NRC's "color blindness" to nuclear safety

Sometimes NRC's Byzantine and labyrinthine regulations are entirely overwhelming, likely by design. Even the most basic of regulatory rules can be difficult to pin down. Take NRC's color coded system for nuclear safety violations: Green, White, Yellow, and Red.

Who would have thought that a "Green Finding" would indicate a safety violation? After all, Green usually means "good to go" in most peoples' understanding. But, as put by the five NRC Commissioners in a Sept. 2010 ruling:

A “Green” inspection finding indicates that the deficiency in licensee performance has a very low risk significance and has little or no impact on safety. By contrast, “White,” “Yellow,” and “Red” inspection findings indicate increasingly serious safety problems. “White” findings denote a “low to moderate” safety significance. NUREG-1649, Rev. 4, Reactor Oversight Process (Dec. 2006), at 6 (ML070890365). 

In a recent annual review of the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan, NRC found dozens to scores of "Green Findings." Given the common knowledge understanding of what "Green" means, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported that those systems, structures, and components, as well as plant performance in those areas, were good to go.