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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

Whistleblowers Say Nuclear Regulatory Commission Watchdog Is Losing Its Bite

NRC Panel Calls for Safety Upgrade After Fukushima

Nuclear Plants and Disasters: NRC Inspection Results

Nuke Plant Inspections Find Flaws in Disaster Readiness

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

Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuke Plant

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

NRC Waives Enforcement of Fire Rules at Nuclear Plants

U.S. Nuclear Plants Drafting Customized Fire Plans

Safety Reviewers Raise Questions About Construction of New Nuclear Fuel Plant

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

House Calls for Drastic Cuts in Hospital Preparedness Funding

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

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

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

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

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

Six Ways Fukushima is Not Chernobyl

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

Our Reading List for Following Nuclear News From Japan

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

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

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

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

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.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
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

    The DOGE 100: Musk Is Out, but More Than 100 of His Followers Remain to Implement Trump’s Blueprint

    At least 38 DOGE members work, or have worked, for one of Elon Musk’s companies. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen DOGE officials are making cuts to the same federal agencies that regulate the industries that employed them.

    “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

    Crackdown on Student Threats

    Tennessee’s Law on School Threats Ensnared Students Who Posed No Risks. Two States Passed Similar Laws.

    Despite an outcry over increased arrests in Tennessee, two states — Georgia and New Mexico — followed its lead by passing laws that will crack down harder on hoax threats.

    EPA Drops Legal Case Against the GEO Group, a Major Trump Donor, Over Its Misuse of Harmful Disinfectant in an ICE Facility

    A complaint filed under the Biden administration alleged that on more than 1,000 occasions in 2022 and 2023, the GEO Group had its employees use the disinfectant, which causes irreversible eye damage and skin burns, without proper protection.

    Local Police Join ICE Deportation Force in Record Numbers Despite Warnings Program Lacks Oversight

    ICE officials tout an unprecedented expansion of its 287(g) Program, driven by agreements that allow local officers to function as deportation agents during routine policing. But advocates warn such agreements come at a high cost to communities.

    Local Reporting Network