----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 8:57
AM
Subject: RE: [cdn-nucl-l] Chemical
plant security
It's about time this threat
received more publicity. Chemical plants lack the containment of
nuclear reactors, are usually closer to large population centres, are far
more abundant, and often contain toxic material in easily-dispersed form,
with acute health effects that make the reactor threat pale in
comparison.
I'd also like to see a comparative
risk analysis of large-scale natural gas turbines in urban locations, such
as the 800MWe Sithe project in Mississauga.
Jeremy Whitlock
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Adam McLean [mailto:adam.mclean@utoronto.ca]
> Sent: Friday January 18, 2002 1:29
AM
> To: Canadian Nuclear Discussion
List
> Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] Chemical
plant security
>
>
> Posted on the
Sandia National Lab e-mail distribution list on January
> 17, 2002.
>
Work being done to improve security at the 10,000 (!!!) facilities
> dealing with hazardous chemicals in the
US.
>
> Adam
>
> P.s. That's a lot of places to
prohibit civilian airspace to and place
> rocket launchers at...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sandia National Laboratories [mailto:mediarel@sandia.gov]
> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002
4:35 PM
> To: Aboytes, Iris
> Subject: Chemical plant security
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> January 17, 2002
> Sandia studies security at nation's chemical
plants
>
> ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Security experts at Sandia National
> Laboratories are
> helping shore up anti-terrorism defenses at the
nation's chemical
> plants.
> As part of a project sponsored by
the Department of Justice (DOJ),
>
Sandia physical security experts have developed a systematic,
> risk-based
> assessment process called a vulnerability assessment
methodology (VAM)
> that could be used
to evaluate and improve security at more
> than 10,000
> facilities
in the U.S. that manufacture, store, or use hazardous
> chemicals. The Sandia researchers have visited
several facilities,
> reviewed current
security practices, and developed a methodology that
> can be used to assess the adequacy of efforts at U.S.
> chemical plants to
> prevent terrorist attacks or blunt their effects. A
draft report has
> been submitted to
the DOJ for review, and the Attorney
>
General's office
> will prepare and
submit the final report to Congress. Sandia experts
> previously have helped U.S. government and industry
assess
> the security
> of government buildings, dams, drinking water
supplies, and other
> possible
terrorist targets using some of the same systematic
> risk-assessment tools that protect U.S. nuclear
weapons
> facilities. The
> chemical plant project began in January
2001. But the
> terrorist
attacks
> on Sept. 11 increased
awareness of vulnerabilities not only of the
> physical security of the plants themselves but also of the
> transport of
> chemicals and of the cyber systems that control the
plants,
> says Sandia
> project leader Cal Jaeger. Since January 2001 Sandia
experts have
> visited several U.S.
chemical plants, discussing each plant's
> operations
> with security
officials and touring the sites with a terrorist's eye.
> They review security plans, study plant layouts and
access controls,
> evaluate the use of
security technologies, gauge safety and other
> mitigation measures, and test and refine the methodology. "We
> ask, if I
> am a bad guy, what could I do," says Jaeger. "Then we
evaluate the
> effectiveness of
current protection measures and the likelihood and
> consequences of each threat scenario." The visits,
along with the
> expertise of the
chemical industry, have helped shape the
> prototype VAM.
> The
long-term goal is to create a methodology that, after
> some training,
> can be used by plant owners and security managers to assess
> the risk at
> their facilities for a wide range of threats, says
Jaeger. "The VAM
> prototype helps you
identify critical areas and provides a
> means to not
> only assess
the risk of an adversary attack but also helps in
> selecting
> the
most cost-effective upgrade options for those areas where the risk
> is unacceptable," says Jaeger. Sandia is a
multiprogram laboratory
> operated by
Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company,
> for the U.S.
> Department
of Energy. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and
> Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D
responsibilities in national
>
security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic
> competitiveness.
>
> # # #
>
>
News media contact: John German, (505) 844-5199, jdgerma@sandia.gov
>
>
Related Sandia projects:
> Dam and
power system security:
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/ramdramt.htm
> Government building security:
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/rampart.htm
>
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/archsurety.htm
> Building chem-bio vulnerabilities:
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/build.htm
> Protecting water supplies:
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/watinfr.htm
>
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/watsniff.htm
> Anti-terrorism assistance for communities:
>
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2000/ccfp.htm
>
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2001/physprot.htm
>
> http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR1999/bombtech.htm
>
>
> Sandia National Laboratories' World
Wide Web home page is located at
> http://www.sandia.gov. Sandia
news releases, news tips, science photo
> gallery, and periodicals can be found at the News and Events
button.
>
>
>
>
>
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