Can We Trust Security at our Nuke Plants?

Last summer after a shouting match between a 70+ year old angler and a Excel Energy employee where threats of “getting the guy with the machine gun” were heard, it came to light that there’s a restricted area on the river.

See full thread HERE

Last fall I spoke with the head of security for the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant, Jonathan Corwin.

The abbreviated version of this phone call was:

He didn’t know if there was more or less then 300 feet between the island and the shoreline allowing passage or fishing in the restricted area.

His people don’t know who are or are not threats to the security of the nuclear power plant.

He said the US Coast Guard gave them instructions on how to make and the posted signs so they could be seen 300 feet away.

Mr Corwin went on to say he was personally in the area to check on the signs and assured me they were in fact posted.

I insisted the only sign that was in the area was the discharge warning sign. He disagreed with me saying “I checked on them, they are there.”

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Yesterday I found the signs that were in fact, as Mr. Corwin said “still there”.

It’s incidents like this that make a person wonder about other things we are being fed by news releases and so on.

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In case you’re having a hard time to read the signs, you can’t. The two signs I located were so washed out, it would be impossible to read from a boat and I’m not so sure if they could be read holding the sign in your hand.

The image needs to be clicked on to see the little yellow sign.

Bring a Sharpie with next time, the real big one, I’m sure they’ll appreciate you freshening up the writing.

Update:

In a response from Mr. Corwin sent through the Goodhue County Sheriffs office… in fact the signs that Mr Corwin said were there are there.

Unfortunately they are at the power plant and not located anywhere near the area the 70+ year old fisherman and his wife where fishing when they were told to leave and then threatened.

Here’s one of several photos sent.

I’m thinking if these signs were placed along the restricted area (not just at the plant) this would be a non issue.

They could add “signs enforced with machine guns” for an added effect I ‘spose.

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I remember a few years after 2001 there was a big push for updating security in all areas. Locks and dams recieved new security gates and rod iron fences. Now how is it our nuclear power plants don’t get the same courtesy?
I remember intalling a gate below the St.Anthony lock and damm. Get some strange characters hanging out down there.

They do. Although it’s an unmarked area.

Here’s the background Unmarked Restricted Area