Nuclear Terrorism: Vulnerabilities & Solutions

Video narrated by Martin Sheen discussing the importance of beefing up security measures at nuclear power plants.
Produced by Dan Hirsch, Kevin Petajan, and Michael Rose. Animation by Kevin Petajan, Meridian Media. Edited by Gary Evans/Kevin Petajan. Music by Eric Gosnell. Source animation material courtesy of Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition.
For more information, go to committeetobridgethegap.org
BACKGROUND
More than four years after the tragedy of 9/11, America's nuclear reactors remain woefully vulnerable to terrorism. Even though NINETEEN people were involved in those attacks, TIME Magazine reports that Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules require security protections against no more than FIVE external attackers on the ground, and NO protection whatsoever from attacks by air. This is despite the fact that reactors contain ONE THOUSAND times the long-lived radioactivity of the Hiroshima bomb, and release of that radioactivity could kill tens of thousands of people and leave an area the size of Pennsylvania uninhabitable for generations. Nuclear power plants thus are a kind of pre-emplaced radiological weapon, often located near our biggest cities, that can be set off by our adversaries, to devastating effect.
But it need not be so. If we are to have nuclear power plants in this country -- and there are strong reasons to question the wisdom of reliance on such a dangerous source of energy -- then at least we should protect them from attack. Reactors should be required to be able to be defended against an attack involving at least the number of attackers seen on 9/11, and "Beamhenge" shields, made of steel I-beams and cabling, should be built around them so that an incoming plane hits the shield, not the reactor or irradiated fuel pool.
Tell the NRC and your Congressional representatives to beef up protections against catastrophic radiation releases, NOW.
For more information, go to committeetobridgethegap.org

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• environment
• terrorism
• energy
• policy
• nuclear
• power

[CommandoDude]

The Containment Chamber could NEVER be penetrated by a plane. It's even been proven to withstand military ordinance. Not that a terrorist could even procure a plane to carry out said terrorism.

Besides, terrorists have proven they prefer densely populated areas, not strategic targets.

Typical Yellow Journalism.

[kpetajan]

Indian Point Reactor is within 30 miles of 20 million people. The plane does not have to penetrate the containment dome to cause catastrophic damage to a nuclear reactor.

[hovah1976]

okay... so we put this on the internet so our enemies know where an easy target is. This kind of stupidity if mindblowing.

[kpetajan]

This information is completely public and has been for years.

[TheAppeler]

WHAHAHA

make a huge jelly on it so it will be protected by planes!

omg

common!

[Bassbox93]

unrealistic

[HWGuyEG]

@barrinmw

Or cardboard to 50' of reinforced concrete.

[HWGuyEG]

A southerner said it best:

"WHY IS IT ON 9/11 THEY ATTACKED A BUILDING AND NOT A NUCLEAR PLANT?

OH WAIT

UNLIKE YOU, RAGHEADS ARE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT WON'T WORK"

[ksquared4]

@kpetajan

you clearly have no knowledge of how a nuclear power plant is constructed. If it didn't penetrate the containment vessel how would it damage the reactor? the reactor isn't even above ground in the containment vessel.

[midwesternerforlife]

hope the ruskies learned that lesson. there's still alot of reactors of this type active in the former eastern bloc today actually.

[barrinmw]

For one, they didn't use a pressurized water reactor, we do.

Also, their enclosure housing could only sustain the pressure from a few tubes in the reactor leaking, ours are designed to withhold the pressure if all the water in the coolant were to leak out and turn to steam.

We design our reactors with safety in mind.

[midwesternerforlife]

tell me why that is.

[barrinmw]

Chernobyl is completely different from any american reactor, by bringing it up your are trying to compare bowling balls to triangles.

[midwesternerforlife]

meaning it could be as much as a million years before Chernobyl's radiation levels would be considered normal by nature's standards.