Terrorism is a more difficult issue, if only because the consequences of a terrorist attack are more severe than those of corruption.
"It does not alter the staff's conclusion that there would not be any significant environmental consequences of a terrorist attack," she said.
The Witt report said the N.R.C. and FEMA standards that guide the emergency plan, prepared by the state and localities in conjunction with the plant owner, do not adequately address the "unique consequences of a terrorist attack".
Being credited in any way with toppling George Bush would be a propaganda coup; but Mr Bush, by increasing American unpopularity in the Arab world, has also deepened the pool of potential recruits and speeded up what al-Qaeda sees as a desirable confrontation between America and Muslims.Moreover, the electoral consequences of a terrorist attack would be unpredictable.
The Republicans even fought an amendment that would "requires assessments and implementation of methods to reduce the consequences of a terrorist attack".
In November 2009, the House of Representatives passed the Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2868), which will require thousands of facilities where a toxic release endangers the surrounding community to assess their ability to "reduce the consequences of a terrorist attack" by switching to safer alternative chemicals or processes.
This is especially remarkable given the potential consequences of a terrorist attack, coupled with the devastating lessons of Bhopal, September 11, and most recently, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Recent developments in phage therapy confirm that it may provide a reliable countermeasure preventing serious consequences of a terrorist attack using deadly bacteria, especially those resistant to antibiotics.
In the unlikely event of a terrorist attack, the health consequences would be small.
Chemical site employees, who will be at ground zero in the event of a terrorist attack, are the primary stakeholders in plant security issues.
