Iowa’s only nuclear power plant is on high security alert. Spokesman John Lohman at the Duane Arnold Energy center says it’s been there for some time, so there was no need to change anything when the nation’s alert status moved up a notch again this week. Even though he says they take threat-level changes seriously, the plant’s been at heightened level since 9/11. Lohman says nobody’s underestimating the importance of the nuclear power plant at Palo. He says the plant produces nearly 13-percent of Iowa’s electricity so they understand its critical importance, but they take the security precautions in stride. What the managers of the Duane Arnold plant have done is make sure it has the best possible HUMAN factors — the connections between safety workers and agencies. He says they have a “great” relationship with all levels of local law-enforcement including state patrol, local police and sheriff, National Guard, as well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and FBI.
