HISTORY

History of Emergency Management Within the DOE System The early years In the 1970s, DOE’s focus was on security and energy contingency planning Before 1985, there were few formal EM requirements for DOE facilities

Historical Impact of Three Mile Island (TMI) Accident outcomes In March 1979, a nuclear plant accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, exposed weaknesses in emergency planning programs and led to re-shaping emergency preparedness Emergency preparedness requirements for commercial industry were upgraded and enforced

New Standards After TMI Changes included Addressing interface issues among local, state, and federal governments, and utilities Defining emergency planning basis Establishing planning standards and evaluation criteria Developing guidelines for Emergency Action Levels (EALs) and emergency classifications Establishing meteorological criteria Developing alert and notification guidance

New Standards After TMI (cont.) Changes included Requiring emergency planning zone evacuation time estimates Establishing minimum onsite staffing requirements Requiring specific emergency response facilities Upgrading and coordinating Emergency Public Information (EPI) planning, including the creation of Joint Information Centers (JICs)

Impact of Bhopal—December 1984 Accident outcomes A Union Carbide chemical facility disaster in Bhopal, India, had a tragic impact on public and worker health and safety The disaster was followed by a similar toxic gas release in Institute, West Virginia Operator error was a causal agent in both cases Facilities and communities were not prepared Public awareness of risk of sudden, accidental releases of hazardous chemicals was heightened

Resulting U.S. Changes New Federal Regulations The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III requires chemical release reporting, hazardous chemical inventory reporting, emergency preparedness, and coordination between chemical facilities and communities The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation, 29 CFR , requires emergency planning, preparedness and training, and emergency response for hazardous materials

Chernobyl—1986 Accident outcomes Disaster in the Ukraine caused tragic and long-lasting public health consequences Operator error was the causal agent Few facts provided, and officials deliberately withheld data from the public about radiation releases Greater emphasis on providing emergency medical response and offsite planning and coordination Renewed attention on providing emergency public information (EPI)

Emergency Management Impact at Department of Energy Sites Emphasis placed on DOE to match commercial industry Emergency Management (EM) standards Site requirements for EM addressed through the DOE Order 5500 series Framework established for DOE planning, preparedness, and response Emergency preparedness became a start-up and restart issue for DOE facilities Formation of the Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG) network in 1986