Government to End Public Nuclear Updates

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Megan Holbrook <megan () kapow com>
Date: August 4, 2004 7:50:58 PM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
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 () kapow com
Partner - Business Development
kapow, inc. (www.kapow.com) - website design and development

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