FED-DOCS

Y 4.G 74/7:H 75/23

HOMELAND SECURITY: MONITORING NUCLEAR

POWER PLANT SECURITY

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY,
EMERGING THREATS AND INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

GOVERNMENT REFORM

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

SEPTEMBER 14, 2004

Serial No. 108-265

Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform

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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM

TOM DAVIS, Virginia, Chairman

MELISSA WOJCIAK, Staff Director

DAVID MARIN, Deputy Staff Director/Communications Director
ROB BORDEN, Parliamentarian
TERESA AUSTIN, Chief Clerk

PHIL BARNETT, Minority Chief of Staff/Chief Counsel

CONTENTS

Hearing held on September 14, 2004

Statement of:

Matthiessen, Alex, Director, Hudson Riverkeeper, Garrison, NY; David

Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC; and

Marvin Fertel, vice president and chief nuclear officer, Nuclear Energy

Institute, Washington, DC

Reyes, Luis, Executive Director of Operations, Nuclear Regulatory Com-

mission, accompanied by Roy P. Zimmerman, Director, Office of Nu-

clear Security and Incidence Response, Nuclear Regulatory Commis-

sion

Wells, Jim, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, Government

Accountability Office, accompanied by Raymond H. Smith, Jr. Assistant

Director; and Kenneth E. Lightner, Jr., Senior Analyst

Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by:

Fertel, Marvin, vice president and chief nuclear officer, Nuclear Energy

Institute, Washington, DC, prepared statement of

149

Kucinich, Hon. Dennis J., a Representative in Congress from the State

of Ohio:

Letter dated August 18, 2004

30

Letter dated August 19, 2004

22

Prepared statement of

4

Lochbaum, David, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, pre-

pared statement of

141

Maloney, Hon. Carolyn B., a Representative in Congress from the State

of New York, prepared statement of

13

Matthiessen, Alex, Director, Hudson Riverkeeper, Garrison, NY, prepared

statement of

119

Reyes, Luis, Executive Director of Operations, Nuclear Regulatory Com-

mission, prepared statement of

35

Shays, Hon. Christopher, a Representative in Congress from the State

of Connecticut, prepared statement of

19

Wells, Jim, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, Government

Accountability Office, prepared statement of

77

Zimmerman, Roy P., Director, Office of Nuclear Security and Incidence
Response, Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

Information concerning force-on-force exercises

Information concerning licensee employees

110

108

HOMELAND SECURITY: MONITORING
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SECURITY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2004

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING
THREATS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,

COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM,

Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in room 2247, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher Shays (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Shays, Platts, Duncan, Kucinich, Sanders, Maloney, Ruppersberger, Tierney, and Watson.

Staff present: Lawrence Halloran, staff director and counsel; J. Vincent Chase, chief investigator; Robert A. Briggs, clerk; Andrew Su, minority professional staff member; and Jean Gosa, minority assistant clerk.

Mr. SHAYS. A quorum being present, the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations entitled Homeland Security: Monitoring Nuclear Power Plant Security is called to order.

I have a statement. I am going to catch my breath, and I am going to ask the ranking member to start, and then I will make my opening statement.

Mr. KUCINICH. I want to thank the chairman, as always, for his diligence in matters of security in calling these hearings and indicate my appreciation for the attention that you pay to these matters.

Good morning to the Chair and members of the subcommittee and to our witnesses here today. I welcome this opportunity to discuss nuclear security in open session. As both Congress and the public have been stymied for far too long and getting truthful answers to many questions we have about nuclear safety and security.

Three years ago, two incidents shook the faith of the American people in our security. The first, of course, was the tragic attack on our country by terrorists on September 11.

The other less-known incident was the hidden problem going on at the Davis-Besse nuclear reactor in Ohio. These are the facts.

In February 2001 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission began investigating an aging mechanism that often caused cracking in reactors. As a result of these findings in late 2001, the NRC determined that the Davis-Besse plant was at risk and should shut down by December 31, 2001. FirstEnergy, the plant owner, resisted the

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