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Where the United States
stands in protecting its citizens
stands in protecting its citizens
An interactive presentation
Stories by John Yaukey, Gannett News
Service
Nuclear power plants
Radiation could kill thousands if
released from one of the nation’s 103 nuclear reactors in
31 states.
Nuclear power plants, which generate 20
percent of the nation’s electricity, have been beefing up
security on their own: installing barricades and hiring guards.
But so far there is no national unified plan to enhance
protection.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
wants to raise security standards but needs approval from
Congress, which is deeply divided about how to do that.
One of the most feared scenarios is a
jetliner being crashed into a nuclear reactor, but experts
disagree over whether that would cause a massive radiation
release.
A Nuclear Energy Institute study shows
that U.S. reactors are strong enough to withstand a direct hit
by a Boeing 767 traveling 300 mph. However, critics of
the trade group’s study — including the Nuclear
Control Institute (NCI), an independent research group —
point out the analysis fails to predict what would happen if a
767 hit a reactor at 500 mph, the speed the hijacked jets were
traveling when they struck the World Trade Center towers.
The NCI has said jets traveling at that
speed could crash through a reactor’s walls, potentially
releasing a radiation cloud.
RED FLAG
In the 81 simulated ground attacks
against nuclear power plants staged by the NRC since 1991,
attackers in 37 (46 percent) were able to reach critical parts
of the plant, in many cases where they could have released
radiation.
Interactive documentary:
CLEARING THE SKIES
CLEARING THE SKIES
Interactive documentary:
A YEAR OF RECOVERY
All contents copyright 2002,
Gannett News Service
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