Aug 12, 2008 4:50 pm US/Eastern
NY Pols Seek End To Uranium In U.S. Labs
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
Two New York elected officials urged the federal government Tuesday to bar the use of highly enriched uranium in U.S. civilian research centers.
Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said such use by researchers -- mostly at universities -- could allow the material for nuclear bomb-making to fall into the wrong hands.
The two are asking federal regulators to step in and ban use of the material at civilian facilities. Currently, only seven civilian sites have highly enriched uranium, and four of those are planning to phase it out.
While none of those three sites are in their state, King and Cuomo said terrorists could get access to the uranium and transport it to New York City.
King, the senior Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said a ban instituted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission would "add another layer of protection" against a terrorist nuclear attack.
Cuomo called it "absurd" that the agency "has continued to drag its feet" on banning highly enriched uranium.
NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency has ordered increased security measures for research reactors since the 2001 terrorist attacks, and that "no credible sabotage or theft scenario would produce significant radiological consequences to the public health and safety."
He added the NRC also supports efforts by another agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration, to remove highly enriched uranium from civilian research sites.
The two New Yorkers contend universities do not need such uranium for research, and can use substitute material.
They are supported in their effort by the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council, which has asked the NRC to set a date by which highly enriched uranium can no longer be licensed for civilian use, except on a limited case-by-case basis. Such a deadline would in effect ban the material.
King and Cuomo contend a U.S. ban on civilian use would prompt other countries to tighten up their own regulations, making it even harder for the most critical ingredient of a nuclear bomb to fall into the wrong hands.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is also supporting the civilian ban effort.
There are six nuclear power plants in New York state, and one research reactor, none of which use highly enriched uranium to make energy or conduct experiments, the New Yorkers said.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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