Lucas,
Two years ago today, an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan and triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
When tragedy occurs, we ask: How did this happen and how can we prevent it from happening again?
We know that we cannot stop natural disasters, but we can prepare.
We can identify vulnerabilities in our buildings and infrastructure. And we can implement new safeguards to prevent or mitigate the impacts of natural phenomena and extreme weather.
In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, countries that utilize nuclear energy embarked on an extensive review of their nuclear power plants.
Some countries, like Germany, decided that the risks were too great, abandoning the technology and shifting to a sustainable energy economy — an ambitious but feasible undertaking.
In the U.S., our regulators tasked with protecting us and our environment from this potentially lethal technology issued a set of recommendations to enhance the safety of our aging fleet of nuclear reactors.
But two years later, the lessons learned from the nuclear disaster in Japan have yet to be implemented.
Tell the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to move forward with commonsense safeguards for nuclear power.
Nuclear utilities have embraced some upgrades to strengthen the safety of their power plants, but the industry is balking at new regulations — intended to prevent radiation leaks — because they don't want to pay for the installation of new safety devices, which they deem financially burdensome.
The nuclear industry has ramped up its lobbying efforts to get members of Congress to also pressure the NRC commissioners to vote against new safeguards.
And their efforts are working.
Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), chair of the House committee that oversees nuclear issues, held a hearing on February 28, where he told the five commissioners that "Safety gains should be significant enough to outweigh additional costs" for the industry.
But not every representative is doing the nuclear industry's bidding.
Tell the NRC to vote for new nuclear reactor safeguards and echo the statement made by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) at the hearing — "I would encourage you to resist outside pressure to disregard the expert recommendations of your staff."
When it comes to nuclear power, there is no room for putting a company's bottom line before the safety and security of the American people.
When our country's existing fleet of reactors was built 40 years ago, the majority were situated in scarcely populated areas. Now one in three people in the U.S. live within 50 miles of a nuclear reactor.
The reactor designers did not anticipate that the plants could be the target of terrorist attacks. They did not anticipate that a changing climate would threaten access to cooling water or make extreme weather conditions more severe and frequent.
If we are to prevent another nuclear disaster, our nuclear safeguards must reflect changing risks and threats.
Tell the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to vote for commonsense safeguards for nuclear power.
The role of nuclear power in meeting our global energy needs has been the subject of debate since the first commercial reactor reached criticality.
But whether one supports or opposes nuclear power, can't we all agree that no expense should be spared to safeguard citizens and the environment from such a potentially lethal technology?
Thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Allison Fisher
Public Citizen's Climate and Energy Program