Petition for a CEP Meeting on Preparation for a Radiation Emergency

Petition for a CEP Meeting on Preparation for a Radiation Emergency

Jaanuary, 2018

Edison is now starting to move the remaining highly-radioactive uranium and plutonium nuclear waste from cooling pools into thin canisters to be stored at ground level near the beach in San Onofre.  The 3.6 million pounds of deadly nuclear waste are an enormous threat to the 8.7 million people from San Diego to Los Angeles who live in the 50 mile radius (the recommended evacuation zone at Fukushima). Some of this waste will remain lethal for hundreds of thousands of years. When SONGS was built, promises were made that the dangerous nuclear waste would be safely removed. The current plan to store this waste in the middle of two metropolitan areas for the indefinite future is irresponsible.

Hopefully there will never be any radiation incidents but history teaches us otherwise. In addition to the usual threats of accidents, fuel fires, equipment malfunction, human error, and earthquakes, we also have the threat of terrorist attacks from missiles (launched from far away or from nearby cargo ships), drones, truck bombs, and aircraft crashes. There is very little public information about possible scenarios and dangers from radioactive fallout and long-term contamination. Since we all now live near a nuclear waste dump, the public is keenly interested in what this might mean for everyone’s health and safety and the future of their communities.  The public wants to know:

(1) What are the possible threats to this area, including worst case scenarios?

(2) How will the public learn about actual radiation levels in the event of an incident? What  are the consequences of radiation exposure and radioactive contamination to life and property?

(3) In the event of a radiation emergency: (A) What will authorities do? (B) What can  members of the community do to protect themselves from radiation? (C) How can the public be educated and be made aware of these serious issues?

The petitioners below request a full CEP meeting be devoted to these issues. Furthermore, the petitioners want the lead in organizing this presentation including the selection of a moderator and 2-3 expert speakers. The organizers representing the petitioners will be Gary Headrick, Ace Hoffman, and Roger Johnson. Those signed below support this request. To join electronically, send a note to: r66nj@yahoo.com 

NAME                                                                                     CITY