The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) assured Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) it is working to boost the security and tracking of radioactive materials, in a Nov. 2 letter made public Wednesday in response to Schumer’s October request that the agency suspend approval of Category 3 radioactive material licenses.
Schumer made his request early last month in light of concerns highlighted by a Government Accountability Office (GAO) undercover investigation in which one of three fake companies that applied to obtain a Category 3 radioactive source received a license.
Category 3 materials include radioactive sources that could cause permanent injury if handled, according to the NRC. The GAO said in a July report that it created a shell company that was able to obtain a license to purchase multiple Category 3 quantities, which could be combined to a Category 2 quantity – an amount that allows for building a radiological “dirty bomb.”
NRC Chairman Stephen Burns said in the letter that the regulator has taken actions to address the findings of the investigation, including holding three webinar training sessions for NRC and agreement state inspectors and license reviewers to reinforce proper procedures for visiting sites that are applying for licenses.
Two working groups were also formed to evaluate whether Category 3 sources should be included in the National Source Tracking System, which currently does not require tracking of this category of material, the letter said. The NRC also directed staff to evaluate potential revisions to regulations on source protection, such as whether changes are necessary to current tracking requirements for radioactive materials. The results of the evaluation are due by next August.
Burns noted that the NRC and 13 other federal agencies collaborate on a task force that has evaluated U.S. radiation source security over the last decade. “This group has not identified any significant gaps in source security, nor has it recommended legislative changes related to source security,” the letter said, adding that the NRC “will continue to leverage this interagency resource to ensure that the appropriate level of protection is applied to radioactive materials.”
The letter did not otherwise indicate that the NRC plans to suspend granting Category 3 material licenses.
The NRC and its 37 agreement states grant roughly 1,000 new radioactive material licenses annually, spokeswoman Maureen Conley previously said.
