Nuclear regulation progress made in emergency preparedness at Indian Point 2, but additional improvements needed : report to congressional requesters

Nuclear regulation progress made in emergency preparedness at Indian Point 2, but additional improvements needed : report to congressional requesters PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428949089
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 63

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Nuclear regulation progress made in emergency preparedness at Indian Point 2, but additional improvements needed : report to congressional requesters

Nuclear regulation progress made in emergency preparedness at Indian Point 2, but additional improvements needed : report to congressional requesters PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428949089
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 63

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Nuclear Regulation

Nuclear Regulation PDF Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Emergency management
Languages : en
Pages : 70

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NUCLEAR REGULATION: Progress Made in Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point 2, But Additional Improvements Needed

NUCLEAR REGULATION: Progress Made in Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point 2, But Additional Improvements Needed PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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In February 2000, Consolidated Edison Company shut down the Indian Point 2 commercial nuclear power plant in New York State because a tube had ruptured in a steam generator, raising the possibility that radioactively contaminated water could leak into the environment. 1 In this particular instance, the total amount of radioactivity released posed no threat: It was about one thousandth of the dose an individual receives from a chest X-ray. However, in the event of a more serious emergency at Indian Point 2, protecting the public from a radioactive release presents more substantial challenges because the plant is located in a heavily populated area. More than 280,000 people reside within 10 miles of the plant in four counties; millions more live in New York City about 25 miles distant and within 50 miles in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Other commercial nuclear power plants are generally located in less-populated areas.

Nuclear Regulation

Nuclear Regulation PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Emergency management
Languages : en
Pages :

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After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, emergency preparedness at nuclear power plants has become of heightened concern. Currently, 104 commercial nuclear power plants operate at 64 sites in 32 states and provide about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. In July 2001, GAO reported on emergency preparedness at the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant in New York State. This testimony discusses GAO's findings and recommendations in that report and the progress the plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have made in addressing these problems. GAO also provides its thoughts on the findings of a soon-to-be-issued report (the Witt report) on emergency preparedness at Indian Point and the Millstone nuclear power plant in Connecticut, and the implications of that report for plants nationwide. Since 2001, the Entergy Corporation has assumed ownership of the Indian Point 2 plant from the Consolidated Edison Company of New York (ConEd). In 2001, GAO reported that, over the years, NRC had identified a number of emergency preparedness weaknesses at Indian Point 2 that had gone largely uncorrected. ConEd had some corrective actions underway before a 2000 event raised the possibility of a leak of radioactively contaminated water into the environment. ConEd took other actions to address problems during this event. According to NRC, more than a year later, the plant still had problems similar to those previously identified--particularly in the pager system for activating emergency personnel. However, NRC, in commenting on a draft of GAO's report, stated that ConEd's emergency preparedness program could protect the public. Four counties responsible for responding to a radiological emergency at Indian Point 2 had, with the state and ConEd, developed a new form to better document the nature and seriousness of any radioactive release and thus avoid the confusion that occurred during the February 2000 event. Because they are the first responders in any radiological emergency, county officials wanted NRC and FEMA to communicate more with them in nonemergency situations, in addition to communicating through the states. However, NRC and FEMA primarily rely on the states to communicate with local jurisdictions. Since GAO's 2001 report, NRC has found that emergency preparedness weaknesses have continued. For example, NRC reported that, during an emergency exercise in the fall of 2002, the facility gave out unclear information about the release of radioactive materials, which had also happened during the February 2000 event. Similarly, in terms of communicating with the surrounding jurisdictions, little has changed, according to county officials. County officials told GAO that a videoconference system--promised to ensure prompt meetings and better communication between the plant's technical representatives and the counties--had not been installed. In addition, NRC and FEMA continue to work primarily with the states in nonemergency situations. Although they note that there are avenues for public participation, none of these is exclusively for the county governments. GAO did not evaluate the draft Witt report or verify the accuracy of its findings. The draft Witt report is a much larger, more technical assessment than the 2001 GAO report. While both reports point out difficulties in communications and planning inadequacies, the draft Witt report concludes that the current radiological response system and capabilities are not adequate to protect the public from an unacceptable dose of radiation in the event of a release from Indian Point, especially if the release is faster or larger than the release for which the programs are typically designed. GAO is aware that, in commenting on a draft of the Witt report, FEMA disagreed with some of the issues raised but said the report highlights several issues worth considering to improve emergency preparedness in the communities around Indian Point and nationwide. NRC concluded that the draft report gives "undue weight" to the impact of a terrorist attack.

Emerging Threats

Emerging Threats PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform. Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Civil defense
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Progress Made in Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point 2, But Additional Improvements Needed

Progress Made in Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point 2, But Additional Improvements Needed PDF Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Emergency management
Languages : en
Pages : 57

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Month in Review ...

Month in Review ... PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Finance, Public
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Nuclear regulation NRC needs to more aggressively and comprehensively resolve issues related to the DavisBesse nuclear power plant's shutdown : report to congressional requesters.

Nuclear regulation NRC needs to more aggressively and comprehensively resolve issues related to the DavisBesse nuclear power plant's shutdown : report to congressional requesters. PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428937668
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies in the USA

Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies in the USA PDF Author: Dean Kyne
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 331950343X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
Managing nuclear power emergencies is significantly different from managing other types of emergencies, including fire, flood, and other disasters because nuclear disaster management requires special technical skills and a rigid protocol which outlines detailed steps and procedure before an evacuation announcement could be made. It was evident that the impacts from a nuclear power core-meltdown accident were immerse, irreversible, and inevitable, as evident by evaluating the three historic core-meltdown accidents, namely Three Mile Island in 1997, Chernobyl in 1986, and Fukushima Daiichi in 2011. The three options for minimizing the risks associated with NPPs are suggesting elimination of all NPPs in operation in the United States, transforming inevitable risks to evitable risks, and transforming the current radiological plan into an effective emergency management plan. Being the latter option is the only viable one, this book provides a comprehensive understanding on effectively managing nuclear power emergencies in the U.S. The book presents detailed analysis on effectively managing nuclear power emergencies. In an attempt to illustrate minimizing the risks, factual answers to the key questions surrounding managing nuclear disasters are outlined. What are the risks associated with the nuclear power plants (NPP)? What are the problems associated with managing nuclear power core-meltdown accidents in the three historic accidents? Where are the geographical locations of the 99 commercial reactors in the U.S? Who are those exposed to potential risks associated with the NPPs? How could a projection of radioactive plume dispersion pathway be carried out using a spatial computer code, such as the Radiological Assessment Systems for Consequence Analysis (RASCAL) in case of a core-meltdown accident? Where would the radioactive plume go given weather conditions? Who are more likely to be exposed to the high level radiation dose during the core-meltdown accident? What are the issues with the current radiological emergency plan?

Oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, and Nuclear Safety
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nuclear industry
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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