Remarks on Receiving the Final Report of the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island

I've just met with Dr. Kemeny, the Chairman, and with the members and the staff of the Commission to investigate the accident at Three Mile Island. And I've received the Commission's final report, which has just been delivered to me this morning

As I indicated when the Commission was formed, its task was one of the most important which has ever been assigned to a Presidential commission. Its findings and its recommendations will be studied very carefully by me, by the members of my administration, .the Congress, the American public at large, members of the industry, and, I think, indeed, many leaders in foreign countries, who've been waiting to see what the Commission's analysis and recommendations would comprise.

They have fulfilled this extremely challenging task with the greatest degree of care and dispatch. Over a 6-month period. they have met frequently. They've investigated thoroughly. The attendance at the meetings has been almost perfect, and each member, highly diverse among themselves, has been a great contribution to the overall recommendations.

The staff and the Commission members deserve the gratitude of the American people, and on behalf of our Nation, Chairman Kemeny, I want to thank you personally and, for all of us, for the great work you've done.

This accident at Three Mile Island brought home the need to assure that nuclear power is as safe as possible. This report will guide us all in learning about the accident itself and in assuring the higher degree of safety for our citizens.

Throughout my own Presidency, I've given a high priority to furthering the safety of nuclear energy. It has been and will continue to be one of the most critical tasks of our generation. The Commission has made many far-reaching recommendations to improve nuclear safety—I think, specifically, 44 different recommendations,—and these far-reaching recommendations deserve our immediate and careful attention and study.

This is a complicated report. It's highly technical in nature in some respects and will require very careful assessment. Some of its recommendations can be carried out by the industry., some by me through Executive order, some will require .legislative recommendations and decisions by the Congress.

Our own assessment and our decisions on what to do cannot be made immediately, and we'll have to be very careful and very methodical in our recommendations to the public. After my advisers and I complete our analysis, then I will report to the Congress and to the Nation on further steps which are needed to improve and protect the public health and safety as it relates to nuclear power.

The Commission will now be disbanded, but I've asked the Commission members and, particularly, Chairman Kemeny to make themselves available to me in case there are followup questions that we need to have answered or additional consultations with them on specific recommendations included in the report.

This afternoon at 1:30, Dr. Kemeny and the members of the Commission and staff will have a definitive briefing for the press, but I wanted to express my thanks to him and to the Commission at this point. And he will be available to you and others during the afternoon to answer more specific questions.

Dr. Kemeny, thank you very much, on behalf of our country.