Emergency Preparedness — Nuclear 911 Campaign

NRC cannot provide documentation of its claim in denying NIRS EPZ petition that "majority" of emergency exercises include natural disaster as initiating or concurrent event. Emergency workers remain ill-trained to respond to nuclear accident and natural disaster. E-mail exchange between NIRS and NRC available here. (pdf) Press release.

Pittsburgh City Council passes proclamation in support of NIRS Petition for Rulemaking on emergency planning. (pdf)

Rep. Engel (D-NY) introduces HR 1700, a bill that would expand emergency planning zones to 50 miles, put one agency in charge of emergency planning for nuclear accidents.

GAO report agrees with NIRS, finds that NRC does not understand and regulations do not account for likelihood of large shadow evacuations in real accident situation. NIRS press release on report and comment on big issue GAO missed.

A sheet with some citations to support the statements made in the sample resolution.

Sample resolution for local governments to support expansion of Emergency Planning Zones. This is a tool you can use: Take the resolution to your local county/city/town councils and seek passage of it (and then let us know that it has passed).

Press release. American Nuclear Society is right on need to improve emergency planning; wrong on solutions.

NIRS Petition for Rulemaking to NRC to expand emergency evacuation zones and improve emergency preparedness around U.S. nuclear reactors. With 37 initial co-petitioners from across the United States.

Briefing Paper on Emergency Preparedness at U.S. Nuclear Reactors. 10 pages.

Fact Sheet: Emergency Planning for Nuclear Disasters.

Press release announcing submission of Petition for Rulemaking to NRC with quotes from NIRS & grassroots groups.

After rejecting a NIRS petition demanding emergency back-up power for sirens within 10-mile emergency planning zones around reactors, the NRC orders Indian Point to install exactly that, due to legislation sponsored by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) that affects only the Indian Point site.

NRC letter in response to NIRS request for reconsideration and reversal of the agency’s denial of an emergency enforcement petition requesting backup power to public notification sirens.  In the meantime, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton introduces legislation in US Senate to require backup power to emergency notification systems.

On , NRC dismisses NIRS petition to provide emergency backup power to sirens that will fail in the event of main power line failure simultaneously occurring with a nuclear accident or act of terrorism

Official NRC transcript of the Petition Review Board meeting with petitioners for backup power for emergency notification systems around nuclear power stations

When the electrical grid fails due to adverse weather or mechanical failure all too often emergency notification systems around nuclear power stations simultaneously lose all power. Electrical grid failure is potentially an initiating event for a nuclear accident and most probably the opening of an attack by terrorists on a nuke. On NIRS in coalition with 16 organizations and several county governments petitioned the NRC to take emergency enforcement action to require nuclear power station operators to provide emergency backup power sources, preferably through photovoltaic panels, for emergency notification siren systems nationwide.

NIRS’ comments in response to U.S. Health and Human Service’s issuance of inadequate draft federal guidelines dated November 08, 2004 for distributing potassium iodide (KI) as a thyroid blocking agent in the event of a nuclear accident or an act of radiological sabotage.

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) draft guidelines for Section 127 of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 outlining a federal strategy for the distribution of potassium iodide (KI) issued for limited comment.

Nuclear Monitor () Special Edition article on the issues of emergency planning following the Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979.