Oswego, NY -- Workers at nuclear power plants — including the three in Oswego County — will face beefed up background screening and training aimed at identifying potential terrorists as part of a new national crackdown by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday. Schumer visited Oswego Monday to announce the commission’s recommendations to secure nuclear plants....
Oswego, NY -- Workers at nuclear power plants — including the three in Oswego County — will face beefed up background screening and training aimed at identifying potential terrorists as part of a new national crackdown by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday.
Schumer visited Oswego Monday to announce the commission’s recommendations to secure nuclear plants.
The commission released an audit requested by Schumer after officials discovered a suspected Al-Qaeda member worked at nuclear plants in New Jersey from 2002 through 2008.
The suspect, Sharif Mobley, moved to Yemen where he was arrested earlier this year and accused of having ties to Al-Qaeda. Mobley is an American citizen who was hired by several contractors to do maintenance work at nuclear power plants. He satisfied federal background checks as recently as 2008, Schumer said.
Schumer said NRC Inspector General’s audit recommended improving employee training so that workers can better identify potential terrorists and allowing the NRC direct access to background-check databases, as opposed to relying on information provided by third parties.
The audit also said nuclear plants should increase the frequency with which employees are re-screened and possibly require employees to declare their foreign travel.
Schumer, D-NY, said the first three recommendations must be acted on within 30 days. The NRC will have the discretion to decide whether employees should be required to disclose details of overseas travel.
"The Mobley arrest showed that we had to devise and implement a much tougher security system to protect our nuclear plants from infiltration," Schumer said. "The NRC stepped up to the plate and provided concrete, actionable recommendations that can be put in place immediately.
"This security plan will protect all New Yorkers and is a victory for nuclear power plants and their workers, who will not have enhanced protections," Schumer said.
Neil Sheehan, speaking for the commission, said the NRC security staff already had begun work on issues staff recognized needed enhancing even before the Office of Inspector General started its review. Other changes will be implemented in the future, he said.
He also said the access authorization requirements for U.S. nuclear power plants "are already quite robust." The plants are required to have comprehensive programs and procedures in place to ensure that those with access to sensitive areas have been properly screened and checked. "That said, the NRC is constantly re-evaluating plant security measures and when we determine revisions are needed, we won't hesitate to require them," he said.