COVERT, MI (WHTC) – Nearly two dozen security guards at the Palisades nuclear power plant are on paid leave as an investigation into inconsistencies in fire inspection records continues.
A spokeswoman for Entergy, who operates the facility near Covert, explained in a statement to both the St. Joseph Herald Palladium and M-Live that, “we cannot tolerate employees stating (that) they completed a task when they didn’t, and we are obligated to fully investigate any such instances.” Val Gent didn’t go into any specifics about the allegations concerning the 22 staffers, and an official with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Chicago office told M-Live that an “issue” with fire tours at Palisades was identified while conducting routine safety inspections.
The Washington-based anti-nuclear group Beyond Nuclear, which has continually called for the closing of this plant due to its age and numerous operational problems in recent years, claims in a statement that remaining security guards are “reportedly being forced to work 75-hour work weeks that raises additional safety and security concerns.” Both Entergy and the NRC dispute this claim, saying that there is no immediate threat to public safety during this investigation.
