WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A high-ranking congressional Democrat said Thursday the nuclear industry continues to get inappropriate access to Nuclear Regulatory Commission data.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., also released a Dec. 3 letter from NRC Chairman Nils Diaz about the temporary suspension of access to its public database, which Markey had urged.
"I continue to be concerned that the nuclear industry is often given unfettered and possibly even inappropriate access to the inner workings of NRC proceedings, while the public is often unnecessarily barred," Markey said in a prepared statement.
The NRC denied Markey's request that all non-essential proceedings be suspended until the public could access relevant documents.
In October, the NRC decided to temporarily suspend access to its database to ensure no documents it contained could assist terrorists in carrying out attacks on nuclear facilities. It also wants to make sure terrorists have no access to materials that could be used to construct a homemade nuclear weapon or dirty bomb.
