 billion should not change operations or leadership with either company. >>> and bge will be back at it again at 7:00 this morning trying to get the gas restored for people in southwest baltimore. the gas has been out since thursday at millington avenue after a pipe burst. crews have been trying to restore the gas in the 300 block to the 900 block that people have lost. >>> new this morning, the federal government is once again turning their focus to distracted driving. >> and this time they're now proposing recommendations to car manufacturers and with a breakdown of what's going to be suggested, we turn things over to abc 2 news' linda stow. linda, what do they want? reporter: charley, we've learned the guidelines will affect electronic devices in your car at the time they're manufactured. it's any kind of device that requires visual or manual operation by drivers. it could also mean that drivers are not allowed to text or dial numbers whil

the nuclear regulatory commission approving the first new nuclear plant in three decades.t clears the way for the construction of two nuclear reactors near augusta, georgia. the nrc hasn't approved a new plant since the partial meltdown of the harbor plant in pennsylvania. an aide to gabrielle giffords is running for her seat in a special election. ron barber was among those shot when a gunman opened fire in a tucson grocery store last year. barber said gabrielle giffords asked him to run for the democratic nomination. a cruise returning to fort lauderdale early after another virus at sea. nearly 200 members on board the ship became ill with the noro virus. this is the third time this has happened in the past few weeks. go to foxnews.com for more headliance. >> greta: caught on camera, shocking kidnapping attempt. it happened right in the middle of a georgia walmart store. it shows britney walking around the store and man appears and tries to carry her off. she fights back and kicks and screams and man suddenly let's her go. police are calling the seven-year-old girl a her

. >> the nuclear regulatory commission approved construction of two new nuclear reactors in georgia.ll be built south of augusta and could begin operating as soon as 2016 and 2017. today was the first such approval since 1978. in our solyndra update moments ago i said the bankrupt solar panel company received $500 billion in government loan guarantees. it meant $500 million. just wanted to correct that. the 2012 race and con seventives here in washington. we'll talk about that with the fox all-stars when we come back. i remember last time around, john mccain lost 19 states on his way to getting the nomination. you have don't win them all. and so i expect i'll lose a number of states before we get to a point i get the 1150 delegates i need. >> romney campaign is about tearing down -- [ inaudible ] not offering some visual. he is not going out to talk about his record. people can say i want a newt gingrich kind of big solution approach. where i know we will stop the problems rather than timidity that both romney and santorum represent. >> bret: sound from three of the four .ial candida

japan, there's been a new focus on safety of nuclear reactors worldwide, including a new nuclear regulatory commission report issued just this week, saying that 96 u.s. reactors in regions that may be more vulnerable to earthquakes than previously thought. >> they're saying nothing to worry about here? you know the steam that's coming out? that's mixed with radioactive water, and there's no way around that. >> reporter: workers are set to head inside the plant today to begin repair, but it could be several days before this plant is back online. george. >>> we're going to turn to the mom that disappeared from a denver parking lot, leaving her two toddlers in the car for hours. she showed up at a local hospital 12 miles away saying she doesn't remember a thing. but facing charges of child abuse, she's speaking out for the first time to abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: this morning, sarah hatfield is out of the hospital but not out of jeopardy. as doctors urgently worked to narrow in on what caused 12 hours of her life to vanish. >> what's the last thing you remember about saturday? >> sitting in the

and the nuclear regulatory commission approving the first reactor since three-mile island, that nuclear disaster. we'll tell you where the reactors will be built. jon: jenna, take a look at this guy. a romantic robot inspiring women in japan ahead of valentine's day. jenna: wow!. jon: can an android fall in love? coming up. wake up! that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. day my journey continues across the golden state, where everyone has been unbelievably nice. mornin'. i guess i'm helping them save hundreds on car insurance. it probably also doesn't hurt that i'm a world-famous advertising icon. cheers! i mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that? geico. ah... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent oh dear... or more on car insurance. between taking insulin, testing my blood sugar. is this part of your life? freestyle lite test strips? why, are they any beep! wow, that hardly needs any blood! yeah. and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. so easy. freestyle lite needs just a third the blood of

nuclear regulatory commission or nrc is set to expire next month. reactors in the u.s. the problems with this design are well known to industry insiders including the nrc. according to government documents dating back to 1972. >> 1972 the nrc said we never should have licensed this mark 1 design, period. but they also said, we have got so many of them licensed already, that if we were to change our minds, that would ruin nuclear power forever. >> arnie gunderson is a former nuclear industry executive turned whistle-blower with decades of experience in the industry. he's been appointed the chair of the state panel overseeing the vermont yankee reactor. he says because of design flaws, vermont yankee and other plants like it across the u.s. are one major earthquake, tornado, or flood away from disaster. and that's a fear bordering on reality after massive floods and tornados hit vermont last year. if something were to go wrong at vermont yankee, this would be the damage area, and given its recent history under the ownership of a company called entergy,

. >> the nuclear regulatory commission approved construction of two new nuclear reactors in georgia.built south of augusta and could begin operating as soon as 2016 and 2017. today was the first such approval since 1978. in our solyndra update moments ago i said the bankrupt solar panel company received $500 billion in government loan guarantees. it meant $500 million. just wanted to correct that. the 2012 race and con seventives here in washington. we'll talk about that with the fox all-stars when we come back. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life, or they're on us. these are just two of the

the nuclear regulatory commission and southern california edison said if there was a radiation leak itould have been extremely small. inspectors have found unusual damage. >>> a group of wind mill operators say 5% of california's electricity now comes from the wind. the berkely based california wind energy association says wind power generated enough electricity last year for more than 400,000 homes. the association credited projects in contra costa, and solano counties for adding to that total. the state hopes to get a third of its power from renewable resources, including wind, by 2020. >>> the 62-year-old dining hall at st. anthony's in the tenderloin is being demolished to make way for a $23 million multistory facility. st.anthony's has moved into a temporary dining hall around the corner, which will be used until the new dining hall is complete. [ siren ] >>> he was the voice of soul train. we'll go live tonight to see how the bay area is remembering a music legend, who inspired a generation. >>> and oakland hires two new chiefs to one appointment that's breaking barriers. -dad, w