Worker charged with lying about inspections at TVA nuclear reactor under construction in Tenn.

[Fledermaus]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A sub-contractor employee has been charged with lying about inspections at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The site is the only one in the U.S. where a nuclear reactor is under construction.

The U.S. attorney in Knoxville said Matthew David Correll, 31, of Hixson has been charged in a two-count indictment with making false statements. A news release said Correll lied about measuring cables that were intended to supply energy to safety systems that were to be built at the plant.

Correll appeared Thursday before a federal magistrate in Chattanooga and has been released pending a May 23 trial.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian declined to discuss any motive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/worker-charged-with-lying-about-inspections-at-tva-nuclear-reactor-under-construction-in-tenn/2011/03/24/ABkXFUOB_story.html

[tnlefty]

1. Showing my nasty side, but I sincerely hope that after his trial

he is strung up by his scrotal sack. The callous disregard for the health and safety of so many is just incomprehensible to me. Disgusting bastard.

[kristopher]

2. This is why the very concept of "safe nuclear" is fundamentally flawed. nt

[kristopher]

3. How many times are they not caught?

I mean, you know this is the tip of the iceberg; I mean in any other area of endeavor, what degree of corruption would you expect to exist at a huge $10-20B construction project.

[One_Life_To_Give]

4. It's a start

We have some tough laws concerning certain Safety Engineers performing their duties. Too bad that even at NRC sites there hasn't been a prosecution yet for failure to properly discharge their duties. IMO Putting a CEO and Chief Safety Engineer behind bars for years plus a felony record for having failed to properly meet safety regulations and meet the standard of care for their profession would put a huge dent in the problem.