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HistoryOver the years, the combined efforts of the NRC, FEMA, nuclear power plant operators, State and local officials, as well as thousands of volunteers and first responders (such as police, firefighters, and medical response personnel), have produced comprehensive emergency preparedness programs that assure the adequate protection of the public in the event of a radiological emergency. The following chronology outlines significant nuclear power events that led to the maturity and success story of today’s emergency preparedness programs.
1958 – The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) requires applicants for nuclear power plant operating licenses to outline procedures for dealing with radiological emergencies. Emergency plans are vague and sketchy. 1960 – Dresden Nuclear Generating Station, located in rural Grundy County in Northern Illinois, is the home to the nation's first full-scale, privately financed nuclear power plant; the first U.S. nuclear power plant built without government funding. Mid-Late 1960s – A dramatic growth in the size of electrical generation of a nuclear power plant increases attention to emergency preparedness. 1966 – The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) first raises the question of emergency preparedness and recommends that the AEC take a new look at the regulations. 1970 – The AEC staff proposes a new Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50 that lists items that emergency plans should contain. 1973 – OPEC cuts oil production by 25% and imposes oil embargo on oil shipments to U.S. 1973 – U.S. utilities order 41 nuclear power plants to be constructed – a 1-year record. 1974 - Congress decides to abolish the AEC. Supporters and critics of nuclear power agree that the promotional and regulatory duties of the AEC should be assigned to different agencies. The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; it began operations on January 19, 1975. 1977 – The NRC publishes Regulatory
Guide 1.101 1978 – The NRC publishes NUREG-0396, “Planning Basis for the Development of State and Local Government Radiological Emergency Response Plans in Support of Light Water Nuclear Power Plants.” This report concludes that a “spectrum of accidents (not the source term from a single accident sequence) should be considered in developing a basis for emergency planning.” Additionally, NUREG-0396 introduced the concept of two Emergency Planning Zones (EPZs): the short-term 10-mile plume exposure pathway and the long-term 50-mile ingestion exposure pathway.
1980 – An emergency planning rule is issued stipulating
that the NRC will not issue a new operating license without a satisfactory
emergency plan and that existing nuclear power plant owners have until
April 1981 to develop an adequate emergency plan.
1986 - On April 26, 1986, a major nuclear power station accident occurred at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in the former USSR. The accident destroyed the reactor and released massive amounts of radioactivity into the environment. The assessment of Chernobyl raised questions as to whether changes were needed to NRC regulations or guidance regarding reactivity accidents (accidents at low or zero power), operator training, and emergency planning. 1987 – The NRC issues a rule labeled the “realism doctrine” (10 CFR 50.47(c)(1)). It addresses the question of what the NRC should do when a State or local government declines to cooperate in the development or implementation of an offsite emergency plan. The rule recognizes the reality that in an actual emergency, State and local government officials will exercise their best efforts to protect the health and safety of the public.
2000 – The new Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) is launched. ROP is firmly anchored in the NRC's mission to ensure public health and safety in the operation of commercial power plants. Emergency preparedness is identified as one of the seven cornerstones of safety. 2001 – NRC amends rule 10 CFR 50.47(b)(10) requiring that States with a population within the 10-mile emergency planning zone of commercial nuclear power plants consider including potassium iodide (KI) as a protective measure for the general public to supplement sheltering and evacuation in the unlikely event of a severe nuclear power plant accident. September 11, 2001 - Promptly after the terroristic events on September 11, 2001, the NRC activates its Incident Response Center (IRC) at NRC Headquarters and in the Regional (IRC) offices, staffs the centers with teams of top officials and technical experts, and maintains this staffing for several months. The NRC advises its licensees to go to the highest level of security and the agency establishes communications with the FBI, the Department of Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others. 2002 – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issues Orders to all 104 commercial nuclear power plants to implement interim compensatory measures for the high-level terrorist threat environment. Included in these Orders are items addressing Emergency Preparedness in the post-9/11 environment. 2004 – Following the events of September 11, 2001, the NRC identifies the need for increased communication of its emergency preparedness activities with internal and external stakeholders, including the public, industry, the international nuclear community, and Federal, State and local government agencies. As a result of this increased awareness of the importance of emergency preparedness, the NRC creates the Emergency Preparedness Directorate (EPD). The function of the newly created directorate is to develop emergency preparedness policies, regulations, programs, and guidelines for both currently licensed nuclear reactors and potential new nuclear reactors. |
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