The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said over the weekend that efforts are under way to address concerns over lax security measures for some of its radioactive source licensees.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has asked NRC Chairman Stephen Burns for a suspension of Category 3 radioactive material licenses in light of concerns highlighted recently by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which conducted an undercover investigation that revealed that one of three fake companies that submitted license applications to obtain a Category 3 radioactive source was granted a license.
The agency describes Category 3 material as sources that, “if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled them or was otherwise in contact with them for some hours.”
In an Oct. 2 letter, Schumer voiced concern about the NRC’s licensing process for purchases of the material, citing the GAO report that demonstrated a shell company could obtain a license allowing it to purchase multiple Category 3 quantities, which would then aggregate to a Category 2 quantity, or an amount that could be used to build a radiological “dirty bomb,” according to the report.
The same July 2016 report noted the NRC does not require tracking of Category 3 materials in its National Source Tracking System and recommended including those sources in the system.
“I urge the Commission to consider suspending licenses for Category 3 radioactive material until these licenses are monitored by the NRC in a National Source Tracking System,” Schumer said in his letter, adding that “the NRC’s current licensing protocol enables potential misuse of both the purchasing license and the radioactive material.”
“The staff is considering findings from two working groups formed to review GAO’s findings and will present to our management and Commissioners any policy questions that emerge from the reviews, including whether we think changes are needed to the current security and tracking requirements for radioactive materials,” NRC spokeswoman Maureen Conley said by email, noting that there are roughly 20,000 materials licenses currently in effect.
The regulator on Oct. 5 acknowledged receipt of Schumer’s letter and replied, “Please be assured that we are working on a response, and a reply will be forwarded to you as soon as possible.”
In a July 15 letter to Burns and Commissioner Kristine Svinicki, fellow Commissioner Jeff Baran also suggested that category 3 materials be considered under stricter requirements.
The NRC will also submit to Congress the results of a review of the effectiveness of its physical protection requirements for category 1 and 2 radioactive materials by the end of this year.
