TEPCO not paying for most decontamination work done by local gov'ts
Source: Mainichi.jp
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. has only shouldered 2 percent of the 76.1 billion yen ($638.8 million) spent on radiation decontamination operations conducted by municipality offices since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, Environment Ministry officials said Sunday.
The operator of the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has effectively refused to cover the costs of removing radioactive soil and other waste incurred by local governments in areas affected by the disaster, saying it is confirming whether such payments are required by law.
The central government has paid for the clean-up work on behalf of the company known as TEPCO and if the utility continues to refuse to pay, more taxpayers' money will be spent for interest payments.
TEPCO has so far basically paid for decontamination operations conducted directly by the central government in an area close to the Fukushima Daiichi complex, but it has treated differently work done by local governments in other areas designated by the government as needing to be cleaned up.
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