Nuclear plants withstood Sandy, industry stresses

The domestic nuclear power fleet appeared to come through its first big weather emergency since the Fukushima disaster with five reactors affected but without any major safety failures, an outcome lauded by the industry and regulators alike on Tuesday.

The lack of safety breakdowns during the landfall of Hurricane Sandy also marked the first successful leadership test for Allison Macfarlane, the new chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

She had overseen a special watch of reactors in the Northeast that continued through Tuesday, but mostly stayed out of the spotlight.