Officials will hear testimony from the public on new rules that would govern the nation's 104 commercial nuclear power plants as well as research and test reactors.
Most emergency plans have been based on accident scenarios, and authorities said the plans, as well as training exercises, must be revised to address the possibility of terrorist attacks meant to cause maximum damage.
The proposed rules say that scenarios used in current training exercises are unrealistic.
The regulations would require licensees to ensure that emergency workers are not assigned conflicting duties that could hamper their ability to carry out an emergency plan. Officials are trying to clarify the responsibilities of security officers and ensure that enough people are available to help in an emergency.
Some licensees, the rules said, have been "utilizing security personnel to implement the emergency plan when many of these responders would likely not be available due to a hostile action."
The rules would also require plant operators to have backup systems for alerting the public in emergencies and strengthen requirements for timely notification.
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On the Net:
Proposed rule changes: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-10947.pdf
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