Relicensing of Nuke Plant 30 Miles from Upper Saucon Questioned

The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, is claiming the Limerick nuclear power plant's owner Exelon "hasn't conducted a legally adequate environmental analysis," and is challenging its licensing renewal application, according to a story by the Associated Press.

The group cites the Fukushima nuclear dis­as­ter as a rea­son for updat­ing the analysis for mitigating unlikely but severe accidents - an analysis that the Defense Council says is decades out-of-date.

Exelon says the allegation is "unfounded," the AP reports.

The article continues, "A spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says an independent three-person panel will look at whether the group has standing to intervene, and whether its complaints are worthy of an inquiry."

The plant provides electricity to an estimated 2 million households, according to State Impact.

The Limerick plant is about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Montgomery County. The plant is about 30 miles from Upper Saucon Township.