(Ohio) Nuclear plant owner fined $28 million (Workers hid serious damage)

[seafan]

Nuclear plant owner fined $28 million

Nuclear plant owner fined $28 million
FirstEnergy admits workers covered up serious damage to facility
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:31 a.m. ET Jan. 20, 2006

CLEVELAND - Acknowledging that its employees covered up serious damage at a nuclear power plant, the facility's owner has agreed to pay $28 million in fines, restitution and community service projects, the U.S. Justice Department announced Friday.

Inspectors found an acid leak in 2002 that nearly ate through a 6-inch (15-centimeter) steel cap on the reactor vessel at the Davis-Besse plant owned by FirstEnergy Corp. Officials said it was the most extensive corrosion ever seen at a U.S. nuclear reactor.

Company and Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigations concluded that the rust hole had been growing for at least four years and that Davis-Besse's managers had ignored the evidence because they were focused on profits rather than safety at the plant, which sits along the Lake Erie shore about 30 miles east of Toledo.

As part of the agreement, FirstEnergy acknowledged that the government can prove that nuclear plant employees "knowingly made false representations to the NRC" at they tried to convince the commission the plant was safe to operate beyond 2001, the Justice Department said in a statement.

snip

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10943739/

[tanyev]

1. Corruption in Ohio? I'm shocked.

[seafan]

2. FirstEnergy Corp

snip

U.S. Attorney Greg White began a criminal investigation of the plant in November 2003. Late Thursday, a federal grand jury indicted two former Davis-Besse employees and a contractor, charging them with hiding damage from federal regulators.

Last year, the NRC levied a record $5.45 million fine against FirstEnergy for failing to stop the leak.



More on FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co.:

Nuclear safety record mixed
http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15907037&BRD=2305&PAG=740&dept_id=478554&rfi=6

[movonne]

3. The people of Ohio better wake up, their in for lots more of this stuff

[Javaman]

4. "Conceal the body and send the window a corsage"...

Monty Burns.

[cosmicdot]

5. 'management' hid serious damage

exactly who, and what job title?

pass some whistles around

this seems it might be textbook pseudo-leadership by a good ol'boy style management group ... they lie, cheat, abuse, etc., to maintain power, control ... aka to persevere ... no one wants to be ostracized or excommunicated from the good ol'boys in control, so following orders is essential to one's success

[zbdent]

6. Where's Smithers when you really need him?

[Massacure]

7. Didn't a couple people get banned from the nuclear industry too?

I thought I remember reading a story about something like that a couple of weeks ago.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. FirstEnergy to Pay Fines, Admits Cover-Up

January 20, 2006

CLEVELAND -- Acknowledging that its employees covered up serious damage at a nuclear power plant, the facility's owner has agreed to pay $28 million in fines, restitution and community service projects, the U.S. Justice Department announced Friday.

Inspectors found an acid leak in 2002 that nearly ate through a 6-inch steel cap on the reactor vessel at the Davis-Besse plant owned by FirstEnergy Corp. Officials said it was the most extensive corrosion ever seen at a U.S. nuclear reactor.

Company and Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigations concluded that the rust hole had been growing for at least four years and that Davis-Besse's managers had ignored the evidence because they were focused on profits rather than safety at the plant, which sits along the Lake Erie shore about 30 miles east of Toledo.

As part of the agreement, FirstEnergy acknowledged that the government can prove that nuclear plant employees "knowingly made false representations to the NRC" at they tried to convince the commission the plant was safe to operate beyond 2001, the Justice Department said in a statement.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-nuclear-plant-damage,0,2992087.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines