Patrick Henningsen: Why is there a Media Blackout on a Nuclear Incident in Nebraska?

Since flooding began on June 6th, there has been a disturbingly low level of media attention to the crisis at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Facility near Omaha, Nebraska, but evidence strongly suggests that something VERY SERIOUS has in fact happened there. On June 7th, a fire was reported at Fort Calhoun. The "official story" is that the fire was in an electrical switchgear room at the plant: Apparently the facility lost power to a pump that cools the spent fuel rod pool, allegedly for a duration of approximately 90 minutes. The following sequence of events is documented on the Omaha Public Power District's own website, stating among other things, that there was no imminent danger with the Fort Calhoun Station spent-fuel pool, and that due to a fire in an electrical switchgear room at FCS on the morning of June 7, the plant "temporarily" lost power to a pump that cools the spent-fuel pool. In addition to the flooding that has occurred on the banks of the Missouri River at Fort Calhoun, the Cooper Nuclear Facility in Brownville, Nebraska may also be threatened by the rising flood waters. As was declared at Fort Calhoun on June 7th, another "Notification of Unusual Event" was declared at Cooper Nuclear Station on June 20th. This notification was issued because the Missouri River's water level reached an alarming 42.5 feet. Apparently, Cooper Station is advising that it is unable to discharge sludge into the Missouri River due to flooding, and therefore "overtopped" its sludge pond. Not surprisingly, and completely ignored by the "mainstream" media, these two nuclear power facilities in Nebraska were designated temporary restricted NO FLY ZONES by the FAA in early June. The FAA restrictions were reported as "hazards", and were "effective immediately", and "until further notice". Yet, according to the NRC, there is no cause for the public to panic. A news report from local NBC 6 on the Ft. Calhoun Power Plant and large areas of farm land flooded by the Missouri River, interviews a local farmer worried about the levees: "We need the Army Corps of Engineers to do more. The Corps needs to tell us what to do, and where to go. This is NOT mother nature, this is man-made. Nearby town Council Bluffs has already implemented its own three-tier warning system, should residents be prepared to leave the area quickly. On June 6, 2011, the Federal Aviation put into effect "temporary flying restrictions" "until further notice" over the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant in Blaine, Nebraska. Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen explains how cooling system pumps must operate continuously, even years after a plant is shut down.