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Nuclear
Emergency Preparedness Section
In order to ensure
the safety of New Jersey residents, the State of New Jersey's
Radiation Accident Response Act (N.J.S.A. 26:2D-37 et seq.)
establishes requirements for protecting the public in the
event of nuclear emergencies and for the preparation and implementation
of a State Radiation Emergency Response Plan (RERP). The New
Jersey RERP for nuclear power plants was jointly proposed
by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
and the New Jersey Division of State Police to coordinate
and implement an immediate, comprehensive state, county and
municipal response to a radiological emergency at a nuclear
power plant affecting the State of New Jersey. The RERP identifies
the DEP as the lead state agency for accident assessment during
a nuclear incident, formulation of actions to protect the
public, and control of food, water and milk. The DEP is the
support agency for evacuation, sheltering and access control,
for monitoring personnel responding to an emergency, and for
decontamination.
The DEP's responsibilities
are addressed by the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Section
(NEPS) of the Bureau of Nuclear Engineering (BNE). NEPS activities
include developing and implementing training for all nuclear
emergency response participants, planning for and initiating
nuclear emergency response during exercises and nuclear emergency
events, upkeep of response facilities, and development of
procedures. Most importantly, the NEPS maintains highly trained
staff drawn from throughout the DEP ready to initiate, at
a moment's notice, an effective response to a nuclear power
plant emergency affecting New Jersey.
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