By Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. nuclear safety regulator wants a quick and sweeping overhaul of the rules governing the nuclear power industry but his fellow commissioners said on Tuesday they want to first hear from the industry and the public.
The first public comments from the four top officials at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission could mean Chairman Gregory Jaczko will face an uphill battle for his ambitious plan to rewrite the rule book within five years.
Jaczko wants the NRC to provide clear direction to industry on changes within 90 days on the rules that are being remade in response to Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power disaster. The regulator and industry would then implement the changes within five years.
A U.S. task force examining Fukushima -- the worst nuclear accident in 25 years -- recommended long-term changes for the NRC's regulations, but did not find any immediate safety threats in the nation's fleet of 104 reactors.
The changes would require a shift in NRC's safety regime that would force plants to plan for catastrophes far beyond what they were originally designed to withstand.
"The task force recognizes that what we've recommended here is a lot to chew on," said Charlie Miller, its chairman.
Jaczko sought to downplay the shift. "I don't see this as that much of a change in our overall regulatory structure," he said, pointing out that hardened vents are already used in plants similar to Fukushima and the commission already has rules regarding prolonged power outages -- two issues touched on by the task force.
"IMPORTANT, BUT EARLY STEP"
To make changes, Jaczko must secure votes from the majority of the four commissioners appointed to the NRC.
The commissioners did not directly address Jaczko's timeline at a public meeting on Tuesday, but three of them stressed they wanted to hear from stakeholders such as the industry and the public.
Calling the report "an important, but early step," Kristine Svinicki, a Republican commissioner, said the NRC needs to proceed with a "systematic and methodical review."
The recommendations "must be open to challenge by our many stakeholders and tested by the scrutiny of a wider body of experts ... prior to final commission action," Svinicki said.
William Magwood, a Democratic commissioner, called the report's ideas "intriguing and challenging" but said he wants to hear from people outside the agency.
"We may not agree with everything they suggest, but it would be arrogant of us not to listen to them very closely and very carefully," Magwood said.
William Ostendorff, a Republican commissioner, echoed calls for consultation. "I personally do not believe that our existing regulatory framework is broken," he said.
NEW PLANTS COULD MOVE FORWARD: JACZKO
Jaczko on Monday warned a failure to decide on a path forward could hold up applications for new reactors proposed by Southern and SCANA -- decisions that had been scheduled to be made in 2011.
But in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, Jaczko clarified his comments. The commission could move forward on the applications, but that move would be hard to defend to the public without first acting on the task force, he said.
"If those issues are unresolved I think it would be very difficult for the commission to explain why we're moving forward with new reactor licensing," Jaczko said.
Jaczko also said he feels the NRC should rethink its original plan to embark on a six-month in-depth review, noting the commission could wait "a couple of months" until Japan's situation becomes more clear.
JACZKO OFTEN IN MINORITY
Jaczko, a former Capitol Hill aide to two Democrats who have criticized the nuclear industry, often finds himself in the minority on NRC votes, said Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, for whom Jaczko once worked.
Markey said Jaczko's fellow commissioners should be more supportive of safety reforms.
"I call on these commissioners to start doing their jobs, and act immediately to implement all measures recommended by the Fukushima task force instead of calling for endless additional study in the hopes of delaying their adoption indefinitely," Markey said in a statement.
Other nuclear critics also urged the NRC on Tuesday to implement the changes as soon as possible, although they said some of the recommendations may not go far enough.
(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)