Saturday, July 19, 2008

Three Mile Island Alert Rejects NRC’s Proposed Security Rules as Defective

Three Mile Island Alert is denouncing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff for its recommendation to its four Commissioners to vote against entrance guards at the nation’s nuclear plants. There has never been a requirement for guards posted at the entrances. After nearly seven years of stalling, and the objectionable repeated mis-handling of TMIA’s petition for rulemaking to require entrance guards, the staff is advising against such a rule. The NRC explained that they did not want to be overly prescriptive. “This regulator doesn’t have the courage to stand up to the industry and issue a directive,” said Scott Portzline, security consultant to TMI Alert. “The NRC’s soft regulatory style of allowing licensees to analyze security needs is too lenient for national security standards. Although there are some very worthy improvements, the NRC is deliberately rewording the proposed security regulations so that licensees have plenty of ‘wiggle room’ when implementing its self-designed security plan. The NRC has watered down the proposed rule even further. We should not have to tell our neighbors to lock their front door.”
TMI Alert

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