More on Security at Nuclear Power Plants

Here's a copy of a letter that NEI Chief Nuclear Officer Marv Fertel sent to Time magazine in response to their story this week on security at nuclear power plants:

The nation's 103 commercial reactors have had federally regulated security programs for more than two decades, and have made $1.2 billion in upgrades to physical barriers and detection and access technology, and added thousands of paramilitary security officers since 2001 ("Are These Towers Safe?" June 12, 2005).

Independent analyses by experts with entities as diverse as the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Progressive Policy Institute, the National Center for Public Policy Research, and Federal Bureau of Investigation confirm that security at commercial nuclear facilities is among the best in the industrial sector.

The nuclear energy industry takes seriously its obligation to protect our facilities and our employees, and to maintain safe, efficient electricity production that is vital to our economic strength. We are working constructively with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Homeland Security and state and local law enforcement to ensure there is a fully protective shield around nuclear power plants and their multi-layered safety systems.

For his detailed response to Time from earlier in the week, click here.

For previous posts on this topic, click here and here.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics

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