April, 01 2011, 02:00pm EDT
Sign Petition to Support Japanese People, Expand Evacuation Zone
WASHINGTON
More than 168 citizens organizations in Japan submitted a petition to their government March 28 calling for an expanded evacuation zone near the Fukushima nuclear disaster site and other urgent measures to protect the public health and safety.
The official evacuation zone remains only 20 kilometers (12 miles), while the government has encouraged people within 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) to evacuate. Yet levels of cesium-137 in the village of Iitate, for example, have been measured at more than twice the levels that prompted the Soviet Union to evacuate people near Chernobyl. Iitate is 40 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of Fukushima. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommended a 50-mile evacuation zone for U.S. citizens in Japan.
The people of Japan are now asking for international support for their petition. NIRS supports this effort wholeheartedly: these are our colleagues and friends. We hope you'll sign by going to the Green Action site here. Note: after you sign, the site will send you a confirmation e-mail which you will also have to submit to ensure your signature is recorded.
Thank you for your help.
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet@nirs.org
www.nirs.org
Three quick reminders:
*we are continuing to urge letters to Congress to end taxpayer funding of new reactors. You can take action here
*we are continuing to urge the permanent shutdown of the 23 GE Mark I reactors in the U.S., which suffer from the same fundamental design flaws that contributed so greatly to the Fukushima diaster. You can support this campaign here. *we are continuing to seek support for the Grassroots Program for Nuclear Safety and Security. You can see this document and sign a petition in support of it here. Organizational sign-ons should be sent to nirsnet@nirs.org.
Stay Informed:
Updates on the web: www.nirs.org
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Nuclear Information and Resource Service is the information and networking center for people and organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues.
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