CBS News: Whistleblowers “Terrified” at TVA Nuke Plants?
Summary: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRC) has released a task force report on the safety of American reactors since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. A number of whistleblowers from Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear sites have attested to a culture of whistleblower retaliation and fear within the plants. The NRC would like to vote on added safety measures in 90 days, while the nuclear industry is calling the measures premature and wants to wait for further analysis.
Key Quote: Says [attorney Lynne] Bernabei, "The whole regulatory system is based on self-reporting by the utility employees. If those employees are scared of coming forward, you're not going to get the safety problems reported, and you're gonna have a plant that is not safe."
DC Bureau: Nuclear Watchdog Defends Hanford Whistleblower, Rebukes DOE
Summary: Walter Tamosaitis, Hanford nuclear plant whistleblower, is being backed by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, an independent nuclear watchdog agency. The Board released a report last month that corroborates much of Tamosaits’ safety concerns about the removal and disposal of nuclear waste.
MSNBC: Library of Congress Removes WikiLeaks from List of ‘Extremist Websites’
Summary: After inquiries about WikiLeaks being classified as an “extremist website,” the Library of Congress have removed the website from that classification.
The New York Times: Big Retailers Make Pledge of Stores for 'Food Deserts'
Summary: In her continued fight against childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama invited Walmart, Walgreens and other stores to join her in a pledge Wednesday to open or expand 1500 stores in so-called "food deserts," defined by the USDA as communities where more than one-third of the population lives over one mile from an affordable food store.
Denver Post: Get to the Bottom of ATF’s Tracking Guns to Mexico
Summary: In this editorial, the Denver Post rebukes the Justice Department for not properly investigating the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) “Fast and Furious” operation that led to Mexican drug gangs acquiring ATF-tracked guns. An ATF whistleblower testified about the operation in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
GAP’s Bea Edwards recently blogged about the connections between new Deputy Attorney General James Cole and this ATF scandal.
Hannah Johnson is the Communications Fellow at the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
