Activities in the Area of Chemical Security at Facilities Regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

As part of the 2007 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorization Bill, the Congress directed the DHS to establish the Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). Facilities under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) were exempted from CFATS. As a result, the expectation was that NRC would regulate the security of hazardous chemicals at NRC regulated facilities. NRC commissioned a study by Sandia National Laboratories to assist in the development of a regulatory approach. The study showed that fuel cycle facilities provided the most interest. However, given the small number of facilities that could be impacted, the Commission directed the staff to not create new regulations for the security of hazardous chemicals. They directed the staff to obtain additional information, to work with industry and other government agencies to identify what, if any, additional security measures should be incorporated, and ultimately, provide recommendations to the Commission. This paper discusses the NRC staff activities to determine if gaps exist and how to close those gaps.