Arnie Gundersen will be on Coast to Coast AM radio show tonight (Sat Jun 9)

[bananas]

Arnie Gundersen has been on CNN, MSNBC, and DemocracyNow! as well as other media outlets.

A tweet from Fairewinds:

https://twitter.com/fairewinds/status/211536350556585984

Maggie Gundersen
@fairewinds

Fairewinds' Arnie Gundersen on Coast to Coast radio Fukushima Daiichi Special tonight 10 pm PDT & 1 am EDT http://bit.ly/KW4kdl

12:12 PM - 9 Jun 12 via TweetDeck · Embed this Tweet

Some background info, because it always comes up:

Arnie Gundersen is a nuclear engineer who blew the whistle on safety issues back in the 1990's resulting in a $1.5 million lawsuit and congressional hearings. Since then the nuclear industry and its shills have unsuccessfully tried all kinds of sleazy tactics at discrediting him. They've even falsely claimed he's not a nuclear engineer - it's the same kind of "fair game" tactics right-wingers unsuccessfully used trying to discredit Valerie Plame, claiming she was just a glorified secretary, etc. Please don't fall for that nonsense. He has a Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering, was a senior vice president of Nuclear Energy Services, after being blacklisted by the nuclear industry he taught math and became an independent consultant on nuclear energy. He isn't "anti-nuclear", he just debunks a lot of the PR and happy talk from the nuclear industry.

In 1993 NRC Chairman Ivan Selin testified in response to a question by Committee Chairman Senator John Glenn:

http://www.archive.org/details/federalregulatio00unit

Everything Mr. Gundersen said was absolutely right; he performed quite a service

In 2007 the Vermont Daily wrote:

http://vermontdailybriefing.com/?p=663

What Arnie Gundersen Says About Yankee Eventually Becomes Truth About Yankee
by Philip Baruth

<snip>

Arnie was an executive in the nuclear industry, back in the late ’80’s, but in 1990 he came forward as a whistleblower and was fired the same year. Over the next several years, his case got a great deal of attention, and he testified before Congress during hearings on ways to protect whistleblowers.

Fast-forward to 2007. Arnie is now a prominent nuclear safety expert witness. And he’s also a longtime reader of this site.

<snip>

The fact that Arnie’s very specific projections so closely mirror eventual reality at the plant says several things to me:

1) Arnie Gundersen knows from whence he speaks. He is not some crank with an irrational fear of nuclear energy. Rather, he is a highly skilled watchdog, whose views the State should begin actively soliciting rather than fighting or disparaging.

<snip>

In 1995 the New York Times wrote about his fight with the nuclear industry:

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/nyregion/paying-the-price-for-blowing-the-whistle.html

Paying The Price For Blowing The Whistle

By JULIE MILLER
Published: February 12, 1995

FOR three years, Arnold Gundersen was awakened by harassing phone calls in the middle of the night. He became so concerned about his family's safety that he bought a large dog for protection. The problem? He was a whistle-blower, one of those who take on the dismally unpopular role of exposing what they find to be unsafe or unlawful practices in the workplace, especially the nuclear workplace.

<snip>

Mr. Gundersen, who lives in Warren, told of the day in 1990 when he discovered radioactive material in an accounting safe at Nuclear Energy Services in Danbury, the consulting firm where he held a $120,000-a-year job as senior vice president. Three weeks after he notified the company president of what he believed to be radiation safety violations, Mr. Gundersen said, he was fired.

He is fighting a $1.5 million lawsuit filed against him by his former employer for continuing to discuss the alleged safety violations publicly after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement. Mr. Gundersen said he believes he was blacklisted, citing an April 22, 1991, letter concerning him that the company sent to 78 people. He also says he was harassed and fired for doing what he thought was right.

Mr. Gundersen's case, according to a number of whistle-blowers and others interviewed, is not uncommon, especially in the nuclear industry. Even though nuclear workers are encouraged to report potential safety hazards, those who decide to do so say that they risk demotion and dismissal. Instead of correcting the problems, whistle-blowers and their supporters say, industry management and government forces attack them as the cause of the problem.

<snip>

[Mnemosyne]

1. I have seen the "he's not a nuclear engineer" pushed here at DU. Thanks bananas. nt

[freshwest]

2. Thanks for all these links. Bookmarking for later.

[Left Coast2020]

3. Whenever I see Coast to Coast AM

I always associate it with that Art Bell nut who would tell us that UFO's will be invading our country unless we take action soon.

[bananas]

4. Yeah, but they also have respected scientists like Michio Kaku. nt

[Archae]

5. What, Jerome Corsi wasn't available as usual?

[bananas]

7. enenews has it on vimeo

http://enenews.com/fukushima-special-arnie-gundersen

[felix_numinous]

8. Kick for visibility

I didn't know all of this about Mr. Gundersen, but now have added respect for the man. Thanks for posting his background.

[bananas]

9. The audio is at the fairewinds site now - listen free

http://www.fairewinds.com/content/coast-coast-hosts-arnie-gundersen-updates-fukushima-daiichi

(embedded player)

Coast to Coast's John Wells hosts Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds. First up, Arnie discusses the recent news that bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California were found to have radioactive contamination from last year's Fukushima accident. "They went fifteen for fifteen... that basically means that every tuna in the Pacific now is carrying cesium-134 and 137," he reported. Arnie expressed concern over the rush to get nuclear units in Japan running again before safety modifications are put into place. Even when you safely shut down a nuclear reactor, about 5% of the heat never goes away, he explained, adding that in the case of Fukushima 5% represents 150,000 horsepower worth of heat. If that heat isn't dealt with on a continual basis, a meltdown is possible, he noted. Arnie and John also talked about the astronomical amount of radiation in spent fuel rods, pointing out that the radiation in the fuel pool in Fukushima's Unit 4 is equal to all of the cesium exploded during the 700 above ground nuclear tests the United States did in the 60s and 70s. He suggested spent nuclear fuel rods be stored in heavily shielded dry casks.

[suzanner]

10. Same thing where many people work.

A lot of platitudes about "do the right thing" but unequal reverse pressure to show a substantial profit somehow, anyhow- within legal boundaries I guess.