Posted on 09/11/2001 8:16:06 PM PDT by shanec
WASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday recommended that all U.S. nuclear power plants and nuclear fuel facilities go to the highest level of security as a precautionary measure in response to devastating attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
``While there has been no credible general or specific threats to any of these (power plant) facilities, the recommendation was considered prudent, given the acts of terrorism in New York City and in Washington, D.C.,'' the NRC said.
Hijacked planes crashed into the major U.S. landmarks, destroying New York's twin towers and plunging the Pentagon into flames in what President George W. Bush called an ``apparent terrorist attack.''
The agency said it would not provide details of the heightened security measures being taken at the nation's 103 nuclear reactors located in 31 states because such steps are classified.
Nuclear power provides about 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supplies.
Progress Energy (NYSE:PGN - news) President Bill Cavanaugh said his company was coordinating with federal authorities and ``is taking every step necessary to ensure safety and security'' at all its facilities. ``As always, safety is our top priority,'' he said.
Cavanaugh added that he was ``shocked and saddened'' by the attacks.
The Raleigh, North Carolina-based company owns two major utilities, CP&L and Florida Power, that operate nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, the Energy Department has ordered the highest state of security readiness at its nuclear weapon laboratories.
``We've had a lockdown of our nuclear material, and we are in close contact with our labs and field offices,'' department spokeswoman Jeanne Lopatto said.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has been in close contact with White House officials about the situation.
For security reasons, Lopatto refused to say where Abraham was. ``He's in a safe location,'' she said.
Please post a link to your website.
If you are below the ground water, no China syndrome to worry about. But an earthquake could, I guess wreak havoc.
Many years ago I saw a Scientific American article that showed in a war, radioactivity from nuclear power plants could be spread over large areas.
There was a Freerepublic article or a Drudgereport article about Japan planning to use small nuclear power plants for apartment complexes.
A snippet today from a radiological health physics forum:
"During my time working on nuclear safeguards in the UK nuclear power industry, the "unthinkable" was a suicide terrorist attack on an operating nuclear power or reprocessing installation using a highjacked commercial aircraft. It now appears that those ruthless fanatics who sanction such wanton, indiscriminate acts now have the capability to plan and carry out such an attack."
Protection of these facilities from ground attacks has been the primary focus, at least up till Tuesday.
"An Analysis of Truck Bombs Threats at Nuclear Facilities"
by Sandia National Laboratories 1984 stated:
"Unacceptable damage to vital reactor systems could occur from a relatively small charge at close setback distances, and from larger but still reasonable-sized charges at large setback distances, greater than the protected area for most plants."
What damage do you think an airliner could do to a nuclear power plant?
USNEWS.com recently reported at...
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/...snews/nukes.htm
....other vulnerabilities often overlooked in regards to sabotage or ground attacks. (They take on a whole new meaning when now factoring in the real possibility of a purposely crashed airliner in our future.)
"In addition, experts say, the water-intake systems at some plants are particularly vulnerable to sabotage by either cutting off the water supply by clogging the intake valve or introducing volatile chemicals into the reactor's cooling system.
An even more accessible target may be spent nuclear material piling up at these plants. Large cooling pools inside reactor containment buildings were designed to store this fuel, but several years ago the pools began to fill up. Now, at many plants, the highly radioactive fuel is stored in cooling pools outside the containment building. "A lot of the spent nuclear fuel casks can be hit with a shoulder-fired missile by someone standing outside the fence," says Dave Lochbaum, nuclear safety engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Yet at plants that are being decommissioned, the nuclear fuel is even less closely guarded. The Maine Yankee plant, which has stored 700 tons of spent fuel in outside cooling pools, has removed all of its vehicle barriers and received the NRC's permission to eliminate its armed guard force once the fuel is placed into dry casks."
Again, What damage do you think an airliner could do to a nuclear power plant?
Would terrorists attempt it?
Do we even need to still be asking that after last Tuesday?
Calling themselves the "Liberation Army Fifth Battalion" in a letter to the New York Times, the 1993 World Trade Center terrorists threatened to attack additional targets, including "nuclear targets" with "150 suicide solders." The letter was received four days after the bombing and subsequently authenticated by federal authorities.
Best Regards,
Shane Connor, author of...
Potassium Iodide Anti-Radiation Pill FAQ
Civil Defense Radiation Detection Survey Meters, Geiger Counters & Dosimeters FAQ
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