nuclear-news

Careless behaviour by USA nuclear Air Force officials

Nuclear officers left crucial blast doors open, according to AP report The Verge, By Russell Brandom on October 22, 2013 According to an exclusive report by the Associated Press, Air Force officers entrusted with nuclear launch codes have been caught leaving open the blast doors to their underground command post on two separate occasions. The doors are a crucial element of American nuclear security, ensuring that even if the outer facility is compromised, attackers will not be able to reach the codes required to launch a nuclear attack. The AP’s sources say similar violations are much more common than is publicly reported.

There’s no evidence that any facilities or launch codes were compromised, but the breach of protocol raises serious questions about the security of the US nuclear arsenal, especially after the arsenal’s commander, Maj. General Michael Carey, was abruptly firedlast week. In May, three officers from a North Dakota nuclear base were relieved for a lack of “proper attitude.” http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/22/4867234/nuclear-officers-left-crucial-blast-doors-open-according-to-ap-report

October 26, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Indian Point Nuclear Plant emergency procedures won’t be good enough

Former NRC Chair: Emergency Plans Won’t Protect Residents from Radiation Huff Post , Roger Witherspoon, 8 Oct 13 The former head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said yesterday that emergency plans for a catastrophic event at the Indian Point nuclear power plant are not designed to ensure that residents will escape unhealthy doses of radiation and it would be best if the plant closes down.

Gregory Jaczko, who led the five-member commission during the triple meltdown of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station and resigned last year after intense clashes with the industry and the other four commissioners, said in a wide-ranging interview that:

• Emergency plans for Indian Point only teach officials how to make the best decisions in a bad situation and minimize the extent of contamination for those within 10 miles of the Hudson River site. The plans will do nothing to protect the 21 million people living within 50 miles, including New York City, northern New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and western Connecticut.
• With the exception of Allison M. Macfarlane, his replacement as NRC Chair, the four commissioners “were brought onto the commission because they were more interested in looking at the impact of regulations on the industry rather than on the possible impact on the safety of the public.”
• The agency’s risk assessment, which undergirds its regulatory structure and determines what practices are safe, is seriously flawed because of a basic assumption that worst case scenarios cannot happen. As a result, there is little thought given to the consequences of accidents — even though it is certain that some will occur.
• Because the consequences of a meltdown at Indian Point are incalculably catastrophic, it would be best if the plant were closed. Continue reading →

October 10, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | 1 Comment

Nuclear radiological attack will find USA cities unprepared

U.S. Cities Unprepared to Deal with Large-Scale Nuclear, Radiological Attack Washington Free Beacon 1 Oct 13 Watchdog group says federal government has offered little guidance to major cities Major U.S. cities lack the capabilities and know-how to effectively deal with the fallout from a large-scale nuclear and radiological attack by terrorists, according to the government’s top watchdog group.

The federal government has conducted “limited” planning and offered little guidance to major cities that are vulnerable to either a radiological or nuclear attack, according to a Monday report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The disorganization and lack of preparedness could lead to a “disjointed” emergency response, increasing “the consequences,” fatalities, and economic toll of such a disaster, the report said.

These potentially catastrophic “gaps in early response abilities warrant federal attention,” the GAO said.

Most major cities admitted that while local emergency personnel could scramble to treat victims, they remain uncertain about how exactly to deal with such an attack and whether the federal government would come to their assistance.

There is currently “limited federal planning guidance related to the early response capabilities needed by cities for the large attack depicted in the national planning scenarios,” the GAO reported.

The GAO recommends that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “develop guidance to clarify the early response capabilities needed by cities for RDD [radiological dispersion device] and IND [improvised nuclear device] attacks.”……….

“10 of those cities were perceived as not being able to conduct any of the response activities for an [nuclear] attack without federal assistance.”

FEMA maintains that federal guidance would not be necessary despite the apparent lack of preparation and coordination with the federal government, according to the report………..

The GAO is warning congressional leaders that much more preparation and coordination is needed.

“A disjointed or untimely response could put many additional lives at risk, increase economic consequences, and undermine the public’s confidence in the federal, state, and local governments’ ability to respond to such a crisis,” the GAO wrote in a Monday letter to Sen. Tom Carper (D., Del.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. http://freebeacon.com/u-s-cities-unprepared-to-deal-with-large-scale-nuclear-radiological-attack/

October 2, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment