Ruse Exposes Nuclear Regulatory Commission Security Holes

According to an article in the NY Times, auditors from the Government Accountability Office were able to successfully setup a bogus company and obtain a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which would enable them to purchase nuclear material. Through impersonating a construction company from West Virginia, using a PO Box and no office, a license was obtained in only 28 days. The license was then used to arrange to purchase portable moisture density gauges, which include americium-241 and cesium-137 - materials which could have been extracted and used in a "dirty bomb." Reportedly, the license itself could have been "easily modified" to allow them to increase the amount of nuclear material purchasable.

Although this is an obvious blemish on the face of NRC security, the ruse did fail in Maryland, where officials asked to inspect the storage yard. As it was non-existent, the GAO auditors withdrew the application.

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