rity apparatus is in disarray? Clearly the new Department is not yet operating coherently, and now that Governor Ridge has left the White House, President Bush has failed to appoint a successor, so nobody has assumed the responsibilities of cross-agency issues such as this one.

Maybe this has just fallen through the cracks, or maybe it is because the administration's focus is entirely on Iraq. Maybe this is just one more example of tunnel vision diverting attention away from severe threats here at home, or perhaps the administration is relying on the industry to do the right thing as it has in many other cases.

Industry officials have stated publicly they believe nuclear power plants are overly defended, but an NRC review of force-on-force exercises demonstrates precisely the opposite. NRC officials found significant weakness in armed responses in 37 of 81 mock attacks, or 46 percent of the time. The NRC concluded that these mock attackers would have been able to cause core damage, and in many cases a probable radioactive release.

Whatever the reason for the inaction, the administration's conduct is not acceptable. The administration promised to make homeland security a top priority. After September 11, we cannot leave critical homeland security matters, such as the safety of our nuclear power plants, to the industry, and we cannot let these critical items slip through the cracks or be ignored.

It is important that our Chair has called this meeting, and I want to thank him for doing so. I think that we need to have action taken, and to begin immediately. I want to thank the Chair.

Mr. SHAYS. Thank the gentleman.

[The prepared statement of Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich follows:]

Opening Statement
Representative Dennis J. Kucinich

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on National Security,
Emerging Threats, and International Relations

March 10, 2003

GOOD AFTERNOON. LET ME WELCOME OUR DISTINGUISHED WITNESSES. I AM GLAD YOU COULD BE WITH US TODAY. MR. CHAIRMAN, THE SECURITY OF THIS COUNTRY'S NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IS ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST CRITICAL HOMELAND SECURITY PRIORITIES.

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION KNOWS THIS. INDEED, IN HIS 2002 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, PRESIDENT BUSH WARNED THAT NUCLEAR FACILITIES COULD BE ATTACKED BY TERRORISTS, AND WITH DIRE CONSEQUENCES. HE EVEN REVEALED THAT U.S. FORCES FOUND "DIAGRAMS OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS" IN THE CAVES OF AFGHANISTAN.

SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE ADMINISTRATION SEEMS TO HAVE DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS ISSUE. ON DECEMBER 12 OF LAST YEAR, THE PRESIDENT WAS SUPPOSED TO SUBMIT TO CONGRESS A REPORT ON THE BEST WAY TO EFFICIENTLY AND SAFELY PROVIDE POTASSIUM IODIDE TO COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IN THE EVENT OF A TERRORIST ATTACK. POTASSIUM IODIDE IS A VERY CHEAP, WIDELY AVAILABLE TABLET THAT CAN PREVENT FATAL THYROID ILLNESSES CAUSED BY RADIATION EXPOSURE.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SEEN NO SIGN OF THE REPORT. WE REQUIRED THE REPORT BECAUSE PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 11, THERE WAS NO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO BUY POTASSIUM IODIDE AND DISTRIBUTE IT TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES. BEFORE 9-11, THE NUCLEAR UTILITY INDUSTRY LOBBIED AGAINST SUCH MEASURES BECAUSE THEY FEARED PEOPLE WOULD BECOME ALARMED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF NUCLEAR POWER.

AFTER 9-11, HOWEVER, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES ARE INDEED LIKELY TARGETS FOR TERRORISTS. AFTER 9-11, THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDED THAT STATES CONSIDER INCLUDING POTASSIUM IODIDE IN THEIR EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLANS. THE N.R.C. OFFERED TO BUY POTASSIUM IODIDE SO STATES COULD COVER A TEN MILE RADIUS SURROUNDING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.

BUT ANYONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF PAST INCIDENTS, SUCH AS THREE-MILE ISLAND AND CHERNOBYL, WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT TEN MILES IS A VERY, VERY MODEST STEP. MANY OF US IN CONGRESS BELIEVED THE N.R.C. DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH. FOR THIS REASON, CONGRESS EXPANDED THIS TO A 20-MILE RADIUS AS PART OF THE BIOTERRORISM BILL WE PASSED LAST JUNE. WE ALSO GAVE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS GREATER FLEXIBILITY TO OBTAIN POTASSIUM IODIDE WHEN STATE GOVERNMENTS FAILED TO DO SO.

TO ENSURE THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WOULD PURCHASE THE POTASSIUM IODIDE, DISTRIBUTE IT, AND ADMINISTER IT IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE MANNER POSSIBLE, WE ALSO MANDATED THE REPORT I DESCRIBED, WHICH WAS TO BE CONDUCTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. AS I SAID, IT WAS DUE IN DECEMBER. HERE WE ARE, THREE MONTHS LATER — AND STILL NO REPORT.

IT GETS WORSE. APPARENTLY, NOBODY IN THE ADMINISTRATION EVEN ALLOCATED FUNDING FOR THIS REPORT UNTIL AFTER IT WAS DUE. IT APPEARS THE ADMINISTRATION HADN'T EVEN CONTACTED THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TO CONTRACT FOR THE STUDY. THAT'S OVER EIGHT MONTHS OF INACTION.

LAST WEEK, WE WERE TOLD THAT SOMEONE IN THE

ADMINISTRATION FINALLY WROTE A MEMO TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY ASKING THEM TO BEGIN WORK. BUT THEY ARE JUST NOW APPOINTING THE PANELISTS WHO WILL BEGIN TO STUDY THIS ISSUE.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. WHAT IS GOING ON? HOW COULD THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SO COMPLETELY IGNORE CONGRESS? MORE

IMPORTANTLY, HOW COULD THEY IGNORE THIS CRITICAL ISSUE AND THE FAMILIES LIVING IN NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THESE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ARE LOCATED? WE CAN ONLY SPECULATE.

PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE THE ADMINISTRATION'S HOMELAND SECURITY APPARATUS IS IN DISARRAY. CLEARLY, THE NEW DEPARTMENT IS NOT YET OPERATING COHERENTLY. AND NOW THAT GOVERNOR RIDGE HAS LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE, PRESIDENT BUSH HAS FAILED TO APPOINT A SUCCESSOR, SO NOBODY HAS ASSUMED THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CROSSAGENCY ISSUES, SUCH AS THIS ONE. MAYBE THIS JUST FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS.

OR, PERHAPS IT'S BECAUSE THE ADMINISTRATION'S FOCUS IS ENTIRELY ON IRAQ. MAYBE THIS IS JUST ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF THE ADMINISTRATION'S COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE TUNNEL-VISION DIVERTING ATTENTION AWAY FROM SEVERE THREATS HERE AT HOME.

OR, PERHAPS THE ADMINISTRATION IS RELYING ON INDUSTRY TO DO THE RIGHT THING, AS IT HAS IN SO MANY OTHER CASES. INDUSTRY OFFICIALS HAVE STATED PUBLICLY THAT THEY BELIEVE NUCLEAR PLANTS ARE "OVERLY DEFENDED." BUT AN N.R.C. REVIEW OF FORCE-ONFORCE EXERCISES DEMONSTRATES PRECISELY THE OPPOSITE. N.R.C. OFFICIALS FOUND "SIGNIFICANT WEAKNESSES" IN ARMED RESPONSES IN 37 OUT OF 81 MOCK ATTACKS OR 46% OF THE TIME. THE N.R.C. CONCLUDED THAT THESE MOCK ATTACKERS WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CAUSE "CORE DAMAGE AND IN MANY CASES... A PROBABLE RADIOACTIVE RELEASE.”

WHATEVER THE REASON FOR ITS INACTION, THE ADMINISTRATION'S CONDUCT IS UNACCEPTABLE. PRESIDENT BUSH PROMISED TO MAKE HOMELAND SECURITY HIS TOP PRIORITY. AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, WE CAN NO LONGER LEAVE CRITICAL HOMELAND SECURITY ITEMS LIKE THE SAFETY OF OUR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS TO INDUSTRY. WE CAN NO

LONGER AFFORD TO LET THESE CRITICAL ITEMS SLIP THROUGH THE

CRACKS OR BE IGNORED. THE ADMINISTRATION MUST TAKE

RESPONSIBILITY, AND IT MUST TO DO SO IMMEDIATELY.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.