NRC approves updated emergency preparedness rules for nuke plants

By Andrew Restuccia - 08/30/11 04:43 PM ET

Under new rules approved by federal regulators Tuesday, nuclear power plant operators will be required to update emergency evacuation times as the population near a reactor increases.

The rules, which were approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, impose a number of other changes to existing emergency preparedness regulations.

Among other things, the regulations limit the responsibilities of emergency responders “to ensure they are not overburdened during an emergency event.” The rules also require new backup measures for notifying residents and officials of an emergency.

The regulations require nuclear power plant operators to update emergency evacuation times after a U.S. census or when population surges around a reactor.

The rules do not reflect lessons learned from the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant. A federal task force mandated by President Obama in the aftermath of the disaster outlined a series of sweeping safety recommendations in a report released last month.

Nuclear watchdog groups have raised concerns about nuclear evacuation procedures, citing the Japanese disaster.

The Obama administration initially told Americans living within 50 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to evacuate. But NRC rules require that operators develop emergency evacuation plans for people living within 10 miles of a reactor.

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko acknowledged Tuesday that the disaster in Japan will likely lead to future updates to emergency preparedness rules. Nonetheless, he praised the updated regulations approved by the commission Tuesday.

“Although there are likely to be lessons learned from Japan that will apply to emergency preparedness, I do not think that we need to wait to implement the many enhancements that this rule will provide,” Jaczko said in a statement. “This rule represents good work on the part of NRC staff members, who have spent several years working on the rule in coordination with other federal agencies and various stakeholders.”