ACTION ALERT
Demand Enforcement of Nuclear Power Fire Safety Regulations
Dear Craig,
Last week, Dave Lochbaum, the director of the UCS Nuclear Safety Project, wrote to your governor about a very serious risk at the nuclear power plants in your state and dozens of others nationwide. He asked your governor to speak out—and we hope you will as well.
The risk is fire and the complete failure of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to enforce critical fire protection regulations.Today, 46 nuclear reactors, almost half of the U.S. nuclear fleet, continue to operate despite being in violation of these regulations, which the NRC first adopted more than 30 years ago—after a dangerous fire at Alabama's Browns Ferry plant—and then updated in 2004.
The NRC estimates that the risk of reactor meltdown due to fire is about 50 percent—roughly equal to all other risk factors combined. Yet the NRC has repeatedly failed to enforce fire regulations, opting to grant extensions rather than issue violation notices—including at Browns Ferry.
It is simply unacceptable that an agency that is supposed to protect the public is allowing these "nuclear crimes" to continue. And, as such, we asked your governor to write to the NRC and demand that the agency enforce its fire safety regulations and establish a clear, realistic timeline for compliance by all reactors.
We think action is more likely if you ask your governor to get involved and speak out on this common sense issue that impacts your family and community's health and safety.
Take action today! Urge your governor to demand that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission enforce its fire safety regulations.
Sincerely,
Sean Meyer
Strategic Campaigns Manager
Global Security Program
Union of Concerned Scientists
