Japan Nuclear Power Crisis: Telephone Media Briefings
In response to a tremendous volume of requests from national and international media, technical and policy experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists have offered a series of telephone briefings on the Japan nuclear power crisis.
The briefings have covered developments at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan, offering updated analysis on the potential threats to public health and the environment and a review of potential legislative and regulatory policy implications in the United States.
Records of the briefings are available here in two forms: audio recordings of the introductory remarks, and downloadable written transcripts of the full briefings (with reporters' names redacted).
UCS Experts
David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer by training, is the director of UCS’s Nuclear Safety Program. He worked at U.S. nuclear plants for 17 years, including three 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. Edwin Lyman is a physicist in the UCS Global Security Program. He is 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 is 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. Vancko also serves as 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.
