Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) introduced the Securing Our Radioactive Materials Act into the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would strengthen security measures for radioactive materials to prevent their misuse in acts of terrorism (i.e. dirty bombs) and mandate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to implement key recommendations from a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. These measures include incorporating socioeconomic consequences into security decision making, improving tracking of Category 3 radioactive sources, and ensuring stricter verification of licenses for radioactive material purchasers. The NRC would also be required to update its regulations within a year to align with these enhanced security protocols.
On the bill, Rep. Torres said:
“Last year’s GAO report made it alarmingly clear: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has failed to take essential steps to protect Americans from the threat of a dirty bomb. The ‘Securing Our Radioactive Materials Act’ mandates long-overdue reforms to close dangerous security gaps, ensuring that radioactive materials are properly tracked and safeguarded to avoid calamity. We cannot afford complacency when American national security is on the line.”
The full bill text can be viewed here.
Some context on Rep. Torres’s previous work on this issue: