Tell the NRC: Expand emergency evacuation zones

February 15, 2012

Today, NIRS and 37 other organizations submitted a formal Petition for Rulemaking to the NRC to expand emergency evacuation zones around U.S. nuclear reactors and make other improvements in emergency preparedness. We're calling this the Nuclear 911 campaign.

You can join us as a co-petitioner below!

The widespread radioactive contamination caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster (and Chernobyl before it) makes clear that the current 10 mile Emergency Planning Zones in the U.S. are woefully inadequate to protect the American people.

150,000 people in Japan were evacuated from more than 25 miles away from Fukushima Daiichi, and hundreds of thousands more remain in contaminated areas. Yet 80% of the airborne radiation released by Fukushima blew over the Pacific Ocean rather than over populated areas. We can't count on a favorable wind to protect the American people from a nuclear accident!

It would, of course, be better to close U.S. reactors permanently. But as every anti-nuclear activist knows, that's easier said than done. That is our goal and we are building the movement to do just that--but as long as nuclear reactors operate, the American people deserve the greatest possible protection from nuclear meltdowns.

This Petition for Rulemaking would make four major changes to existing emergency planning regulations:

*Expand the current Emergency Planning Zone from 10 to 25 miles
*Create a new Emergency Response Zone in a 25 to 50 mile radius from nuclear reactors; utilities would be required to identify and publicize emergency evacuation routes
*Expand the existing Ingestion Pathway Zone for interdiction of contaminated food, milk and water from 50 miles to 100 miles
*Require utilities to hold emergency exercises that entail an initiating or concurrent regionally-appropriate natural disaster.

The full text of the Petition for Rulemaking, as well as a press release, a briefing paper and a fact sheet on emergency planning issues is available from this page. More materials will be posted in coming days and weeks.

Note: if you are co-petitioning as an organization, please add your organization name and contact information into the text of the letter provided.

International friends and allies can co-petition as well. Please share this action page using the handy icons on the top right.