|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Radiological Weapons: GAO Criticizes U.S. Program to Control Sealed Sources By Mike Nartker Sealed radioactive sources — radioactive materials housed in containers made of stainless steel or other metals — could be used to construct a “dirty bomb,” a combination of conventional explosives and radioactive materials. While the exact number of sealed radioactive sources around the world is unknown, a survey of 50 countries found approximately 10 million in use, the GAO said in a May report released yesterday. In addition, it is estimated that there are thousands of “orphaned” — or abandoned — sealed radioactive sources, primarily within the former Soviet Union, the report says (see GSN, Oct. 23, 2002). Since fiscal 2002, Energy has received $37 million to begin a program to assist other countries in controlling sealed radioactive sources, according to the report. Through the program, the department has funded site assessments and security upgrades at sites housing sealed sources at several locations in Russia, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. However, congressional auditors found that the program’s initial efforts have lacked adequate coordination and planning, the report says. While Energy is developing a plan to guide the program’s efforts, department officials said that more detailed analysis is needed to determine which countries outside the former Soviet Union require assistance, to identify future funding needs and to develop performance measures to determine the program’s success, according to the report. In addition, the report says, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has recently announced that the program will expand to assist countries in other regions. In addition, officials from several other U.S. agencies that conduct similar programs, such as the U.S. State Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have said that Energy does not fully coordinate its efforts with them. Better interagency cooperation could also lead to an improved working relationship with other countries’ nuclear organizations, the report says. For example, the report says officials from the Russian nuclear regulatory organization Gosatomnadzor complained that Energy Department officials did not adequately consult with them when they chose the initial Russian sites to receive security upgrades. The report also finds that most of the funding for the Energy program has been spent in the United States rather than in the former Soviet Union. As of the end of January, the department had spent about $9 million of the program’s funding, with $3 million being transferred to the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the report. Of the remainder, 93 percent was spent in the United States by the department’s national laboratories, the report says. In its report, the GAO made several recommendations to help Energy improve the management of its program to improve controls over sealed radioactive sources. For example, the department should work to develop a comprehensive plan to identify countries that need the most aid and that establishes realistic time frames and resources to meet program goals. The GAO also recommended that the department spend more program funds in countries that need assistance and that it should initiate an effort to develop a governmentwide plan to increase interagency cooperation. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), who commissioned the report, has also called on Energy to spend more funds in other countries to improve controls over sealed sources. “The secretary of energy has said improving the security of radioactive materials abroad is a high priority. But the GAO report shows that DOE has spent the vast majority of its money for securing sealed sources internationally in the United States at the national labs,” Akaka said yesterday in a press statement. “DOE needs to work much harder to make sure U.S. assistance goes overseas where it’s needed,” he said.
| ||||||||||
Back to top
