US nuclear agency steps up post September 11 security
Date: 08-Apr-02
Country: USA
Since the deadly Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, several lawmakers have urged the federal government to improve security at the plants, which could be attractive targets for airplane hijackers bent on releasing clouds of radioactive material.
Critics have also complained that nuclear plant employees and contractors should be screened more closely.
The NRC said beginning on the weekend, its new Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response will work closely with the White House's Office of Homeland Security to protect U.S. plants.
The move is part of a top-to-bottom security review the NRC launched after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"The NRC has concluded that a centralized security organization is a more effective and efficient way of organizing security activities," the agency said in a statement.
The NRC is holding a public meeting on Monday to discuss nuclear plant security concerns.
Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network have been blamed for the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks that felled the World Trade Center and punched a hole in the Pentagon.
Until now, the NRC's Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards has overseen security programs for nuclear fuel facilities and materials, transportation and disposal.
Meanwhile, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation has overseen nuclear plants and spent nuclear fuel facilities.
The new office will combine those tasks and develop contingency plans for emergencies, the NRC said. It will also oversee threat assessment and NRC counterintelligence and classified documents.