From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Transportation Security of Radioactive Sources  

Description: Audio interview by GAO staff with Shelby Oakley, Director,
Natural Resources and Environment 

Related GAO Work: GAO-17-58: Radioactive Sources: Opportunities Exist
for Federal Agencies to Strengthen Transportation Security

Released: March 2017


[ Background Music ]

[ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and
information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's March
2017. Since September 11, 2001, concerns have been raised about
transportation security for medical, industrial, and research related
radioactive materials. If terrorists were to steal these materials they
could be used to make a dirty bomb. Multiple federal agencies are
working to protect these materials when they're on the road. A team led
by Shelby Oakley, a director in GAO's Natural Resources and Environment
team, recently reviewed ground transport security of radioactive
materials. Jacques Arsenault sat down with Shelby to talk about what
they found.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] Can you tell me a little bit about the types of
radioactive materials that your team looked at and why securing them is
so important?

[ Shelby Oakley: ] Sure. Radioactive sources are very common in the
United States and internationally. And they're used for medical
research, industrial purposes. For example, radioactive materials are
found in cameras that go into underground pipes to inspect wells. These
materials are commonly transported around the United States every day
and it's while they’re being transported that they’re most vulnerable to
theft or diversion. Since September 11, 2001, concerns have really been
heightened that terrorists could get their hands on these radioactive
materials and combine them with conventional explosives to create what's
known as a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb being detonated in a city area could
have devastating economic and psychological effects for the individuals
in that area. In addition, individuals exposed to radioactive material
are at heightened risk for long-term health effects.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] So there are a lot of different agencies involved
at a few different levels and coordination would probably be important.
What did you find about how these agencies are working together to
secure these materials--how well they're doing to ensure that these
materials are secure?

[ Shelby Oakley: ] We found that since September 11, 2001, these
agencies have really worked together and taken a number of steps to beef
up the security of these sources during ground transport. For example,
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued new security regulations in
2013 that put in place 24-hour monitoring of these sources. In addition,
the Department of Transportation updated its regulations to require
carriers who are driving these sources around the country to have
security plans in place. These security plans provide information on the
route the driver is planning to take and safe havens for the driver to
use in case an incident does occur.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] You also have found some areas that--for concern
or where more attention is needed. Can you tell me a little about this?

[ Shelby Oakley: ] We did, yes. We found a number of areas for potential
improvement. First, we identified that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
could really improve the information that it has on the number of
shipments of these sources as well as how they are actually being
transported around the country. This information is really needed to
target their efforts to secure these sources. In addition, we found
that, despite the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issuing new security
regulations, no federal agency currently inspects motor carriers to
determine whether or not they're actually complying with the
regulations. Finally, we also found that the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission and the Department of Transportation have different security
and safety thresholds for these sources which may allow some sources
that NRC views as particularly high risk to be shipped without certain
security protections.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] So then, can you tell me about the
recommendations that GAO is making in this report?

[ Shelby Oakley: ] We're making a number of recommendations in this
report, but let me talk about a few critical once. First, we're
recommending that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission actually collect
that information on the number of shipments and how these shipments are
traveling around the country. In addition, we are recommending that the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Transportation work
together to identify a way to verify that carriers who are driving these
sources around the country--that they're complying with the security
regulations.

[ Jacques Arsenault: ] And finally, what would you say is the bottom
line of this report?

[ Shelby Oakley: ] The bottom line is that threats are always evolving
and the consequences of a dirty bomb attack could be devastating. We
found that while the three agencies have done a lot to beef up the
security of these sources during ground transport, we've identified some
more reasonable approaches that the agencies could take to further
enhance the security of these sources and keep them out of the hands of
terrorists.

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next episode of GAO's Watchdog Report for more from the congressional
watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office.