CLOSE THE SALEM NUKES NOW

The UNPLUG SALEM Campaign

321 Barr Ave., Linwood NJ 08221

609-601-8583/601-8537; ncohen12@comcast.net

Date: 09/15/04

To: FEMA Region 2

Joseph Picciano

26 Federal Plaza
New York, New York 10278
(212) 680-3609

Dear Mr. Picciano,

This letter is in reference to the NJ evacuation plan for New Jersey’s four nuclear plants. We request that you, in your role as superintendent of the NJ State Police, not certify or sign off on the Evacuation Plan as it currently stands, and that you notify FEMA of this decision. We further request that you commission an independent consultant to review the plan, as was done in New York State for Indian Point, to see whether or not the Plan, as currently written, would work.

Our testimony at the annual public hearings held by the NJ DEP, make it clear why the Plan, as written, would not protect the citizens of Salem and Cumberland County in the event of a catastrophic accident at one of PSEG’s three nuclear power plants. Our testimony is on file at both the NJDEP Bureau of Nuclear Engineering and at the State Police.

The recent tragedy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina only magnifies the reason why New Jersey needs an independent review of our Nuclear Power Evacuation Plan.

There are many scenarios that the Plan fails to deal with, including

radiation releases that occur without warning, and combinations of events such as a hurricane and radioactive accident occurring spontaneously.

The Plan has weaknesses in its reliance on school buses, its reliance on evacuation by car on rural roads, on its limited use of Potassium Iodide, and on its refusal to run live, real-time exercises rather than table-top practices.

New York State hired the Witt Associates to review the Plan for Indian Point. New Jersey should follow suit.

The UNPLUG Salem Campaign is a network of 109 organizations that act as a safety watchdog for PSEG’s three nuclear plants.

Sincerely,

Norm Cohen

Coordinator, UNPLUG Salem Campaign

Organizations and individuals co-signing this letter: