Environmental groups have asked U.S. regulators to suspend licensing decisions for new and existing plants until they have conducted a comprehensive review of Japan's nuclear crisis.

Attorney Diane Curran, speaking on behalf of the coalition on a conference call today, said the groups seek a "credible Three Mile Island-style review" of Japan's failed reactors and an analysis of the potential for a similar accident in the United States.

In 1979, President Carter mandated a six-month independent investigation following a partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently investigating U.S. nuclear plants to identify the need for near-term changes, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said Tuesday. Following that 90-day review, the agency plans to launch a six-month investigation based on new information on the Japanese reactor.

However, Jaczko said, there is no need to delay applications and proposals for license extensions. The agency's processes "are robust enough to deal with the new issues" that may be encountered in Japan, he said (Simon Lomax, Bloomberg, April 14). -- PK