!!! A C T I O N A L E R T !!!
Tell Congress to Act Now to Reduce Security Vulnerabilities at Nuclear
Power Plants
Three years after the tragic September 11th attacks, Congress has not
enacted any legislation to reduce the terrorist threat at nuclear power
plants. Yet, nuclear power plants have known vulnerabilities to
terrorist attack and the recent 9/11 Commission Report stated that al
Qaeda specifically discussed targeting U.S. nuclear plants. The Senate
may finally have a floor vote this week or early next on S.1043, the
Nuclear Infrastructure Security Act of 2003. This bill would be a step
in the right direction for improving security at nuclear power plants.
Take Action!
CONTACT your Senators via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
URGE them to support the Nuclear Security Act (S.1043) as a step in the
right direction. TELL them that further delay on security at nuclear
power plants is unacceptable; the Senate should act on this matter
before the 108th Congress adjourns.
Background
Not only are nuclear power plants not designed to withstand the type of
attack experienced on September 11th last year, nearly half of the
facilities tested under the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Operational
Safeguards Response Evaluations (OSRE) program between 1991 and 2001
failed to protect target-sensitive equipment necessary to prevent a
meltdown. In July, the 9/11 Commission stated in its final report that
al Qaeda had strongly considered targeting nuclear plants. Nonetheless,
the most recent security orders issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) do not require plants to take effective measures
against possible aircraft attacks by terrorists. These orders were not
issued until April 2003 without any public rulemaking process. In
addition, reports by Entergy, the Project on Government Oversight, the
Government Accountability Office, and others have found that many guards
do not feel adequately prepared to defend their plants and lack training
and physical fitness.
The Nuclear Security Act of 2003 (S.1043) begins to address some of
these security concerns, including requiring the NRC to conduct
rulemaking to upgrade security requirements for nuclear facilities and
requirements for emergency response; establishing a training program for
National Guard and State and local law enforcement agencies;
establishing regional security coordinators for nuclear facilities; and
requiring enhanced systems to manage the security of sensitive
radioactive materials. Although the bill was unanimously approved by
the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in May 2003, it has
not been brought to the floor for a vote. What is Congress waiting
for?
LEARN MORE about S. 1043 here:
Further info on S-1043
For the LATEST UPDATES on nuclear security issues, go here:
Updates...
******************************************************** |
No comments:
Post a Comment