One agency should protect US energy facilities - report

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

One agency should protect US energy facilities - report



WASHINGTON JUL 19 (Reuters) - To protect U.S. pipelines, nuclear 

power plants and electric transmission lines from sabotage like 

terror attacks, a single government agency should be responsible for 

overseeing security of the nation's energy infrastructure, an 

industry report recommended on Friday.



Energy facilties, especially nuclear power plants, have been 

strengthening security following the Sept. 11 attacks.



Friday's report, from a coalition of energy trade groups, comes as 

the Bush administration tries to win approval from Congress to 

consolidate security responsibilities of many government agencies 

under a new cabinet-level Homeland Security Department.



"Major energy facilities -- such as petroleum refineries and power 

plants -- must be considered prime targets for attacks on populations 

through the energy infrastructure," the report warned.



For example, the cooling towers present in most power plants could be 

used to disperse chemical or biological agents, according to the 

study.



U.S. pipelines, power plants and electricity lines are currently 

under the jurisdiction of several agencies, including the 

Transportation Department, Energy Department, Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.



The report was released by the U.S. Energy Association, a group that 

represents trade groups and some government organizations. Members 

include the American Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute, 

Edison Electric Institute, National Mining Association and the 

Nuclear Energy Institute.



The group also recommended that the federal security agency in charge 

should decide whether the government or private sector is primarily 

responsible for defending specific facilities and energy systems.



Utilities with nuclear power plants have fought efforts in the past 

to "federalize" its security personnel, arguing that they are already 

well trained to protect nuclear power plants.



The industry said, however, the government would have a role in 

guarding its plants from terror attacks



The report also urged the government to fill the nation's emergency 

oil stockpile to counter any major disruption in crude supplies.



The Bush administration is already in the process of boosting the 

Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its capacity of 700 million barrels. 

The reserve, created by Congress in the mid-1970s after the Arab oil 

embargo, currently holds 578 million barrels.



The United States should also encourage other industrialized 

countries to boost their emergency oil holdings as well, the report 

said.



To ensure the U.S. military is not caught off guard, the report said 

a military fuel reserve should be created that is not dependent on 

imported petroleum products. The military uses millions of barrels of 

fuel each year to run its aircraft, ships, tanks and other vehicles.



The report also calls for easing of government regulations and tax 

laws to encourage more energy production and relaxed access to 

federal lands for drilling and siting of energy facilities.



Consumers should also be better educated on how to conserve energy, 

the groups said. However, their report did not endorse a boosting of 

U.S. vehicle fuel standards, which would reduce oil consumption and 

most likely crude imports.



Environmentalists point out that gasoline demand accounts for more 

than 40 percent of total U.S. petroleum product use.



The energy groups argued, however, that more energy-efficient 

vehicles would not force older cars off the road, and that consumers 

would drive more if the operating costs of their vehicles went down.

-------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle

Director, Technical

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net

E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/



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