Police arrest guard after handgun incident (INL)

[struggle4progress]

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) -- Officials at the Idaho National Laboratory said a gun-wielding security guard arrested Sunday never posed a threat to the nuclear research facility. <snip>

Last week, a Wyoming group called Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free questioned the U.S. Department of Energy's plan to build a new plutonium production plant at the INL to produce plutonium-238. The group has safety concerns based on documents it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, said Tom Patricelli, president of KYNF.

And earlier last month, groups called for more disclosure on accidents at INL. In November, a propane line sprung a leak, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of workers. And in the past year there have been 21 cases of INL workers accidentally contaminated with radioactive material; in all cases, the exposure was classified as negligible.

Leaders of environmental groups which monitor INL -- the Snake River Alliance, Environmental Defense Institute and Patricelli's group -- asked DOE in a Nov. 20 letter to put the so-called "occurrence reports" online instead of being released only in response to written requests. <snip>

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/01/03/news/regional/07b70e475de56ccc872570ea0067a367.txt