Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

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By Mrs. CLINTON:

S. 1150. A bill to increase the security of radiation sources, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the Dirty Bomb Prevention Act of 2005, which I am introducing today in the Senate, and Congressman MARKEY is introducing in the House.

Since September 11, we have increased our focus on dirty bombs, and rightly so.

Most Americans are not aware of how common this radioactive material is in our country. Often we think of warheads or rods used in nuclear reactors. However, we use less radioactive materials in positive ways in our hospitals, research laboratories, food irradiation plants, oil drilling facilities, airport runway lighting, and even in smoke detectors.

And although these materials have beneficial uses, the fact is that some of them, in the hands of a terrorist, could be used to make a dirty bomb that could be used to contaminate a wide area in New York City or in many other places across the country.

According to the Federation of American Scientists, ``material that could easily be lost or stolen from U.S. research institutions and commercial sites could contaminate tens of city blocks at a level that would require prompt evacuation ..... Areas as large as tens of square miles could be contaminated at levels that exceed recommended civilian exposure limits. ``

Even if such contamination caused by a dirty bomb did not pose severe health threats, efforts to determine the extent of contamination and clean it up would be both expensive and disruptive.

And we know that radiation sources are numerous in the United States. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reports that about 157,000 general and specific licenses have been issued authorizing the use of radioactive materials for industrial, medical, and other uses. About 1.8 million devices containing radioactive sources have been distributed under these licenses.

And we know that some of these sources get lost or stolen. A 2003 GAO report found that since 1998, there have been more than 1,300 incidents where radiation sources were lost, stolen or abandoned.

While not all of these sources and incidents present potential dirty bomb threats, it's clear that we need to do a better job.

This legislation fills in remaining gaps to enable the U.S. to more effectively control radiation sources.

First, the bill would give the Nuclear Regulatory Commission the authority and the mandate to control Radium-226 and other naturally occurring radioactive materials that for historical reasons have remained outside of federal control.

Radium-226 is of particular concern, as it is on the list of radiation sources that the United States has agreed to control as part of adhering to the International Atomic Energy Agency Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources.

Radium-226 was used in medicine, starting early in the 20th century. Its use increased until the 1950s, when there were more than 5,000 radium users in the U.S. Since then, its use declined, and we don't have a good handle on what is left out there. Because it is naturally occurring, it has stayed out federal regulatory net. So we need to give the NRC the authority to go out and get control of it.

Second, the bill requires the NRC to develop within 6 months of enactment a ``cradle-to-grave'' tracking system to ensure that we know where radiation sources of concern are at all times. That's just common sense, and if FedEx can do it, I think we ought to be able to do it for materials that could be used in a dirty bomb.

Third, the bill requires the establishment of import and export controls for radiation sources. This is obvious--we need to know what's coming and going as part of our efforts to control these materials.

These 3 provisions are fundamental steps that we know we need to take today to reduce the risk that radioactive materials will fall into the wrong hands.

But the bill also looks forward in several ways.

First, the bill requires an inter-agency task force on radiation source protection to make periodic recommendations to Congress and the NRC about the safety and security of radiation sources. That way we will know how we're doing, and what we need to do in the future.

Second, the bill requires a National Academy of Sciences study of whether some current industrial uses of radiation sources could be replaced with non-radioactive or less dangerous radioactive materials. As I stated early on, there are many beneficial and necessary uses of radioactive materials, such as in medicine.

But there are some cases where use of radioactive materials can be replaced with newer technologies. Just to give one example, some steel mills have been replacing nuclear process gauges with other technologies.

By exploring other opportunities to reduce the use of radioactive materials where possible and appropriate, we can shrink the pool of radioactive materials that are available to make a dirty bomb in the future.

So I hope we can take action on this legislation soon. Here in the Senate I will be working with my colleagues to see whether we can include this legislation in a nuclear plant security bill that the committee will be marking up in June.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of bill be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:

S. 1150

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