2/25/2013 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Minutes

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reactors are more likely to develop some types of safety problems. 14. Before granting a license renewal, o- t the NRC should review all differences between current regulations and any ` past,decisions specific to the aging reactor, to confirm that these differences will not compromise public safety going forward When the NRC reviews an application to renew a reactor's operating license, it never revisits its past decisions. Thus, it never considers whether an exempton l ' granted in the past should remain in effect �-. § I for an additional 20 years of operation. }"T" The agency should determine whether requirements that apply to a specific re- actor could compromise public health and safety during the next 20 years corn- pared with current regulations, and if ^ Even though plant owners are given advance notice of mock attacks,their security forces too often that is the case,apply the current regula- fail to repel the unrealistically modest threats envisioned by the NRC. tions instead. Making Existing Reactors More Secure whose role was limited to providing failure (i.e.,how close the plant came to against Terrorist Attacks information about the facility and its de- suffering core damage),but the proposal Existing reactors are not as secure as they fenses. The DBT was upgraded post- was opposed by the industry and has not could—and should—be. NRC assump- 9/11,but still does not reflect real-world been adopted. tions about potential attackers are un- threats. For example, it may ignore the realistically modest, so reactor owners possibility that terrorists would use rocket- 17. 7be U.S.government should are not required to defend against real- propelled grenades—a weapon used by establish a program for licensing private world threats.Moreover,in recent"force- insurgents around the world. security guards that would require on-force" tests the NRC conducts to The assumptions underlying the DBT successful completion ofafederally determine whether security personnel can should be reviewed by an interagency supervised training course and periodic defend a plant against a mock attack, body that includes the intelligence com- recertfcation. more than 10 percent of plants failed the munity, the National Nuclear Security Given the poor performance demon- NRC's modest scenarios—even though Administration, and the Department of strated in force-on-force exercises, there c plant owners are given advance notice of Homeland Security. is currently no assurance that reactor the tests. owners can defend their reactors against 16. The NRC should modify the way DBT-level attacks. By establishing a rig- 15. The NRC should revise its assume- it judges force-on force security exercises orous training and licensing program for tions about terrorists'capabilities to by assessing a plant's `margin w failure," reactor guards, the federal government ensure nuclear plants are adequately rather than whether the plant merely would help ensure that adequate security protected against credible threats, and passes or fails. standards are met. these assumptions should be reviewed The NRC's current approach only recog- by U.S. intelligence agencies. nizes whether or not a plant owner's Making New Reactors Safer and The NRC's "design-basis threat" (DBT) security force is able to prevent the de- More Secure against Terrorist Attacks defines the size and abilities of a terrorist struction of an entire "target set" that Any expansion of nuclear power in the group that a nuclear facility must be able would result in core damage.No distinc- United States would provide an oppor- to repel. Before 9/11 the DBT consisted tion is made between good and barely tunity to build safer, more secure reac- of three attackers armed with nothing adequate performance.Several years ago, tors—if mandated by the NRC. In the more sophisticated than handheld auto- the NRC proposed to enhance its evalu- absence of stronger safety and security matic rifles,working with a single insider ation system by incorporating margin to standards,the industry will keep its costs 10 UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS