Rep. Markey said, “I am thankful that the security personnel at the Palo Verde nuclear plant apprehended the individual before he entered the facility. However, this incident raises new questions as to the screening process used for employees and contract personnel at nuclear facilities. This issue was also highlighted several months ago when I learned that a security guard who had been employed at several nuclear power plants seemed to have fabricated portions of his resume yet somehow passed through the screening process.

“We know that Al Qaeda puts nuclear power plants at the top of its terrorist target list, therefore we must ensure that the people working at these plants are always fully screened and properly trained.”

A contract employee at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, the largest nuclear plant in the nation, was stopped at a security entrance about a half a mile from the plant when a routine security sweep found the explosive device.

In May, 2007, Rep. Markey wrote to the NRC regarding media reports that Mr. William E. Clark, who was hired as the head of security at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan in early 2006 and also reportedly worked at the Seabrook and Zion nuclear plants, made numerous false claims on his resume as well as to reporters. These included claims that he had been employed as a marksman for Blackwater Corporation, served in the French Foreign Legion; worked as a guard for President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan and Paul Bremer in Iraq; and was a covert operator employed by the Federal Government through a “handler,” which required his identity to be kept secret. The NRC told Rep. Markey that Clark was no longer considered suitable for access to nuclear power plants and that it was investigating the matter.