Oversight Committee Questions NRC on Non-cooperation with Review of Japanese Nuclear Disaster

WASHINGTON- In letters to the chairmen of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., is requesting information on the NRC’s lack of cooperation with an independent review of the Commission’s response to the events at Fukushima Daiichi.

In early April, the ACRS, an independent committee within the NRC, launched an important review of the lessons learned from Fukushima. To assist the independent technical experts on the ACRS in evaluating the NRC’s response efforts, staff pledged to provide the ACRS with the data and assumptions behind calculations that informed the agency’s recommendation that American citizens in Japan evacuate from a 50-mile zone around Fukushima. The ACRS has not yet been provided with that information.

“The ACRS has a statutory obligation to review this and other questions related to Fukushima in order to provide the Commission with clear, objective recommendations necessary to maintain the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” Issa wrote. “A clear, independent assessment of the agency’s handling of this situation will better situate the Commission to ensure efficient and effective operations in the future.”

The letters request a response by June 9th. You can find copies of Issa’s letters to NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko and ACRS Chairman Dr. Said Abdel-Khalik at https://oversight.house.gov.

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