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ANI has successfully managed a wide variety of U.S. commercial nuclear energy claims since its first claim was tendered in 1962. We attribute this success to our claim management practice of building close alliances with our policyholders, engaging the most qualified counsel to defend our insureds, retaining the most respected experts in their fields, and working closely with defense counsel and our insureds throughout the claim process in both a judicious and prudent manner.
ANI’s defense of nuclear energy claims is primarily governed by principles of radiation science. The regulation of nuclear energy is predicated on consensus opinions on exposure risk held in the scientific community and developed over many decades of study around the world. When a radiation injury claim is brought, top experts in relevant disciplines of radiation science are retained to assist ANI and our insureds with evaluating and defending claims, instructing courts, and if necessary, juries on consensus radiation science.
ANI success is also attributable to our multi-disciplinary approach to claim management. In addition to maintaining vital working knowledge of industry radiation protection programs and the principles of radiation science, epidemiology, and risk assessment, ANI Claims endeavors to maintain expertise in federal legislation, regulations, and case law governing nuclear liability claims, a robust body of Price-Anderson Act case law that ANI has been instrumental in developing since the dawn of U.S. commercial nuclear power.
The primary goal of ANI’s emergency response (ER) program is to respond on behalf of our insureds to the immediate emergency financial needs of the public impacted by a nuclear accident. In such an event, ANI would expect to provide on-location emergency financial assistance payments to evacuees who live and work within recommended evacuation zones for essential living expenses such as food, lodging, and transportation.
Though ANI response includes both home-office and on-location claim support, primary response would be led by our CAT response contractor, who has extensive experience handling emergency evacuation claims arising from large scale industrial accidents. ANI’s contractor has the established ability to implement a rapid response claims structure within hours of notification, including the immediate provision of a large number of experienced claim adjusters, existing call center systems, centralized claim-intake offices, and on-location emergency claim response services.
ANI devotes great attention to improving its ER readiness, not only through regular coordination with our ER contractor, but also with annual inter-company testing of procedures against exercise simulations. ANI also tests its readiness through participation in industry exercises, with the largest thus far being the 2015 industry-wide five-day joint federal/state nuclear power plant emergency response exercise known as Southern Exposure (SE). SE involved over 800 participants, including federal, state, local and military representatives who responded to a simulated significant radiological release at the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Plant. During the exercise, ANI both responded to questions regarding its process involved in providing immediate emergency financial assistance and provided regular updates to participants regarding ANI’s anticipated response to the exercise simulation.
ANI’s ER program further recognizes the importance of both collaborating with and educating local, state, and federal emergency management professionals on ANI’s response role, the Price-Anderson Act’s compensation structure, and the critical need for pre-planning coordination. ANI accomplishes this by participating each year in nuclear industry forums, workshops and seminars, with recent emphasis on FEMA Outreach events and Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Recovery seminars. ANI expects to continue its participation at these forums and seminars to not only strengthen vital planning efforts, but to further build upon existing emergency planning networks.
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