In response to the volume of media requests we’re getting, we’ve started daily media briefings by telephone with our technical experts. The briefings are focusing on the latest developments at Japan’s crippled nuclear plants and potential threats to health and the environment, with some discussion of potential legislative and regulatory policy implications in the US.
The first briefing took place on Monday afternoon, and the full transcript is here.
A recording of Tuesday morning’s briefing is available at the same site. A full transcript of Tuesday’s briefing will be posted soon, as will recordings and transcripts of future briefings.
The UCS experts on the briefings are:
Dave Lochbaum: a nuclear engineer by training and currently director of UCS’s Nuclear Safety Program. He worked at U.S. nuclear plants for 17 years, including three plants that are similar to the General Electric plants in Japan. He also trained nuclear industry staff in managing reactors for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Dr. Ed Lyman: a physicist in the UCS Global Security Program and an expert on nuclear plant design and the environmental and health effects of radiation. Before coming to UCS in May 2003, he was president of the Nuclear Control Institute.
Ellen Vancko: UCS’s Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Project Manager. She manages UCS research and policy analysis concerning the viability of nuclear power as a potential climate solution and is UCS’ senior advisor on federal and state policies concerning a range of electricity issues. She has more than 25 years of experience in the electric utility industry with the North American Electric Reliability Council, the Edison Electric Institute, and other organizations.