Pat Dollard

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This happened a few days ago.

I have YET to hear anything on this in the MSM. Have you?

Bay City Tribune

Published June 3, 2008

Reporters from the Al Jazeera television network were questioned by Matagorda County Sheriff deputies when they were found filming near the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company plant site Tuesday, June 3.

The reporters were from Al Jazeera English’s Washington D.C. broadcast center.

Al Jazeera English is a television network — headquartered in Doha, Qatar — that purposes to be the English-language channel of reference for Middle Eastern events.

According to Captain Stephen Crow, Matagorda County Sheriff Department spokesman, three individuals were spotted filming on the public road right-of-way just outside of the one-mile buffer zone in front of the STP plant site.

The deputy patrolling the STP perimeter questioned the three reporters who told him they were doing a story on uranium mining and its effects on Kingsville farmers.

“They told the deputy the reason they were filming at this site is because it was the only one they knew of who had recent hearings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for plant expansion,” said Crow.

Other deputies were dispatched to help with questioning and to run background checks on the reporters, said Crow.

“We ran extensive background checks on each individual and found no criminal history or other problems,” said Crow.

“Two were Canadian nationals and one was based in Washington D.C.”

According to Crow, there was no breech of security and the reporters never approached the plant.

“They did a brief filming off of the public roadway and they left,” Crow said.

Sheriff deputies notified STP officials with everything they discovered after questioning the reporters.

“We also learned that they notified the plant on different occasions trying to set up an onsite interview and STP officials declined to meet with them,” said Crow.

Matagorda County Sheriff Department will be working with state and federal law enforcement agencies to keep them briefed on the incident, said Crow.

“Our office is going to continue to monitor this situation,” said Crow.

According to Crow, the cooperation between the Matagorda County Sheriff Department and STP security worked well when tested today.

“We test and we train on instances like this and the speed and cooperation with which our deputies responded to the situation proved how well the coordination efforts work,” said Crow.