ANS outreach via members to Congress

The American Nuclear Society has sent the following letter to its members.  The full text follows below.  A PDF attachment in the original is now hosted at Google DOS and has been converted to a link.  You may share the link, below, to it with anyone.

Dan Yurman 

Email:  djysrv@gmail.com

Blog: ANS Nuclear Cafe   Twitter: @djysrv

Google Voice: 208-419-3881

-----------------------------

March 19, 2011

Dear ANS Members,

We are all saddened by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the resulting damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station.  As we move forward, it is critically important that we work together to ensure that our federal policy makers have accurate information about nuclear technology and radiation.
Your Senators and Members of Congress are returning to their States and Districts next week, and I encourage you to schedule a meeting with them while they are back home.  They need to know they have constituents with nuclear related technical expertise who can help them make sense of this very complex and dynamic situation in Japan.
I suggest you take these steps:
1. Find the phone numbers of your Senators' state offices by accessing their website here <http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm>.  You can find your Member of Congress' district office by clicking here <http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html>.
2. Call their scheduler and ask for an appointment.  Let them know you are a constituent and a member of the American Nuclear Society with knowledge relevant to technical aspects of the situation in Japan.  If you are offered a meeting with staff, accept.
3. Once you have an appointment, arm yourself with information.  Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with up-to-date talking points since the situation itself is so fluid. Instead, your role is to help the member understand some of the many technical issues, learn about their concerns and share your expertise. Below are some reliable sources of information, which are being updated regularly:
* American Nuclear Society Japan Page ansnuclearcafe.org
* Nuclear Energy Institute www.nei.org
* World Nuclear News www.world-nuclear-news.org
* ANS Radiation Dose Chart www.new.ans.org/pi/resources/dosechart/ 
* NHK Television www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/index.html
* Japan Times www.japantimes.co.jp
4. On the day of the meeting,
* Be prompt and patient. It is not uncommon for a member of Congress to be late or to have a meeting interrupted due to a crowded schedule.
* Be grateful. Make sure you open the conversation by thanking the members/staff for his/her time, and send a handwritten thank you note afterwards.
* Be honest. The situation in Japan is a difficult one.  Don't feel the need to provide "spin." Stick to the facts as you know them and don't be afraid to say that you do not know the answer to a question.  The goal is to be a technical resource for them to contact in the future and let them know your support for NS&T in general.
* Be responsive. Make sure you follow up promptly if the member/staff has asked you to provide any additional information or analysis.  Contact us at japanfacts@ans.org if you need help.
Again, your goal is to be a technical resource to your Senators/Representative and their staffs, providing perspective and correcting misperceptions without sugarcoating the situation.
Finally, we encourage you to send ANS a message to let us know how your meeting went.  Send an e-mail to japanfacts@ans.org with the subject line "MEETING."
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Joe Colvin

ANS President

Attachment: Information About Conditions in Japan, March 18, 2011  http://tinyurl.com/ANSJPINFO