Legislation will improve technology to track down nuclear traffickers and identify sources of nuclear material
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology passed bipartisan legislation authored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) to strengthen efforts in the Department of Homeland Security to develop techniques for “fingerprinting” nuclear material. The Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act (H.R. 2631) is an important tool for addressing one of the greatest threats to our national security -- the detonation of a nuclear weapon or the use of a radiological device. The measure also encourages the President to negotiate international agreements to strengthen international nuclear forensics activities.
At a hearing before the subcommittee on October 10th, Rep. Schiff testified in support of his legislation stating, “Nuclear terrorism is a threat so serious in its consequences that we often shrink from contemplating it… Ignoring the problem will not make it go away -- in fact, ignoring the possibility of terrorists getting hold of a nuclear device makes that awful prospect more likely to happen… This bill is designed to help shut down the international trade in nuclear material by deterring those parts of the trafficking network that can be deterred.”
In the event of nuclear material being intercepted at a border crossing or in a sting operation, there may be few clues to assist investigators in determining where the bomb or material originated. The radioactive material itself may be the only lead. Each sample of nuclear material has a distinctive elemental fingerprint that can theoretically determine its source. However, current efforts to trace materials are often incomplete because the technology is still in development and information on foreign reactors and stockpiles is not available.
Rep. Schiff was recently appointed to serve on the House Appropriations Committee in the 110th Congress and is a member of its Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, the State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, and the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel. He also serves on the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. He represents California’s 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.
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