Re[2]: NRC scraps commercial nuclear power terrorism

["JUDD SILLS"<sillsjm@songs.sce.com>]

OK-
My appologies for the blank message.
I'm a slow learner...to all who use RADSAFE, never start a line
with the word "From" or the rest of the message is truncated.
I saw my error and will repost the message correcting that error.

Judd M. Sills, CHP
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Health Physics Engineering
Phone (949) 368-6693
Fax   (949) 368-9841
sillsjm@songs.sce.com

FYI-
To end/update a thread...

Issued by the NRC this morning...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Nuclear Regulatory Commission
                                      Office of Public Affairs
                                      Washington DC 20555
                             Telephone: 301/415-8200 -- E-mail: opa@nrc.gov
     
No. 98-200
     
November 4, 1998
     
              NRC STATEMENT ON NUCLEAR PLANT OPERATIONAL SAFEGUARDS PROGRAM
     
In response to a number of press queries, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
today issued the following statement about the status of its Operational 
Safeguards Response Evaluations program:
     
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not diminished its security requirements 
at commercial nuclear power plants around the country. Published reports 
asserting the NRC has eliminated the only program for testing the ability of 
nuclear power plants to repel terrorists are misleading. Such assertions fail to
account for continuing NRC inspections and required compliance verification 
programs conducted by the licensees to assure the continued effectiveness of 
security measures.
     
The program in question, the Operational Safeguards Response Evaluations (OSRE),
along with a predecessor program, over a period of more than 10 years has tested
security arrangements at all of the 100-plus commercial nuclear power plants in 
the United States. Useful insights on weaknesses were uncovered and addressed as
a result of these NRC initiatives.
     
Nonetheless, the NRC has recently undertaken a review of the appropriate role of
performance testing in validating security at commercial nuclear power plants 
within the overall context of assuring an adequate level of protection. The 
results of the analysis are currently being assessed, and the agency will make 
appropriate adjustments to the existing security program, as warranted.

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