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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1981)
Page 8 State THE BATTALION THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1981 Power companies accused of anti-nuke phone bugging United Press International HOUSTON — An opponent to the South Texas Nuclear Project claims project managers have transferred out of the area any em ployee who had information about problems at the nuclear plant so they would not testify at an up coming hearing. Peggy Buchorn, a leader of Citizens for Equitable Utilities, said Tuesday the project manage ment tapped her telephone to find out which employees were giving her information about problems on the job. Brown & Root Co. is the general contractor of the $2.7 billion project and Houston Light ing and Power Co. is the managing partner of the four-utility project near Bay City. Company officials have denied her allegation. Buchorn said people who have given her information in the past have “been transferred to other Brown &c Root jobs all over the country.” “Some have been harassed to the point they quit their jobs, ” she said. The charges come a week be fore a Nuclear Regulatory Com mission hearing on whether HL&P should receive a license to operate the plant. Buchorn said she became suspi cious about a telephone tap on her office phone when she read a statement Monday written by the companies denying intimidation of employees. “Employees known to be in close direct contact for a long period of time with interveners opposed to the project and with the NRC have not been subjected to any disciplinary action,” read the companies’ statement. But Buchorn said that “unless they have tapped my phone or are watching my office, how would they know what workers have con tacted me? About 90 percent of my contacts with workers are by phone. Buchorn said those employees who have moved away will not be able to speak at the scheduled hearing next week because inter veners have no funds to defray costs for the return of the workers. Steve Grote, senior vice presi dent of Brown & Root, said project management learned from the employees themselves who was in touch with the interveners. The 2,500-megawatt electric generating plant 10 miles south of Bay City is being financed by a consortium of utilities, including HL&P, Central Power & Light of Corpus Christi, and the municipal utilities of Austin and San Antonio. Federal authorities said Tues day they are considering filing cri minal charges against three for mer Brown & Root employees who allegedly conspired to thwart an investigation of the project in October by removing records from the job. However, HL&P spokesman Jim Parsons, said the records had nothing to do with the upcoming investigation. He objected to NRC saying the employees con spired to obstruct the investiga tion because the language was too strong and “it may give people the wrong impression on how serious it may have been.” The unnamed fired employees admitted the prior knowledge they had of the upcoming investi gation came from a Brown & Root clerk and not company manage ment. “We knew our people didn’t give advance notice because we didn’t have any advance word,” Parsons said. Hunger strike is staged by Texarkana inmates United Press International TEXARKANA — About 500 inmates at the Federal Correction Institute Wednesday refused to eat in the minimum security prison’s dining hall for the third consecutive day, officials said. There has been no violence or other protests since the boycott began at Monday breakfast, said Ray Farrow, executive assistant to the warden. The prisoners also have continued to work as scheduled. Farrow said about 485 of FCI-Texarkana’s 534 convicts continued the boycott after a few inmates dropped out of the protest at lunch Wednesday. He said the protestors continued to buy potato chips, candy bars and other small food items alj the prison’s commissary. An inmate telephoned UPI about the protest,! saying it was in response to several grievances ktj declined to name them “because this phone i monitored. “There are a number of grievances that need to.j be discussed,” he said. “To bring this issueoutj] would put me on front street (bring unwanted] attention).” Farrow said the inmates have not presented! list of complaints but the prison’s staff was inter-1 viewing inmates individually about whatpromp-| ted the dining hall boycott. Jim Collins, regional NRC de puty director, said a report on the NRC’s findings is now under re view at the agency’s Washington headquarters. Officials will decide whether to refer the case to the Justice Department for possible criminal action. “To do something that would hamper one of our investigations is a very serious matter,” Collins said. Documents reveal for Dominican overthrow United Press International HOUSTON — U.S. govern ment agents say a group of merce naries arrested near New Orleans last month were working with an ex-prime minister of the Carib bean nation of Dominica in their plan to overthrow its leaders. The information was revealed Tuesday in court documents filed by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents who wanted to search the home of the group’s leader — Mike Perdue of Houston. In a copyright story, the Nash ville Tennessean newspaper re ported that Perdue headed the Junior Ku Klux Klan in Gallatin, Tenn., and bragged of spending his Saturday nights beating black youngsters for the fun of it. The newspaper quoted Mrs. Charles Guthrie, who was Per due’s high school drama teacher. “He had a great deal of bitter ness toward blacks,” Guthrie said. “I think he saw himself as some thing of a white knight that was going to save the South. ” The Tennessean said Perdue harbored dreams of a glorious military career, but instead be came a high school dropout and convicted felon before his 20th birthday. throw the government, unrest has led to a cleclaratiotj state of emergency on the isla The records filed in U.S, trict court in Houston on Ap| indicated Perdue told a | ment informant of his p “supply men and equipmti the military forces on the is! and once there, to support! overthrow of Prime } Mary Eugenia Charles’ ment. “Mr. Perdue stated thatk the backing and support o(i military and is working withilj jor Reed and a Captain Rob the two heads of the military,"! court documents said. The records showed Pet told the informant he was I tight” with a Dominican! governor. However, Perdue! not identify that official. Since the arrest of Perdue and nine other men near New Orleans on April 27, former Dominica Prime Minister Patrick John has been arrested in Dominica and charged with plotting to over- “He (Perdue) stated would be taking 60 weapons! described the weapons as Joi ber Winchesters, pumpshotf Bushmaster .223-caliber and several Uzis (Israeli-ill machineguns),” the court pas said. „ . f p , . , Jeff Mos During one of Perdue s [is: structor conversations with the infons .imp 1 he said he had planned thens lc ^ a for two years “and another! - weeks would not matter." Lawyer wants KlanjJ// leader committed United WALKEI United Press International Btir Force tr HOUSTON — A lawyer for Vietnamese fishermen Wednee; ; p ersons ^ asked in a federal court motion that the Texas Ku Klux Klan’s gnffloded ove dragon be committed to a mental hospital because of his "derffl[8f|v e c] nesc J a y behavior. Iverfarm la Houston lawyer Morris Dees said KKK leader Louis Beamrecef sat for almost an hour “in a semiconscious state,” chanting, “Youii| you die, you die.” In another incident, Dees said another lawyer representing i Vietnamese, David Berg, found notes at his home and office sayfcli “You have been paid a social visit by the Knights of the Ku Klux Kb Don’t make the next visit a business call.” The lawyers originally had sought court-ordered protection asp the Klan’s efforts to help native fishermen keep the Vietnamese!! fugees from fishing off the upper Texas coast. Beam said the motion indicated Dees was trying to have t i arrested. irmed i “He is my enemy, and I am his,” Beam said. Dees asked that U.S. District Judge Gabrielle McDonaldoi Beam to take a mental examination, and if it proved he was insane! commit him to a mental hospital. The Klan plans its second rally in support of the native Saturday in Santa Fe, Texas. Tiiiii I |Tra,ve.l Tools Frame. 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