May 15, 2007
Major Security Breach at Palisades Nuclear Plant
Critics Call for U.S. Congressional Investigations
TAKOMA PARK, MD —A story appearing in the June edition of Esquire magazine that reveals a major security lapse at the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Michigan, confirms that reactor security around the country is grossly inadequate according to specialists in the field.
Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and its allies today called on the U.S. Congress to investigate the security breach at Palisades. The Esquire story, entitled "Mercenary," details how the head of Palisades security — William E. Clark — had largely fabricated his background, experience and security credentials presenting himself as an expert on armed deterrence. Clark has since resigned his position.
"Mercenary" reveals that officials at the Palisades nuclear power plant failed to detect false assertions in Clark's resume that claimed he had high level security clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Clark also passed a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-regulated background check. He was hired by the plant's previous owner, Consumers Energy Company, and operator, Nuclear Management Company, but was kept on by the new owner and operator, Entergy, since it acquired Palisades one month ago. The article can be found at
http://www.esquire.com/features/mercenary0607 "What's disturbing is not only that Palisades hired an individual who claimed to be an experienced assassin but that apparently no one verified his claim to have DOD clearance," said Kevin Kamps, nuclear waste specialist at NIRS. "This has serious implications for security at all 103 reactors across the country. It begs the question as to what would have happened if Mohammed Atta had decided to fake a resume rather than fly a plane, and earned a top-level security job at one of our nuclear power plants."
snip
NIRS has called on Congress to investigate the failures at NRC, FBI, DHS and the nuclear utilities involved at Palisades and to explore whether similar problems exist with security at other nuclear power plants across the country. It will also re-apply to NRC for hearings on its security-related contentions at Palisades and Big Rock, which had previously been rejected, based on the new information revealed by Esquire.
end of excerpt. More here:
http://www.nirs.org/press/05-15-2007/1~~~~~~~~~~
Give me solar power over this crap any day. I do not trust the nuclear industry in this country. Their plants are not safe on the whole, and any government lackey can be placed in positions of importance with millions of lives on the line or look away, much like Michael Brown was placed as head of FEMA. And private companies will always look to cut costs. No thanks. Don't dare sit and pontificate to me about the 'safety' of nuclear power plants. If this guy can get in anyone can, and that is a game of Russian roulette we cannot afford to play.
Are the 103 nuclear plants in this country truly safe from attack? This surely made me wonder:
http://www.whistleblowers.org/nrcpetition.htm 
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