Japan Nuclear Fears And The Effect On The U.S.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The dramatic rescue effort continues and the tragedy in Japan will have a direct effect on our power sources in the United States.
Senator Charles Schumer of New York, in January, urged another look at expanding nuclear power plants in America. He backtracked a bit on Sunday but said nuclear power is still worth looking at to help feed our energy hunger.
Despite his cautious stance, it will be many months, perhaps years, before Congress and the White House push construction of new power plants, especially those in earthquake prone sections of the nation.
There is also no question that when this catastrophe settles down, which could also be months, scientists and engineers will be checking out the construction of the Japanese plants to determine whether standards were high enough.
An earthquake caused nuclear accident will no doubt be a major setback for Washington's plans to expand nuclear power.
Analysis by Larry Kane, KYW Newsradio
