Discrepancies in Nuclear Facility Security Requirements Criticized By Rob Margetta, CQ Staff http://public.cq.com/docs/hs/hsnews110-000002592730.html
Although both government nuclear weapon facilities and commercial reactor sites can store weapons-grade material, the two agencies that regulate them have different security requirements, a fact criticized in a recent Government Accountability Office letter. According to the letter, the Department of Energy, which is responsible for oversight of the military nuclear stockpile, has better developed tools for security preparedness than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees commercial sites including power plants and research reactors. Energy also has legal authority to acquire heavier defensive weaponry. "A successful attack on a facility with Category I special nuclear material could have unacceptable human, economic and symbolic consequences," said the letter addressed to Connecticut Rep. Christopher Shays, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform's national security subcommittee. "Consequently, we believe that, regardless of locations, there should not be differences in the protection of Category I special nuclear material." GAO wrote that Energy Department and NRC licensees "often deal with the same types of Category I material," and notes separately that such material "can be used to construct an improvised nuclear device capable of producing a nuclear explosion." The letter notes that security at both NRC- and Energy-licensed facilities have improved since Sept. 11, 2001, but suggests the two agencies need to develop a common threat assessment document to identify the size and capability of terrorist threats to nuclear materials, called a design basis threat (DBT). The NRC developed its assessment "to be within the range of what it has determined are the limitations that a private guard force can reasonably be expected to defend against," the letter said. "Specifically, NRC believes that the defense against threats not contained in the assessment is the responsibility of the federal government, in conjunction with state and local governments." The NRC and Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, disagree with the GAO's recommendation for a common threat assessment document, the letter said. The GAO first made the recommendation in a February report, which is classified. The NRC based its recommendation on the fact that sites overseen by it and the Energy Department are different types of facilities. "The NRC does agree in part with the GAO's conclusions, but we disagree that a common DBT should be developed," spokeswoman Holly Harrington said. Instead of a common document, the NRC wants threat assessments that take into account the type, purpose and quantity of material stored at a site, Harrington said. According to the letter, the recommendations in GAO's classified February report also included having NRC expedite its efforts to ensure that security at its licensed site have the same legal authority as Energy facilities to use deadly force and carry heavier weapons, such as automatic weapons. The NRC expects those new regulations to go into effect in a year or two. Another recommendation involved Energy and NRC cooperating in establishing computer modeling capabilities and force-on-force performance testing to assess security and find vulnerabilities. Rob Margetta can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] (F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. 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