Remember the near-meltdown at FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear power plant?

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is getting ready to punish the whistleblower, Andrew Siemaszko, not FirstEnergy.

 Andrew SiemaszkoNot only would this be breathtakingly unfair, it would guarantee that no whistleblower at Davis-Besse or any other nuclear plant in the country would come forward again.

Please email Commission Chairman Dale Klein now.

The email is ready to send, pre-addressed to Chairman Klein from you. A copy comes to us so we can keep count. Feel free to change the suggested message.

Would you rather send a handwritten letter?

So much the better. Dale Klein's address is U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.

What you write is up to you, of course, and using your own words is always better. If it helps get you started, here is a sample text:

Dear Mr. Klein:

As citizens of northern Ohio, we are writing to urge you to reject the proposed order (IA-05-021) punishing Mr. Andrew Siemaszko for his actions at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant. In 2002, the Davis-Besse plant came within only a few months of a potential major accident, due to the negligence of its owner, FirstEnergy, and to poor oversight by the NRC.

The NRC order, proposed on April 21, 2005, blames Mr. Siemaszko for allowing a hole the size of a football to develop in the head of the nuclear reactor, and bans him from employment in the nuclear industry. However, the records of Mr. Siemaszko's actions show that he was carrying out his job of cleaning the reactor head in good faith until management brought a halt to the work. By FirstEnergy's own admission, the root cause of the problem began in the mid-1990s, several years before Mr. Siemaszko was even employed at the plant.

Mr. Siemaszko has spoken out as a whistleblower at this plant. The NRC should encourage employees who have knowledge or suspicions of safety violations to come forward. Your order punishing Mr. Siemaszko will discourage whistleblowers at any other plant from speaking up, and will certainly set back the cause of safety in the nuclear industry.

Please reply to this letter.

Sincerely,
Do you want to send an email, but your browser won't send automatically?
You can cut-and-paste the above message into your email, or write your own message, and send to SECY@nrc.gov.

Background on Davis-Besse.

 Thanks.