Graphic provided by Dave Lochbaum of UCS showing that age-degraded atomic reactors are at increased risk of accidents.The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has deployed a "Special Inspection" team to investigate the failure of an emergency service water pump at the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Michigan on the Lake Michigan shore. The service water pump is essential for cooling the atomic reactor core during an emergency. The failure seems to be a repeat of a 2009 incident, risking the potential for a simultaneous failure of all three emergency service water pumps at the reactor. Beyond Nuclear has issued a media release, calling for Palisades' shut down in order to prevent its melt down.