#BOOM2024

MONTICELLO, MN (John Miller) So, what’s all the fuss, you ask? Well... as a former nuclear submariner, I can tell you – it's quite the story. Our family—Atom (3), Riley(8), Kailani(10), Big Sis(24), Mom, Dad, and our dog Neo has been displaced in MN due to the ongoing housing crisis following the entirely preventable Maui wildfires. While we were in Monticello, MN, staying with grandma Tutu trying to figure out our next steps, we learned that the Monticello Xcel Energy nuclear power plant, located less than 2 miles from our home, had leaked 400,000 800,000+ gallons of radioactive water into the ground near our property and the Mississippi River.

Drawing on my nuclear and accident investigation background, what concerned me most wasn't the leak itself. Reports of a cover-up culture at the plant, where employees fear speaking out and residents allege that Xcel fosters an aggressive, toxic environment discouraging any criticism of the nuclear facility, stand in stark contrast to the rigorous safety protocols I followed in the Navy and the US NRC is required to uphold. Allow me to share some key facts that would have been unimaginable during my time on nuclear submarines, and that should be unacceptable in any ethical society. Some may try to say that we’re being “unreasonable,” but try putting yourself and, more importantly, your entire family and town in our shoes and imagine how you’d feel.

The first major red flag is the report that millions of gallons of radioactive water were released as vapor plumes over the city of Monticello, exposing residents, pets, and crops to radioactive water vapor without any public notice! They were even conducting dose calculations on the residents, likely relying on outdated and flawed assumptions rooted in models from the 1970s nuclear weapons era, which prioritized young male physiology over broader population cancer impacts like elders, women, and especially children so they can say “We’re from the Government, Trust us, It’s Safe”. Yet, the NRC and Xcel still refuse to provide clear confirmation or transparency to any of these questions, the does calculations, or any details. The NRC has shared few details publicly about the reasons for their silence. However, when they were finally compelled to admit that radiation had entered the Mississippi River after local citizen’s used their own findings against the NRC officials, they hinted at their motives by stating that they feel responsible for protecting Xcel Shareholders?!?!?! But what about public safety? What about our kids? The truth? Our water???

As we sought answers, more red flags were discovered through the limited information shared by Xcel and the NRC that the leak was far worse, potentially as much as 900,000 gallons and likely well over 14 curies of radioactivity! Even more alarming, they failed to notify us for months after the incident and still haven’t released most of the data and facts surrounding the entire incident. Just one of many huge red flags is that it is clear the saturated soils, part of the Mississippi River basin onsite that regularly exchanges water with the river, was contaminated with at least 14 trillion picoCuries (14,000,000,000,000 pCi) of radiation, based on assumptions Xcel and the NRC have refused to disclose or have proven completely false or intentionally misleading. This translates to an average concentration of at least 4+ million pCi/L of radioactive tritium (yes, this seems absurdly high, but its the best we can deduct from the limited information) in the groundwater just feet from the river, well above EPA drinking water standards of 20,000 pCi/L and ODCM reporting limit of 30,000 pCi/L. Many wells have reported samples as high as 4,220,000 pCi/L - 2,700,000 pCi/L over time, in water wells in the vicinity of soil that hydraulically flows into and out of the river as they are only feet from the river. Xcel’s limited data even shows a swift shift in the contamination plume during the spring. This raises serious concerns about Xcel Energy and NRC levels and established limits of other, more dangerous radioactive nuclides or toxic contamination onsite.

Having monitored and supervised radiation levels professionally, I have to ask: Are there additional radionuclides we should be testing for in our town or even downriver near the Twin Cities that we should be concerned about? Should we be worried about upriver, knowing that during this same thawing period, the river began to rise, seemingly causing radiation levels to peak as the radioactive plume moved into the river which started to flow upstream? We’ve even sent an Open Letter to Xcel Energy shareholders and leadership in hopes of obtaining a reasonable response.

Reports and documentaries across the U.S. reveal alarming hidden cancer rates among communities affected by radioactive contamination near nuclear power plants. There's a significant gap in available health studies examining cancer effects in these areas, with previous attempts to conduct such research somehow always failing to gain approval. Decades of crucial research are missing. However, international studies present a grim picture, indicating that cancer rates in these communities are multiple times higher, with children facing rates akin to being born with cancer. A recent independent cancer study conducted around Monticello mirrors these troubling findings, underscoring the urgent need to address this public health crisis.

In light of these serious issues, we can't help but draw parallels to the #MeToo movement, where NDAs were weaponized to silence victims. Just as those affected fought to expose the truth and reclaim their voices, we are determined to shed light on these pressing concerns and ensure accountability for our community's health and safety. As someone who operated nuclear reactors in the Navy, I can tell you – this isn't how nuclear safety is supposed to work.