[Occupymendocino] FW: Urge your Rep. to co-sponsor nuclear emergency response bill

[Ann Rennacker]

This is important. Ann
 



Date: Tue, 7 May 2013 12:35:45 -0400
From: nirsnet at nirs.org
To: annxpress at live.com
Subject: Urge your Rep. to co-sponsor nuclear emergency response bill




6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, MD 20912; 301-270-6477; nirsnet at nirs.org; www.nirs.org



URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO CO-SPONSOR HR 1700--

BILL TO IMPROVE NUCLEAR EMERGENCY RESPONSE, INCREASE EPZ TO 50 MILES

May 7, 2013

Dear Friends,

The emergency planning issue for nuclear reactors is heating up in the wake of NIRS' Petition for Rulemaking to expand Emergency Planning Zones (EPZs) and a recent Government Accountability Office report warning that people outside the current 10-mile EPZs don't know what to do in the event of a nuclear accident, but likely would evacuate anyway. You can read the GAO report on our Nuclear 911 page here.

Last week, Rep. Elliott Engel (D-NY) introduced HR 1700, a common sense bill to address emergency planning issues. New York Democrats Nita Lowey and Charles Rangel, and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne, are initial co-sponsors. You can read this short bill here (pdf).

The bill would require the President to designate a single Federal agency to be responsible for coordinating response to a nuclear accident, and to develop clean-up standards to be applied afterwards. The bill would also effectively establish a 50-mile Emergency Planning Zone.

Currently, several government agencies have a role in emergency planning, with no clear-cut agency in charge. And the provision about establishing clean-up standards is a jab at the EPA, which recently released draft guidance that drastically relaxes such standards (we'll be sending an Alert for you to be able to comment on this important issue very soon!).

Please take a moment to send a quick letter to your Representative, asking him/her to co-sponsor HR 1700. The more co-sponsors we can get, the greater the chance this bill could move--there is no reason this need be seen as a partisan issue. 

Because the emergency planning issue is receiving major political attention, we will soon be sending you a separate Alert that will enable you to contact your local county and city officials asking them to pass resolutions in support of NIRS Petition for Rulemaking to expand Emergency Planning Zones and improve emergency exercises to include scenarios involving natural disasters affecting or initiating nuclear accidents.

It should probably go without saying, but emergency planning improvements are obviously not a substitute for nuclear reactor shutdowns. However, as long as reactors are still operating, all of us deserve the best possible emergency response. Right now, we're not getting it. Your actions will help move our nation in the right direction.
Thanks for all you do,
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
www.nirs.org
nirsnet at nirs.org
P.S. Thank you to everyone who contributed to help us meet our $25,000 matching grant! We made it! And we appreciate your support. Of course, your financial backing is needed all year long--if you can afford a tax-deductible $5 now to support this essential work moving ahead, we would be extremely grateful.
Stay Informed:
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