For example, local authorities around the Limerick  Generating Station in Pennsylvania told us that the Pennsylvania  Turnpike was used as a boundary for part of the 10-mile zone. The REP program coordinates FEMA’s  effort to provide policies and guidance to local and state authorities to  ensure that they have adequate capabilities to respond and recover from  a radiological incident at a commercial nuclear power plant. NRC and FEMA Guide Licensees and Local and State Authorities in Radiological Emergency Preparedness

NRC and FEMA are responsible for guiding licensees and local and state  authorities in radiological emergency preparedness. NRC and FEMA’s Regulations and Guidance Establish the Framework for On-site and Off-site Radiological Emergency Preparedness

NRC and FEMA’s regulations for radiological emergency preparedness,  originally issued in 1980 and 1983, respectively, are based upon 1980 guidance developed by a joint NRC and FEMA Steering Committee.The regulations include 16 planning standards that nuclear power plants  and local and state authorities are to address in their radiological  emergency response plans. Licensees Manage Emergency Preparedness On-site

Licensees are responsible for managing on-site radiological emergency  preparedness and developing and maintaining radiological emergency  response plans that define specific actions and activities that the nuclear  power plant must take to prepare for and respond to a potential incident  at the plant. For example, according to  FEMA regulations and guidance, appropriate local and state  organizations are to take a number of planning actions, including the  following:  identifying and assigning the principal roles, such as the  responsibilities for the emergency management and law enforcement  personnel who lead the emergency planning, preparedness, and  response functions, and the support roles for federal agencies (e.g.,  FEMA) and volunteer organizations (e.g., the American Red Cross); coordinating classifications for different levels of emergencies and  protective action strategies that are consistent with those established  by the nearby nuclear power plant; establishing and describing the methods, both primary and backup,  that are to be used to communicate between all local and state  governments within the emergency planning zone and with the public;  and establishing and describing an emergency operations center for use in  directing and controlling response functions. Licensees are to (1) use these evacuation time  estimates in formulating protective action recommendations and (2)  provide the estimates to local and state authorities for use in developing  off-site protective action strategies. Each nuclear power plant and its relevant local  and state authorities must conduct an exercise every 2 years that  demonstrates their abilities to implement their respective emergency  plans. FEMA conducted a  review of local and state authorities’ ability to respond to a radiological  incident and concluded that off-site radiological preparedness was  adequate to justify restarting the plant. NRC and FEMA Require That the Public within the 10- Mile Zone Be Informed Annually about Preparedness, but NRC Has Little Information about Public Awareness Outside This Zone

NRC and FEMA require licensees and local and state authorities to  provide emergency preparedness information annually to the public within  the 10-mile emergency planning zone, and NRC has studied public  awareness within the zone. NRC and FEMA Require Licensees and Local and State Authorities to Provide Detailed Information Annually to the Public within the 10- Mile Planning Zone

NRC and FEMA’s regulations and guidance establish the framework for  how licensees and local and state authorities are to inform the public  about how to respond during a radiological emergency and provide  educational information about radiation. NRC and FEMA do not require public information efforts for radiological  emergency preparedness outside the 10-mile emergency planning zone. Furthermore, most of those who responded to the survey reported that  they believe they are likely to follow directions from local and state  authorities in the event of an incident at the nuclear power plant. Recommendation for Executive Action

To better inform efforts for nuclear power plant emergency preparedness  and planning, we recommend that NRC Commissioners obtain  information on public awareness of radiological emergency preparedness  for communities outside the 10-mile emergency planning zone and the  likely response of those communities in the event of a radiological  incident at a nuclear facility and consider how these results may affect  estimates for shadow evacuations outside the zone. NRC explained that it has conducted considerable research on  evacuations and has confidence that shadow evacuations generally have  no significant impact on traffic movement. We believe the task  force’s finding that there are gaps in public awareness and understanding  regarding nuclear incidents supports our recommendation that NRC  should obtain information on public awareness and the likely responses of  communities outside the 10-mile zone in the event of a radiological  incident at a nuclear power plant. In addition, this  report will be available at no charge on the GAO website at  http://www.gao.gov.
Why GAO Did This Study

On March 11, 2011, a tsunami severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan and led to the largest release of radiation since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Japanese authorities evacuated citizens within 19 miles of the plant. GAO was asked to examine issues related to emergency preparedness at nuclear power plants. This report examines (1) federal, licensees, and local and state authorities responsibilities in radiological emergency preparedness, (2) the activities NRC and FEMA take to oversee licensee and local and state radiological emergency preparedness, and (3) NRC and FEMA requirements for informing the public on preparedness and NRCs understanding of public awareness. GAO reviewed laws, regulations, and guidance; examined emergency plans from licensees and local and state authorities; visited four nuclear power plants; and interviewed federal, local and state, and industry officials.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are collectively responsible for providing radiological emergency preparedness oversight and guidance to commercial nuclear power plant licensees and local and state authorities around the plants. In general, NRC is responsible for overseeing licensees' emergency preparedness at the plant (on-site), and FEMA is responsible for overseeing preparedness by local and state authorities around the plant (off-site). NRC and FEMA have also established a 10-mile emergency planning zone around nuclear power plants. Licensees are responsible for managing on-site radiological emergency preparedness and developing and maintaining plans that define activities that the nuclear power plant must take to prepare for and respond to a potential incident at the plant. Participating local and state authorities within the 10-mile zone must develop protective actions for responding to a radiological incident, including plans for evacuations and sheltering in place. A recent NRC task force considered the adequacy of the zone size and concluded that no change was currently needed but will be re-evaluated as part of its lessons learned efforts for the Fukushima incident.
NRC and FEMA conduct activities to ensure that licensees and local and state authorities have adequate plans and capabilities to respond to a radiological incident. For example, NRC and FEMA review emergency plans developed by licensees and local and state authorities to ensure that planning standards are met. In addition, NRC and FEMA observe exercises for each plant that licensees and local and state authorities conduct every 2 years to demonstrate their ability to respond to an incident. NRC also requires licensees to develop estimates of how long it would take for those inside the 10-mile zone to evacuate under various conditions. Licensees are to provide these evacuation time estimates to local and state authorities to use when planning protective action strategies.
NRC and FEMA require licensees and local and state authorities, respectively, to provide information annually on radiation and protective actions for the public only inside the 10-mile zone. Those in the 10-mile zone have been shown to be generally well informed about these emergency preparedness procedures and are likely to follow directions from local and state authorities in the event of a radiological emergency. In contrast, the agencies do not require similar information to be provided to the public outside of the 10-mile zone and have not studied public awareness in this area. Therefore, it is unknown to what extent the public in these areas is aware of these emergency preparedness procedures, and how they would respond in the event of a radiological emergency. Without better information on the public's awareness and potential response in areas outside the 10-mile zone, NRC may not be providing the best planning guidance to licensees and state and local authorities.

What GAO Recommends

To better inform radiological emergency preparedness efforts, GAO recommends that NRC obtain information on public awareness and likely public response outside the 10- mile zone, and incorporate insights into guidance, as appropriate. NRC generally disagreed with GAO's finding, stating that its research shows public response outside the zone would generally have no significant impact on evacuations. GAO continues to believe that its recommendation could improve radiological emergency preparedness efforts and is consistent with NRC guidance.