http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/san-onofre-nuclear-plant-sabotage_n_2215260.html

Tom Zeller Jr.

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Investigating Possible Sabotage Of Safety System

Posted: 11/29/2012 10:08 pm EST Updated: 11/30/2012 11:23 am ES

A California utility said Thursday it has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of potential sabotage, possibly by an employee, of a crucial piece of safety equipment attached to one of its nuclear power reactors.

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David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer and former employee of the NRC who leads the nuclear safety division of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental group based in Cambridge, Mass., said it was not uncommon for workers facing layoffs at nuclear power plants "to express themselves in destructive ways."

Lochbaum pointed to previous incidents of minor sabotage at the Browns Ferry plant in Alabama, the North Anna facility in Virginia, and other plants where disgruntled workers were known to have cut electrical wires, put coins in the lubricating oil cases for emergency diesel generators, and used super glue to fasten doors shut. "Does this history mean that the fuel oil at San Onofre was intentionally watered down?" Lochbaum said. "No, but they sure set the stage for such a reaction when they laid off hundreds of workers who had access to vital areas of the plant."

A Nov. 2 letter addressed to SCE management from a representative of the local branch of the Utility Workers Union of America, which represents nearly 800 employees at the San Onofre facility, known as SONGS -- and which was shared with The Huffington Post by the environmental group San Celemente Green -- suggested that employees were concerned about plans to restart reactor Unit 2 with a diminished workforce.

"Local 246 cannot support the restart of SONGS Unit 2 if we do not have sufficient confidence that it can be operated and maintained safely by, and without undue risk, to our members," wrote Daniel Dominguez, the business manager of UWUA Local 246.

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