U.S. OKs Nuclear Test by Civilians

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission agreed for the first time to allow a commercial reactor to test-produce tritium, which is used in nuclear bombs. The NRC amended the Tennessee Valley Authority’s operating license for its Watts Bar Nuclear Plant to conduct the test, which could begin within weeks. Anti-nuclear groups have condemned the test, saying it would end a long-standing federal policy barring civilian nuclear power plants from making weapons. The test is intended to demonstrate that a commercial light-water reactor can produce tritium without affecting its operation.