NRC NEWS

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II

61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303

Web Site: www.nrc.gov

No: II-07-041 August 30, 2007

CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov

Roger Hannah (404)562-4417

NRC STAFF PROPOSES $65,000 CIVIL PENALTY AT HARRIS NUCLEAR PLANT;

ISSUES VIOLATION NOTICES TO SECURITY CONTRACTOR AND SUPERVISORS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $65,000 civil penalty against

Progress Energy for a 2005 violation in which contract security officers were provided answers by

three contract security supervisors during required re-qualification tests at the Shearon Harris nuclear

power plant, operated by the company near Raleigh, N. C. 

The NRC also announced enforcement actions in the form of notices of violation against the

security contractor, Securitas Security Services, USA, Inc., and against the contract security

supervisors.

NRC officials said the enforcement action followed the agency’s completion of its review of

security concerns at the Harris plant. Those concerns were provided to the NRC in December 2005 by

the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction

Network (NC WARN). 

In a letter dated March 22, 2006 to UCS and NC WARN, Victor M. McCree, then Director of

the NRC’s Division of Reactor Safety in the agency’s Region II office in Atlanta, advised of the results

of the agency’s review of 16 of the 19 discrete issues that were identified in UCS’ and NC WARN’s

December 2005 letter. In that letter, the agency confirmed the validity of a number of the issues raised.

In an Aug. 30 , 2007 letter to UCS and NC WARN, Joseph W. Shea, Director of the NRC’s

Division of Reactor Safety in the agency’s Region II office in Atlanta, advised of the results of the

agency’s review of the remaining three concerns. Shea said the NRC was able to establish the validity

of one of the remaining three concerns resulting in enforcement action being taken against Progress

Energy, Securitas Security Services and three individuals. Shea stated that the other two concerns were

not substantiated and that all 19 concerns are now considered closed.

The letter further stated that “unless the NRC receives additional information that suggests our

conclusions should be altered,” the NRC plans “no further action on the concerns.” 

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EDITORS: Interested parties may obtain a summary of the NRC’s previous review of security issues

at the Harris plant at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collection/for-the-record/2006. A summary of the

NRC’s latest review of Harris security issues may be obtained at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-
collection/for-the-record/2007. Copies of the enforcement letters and violation notices to the utility and

the contractor will be available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The ML

numbers are: ML072420240, ML072420251 and ML072240255. Information on letters to the three

individuals will not be publicly available until the NRC has confirmed their receipt by the individuals

involved. Information can also be obtained via email or facsimile by calling the NRC Region II Public

Affairs office at (404) 562-4416 or 4417 or by email at OPA2@nrc.gov. 

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