NRC: News Release - 2002-095 - NRC Develops Threat Advisory and Protective Measures System Based on Office of Homeland Security Color-Coded System


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No. 02-095

August 22, 2002

NRC DEVELOPS THREAT ADVISORY AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES SYSTEM
BASED ON OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY COLOR-CODED SYSTEM
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has developed a new Threat Advisory System to communicate and respond to threats affecting NRC licensees and NRC facilities in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 3. The new system replaces the NRC's 1998 system, and covers additional classes of licensees not included in NRC's 1998 system.

The NRC's system is based on the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) which provides a consistent national framework for allowing government officials to communicate the nature and degree of terrorist threats. It uses the HSAS five color-coded threat conditions to reflect varying levels of threat and identifies specific protective actions to be taken by NRC licensees for each color-coded threat level to counter and respond to projected terrorist threats.

In a parallel effort, the NRC has conformed its system for activating the agency's Incident Response Center to the HSAS and has developed steps to be taken to enhance security at NRC buildings for various threat conditions.

The five color-coded threat conditions are:

Green (Low), Low risk of terrorist attack.
Blue (Guarded), General risk of terrorist attack.
Yellow (Elevated), Significant risk of terrorist attack.
Orange (High), High risk of terrorist attack.
Red (Severe), Severe risk of terrorist attack.

The threat condition will be determined by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and the NRC has an obligation under a Presidential Homeland Security Directive to establish appropriate protective measures. The current threat condition is yellow (elevated). When a new HSAS threat condition is declared, the NRC will promptly notify affected licensees of the change and refer them to recommended protective measures commensurate with the threat level. The agency may also find it prudent to notify affected licensees to establish certain additional protective measures even in the absence of a new HSAS declaration. For example, the NRC could take such a step to respond to a site-specific situation.

The new system for NRC licensees will be communicated to licensees via issuance of Regulatory Issue Summaries, portions of which will be available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov.

Details of the protective measures associated with various threat conditions will not be made public because of their sensitive nature.

The new NRC Threat Advisory System and Protective Measures System was implemented August 20^th.

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