U.S. Sets Emergency Planning Changes for Those Near Nuclear Plants

The Rancho Seco nuclear power plant near Sacramento, California. Decommissioned in 1989.

By The Associated Press, Associated Press

The U.S. government has adopted the first set of comprehensive changes in the emergency planning program for communities near nuclear power plants since its creation after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.

The changes call for:

— Limited community participation in planning for attacks on nuclear plants.

— Less frequent community exercises in 50-mile emergency zones — every eight years instead of every six.

— Periodic community exercises with scenarios assuming little or no release of radiation.

— Delayed evacuations for more people in the immediate vicinity of an accident.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Reader Comments Read all comments (1)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.