Year
1973
Abstract
First of all, I would like to mention that we are what I call a single facility in the fabrication of low enriched fuel elements for the utility program. We also have a supporting laboratory that can handle any enriched material, but we have a l i m i t of approximately *ยป800 grams of 235- Basically the requirements or the regulations as proposed w i l l not immediately affect us nor do they present a serious problem. Danny, in a few moments, is going to be speaking about what I call the family concept - in that his remarks w i l l be geared to a corporation that has many nuclear installations throughout the country. However, even within the family concept there may be a single or few isolated facilities that are faced with this same situation, in that they are handling less than 20% material and less than the 5 Kg limit, or a combination or materials. Our concern, I suppose, is once these regulations are put into effect - what is going to happen to those facilities handling less than 20% material. It would appear to me that once the regulations were put into effect then the system just doesn't stop. In other words, I can suspect that other regulations would be put forth for the less than 20% facilities. At the same time I can recognize or suppose I could ask the question, \"What other regulations are going to be proposed for the greater than 20% and the Plutonium facilities?\" So, therefore, my comments today primarily have to be directed at the less than 20% group, although I would like to comment on some general items. We can't forget that a few months ago we were all faced with what I call the monthly inventory concept. Industry, at that time, in order to stop that approach had indicated that 444 Nuclear Materials Management they would develop other mechanisms for preventing the unauthorized diversion of nuclear materials. I am under the opinion that many of these mechanisms had been developed, and if not completely - are well on the way to being developed, and I refer to the presentations that have been made here during the past three days. Such items as the reports on the dynamic inventory reports, the various improvements in the door monitoring devices, and the perfection of the instrumentations. All these have been described during the past three days, and I am sure that this program w i l l be continued even more so. We also notice much time and effort has been spent in developing computerized data programs to provide up-to-the-minute data for both the commission and industry. The only thing that I am a l i t t le alarmed about that if one would refer to the Wall Street Journal of April 26 of 1973 there was quite a lengthy article, I have it here, that is entitled, \"Crooks and Computers Are an Effective Team The Business World Learns.\" I think perhaps that in developing computerized programs for SNM handling, we should be aware that such types of diversions can be accomplished by means of the computer.