It is hard to imagine a more egregious set of circumstances.
NJ Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) top nuclear engineer was transferred and taken off the case after recommending that the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant be shut down, following his criticism of NRC officials.
DEP yanks staffer who monitors Oyster Creek
Asbury Park Press on 02/25/07
BY NICK CLUNN
STAFF WRITER
The state has reassigned a veteran nuclear engineer with inside knowledge of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant during a time when Gov. Corzine and others in his administration are concerned about safety and security at the Lacey reactor.
Dennis J. Zannoni, New Jersey's top nuclear engineer for 15 years, said he now has to report to a cubicle without a phone or Internet access after someone working for the federal agency that regulates nuclear power complained about him.
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According to new reports, the nuclear engineer's transfer was made in retaliation for his recommendations that the plant be shut down, and criticism of the competence and industry ties of the NRC.
Although not given an official explanation, Zannoni said he was told by a supervisor that the verbal complaint stemmed from a remark he had made about the NRC while listening via conference call to a meeting about the Lacey plant on Jan 18.
Zannoni recalled that he had questioned the expertise of the NRC committee running the meeting when asked about the panel by someone on the call, one of the several citizen opponents to Oyster Creek's license renewal. Zannoni emphasized that he had made the remark during a break, and not knowing that an NRC employee was listening.
"I said, "I did a review of the guys, and half of them are academics and half of them are industry executives,' " Zannoni said. "So, I said, "as far as being experts, I question that.' "
The engineer had the integrity to make the kind of recommendations that get you in trouble.
The state's top nuclear engineer, who has inspected the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant numerous times and has reviewed classified documents about its operation, says the Lacey plant should close after its operating license expires in two years.
The plant's obsolete design, its vulnerability to a 9/11-style attack, and the chaos that would ensue if the public near the plant had to evacuate from a radioactive release top Dennis Zannoni's list of reasons —.
Citizen activists and environmental groups have championed those concerns for years, but Zannoni is not your everyday renewal opponent.
In addition to his special clearances, Zannoni has 20 years of experience with the state Department of Environmental Protection and four-year degrees in nuclear engineering and mathematics from the University of Maryland.
Please see this link to a companion story that provides additional details on the safety and NRC licensing issues involved:
Top nuclear engineer favors closing of Oyster Creek plant
Asbury Park Press on 02/25/07
http://www.app.com/...
The nuclear engineer was an outspoken defender of the public.
"This makes me sick. This is just so horrible," said Brick resident Janet Tauro, a member of the renewal opposition group Grandmothers, Mothers, and More for Energy Safety. "Dennis was the only person, besides our attorney, who spoke on behalf of public
safety."
NJ Governor Jon Corzine has publicly raised safety issues at the plant based on this engineer's recommendations.
He also pointed out that Gov. Corzine and his administration have been critical of his renewal due in large part to issues he has raised about plant safety and what he sees as a rushed approach by federal regulators considering the renewal.
Governors rarely visit nuclear power plants, but Corzine and several state department heads toured Oyster Creek in December. Although impressed with security measures and the work force, Corzine left the plant with concerns he believed deserve further scrutiny.
Despite this publc concern, Corzine didn't stand up for the engineer and dodged the issue.
Told of complaint
A spokesman for the governor said Corzine could not comment on a personnel matter at the DEP, but that he continues to follow what is happening with the plant.
The transfer comes at a critical juncture in the NRC review of the plant's safety to determine if the license should be renewed.
If Oyster Creek passes its evaluation and obtains the renewal, the 37-year-old plant will become the nation's first commercial reactor to run for more than 40 years. The plant will close in 2009 without the renewal.
Zannoni identified Oyster Creek as the most important safety issue New Jersey will face this year, and said that no one at the DEP knows more about the plant than he does.
The engineer stands by his work.
Looking back, however, Zannoni said he is unapologetic in how he went about his work, even if his methods led to his reassignment.
"In fact, I should have been more aggressive," he said.