Martin Schneider
RW Monitor
7/25/2014
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulations governing security of radiological sources are drawing concern from Senate appropriators, who including language aimed at forcing more stringent controls in their version of the FY 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill released this week. The bill would direct the NRC to establish mandatory security standards for category 1 and 2 radiological materials and increase the frequency of inspections, seeking new regulations within five years. “The Committee is very concerned about the security of radiological materials at U.S. medical and industrial facilities,” the report accompanying the bill states. “A National Academies report found that there are more than 5,000 devices containing high-activity radiation sources in the country, including 700 with category-1 sources, at over 2,000 facilities. Taken out of their shielding containers, category-1 sources can kill anyone who is exposed to them at close range for a few minutes to an hour. The National Nuclear Security Administration found that these devices are vulnerable to theft and could be used by terrorists to build dirty bombs. The Committee believes the NRC’s security regulations have not been sufficient to reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism.”