Solutions to Nuclear Power Pla essays

Solutions to Nuclear Power Pla essays Solutions to Nuclear Power Plant Security Twenty-three percent of Americans think that nuclear power plants are the most likely targets for a future attack on American soil (Lake 1). The lack of security protecting our nations nuclear power plants is alarming. The only way to solve this problem is to upgrade the types of weapons used to protect the plants, better training, less work hours for the guards, update the design basis threat, and have nuclear security controlled by an independent government agency. One of the biggest problems in security is that the guards are not able to use a wider range of weapons. The type of weapons the guards use is vastly inferior to the weapons that terrorist are known to use. This is mostly to blame because some states have laws that restrict the kind of weapons and the ammunitions that can be carried by the private security personnel that protect the plants (POGO 3). The NRC, according to Meserve, have asked the states to give the security staff at the nuclear plants more leeway on the types of weapons they can use to protect the facilities (qtd. in Llanos 3). The guards should have access to a wider range of weapons to use like those terrorists are known to use like automatic weapons, M-16s, and grenades. This would create a more even situation between the security guards and the intruders The wider range of weapons would not be beneficial if the guards did not get the proper amount of training. The guards that are protecting the nations power plants are not being trained in using their weapons effectively. The NRCs says that, Each Tactical Response Team member shall requalify at least once every 12 months (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 73.46 2). This is all the training that the guards get is this once a year reunification, according to two former Seabrook guards they only received four days of tactical training, and three day...