LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

EMERGING THREATS: ASSESSING PUBLIC SAFETY
AND SECURITY MEASURES AT NUCLEAR
POWER FACILITIES

DEC 01. 2003

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

FIRST SESSION

MARCH 10, 2003

Serial No. 108-43

Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/congress/house
http://www.house.gov/reform

89-075 PDF

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WASHINGTON: 2003

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM

TOM DAVIS, Virginia, Chairman

KF27
G6687

2003

Copy 2

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CONTENTS

Hearing held on March 10, 2003

Statement of:

Blumenthal, Richard, attorney general, State of Connecticut; John T.

Wiltse, director, Office of Emergency Management, State of Connecti-

cut; and Richard Bond, first selectman, town of New Canaan

Conklin, W. Craig, Technological Services Division, Office of National
Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate, De-
partment of Homeland Security; and Hubert Miller, NRC Region 1
Administrator, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, accompanied by Law-
rence Chandler, Associate General Counsel for Hearings, Enforcement
and Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Wells, Jim, Director, Natural Resources and the Environment, U.S. Gen-

eral Accounting Office; Michael J. Slobodien, director, emergency pro-

grams, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; William F. Renz, director,

nuclear protection services and emergency preparedness, Dominion Re-

sources Services, Inc.; Angelina S. Howard, executive vice president,

Nuclear Energy Institute; Alex Matthiessen, executive director,

Riverkeeper; and David Lochbaum, nuclear safety engineer, Union of

Concerned Scientists

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

Page

1

123

67

157

Blumenthal, Richard, attorney general, State of Connecticut, prepared

statement of

126

Bond, Richard, first selectman, town of New Canaan, prepared statement

of

146

Conklin, W. Craig, Technological Services Division, Office of National

Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate, De-

partment of Homeland Security, prepared statement of

Howard, Angelina S., executive vice president, Nuclear Energy Institute,

prepared statement of

71

197

Kelly, Hon. Sue, a Representative in Congress from the State of New

York:

Followup questions and responses

115

Indian Point Emergency Preparedness Independent Expert Task

Force report

12

Kucinich, Hon. Dennis J., a Representative in Congress from the State
of Ohio, prepared statement of

7

Lochbaum, David, nuclear safety engineer, Union of Concerned Scientists,

prepared statement of.

278

Matthiessen, Alex, executive director, Riverkeeper, prepared statement

of

Miller, Hubert, NRC Region 1 Administrator, Nuclear Regulatory Com-

mission, prepared statement of......

Renz, William F., director, nuclear protection services and emergency

preparedness, Dominion Resources Services, Inc., prepared statement

of

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

of Connecticut:

253

88

189

Prepared statement of

3

Various prepared statements

53

Slobodien, Michael J., director, emergency programs, Entergy Nuclear
Operations, Inc., prepared statement of

182

Wells, Jim, Director, Natural Resources and the Environment, U.S. Gen-
eral Accounting Office, prepared statement of

161

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EMERGING THREATS: ASSESSING PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY MEASURES AT NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2003

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 2:05 p.m., in room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher Shays (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Shays, Turner, Janklow, Kucinich and Tierney.

Also present: Representative Kelly.

Staff present: Lawrence Halloran, staff director and counsel; J. Vincent Chase, chief investigator; Robert A. Briggs, clerk; Mackenzie Eaglen, fellow; David Rapallo, minority counsel; and Jean Gosa, minority assistant clerk.

Mr. SHAYS. This hearing entitled, "Assessing Public Safety and Security Measures at Nuclear Facilities," is called to order.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 should have seared this hard truth into our national consciousness: Security is not a state of rest. It is not a static measure. Sanctuary from the terrorists of the 21st century demands a new level of vigilance to protect the public from known and emerging threats.

Heightened awareness of new threats and proactive countermeasures are particularly imperative to protect critical infrastructure facilities, fixed assets of enormous importance to national economic and social well-being. Of those, civilian nuclear power plants stand as highly attractive targets of terrorism.

Today, we ask if Federal regulators are demanding the physical security and preparedness enhancements needed to protect public health and safety from nuclear terrorism. Recent reports suggest the answer may be no. Although specific to the Indian Point reactor complex in Buchanan, NY, observations by the General Accounting Office [GAO], and to a private security firm point to systemic weaknesses in nuclear incident response planning that have implications for every community within 50 miles of any of the Nation's 64 active reactor sites.

A release of radiation caused by terrorists is a unique event, one that requires acknowledgment of the distinct factors and fears that will define the public response to such an incident. Yet the chair

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