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| Wilson Amendment on nuclear reactor vulnerability assessment approved |
October 03, 2001 |
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Washington, DC - The Commerce Committee today approved an amendment offered by Congresswoman Heather Wilson to reassess the safety of the nation’s commercial nuclear power reactors. The provision will likely become part of the comprehensive anti-terrorism legislation currently working its way through the U.S. House.
Wilson introduced an amendment that directs the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission to assess the threat of terrorism in each of the nuclear facilities certified by the Commission. Wilson asks the NRC to assess immediate threats and protection measures within 90 days and gives them 270 days to produce a comprehensive report that identifies short and long-term vulnerabilities and protections required to address the threats identified.
Wilson`s amendment directs the NRC to reconsider the "design basis threat". This is the threat that all nuclear power facilities must plan to be able to meet. "In light of the September 11th attacks, we need to reconsider the levels and types of protection we need at our power plants," Wilson said. "Our national laboratories possess some special expertise in this area and I expect they will be called upon to assist the federal government in this effort."
The safety and threat assessment study mandated by Wilson’s amendment is to include:
An assessment of the design basis threat;
an assessment of potential vulnerability of various classes of such facilities;
an identification of important protection measures for both the near term and long term;
an assessment of physical, cyber, bio-chemical, and other terrorist threats; and
recommendations for additional studies, research and development, testing, and protections required to address the threats identified.
The amendment passed the committee by voice without any dissenting votes.
The NRC is an independent agency whose mission is to ensure adequate protection of the public health and safety, the common defense and security, and the environment in the use of nuclear materials in the United States.
The Commission was chartered by Congress in 1974. The NRC’s scope includes commercial nuclear power reactors, but not material used in the nuclear weapons program overseen by the Department of Energy. |
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