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Conservatives really do live in the land of wishful thinking. Yes, of course you can give away tax dollars that are supposed to be used for enforcement and use them for tax breaks! Of course you can cut funding for air traffic controllers without putting air travelers at risk, of course you can stop inspecting pharmaceutical factories and food processing plants, and expect them to just tell you if there’s a problem. After all, who would risk their company just to make a buck? All of the above, but especially the nuclear power industry: More than a quarter of U.S. nuclear plant operators have failed to properly tell regulators about equipment defects that could imperil reactor safety, according to a report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s inspector general. Operators of U.S. nuclear power plants are supposed to tell the NRC when pieces of equipment “contain defects that could create a substantial safety hazard,” regulations say. Although the report doesn’t assert that any imminent danger resulted from the lapses, many experts said the lack of communication could make it harder for other nuclear reactor operators to learn about flaws in their own equipment, because many similar parts are used in other reactors. “If it happens in this one, maybe it’s a faulty part that’s in another plant and they should know,” said Diane Curran, a lawyer who has represented citizens groups and state and local governments in cases related to nuclear plants. “If you don’t report on this, the other licensees can’t look in their books and say, ‘Oh, do I have this one?’ and ‘Maybe I should switch it out.’ ” The NRC inspector general’s report appeared at a time of heightened concern about nuclear safety as workers in Japan battled to control radiation leaks, fire, power outages and explosions at a series of reactors. The inspector general’s office did not describe the defects, and that frustrated lawmakers, who said the report on unreported problems did not say what those problems were. I guess it will surprise no one if I point out that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is known to be an industry-friendly watchdog who never barks and loves to wag his tail. So the fact that they’re reporting problems? It’s got to be much worse.