Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) personnel security program and the procedures NRC uses to ensure that those who operate nuclear power plants do not threaten national security.
GAO found that: (1) NRC routinely waived about 99 percent of its background investigation requirements for new hires, since the clearance process took too long to conduct and adversely affected hiring and recruiting; (2) this practice resulted in less than fully productive use of employees, and potential security risks; (3) NRC terminated about 10 percent of individuals hired with waivers since 1983 after background investigations revealed drug-related, financial, or other serious personal problems; (4) NRC required reinvestigations only for employees who held the highest-level clearance and only reinvestigated the remaining employees if it became aware of adverse information or upgraded an employee's clearance; (5) NRC did not have effective internal controls to manage the security program because its computerized system did not contain correct information; and (6) NRC was still considering whether to establish either a policy statement or access authorization regulations for commercial power plant employees.
