Here's What 'Homeland Security,' 'Safe Nuclear Energy' Look Like: 17 Hrs Before Anyone Knew Man Died At Plant
Ronald Nurney
“Donna Nurney wants to know how. How did her husband, who died inside a critical section of the Cooper Nuclear Station in southeast Nebraska, go unseen for hours — 17 hours, according to an exclusive investigation by Joe Jordon of Nebraska Watchdog.
“But that question and other security-related questions are being downplayed by officials in the aftermath of Ron Nurney’s on-the-job death,” Jordon says. “Although the exact cause of death has not been released, officials believe Nurney, a safety worker who monitored critical radiation levels, died of natural causes, not foul play or contamination.”
That said, officials do not even know when autopsy results will be released, while others refused to speak to Jordon about this tragic event. In fact, 17 hours passed without anyone knowing the whereabouts of Nurney. That’s a lot of time for anyone to do anything in a nuclear facility, not only die there.
Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) is a boiling water reactor (BWR) type nuclear power plant on a 1,251-acre (506 ha) site near Brownville, Nebraska between Missouri River mile markers 532.9 and 532.5. It’s the largest single-unit electrical generator in Nebraska. (The photo of Cooper station above is what it looked like in 2011 floods.)
Off Nuclear Facility Radar 17 Hours
Nebraska Watchdog learned that before he was found dead on the Brownville reactor’s fueling floor, tied to the heart of the system, the 66-year-old radiation protection contract worker from Virginia had been off the plant’s radar screen from midday Feb. 3 until the following morning: 17-hours.
Nurney’s body was found at 7:38 a.m Feb. 4. He was “last seen working at the plant around 2 p.m.” the day before, according to Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker.
According to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman, Nurney entered the refueling floor “at the end of a shift and he was not found until the next shift.”
Donna Nurney’s heard speculation that her husband probably died about 5 p.m., 14 hours before his body was discovered, she says.
She has no idea, however, if he suffered, a possibility that “haunts” her, as does the plant’s security.
“I just don’t understand how anybody in a nuclear power plant can go missing for that long and nobody look for him,” she tells Nebraska Watchdog.
NPPD’s Becker says Nurney “collapsed” behind a large piece of equipment in a remote storage area that, due to the plant being full operation, saw “little traffic moving through this floor of the building.” In an interview with Nebraska Watchdog, NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said ”there are security cameras in the area” but he acknowledged blind spots. (Emphasis added)
“(Cameras) are not always able to see every part of that floor,” Dricks tolf Nebraska Watchdog.
Responding to Nebraska Watchdog asking, “The security cameras don’t automatically pick up all of that area?”, Dricks said, “No. There are cameras in the area but the view may have been obscured by the fact that there’s a lot of equipment. And so the cameras were not able to see this individual.”
“Don’t tell that to Donna Nurney,” Jordon of Nebraska watchdog says.
“If somebody died at Walmart would it take them 16 and a half hours to find them?” she says.
The area where Nurney’s body was found “is not normally visited by security guards or other radiation protection personnel,” Dricks said.
“He was supposed to be there. He was part of the work force brought in to prepare the movement of fuel from the reactor, or the pool, to dry cast storage, explained Dricks.
Conversation Shows Major Nuclear Gap Any Terrorist Could Use
“And no security concerns as to why he wasn’t found sooner?,” Nebraska Watchdog asks.
Dricks: Well he wasn’t found sooner because he went in at the end of a shift and he was not found until the next shift. When he entered the plant, the protected area, he passed through security and security knew he was in the plant.
Nebraska Watchdog: And they weren’t concerned when he didn’t come back out?
Dricks: No, no. Because it’s not unusual for people to work long shifts.
Nebraska Watchdog: So he was there beyond his shift?
Dricks: I don’t know that he was there beyond his shift. I don’t want to speculate about that.
Nebraska Watchdog: Is the NRC looking into this?
Dricks: No the licensee (NPPD) has reviewed it and we’ve looked at it and said it looked OK to us.
NPPD believes Nurney died of natural causes and Nemaha County Sheriff’s department says no indication of “anything criminal” exists.
Spokesman for the Virginia funeral home, that managed Nurney’s services, says it’s unclear when the official autopsy results will be known.
Nemaha County Attorney Louie Ligouri, also the coroner, did not respond to Nebraska Watchdog’s questions about Nurney’s death, questions Donna Nurney wants answered.
Sources: Joe Jordon/Nebraska Watchdog, Wikipedia
Photo Credits: Joe Jordon/Nebraska Watchdog, Wikipedia
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Whistler Blowers, Insiders
But don’t worry, my friends. Nuclear energy is safe. It’s much more sensible than renewable energy. Yeah, right. I’m still waiting for someone somewhere to prove that. Nuclear energy is great, alright, for the US war machine’s nuke weapons.
You’ve identified the problem precisely. The entire nuclear industry has to be switched from production mode to shutting down all plants and safe storage (to the extent that’s even possible).
I wholeheartedly agree.
Indeed. Our plants are reaching their safe operating end stage. It’s time to re-think our strategy.
This is just stupid. He wasn’t seen because his body was behind machinery and he wasn’t moving around, so the security concerns are bogus, unless you think terrorists would hide and not move around.
Following the inevitable logic of your article, we should consider wind turbines equally bad, based on this death:
http://www.katu.com/news/local/9383316.html
Wind turbines and solar power do not have the energy density to meet the needs of a modern, industrialized society and require incredible amounts of real estate just to work. Perhaps you enjoy living in the 18th Century, but I for one do not. I suggest you log off the Internet, go back to candles and windmills and leave the rest of us alone.
TROLL ALERT! This fossil/nuclear advocate is deliberately trying to mislead readers, and readers are too smart for that. Take this man to task.
Ah, but you are living in the 18th century, MrAnthony. Well, make it the 19th and 20th. If we keep on using carbon and nuclear through the 20th there won’t be any 21st, except maybe for a handful of people.
Your argument about wind turbines being equally bad is obvious nonsense. Nuclear and carbon have killed thousands, both producers and consumers. Wind and solar will never approach their number of deaths per megawatt-hour. Also, they can be sited such that they are not a threat to wildllife, whereas carbon and nuclear take an enormous toll. Carbon and nuclear require vast amounts of water (some power plants have been shut down due too little water or water that is too warm because of global warming), and we have entered an era of serious water scarcity. Wind and photovoltaics don’t have this problem, although concentrated solar is misguided in deserts. Finhally, renewables are now less expensive than carbon and they constitute the fastest-growing sector of the economy, while carbon is dying.
There are plenty of studies that show there’s more than enough energy density for solar and wind. For example: 50-State Renewable Energy Plan Unveiled, /energy/2014/03/50-state-renewable-energy-plan-unveiled-2453398.html
Readers can get an intuitive sense of the nonsense of your claim. For starters, every building less than three stories could be self-powered through photovoltaics, and many could provide excess power for the grid. Medians on highways alone could provide enough solar for many cities, and deserts could provide the rest. That’s not counting wind, for which there’s far more than enough real estate, especially considering they peacefully coexist with farms.
Oh, and there have been many deliberate intrusions into nuclear power plants that tested their security, and security failed in some: Mock attackers ‘strike’ 24 nuclear plants, ‘breach’ two, http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/29/nuclear.plants.security/ and http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_power/nuclear_power_risk/sabotage_and_attacks_on_reactors/nuclear-reactor-security.html
Thank you Mr. Paul!
“If somebody died at Walmart would it take them 16 and a half hours to find them?” she says.
The answer is right there and you probably didn’t even catch it… We need to get Walmart to run our nuclear power plants!
They could run them cheaply, bring in cheap fuel rods from China and by having plenty of Walmart employees all over the place, it won’t be possible for anyone to get away with dying behind a reactor!
Yes, everyone will be able to have a convenient Wally Reactor in their own neighborhood!