The nuclear industry has come under fire for its handling of the radioactive chemical tritium.

Now the industry’s sitting down with federal regulators to clean up its act.

Energy producer Exelon admits tritium leaked from three of its Illinois nuclear stations.

But they didn’t tell local residents about some of the spills until tritium turned up in a Will County drinking well.

Now, the industry wants to inform the public about leaks, even when public health isn’t at stake.

The Nuclear Energy Institute’s Ralph Andersen says, for decades, the industry reported only the most dangerous spills.

“That’s not the criteria anymore for communication. The public wants to know everything; they make their own decision about what’s important. Whether it took us this long or not, we appreciate that, and that’s what we’re really trying to be responsive to,” Andersen says.

The local branch of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission welcomes the move.

But a spokesperson says the agency will still investigate why Exelon didn’t report a major leak in Will County in 1998.

Private nuclear watchdogs also applaud the effort.

But they worry the agreement doesn’t cover the transportation and storage of tritium outside of nuclear power plants.