80% Of The Population Of The State Lives Within 50 Miles Of A Nuclear Power Plant
GAO Finds NRC Needs Better Understanding Of Emergency Preparedness Beyond 10-Mile Zone; Study Released After Casey Request
WASHINGTON, DC —U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today issued the following statement regarding a newly released report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) needs to look at how residents living more than ten miles from a nuclear power plant would react in the case of an emergency:
“It is clear from this report that more needs to be done to know that residents who live outside of a ten mile radius understand appropriate emergency procedures and what they would do in the event of an emergency at a nuclear power plant,” said Senator Casey. “Over 10 million Pennsylvanians, which is 80% of the population of the State, live within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant. Strong emergency plans are critical to make sure constituents remain safe in the event of an emergency and that shouldn’t stop at a 10 mile radius.”
The GAO released the study in response to Senator Casey’s request for additional information to ensure that appropriate procedures are in place in the event of a disaster at a U.S. nuclear power plant.
There are five nuclear power plants operating in Pennsylvania. They are: Beaver Valley in Beaver County, Limerick in Montgomery County, Peach Bottom in York County, Susquehanna in Luzerne County and Three Mile Island in Dauphin County.
Senator Casey previously wrote letters to the GAO, FEMA, and the NRC requesting this study in June 2011, which can be found here.
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