The Government Accountability Office has called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop a method to verify that motor carriers of radioactive sources meet NRC’s security requirements.
GAO said Thursday NRC’s regulatory authority only covers licensed users of risk-significant radioactive sources and the commission does not directly verify whether motor carriers contracted by licensees have implemented security requirements.
The Transportation Department and state officials have regulatory authority over carriers but DoT is not authorized to enforce compliance with NRC standards, GAO added.
Auditors found that no federal or state agency directly checks if carriers comply with NRC requirements.
GAO said NRC should consult with DoT and the Department of Homeland Security to increase the security of radioactive source shipments.
The government audit agency also recommended that NRC chairman gather information from licensees on the number of shipments and transportation modes for risk-significant sources.
