NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ON AUG. 31-SEPT. 1 IN ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in Rockville, Md., to discuss enhancements to the agency’s emergency preparedness guidance and regulations for nuclear power plants in a post-9/11 threat environment.

On the first day of the meeting, senior officials from the agency’s Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response will participate in roundtable discussions with local, state and tribal representatives, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), advocacy groups and nuclear industry staff. The second day will include a discussion of comments and questions captured during the 2005 National Radiological Preparedness Conference. It will be conducted in a town-hall format and the public will have an opportunity to offer suggestions and to ask questions.

Among the topics to be covered are security-based emergency action levels, security-based drills and exercises, event notification to first responders, back-up power to siren systems and alternate ways to alert the public.

Each of the nation’s commercial nuclear power plants has onsite and offsite emergency plans to assure appropriate protective measures would be taken in the event of a radiological emergency. Federal oversight of these emergency plans is shared by the NRC and FEMA. While NRC reviews and assesses onsite preparedness and response, FEMA takes the lead in reviewing and assessing offsite preparedness and response and in assisting state and local governments. The NRC reviews the FEMA findings and then makes a determination on the overall state of emergency preparedness for each site.

"The NRC has worked hard to enhance the interfaces among safety, security and preparedness for nuclear power plants," said Eric J. Leeds, director of the Division of Preparedness and Response. "While we’ve made significant improvements over the past few years, we look forward to public input on ways we can further enhance our preparedness."

The meeting will take place on Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will be held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel, 5701 Marinelli Road, in North Bethesda, Md. A meeting notice and complete agenda is available on the NRC’s Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm.

For additional information on the meeting, contact Robert Moody at 301-415-1737 or send an e-mail to rem2@nrc.gov. Written comments may also be submitted by Oct. 17 to: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/epreview2005.html or to Robert Moody, U.S. NRC, Mail Stop O-6H2, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., 20852.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007