Terrorism: Action Needed to Protect Research Nuclear Reactors
By: Jim Kouri, CPP There are 37 research reactors in the United
States, mostly located on college campuses. Of these, 33
reactors are licensed and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Four are operated by the Department of Energy and
are located at three national laboratories. Although less
powerful than commercial nuclear power reactors, research
reactors may still be attractive targets for terrorists. The US
House of Representatives requested the Government Accountability
Office to examine the basis on which DOE and NRC established the
security and emergency response requirements for DOE and NRC-
licensed research reactors, and to examine the progress that the
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has made in
converting US research reactors that use highly enriched uranium
to low enriched uranium fuel. The DOE developed the security and
emergency response requirements for its research reactors using
its Design Basis Threat — a