THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT:
ONGOING LESSONS FOR BOSTON & NEW YORK
Former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission joins panel to discuss the risks of nuclear power at the Indian Point and Pilgrim Nuclear Power Stations
Seminar Tuesday, Oct. 8 in NYC
Seminar Wednesday, Oct. 9 in Boston
Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct 8th and 9th, a panel of speakers including Naoto Kan, the former Japanese Prime Minister, has been added to a panel of esteemed speakers to address the future of nuclear power and the lessons to be learned from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident. Additional speakers on the panel include former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Dr. Gregory Jaczko; former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford; and nuclear engineer, Arnie Gundersen, and are scheduled to share their perspectives on nuclear safety and the future of nuclear power. The panel will be moderated by the President of Riverkeeper, Paul Gallay and will specifically address concerns regarding Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, now operating with an expired license in Buchanan, New York and Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts. There are multiple concerns regarding both plants' overcrowded storage of spent nuclear fuel rods. Indian Point contains almost three times the amount of radioactive material in its spent fuel pools as Fukushima-Daiichi. The seminars will be held in New York City on Tuesday, Oct. 8 and in Boston on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Gregory Jaczko was the Chairman of the NRC during the earthquake and tsunami that triggered the catastrophe at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan. He was confronted by three reactor meltdowns and a nuclear crisis that persists to this day. In 2012, Jaczko cast the lone dissenting vote on plans to build the first new nuclear power plant in the U.S. in more than 30 years. Peter Bradford served as a Commissioner on the NRC during the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.
Earlier this year on June 4, 2013, Jaczko, Bradford and Gundersen were joined by Japan’s former Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, where they spoke at the San Diego County Administrative Center about their concerns regarding the safety of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Three days after the panel, the plant was closed permanently.
U.S. citizens are now questioning the safety of the Indian Point and Pilgrim nuclear power plants. In the event of a catastrophe like Fukushima, these plants would threaten millions. A nuclear disaster at Indian Point would threaten the entire population of New York City and the outlying metropolitan area (see a graphic of the radioactive plume released in the first 24 hours of the ongoing Fukushima disaster superimposed over Indian Point and surrounding region on page 3 of this announcement.) A crisis at Pilgrim poses similar danger to millions in and surrounding Boston.
The panel discussion is open to the public and news media.
For media and the public who are unable to attend, the New York and Boston panel can be heard on a live feed at http://www.livestream.com/fukushimalessons, these webcasts will be archived at the link for at least 30 days once live.
Registration: There is no fee for the seminar, however donations to offset speakers' travel and other expenses are greatly appreciated, payable to the Samuel Lawrence Foundation: www.samuellawrencefoundation.org. In order to facilitate registration at the event, please pre-register at www.surveymonkey.com/s/FukushimaLessonsforNY
MEDIA CONTACT:
Leah Brown / Olive PR Solutions o: 619-955-5285 x105/m: 858-337-2995 leah@oliveprsolutions.com, www.OlivePRSolutions.com
For further information, please contact:
Sandra Bartsch / Sandra Bartsch Productions, Inc. Cell 310-600-8184 Fax 760-744-0503 sandra@sbeventprod.com
New York Event:
What/Who:
| The panel, The Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Lessons for New York, will include former NRC Chair Gregory Jaczko, who led the commission during the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, along with former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford, and nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen. More speakers to be announced. |
When: | Tuesday, Oct. 8, 9:00am – 1:00pm
|
Where: | 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128 (Theresa L. Kaufmann Concert Hall) |
Why: | Indian Point is a three-unit nuclear power station located in Buchanan, New York, 25 miles outside New York City. Potential risk of a nuclear crisis at Indian Point would pose a danger to millions in the New York area. The technology at the plant is 40 years old, and the containment domes were not designed to hold 100 tons of melting uranium in event of an accident and meltdown. Both Chernobyl and Fukushima are examples of accidents in outdated nuclear reactors. |
Boston Event:
What:
| The panel, The Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Lessons for Boston, will include former NRC Chair Gregory Jaczko, who led the commission during the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, along with former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford, and nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen. More speakers to be announced. |
When: | Wednesday, Oct. 9, 9:00am – 1:00pm |
Where: | Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133 (Gardner Auditorium) |
Why: | The Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station is located in Plymouth, MA, 40 miles outside Boston. Last summer, Jaczko and the community presented legal appeals and environmental warnings to shut down Pilgrim, however, the NRC renewed the 40-year-old nuclear plant's license for another 20 years despite these oppositions. A nuclear crisis at Pilgrim would pose a danger to millions of people who live within 50 miles of Pilgrim, including those in the city of Boston. |