Nuclear Screw-Ups Hushed Up

In the name of national security, the NRC has held back from reporting serious violations at a Tennessee nuclear plant, including a 9-gallon uranium spill for which the facility was not fined. In balancing public safety against counterterrorism measures, an agency exec tells the AP, "The pendulum maybe swung too far."

The plant supplies fuel to the Navy's nuclear fleet. When the NRC found information that should have been protected on the plant's website in 2004, it reacted by marking as classified every single document that had to do with the plant. "We don't want any security information out there that's going to help a terrorist," says a commissioner. (More nuclear power stories.)