Washington, D.C. - Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the statement below regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)'s announcement that it voted to postpone consideration of requirements to install engineered filter systems that would reduce the release of radioactive materials during an accident. The NRC did announce its approval of the staff recommendation to require that the venting systems function in a severe accident. Requiring both of these safety features was a recommendation of the NRC staff following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Senator Boxer said: "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should never cut corners when it comes to safety, especially after Fukushima. We should accept the recommendations of safety experts and not just accept a partial fix."

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