Re: NRC website restored (somewhat)

["High Plains Drifter" <magna1@jps.net>]

The NRC gave away US Interior Geological Survey Maps of all major NRC

regulated facilities starting in 1988.  These show longitude and latitude

coordinates for the facilities.



"In science there is only physics; everything else is stamp collecting."

                                      --Ernest Rutherford



Dean Chaney, CHP, IBA (aka High Plains Drifter)

Fairfield, CA

magna1@jps.net

----- Original Message -----

From: "maury" <maury@WEBTEXAS.COM>

To: "Jacobus, John (OD/ORS)" <jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov>

Cc: "RadSafe" <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 5:17 PM

Subject: Re: NRC website restored (somewhat)





> 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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