Re: NRC website restored (somewhat)

[maury <maury@WEBTEXAS.COM>]

John, I can only say that I think (believe) that individuals in the upper

echelons of NRC know of sources like these. To emphasize: I have NO FIRSTHAND

knowledge of NRC's awareness - I can only infer that there surely is a

sprinkling of NRC people at all levels who are aware of such charts and maps.



I was wrong about the ease of pinpointing a nuclear plant on Sectional and

Terminal Area Charts for aviation - the scales respectively are 1:500,000 and

1:250,000 and there is not a dot on the chart showing the plant, but there is a

marking for the highest obstruction[ e.g., cooling tower or radio antenna.

Thought I could recall which obstruction marking was the correct one at Glen

Rose Texas just from having driven past it, but it has been too long ago. In any

case, I apologize for this exaggeration..



The Geological Survey quadrangle charts , however, cover the entire US and those

(used for example for backpacking, and so on) are available in the scales I

cited. Additionally, USGS aerial photo maps now cover very large areas (if not

all) of the US. Some commercial aerial photography also is generally available.

Finally, satellite photography covering most of the world has been generally

available to the public in exquisitely detailed scales. I am confident that

finding power plants after having driven past them would pose no big problem on

such photography. In all such instances, measuring lat/long is easy..



The whole issue of security vs. cost is intriguing. Security is not about

whether or not you can keep something secret; it is about what resources,

especially time, are required to find, break, or otherwise compromise that which

you wish to keep secret. By this criterion, NRC has made it less convenient to

pinpoint the lat/long of our nuclear power plants. Instead of looking on the NRC

web site, now I have to dig up one of my topo charts to measure the numbers for

the Texas Utilities Glen Rose NPP. Possibly this along with reassuring the

public is the rationale being used by NRC.

Maury Siskel    maury@webtexas.com

=============================================

"Jacobus, John (OD/ORS)" wrote:



> Maury,

> Do you think the NRC knows about this?

> -- John

> John Jacobus, MS

> Certified Health Physicist

> 3050 Traymore Lane

> Bowie, MD  20715-2024

>

> E-mail:  jenday1@email.msn.com (H)

> -----Original Message-----

> From: maury [mailto:maury@WEBTEXAS.COM]

> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 1:39 AM

> To: High Plains Drifter

> Cc: Sandy Perle; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Subject: Re: NRC website restored (somewhat)

>

> In this instance, the precise lat/long of any plant in the US can be measured

> quite accurately

> (what error percentage would you like?) on sectional aeronautical charts, or

> USGS topo

> maps at scales (detail) as large as 1/25,000, as well as from other sources.

> .



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