The Hill News

Ten years ago the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania prompted a sweeping reappraisal of security at U.S. nuclear energy facilities, led by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. America is fortunate that it has a strong, established regulator for nuclear safety and security.
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has a staff of 4,000 competent and committed staff that oversees every facet of the commercial nuclear energy industry.  It has unfettered access to every worker, to every piece of operating data, and to every plant system at every nuclear energy facilityâ€"without notice.  Its success in regulating safety and security is the reason why it often is emulated by other regulators.
 
The September 11 attacks were an unprecedented act of violence on America’s critical infrastructure.   It demanded aggressive action to ensure that the nuclear energy facilities that are the source of 20 percent of our nation’s electr! icity were secure.  Fortunately, the NRC has unique statutory authority to regulate security.  As a result, the nuclear energy industry is one of a few commercial or industrial sectors that is subject to federal security requirements.  Although strong security programs were in place at commercial nuclear energy facilities before 2001, the NRC imposed a series of requirements that substantially strengthened physical and cyber security in the aftermath of the attacks. 

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