UPDATE:US Rep Hoyer: Japan Nuclear Disaster Should Be 'Wake Up Call' For US

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said Tuesday that the Japanese nuclear crisis should be a "wake up" call to the U.S., but said he doesn't support a moratorium on development of new nuclear energy plants.

The No. 2 House Democrat said he believes existing U.S. nuclear energy production facilities should be inspected to ensure they are secure, and that any new proposed locations should be examined to make sure they are safe.

But Hoyer said that he continues to be a strong proponent of nuclear energy production as a "component part" of America's energy needs.

"I don't agree on a moratorium if a moratorium simply means we stop in place," Hoyer said at a weekly press conference.

The Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant owned by Constellation Energy Group Inc. (CEG) is located in Hoyer's Maryland district.

According to the non-partisan web site opensecrets.org, Constellation has contributed to Hoyer's re-election campaign funds in the last two election years.

In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, there have been explosions and fears of leaking radiation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant north of Tokyo.

In its latest warning, the Japanese government has told people living within 12 miles of the facility to evacuate and those within 18 miles to remain inside.

In the U.S., federal support for an expansion of nuclear energy is seen as one of the few areas there could potentially be agreement reached between Republicans who control the House, and President Barack Obama and Democrats in charge of the Senate.

Construction has not begun on a new nuclear facility in the U.S. since 1974. The only plant currently being built is in Tennessee and could be completed by 2012. In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident at a nuclear plant outside of Harrisburg, Pa., in 1979, there has been little enthusiasm for new nuclear construction in the U.S.

-By Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6601; corey.boles@dowjones.com

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