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Environment

Nuclear Safety

After Fukushima

We are tracking the nuclear disaster in Japan, and looking at questions about nuclear safety in the U.S. and elsewhere.

25 stories published since 2011

Nuclear Safety: The Story So Far

by ProPublica,

Whistleblowers Say Nuclear Regulatory Commission Watchdog Is Losing Its Bite

by John Sullivan,

NRC Panel Calls for Safety Upgrade After Fukushima

by John Sullivan,

Nuclear Plants and Disasters: NRC Inspection Results

by John Sullivan and Ariel Wittenberg,

Nuke Plant Inspections Find Flaws in Disaster Readiness

by John Sullivan,

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chief Blasts Agency’s Approach to Fire Safety

by John Sullivan,

Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuke Plant

by John Sullivan,

Editor's Note on Our Investigation Into Fire Risks at Nuclear Power Plants

by Stephen Engelberg,

NRC Waives Enforcement of Fire Rules at Nuclear Plants

by John Sullivan,

U.S. Nuclear Plants Drafting Customized Fire Plans

by John Sullivan,

Safety Reviewers Raise Questions About Construction of New Nuclear Fuel Plant

by Donna Deedy, special to ProPublica, with Michael Grabell,

U.S. Nuclear Regulator Lets Industry Help With the Fine Print

by John Sullivan,

House Calls for Drastic Cuts in Hospital Preparedness Funding

by Sasha Chavkin,

U.S. Nuclear-Disaster Preparedness Hobbled by Uncertain Chain of Command

by Sasha Chavkin and Sheri Fink,

U.S. Health Care System Unprepared for Major Nuclear Emergency

by Sheri Fink,

While Nuclear Waste Piles Up in U.S., Billions in Fund to Handle It Sit Unused

by Joaquin Sapien,

Even In Worst Case, Japan’s Nuclear Disaster Will Have Limited Reach

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Our Quick Guide to Nuclear Plant Safety: What Could Go Wrong?

by Sergio Hernández and Marian Wang,

Six Ways Fukushima is Not Chernobyl

by Lois Beckett,

Congressman: U.S. May Not Be Prepared to Respond to Nuclear Disaster

by Sasha Chavkin,

Our Reading List for Following Nuclear News From Japan

by Marian Wang,

Spent Fuel Now Focus at Japanese Reactor, Highlighting Concerns About Plant Design

by Tom Detzel,

Status of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Question at Crippled Japanese Power Plant

by John Sullivan,

Iodine Pills Distributed in Japan Offer Limited Protection From Effects of Radiation

by Marian Wang,

Can U.S. Nuclear Plants Handle a Major Natural Disaster?

by John Sullivan,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    RFK Jr. Wants to Change a Program That Stopped Vaccine Makers From Leaving the U.S. Market. They Could Flee Again.

    The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program stabilizes the nation’s childhood immunization system while paying those harmed by rare side effects. If the program topples, it could threaten access to vaccines.

    by Patricia Callahan,

    The USDA Wouldn’t Let Her Give Up Her House When She Couldn’t Pay Her Mortgage. Instead, It Crushed Her With Debt.

    The USDA failed to follow its own guidance for a rural mortgage program, taking years to foreclose on delinquent loans. As a result, 55 Maine borrowers racked up, on average, $110,000 in additional debt before the agency moved to take the homes.

    by Sawyer Loftus, Bangor Daily News,

    Local Reporting Network

    He Came to the U.S. to Support His Sick Child. He Was Detained. Then He Disappeared.

    Like most of the more than 230 Venezuelan men deported to a Salvadoran prison, José Manuel Ramos Bastidas had followed U.S. immigration rules. Then Trump rewrote them.

    by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica; Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune; Mica Rosenberg and Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica; Ronna Rísquez, Alianza Rebelde Investiga; and Adrián González, Cazadores de Fake News,

    The Most Interesting Email I Ever Received: Remembering the Incredible Life of DIY Geneticist Jill Viles

    In 2013, ProPublica reporter David Epstein was contacted by a woman with a wild story and a batch of photos she believed were clues to the mystery of her condition. Turns out, she was right.

    by David Epstein,

    Trump Administration Prepares to Drop Seven Major Housing Discrimination Cases

    Federal housing officials spent years investigating cities from Chicago to Memphis to Corpus Christi for putting industrial plants and unwanted facilities in poor, nonwhite neighborhoods. Now, under Trump, the agency plans to drop the cases.

    by Jesse Coburn,