US Energy Secretary Steven Chu told Congress Wednesday that Japan's ongoing nuclear crisis appears "more serious" than the 1979 Three Mile Island partial reactor meltdown.
Chu's comments came in response to a question comparing the incidents from Representative Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican, as Chu was testifying before the House of Representatives' Energy and Power Subcommittee.
"I think the events unfolding in Japan actually appear to me to be more serious than Three Mile Island," Chu said. "To what extent, we don't really know right now. They're unfolding on an hour-by-hour basis and there are conflicting reports."
"That's one of the reasons the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are there [in Japan] with boots on the ground, not only to assist the Japanese government, but also for our sake, for us to know what is happening," Chu added.
Japan situation looks 'more serious' than Three Mile Island: DOE's Chu - Electric Power | Platts News Article & Story
Chu's comments came in response to a question comparing the incidents from Representative Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican, as Chu was testifying before the House of Representatives' Energy and Power Subcommittee.
"I think the events unfolding in Japan actually appear to me to be more serious than Three Mile Island," Chu said. "To what extent, we don't really know right now. They're unfolding on an hour-by-hour basis and there are conflicting reports."
"That's one of the reasons the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are there [in Japan] with boots on the ground, not only to assist the Japanese government, but also for our sake, for us to know what is happening," Chu added.
Japan situation looks 'more serious' than Three Mile Island: DOE's Chu - Electric Power | Platts News Article & Story
