 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Despite threat, nuclear plant safe, officials say
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER -- The nation's 103 nuclear plants, including the one Florida Power operates here, have been the subject of grim speculation since Sept. 11. Now, there is proof they are high on terrorists' lists of targets. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Bush cautioned that "diagrams of American nuclear power plants" were found in Afghanistan. "Our discoveries in Afghanistan confirmed our worst fears and showed us the true scope of the task ahead," Bush said before a national television audience. On Thursday, Mac Harris, a spokesman for Florida Power, said the company does not plan any additional security measures at the Crystal River Energy Complex. "We're already at the highest awareness," he said. Calling attention to Bush's use of "confirmed," Harris said, "It shows what we did was reasonably prudent; it doesn't mean we should take additional action." Also Thursday, federal officials said that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, acting on a tip from an al-Qaida operative, alerted nuclear power plants last week that terrorists may be planning an airplane attack on a nuclear power reactor. The alert by the NRC said "the attack was already planned" and three people "already on the ground" were trying to recruit non-Arabs to take part, according to the Associated Press. On Jan. 23, the NRC issued an advisory to operators of all commercial nuclear reactors emphasizing that the information had not been corroborated or otherwise authenticated. The advisory also said the plan would include diverting the mission to any tall building if a military aircraft intercepts the plane," said the advisory, according to a source familiar with it. A Washington organization critical of the nuclear industry said the recent disclosures warrant military protection at all plants, including the National Guard. The guard was offered to Florida Power in November, but the utility turned down the offer because, it said, plant security was already adequate. The Nuclear Control Institute also called for anti-aircraft weapons to be set up at the facilities "as a last-resort measure in the event fighter interceptors cannot catch up with a jumbo jet headed for a suicidal hit on a plant." Harris said the Crystal River plant has received no credible threats since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Security already in place includes concrete barriers and tighter screening at the entrance of all cars and trucks. The Coast Guard has established no-trespassing zones in coastal waters near the plant, and Citrus County Sheriff's deputies are supplementing the security staff. The decision to make major changes in security would come from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or law enforcement, he added. An NRC spokeswoman, Sue Gagner, refused to discuss whether additional measures are being considered. "We have issued over 20 advisories since Sept. 11, but I can't discuss the contents of them," she said. However, in the recent meeting in Crystal River, Commissioner Nils J. Diaz indicated policy changes were imminent. -- Alex Leary can be reached at 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
