ML023500149

G20020698/LTR-02-0792 - Sen. Charles E. Schumer Ltr Re Immediate Investigation Into Ability of Security Personnel at Indian Point to Defend Facility from Terrorist Attack

ML023500149
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	12/10/2002
From:	Schumer C US SEN (Senate)
To:	Meserve R NRC/Chairman
References
G20020698, LTR-02-0792
Download: ML023500149 (4)

Text

EDO Principal Correspondence Control FROM: DUE: 12/23/02 EDO CONTROL: G20020698 DOC DT: 12/10/02 FINAL REPLY:

Senator Charles E. Schumer TO:

Chairman Meserve FOR SIGNATURE OF  : ** PRI ** CRC NO: 02-0792 Chairman Meserve DESC: ROUTING:

Immediate Investigation into the Ability of Travers Security Personnel at Indian Point to Defend Paperiello the Facility from a Terrorist Attack Kane Norry Craig Burns/Cyr DATE: 12/12/02 Collins, NRR Miller, RI ASSIGNED TO: CONTACT:

NSIR Zimmerman SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

S~'-O Iqt

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET DatePrinted:Dec 11, 2002 12:27 PAPER NUMBER: LTR-02-0792 LOGGING DATE: 12/11/2002 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: Charles Shumer AFFILIATION: SEN ADDRESSEE: Richard Meserve

SUBJECT:

Urges an immediate investigation into the ability of security personnel at Indian Point to defend the facility from terrorist attack ACTION: Signature of Chairman DISTRIBUTION:

LETTER DATE: 12/10/2002 ACKNOWLEDGED No SPECIAL HANDLING:

NOTES: Chairman, Comrs, RF, OCA to Ack Commission Correspondence FILE LOCATION: Adams DATE DUE: 12/26/2002 DATE SIGNED:

EDO -- G20020698

12/10/02 13:25 FAX __ 000_2_/__

CHARLES E. SCHUMER BANKING N.WYORKC JUDICIARY R~ULES WASHINGTON. DC 20510 December 10, 2002 The Honorable Richard A Meserve Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555-001

Dear Chairman Meserve:

I am writing to urge you to launch an immediate investigation into the ability of I'm sure security personnel at Indian Point to defend the facility from a terrorist attack. As you are aware, a report commissioned by the owners of Indian Point has identified serious security deficiencies at the facility.

According to the report, as many as half of the security personnel at Indian Point's Unit 2 nuclear reactor may be unable to physically meet the demands of defending the plant, and physical evaluations of security personnel are exceedingly lax. The report also alleges that guards are hired with little experience and almost no relevant qualifications.

Additionally, there are indications that guards are minimally trained and equipped, and that some have been hired despite the fact that they required multiple attempts to pass their weapons tests. The report also said that guards at Indian Point regularly work 70-80 hours per week.

While these revelations are disturbing, they pale in comparison to the report's suggestion that force-on-force exercises intended to evaluate Indian Point's ability to defend against a terrorist attack were manipulated to ensure that the mock attacks would not be successful. In addition, there are indications that guards working at Indian Point feel that they are operate in a "chilled" atmosphere where reports of security deficiencies are suppressed, and the identification of security flaws is discouraged. In fact, some personnel are concerned that blowing the whistle on security problems could result in

• their termination. It is crucial to the safety of the facility that employees at Indian Point be able to raise security concerns without fear or reprisal or suppression.

Obviously, the catastrophic consequences of a successful terrorist attack on Indian Point demand that every effort be made to ensure that the plant is as secure as possible.

Twenty million people live within a 50-mile radius of Indian Point's reactors. A terrorist attack on the facility could have devastating consequences and could render the New York City metro area uninhabitable.

Given the extraordinary danger presented by a successful terrorist attack on Indian Point, the NRC has an obligation to ensure that security at the facility not only meets minimum standards, but is in fact of the absolute highest quality possible. The last NRC force-on-force security exercises at Indian Point took place in 1994. Due to the amount

12/10/02 13:25 FAX 0003 of time that has passed since these tests were conducted, and the identification of new security weaknesses at Indian Point, there is an urgent need for the NRC to immediately are assess the security situation at Indian Point. I urge the NRC to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that any deficiencies are remedied as quickly as possible.

I thank you for your attention to this matter and hope to hear from you soon.

0Sincerely, Charles B. Schumer United States Senator