Security Lapse at TVA’s Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant

POGO has received a report of a security lapse that occurred at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant. Officials discovered last week that a sealed manufacturer’s crate that had sat in a warehouse for an undetermined amount of time contained 30 M-4 assault rifles, which are similar to semiautomatic M16 rifles.

The rifles had been delivered by a truck that entered the plant through the vehicle entrance into the Protected Area.

If this is true then it raises a serious security concern for a minimum of two reasons:

• The weapons could have been delivered to an insider planning a hostage situation or other violent action.
• The crate could have contained explosives. The delivery should have at least been stopped at the entrance and certainly not allowed to sit inside the Protected Area for any period of time.