Washington – The government ordered nuclear power plant operators Monday to enhance security against attacks by terrorists using land vehicles, boats and computers, but declined to require protection against attacks from the sky.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it decided against ordering security measures against attacks like the ones carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, because protection against airborne threats was the responsibility of the military and other agencies.
The NRC’s order is “only one piece of a broader effort to enhance nuclear power plant security,” Dale Klein, chairman of the commission, said in written remarks. “Overall, we are taking a multifaceted approach to security enhancements in this post-9/11 environment,” he said.
Critics said the commission was mostly concerned with protecting the nuclear power industry against having to install costly security measures.
The commission changed the definition of the hypothetical safety threats that operators must protect against.
To the requirement to provide security against an attack by “well-trained (including military training and skills) and dedicated individuals,” the commission added, “individuals willing to kill or be killed.”
The requirement that plants protect against radiological sabotage by “a determined violent external assault, attack by stealth or deceptive actions” was broadened to include “diversionary actions by a force capable or operating as one or more teams, attacking from one or more entry forces.”
The response to “a four- wheel-drive land vehicle used for transporting personnel and their hand-carried equipment to the proximity of vital areas” was changed to: “land and water vehicles, which could be used for transporting personnel and their hand-carried equipment to the proximity of vital areas.”
A new provision requires that operators prepare for terrorists who might disable vital on-site computer networks that control safety systems.
The changes are based in part on classified information, the commission said after voting 5-0 to finalize them. The vote follows 15 months of discussion and public comment.
Supporters of air protection expressed disappointment. They noted that according to the report of the 9/11 commission, the original plan for the 2001 terrorist attacks included crashing planes into nuclear power plants.
