[IP] Government to End Public Nuclear Updates
Begin forwarded message:
From: Megan Holbrook <megan@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 4, 2004 7:50:58 PM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Government to End Public Nuclear Updates
Hi Dave -
Thought this might be interesting for IP. The Nuclear Regulatory
Commission has announced it will no longer reveal security gaps it has
found at nuclear power plants to prevent terrorists from using the
information. This of course raises concerns as to accountability if the
information isn't public. Releasing general statistics and number of
incidents for each plant might at least provide some way of tracking
whether security and safety measures are proving useful - that hasn't
yet been suggested, unfortunately.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?
category=1110&slug=Nuclear%20Security
Wednesday, August 4, 2004 · Last updated 12:18 p.m. PT
Gov't to end public nuclear updates
By MALIA RULON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- The government will no longer reveal security gaps
discovered at nuclear power plants, hoping to prevent terrorists from
using the information, regulators said Wednesday.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced the change in policy during
its first public meeting on power plant safety since the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks.
Until now, the NRC has provided regular public updates on
vulnerabilities its inspectors found at the country's 103 nuclear power
reactors, such as broken fences or weaknesses in training programs.
"We need to blacken some of our processes so that our adversaries won't
have that information," said Roy Zimmerman, director of the
commission's Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, which
was created after the attacks.
NRC spokesman Scott Burnell said commissioners voted to take the step
March 29, but kept it quiet as agency staff worked to implement the
plan. The vote itself was revealed Wednesday.
"We deliberated for many months on finding the balance between the
NRC's commitment to openness and the concern that sensitive information
might be misused by those who wish us harm," commission Chairman Nils
Diaz said in a written statement.
Protection at the nation's nuclear power reactors - located at 64 sites
in 31 states - has been ratcheted up since the Sept. 11 attacks. The
commission has long been guarded about revealing specifics of the
security efforts.
But that has not stopped accusations of inadequate guard training and
other security lapses.
Congressional investigations have found problems such as a guard
falling asleep on the job and lost keys to sensitive areas. Reports
from the Energy Department's inspector general noted other problems,
such as guards being warned of upcoming security exercises and
inconsistent training from site to site.
Nuclear activists have expressed concern about the adequacy of guard
training, fire protection, the security of pools containing spent
nuclear fuel, and planning for different kinds of attacks.
"The vulnerabilities at a lot of the reactors in this country have not
been addressed," said Jim Riccio, a nuclear policy analyst for
Greenpeace. "Here we are nearly three years from the attacks and I
don't see anything they've done except extending the perimeters of
these facilities."
In the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, operators at the nation's
nuclear power plants posted more guards, added security patrols and
reduced access to the installations' most sensitive areas.
Military planes at nearby bases stood ready to intercept any suspicious
aircraft, the Coast Guard patrolled the Great Lakes near power plants
to keep ships away, and many facilities enlisted the help of National
Guard troops.
Some critics have said nothing short of military occupation of the
plants will provide adequate safety. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham
said in May that the possibility of creating a federal police force to
guard nuclear plants was being seriously discussed.
Paul Gunter, a nuclear expert at the watchdog group Nuclear Information
and Resource Service, said he's worried that plants since 1992 have
been allowed to delay implementation of fire protection equipment for
control room cables.
"Our major concern is that the NRC really has to stop protecting the
nuclear power industry from the cost of security and really start
protecting it from the clear and present danger of terrorism," Gunter
said.
---
On the Net:
http://www.nrc.gov
--
Megan Holbrook - megan@xxxxxxxxx
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