Oct – Dec 2024 Quarterly Bulletin

—————     October – December 2024     ————— 

NEW PRIORITY COMMITTEES

2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the TSUSG! Because of active members like you, the TSUSG has grown the mission to protect radioactive material in transit across North America. Two new priority committees are now accepting volunteers:

  • Develop a proposed national standard operating procedure for state-by-state escorting
  • Review state-by-state inconsistencies regarding process and requirements

If you have an interest in either of these two areas, learn more and express your interest in either becoming a chair or a committee member. Submit your name by Friday, February 14th to allow for planning kickoff meetings in March.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Bernie Bevill is one of TSUSG’s original Agreement State Regulator members representing the State of Arkansas. His vast experience and natural calm demeanor along with a self-deprecating personality belies his expertise and five decades (50 years!!) of leadership and service to his state and our country. When our PC2-3 committee needed a new coordinator at a critical time, Bernie stepped forward and quietly led it to its successful conclusion, resulting in the production of a very useful guidance document for the membership. His post (and sometimes, concurrent) meeting stories were a bonus for the incorporated humor and light hearted provision of wisdom. His dry wit and comedic timing in those stories made them memorable and helped the committee, and as well as TSUSG members, remember the discussions and outcomes. We also looked forward to the various hilarious, and sometimes cosmic, virtual backgrounds he’d select for our TEAMs meetings. Congratulations, Bernie, on your retirement, and many thanks for your service to TSUSG, your state, and our country!

TSUSG recognizes the contributions and congratulates Augustinus “Auggie” Ong on his retirement from the New Hampshire Radiation Control Program. Auggie not only is a regulator but also an educator. He will continue to work on radiation safety projects and radioactive materials security as a part-time member of TSUSG. This includes contributing to future annual meeting presentations for the Conference of Radiation Control Programs Directors and Organization of Agreement States. Thank you, Auggie, for your active involvement in TSUSG as a Priority Committee Coordinator. You were always present at quarterly tactical meetings and at all of our Annual Conferences. Your energy, responsiveness to requests for assistance and feedback, and always having a good question or five for any and all presenters is appreciated. Thanks for your years of service!

TSUSG wants to recognize member Jeff England who retired from NAC International after 7 years of being an employee. Jeff will continue to stay on as a consultant. Congratulations, Jeff!

REGISTRATION COMING SOON!

Welcome, new members, to TSUSG! We are very happy to have each of you on board and look forward to a continued and beneficial partnership as we strive to enhance the security of radioactive materials in transit together. Please join us in welcoming:

Chad Allison – North Carolina State Highway Patrol
James Gaddy – North Carolina State Highway Patrol
Joe Beck – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Charles Lavoie – Connecticut State Police
Stephen Rabel – Milford Fire Department
Suzanne Ellis – US DOT FMCSA
Gaetano Taibi – Radiological Assistance Program- New York
Tim Silva – Connecticut Intelligence Center
Kevin Pollard – Massachusetts State Police
Kristin Wilczynski Boyle – Massachusetts State Police
Jessica Dapelo – Independent Consultant

Priority Committee 8 (PC-8) – Training opportunities within TSUSG:

  • PC8 is working to enhance the look of the Training Portal resource buttons.
  • PC8 continues to work with the TSUSG to define and develop a training program utilizing current DOE and FBI tabletop exercises as the foundation. 

Priority Committee 9 (PC-9) – Cybersecurity issues and mitigation options:

  • PC9 team is piloting file-sharing/collaborating tools for TSUSG members to securely work together. 
  • PC9 members are working on a tabletop exercise to understand response and communication during a cybersecurity incident. This exercise will be conducted for TSUSG members at large during a future quarterly or tactical meeting. 

Priority Committee 10 (PC-10) – Artificial Intelligence

  • PC10 worked alongside a TSUSG member to pull badge data from various onsite buildings at an area with a potential for insider threat.
  • PC10 took data that was “on a shelf” and not otherwise utilized and demonstrated how AI powered algorithms could be used to detect insider threat, specifically AI for anomaly detection.
  • PC10 discussed how this could be used in practice and opportunities for scaling.

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment; to implement Canada’s international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public. 

Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, CNSC’s mandate involves four major areas: 

  • regulation of the development, production and use of nuclear energy in Canada to protect health, safety and the environment 
  • regulation of the production, possession, use and transport of nuclear substances, and the production, possession and use of prescribed equipment and prescribed information 
  • implementation of measures respecting international control of the development, production, transport and use of nuclear energy and substances, including measures respecting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices 
  • dissemination of scientific, technical, and regulatory information concerning the activities of CNSC, and the effects on the environment, on the health and safety of persons, of the development, production, possession, transport, and use of nuclear substances 

TSUSG Members: if you have anything of interest you would like to share in this section with the rest of the membership via this quarterly bulletin, please send it to [email protected] for consideration.

Isotope Crossroads – February 26, 2025 – Louisville, KY

TSUSG FY25 Q2 Tactical Meeting (Teams) / Strengthening Insider Threat Prevention through Vetting and Behavior Observation: John Landers, ORNL / March 4, 2025 (1100 – 1300EST)

CURRIE (Community Unified Response to Radiological Incidents and Emergencies)– WMD Counterterrorism Tabletop Exercise- March 26, 2025 – Oshkosh, WI