Obama: Radiation Poses No Risk to US

President says West Coast won't see Japan fallout, endorses nuclear energy
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 17, 2011 3:29 PM CDT
President Obama: West Coast Won't See Harmful Fallout From Japan Nuclear Disaster
President Obama makes a statement about Japan following last week's earthquake.   (AP Photo)

President Obama reaffirmed today that Americans in Japan should get at least 50 miles away from the damaged nuclear plant, but he doesn't think Americans elsewhere have much cause for worry: "I want to be very clear," he said in a brief statement on the crisis. "We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or US territories in the Pacific." Minute traces may reach California tomorrow.

The president also said US nuclear plants were safe, but he ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to conduct a review in the wake of massive earthquake, reports USA Today. "When we see a crisis like the one in Japan, we have a responsibility to learn from this event." He added, notably, that nuclear power remains "an important part of our own energy future," reports Time. (More President Obama stories.)

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