Explosive set near power plant

By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian • Published August 22, 2008

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An explosive device left alongside an access track leading to TransAlta's power plant near Centralia was picked up by an employee who did not recognize it as a bomb, the Lewis County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

Incident in 2007

Last year, a woman gained access to the TransAlta power plant and said while flipping switches that the facility was "no good for people," Thurston County Sheriff's Sgt. Stacy Brown said.

The woman was arrested.

"We've had different types of threats and protests there over the years," Brown said.

The employee transported the device in a rail truck to turn over to a supervisor Wednesday. Law enforcement agencies were sent to the scene, and the Washington State Patrol bomb squad took the device, X-rayed the tank and removed the blasting cap.

The sheriff's office described the device as a 5-gallon propane tank with green and yellow wires coming out of it.

The blasting cap had been activated, but the black powder in the tank did not detonate, according to the sheriff's office.

Sheriff's Sgt. Stacy Brown said investigators aren't sure why the device did not go off.

"It was supposed to," she said. "The blasting cap had been activated, and it had burned."

The sheriff's office and State Patrol bomb squad are investigating. Brown said it was her understanding that the bomb squad was checking the device for fingerprints, but a State Patrol official could not confirm that.

State Patrol Sgt. Freddy Williams said the bomb was rendered safe and is being stored in a State Patrol building.

Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield said in a news release, "This investigation is concerning for a couple (of) obvious reasons, one of which is the damage and possible loss of life that could have occurred if the device had detonated at the mine or near somebody. Secondly, people often unknowingly and with good intentions pick up suspicious objects which should only be handled by trained professionals."

Mansfield added that people should call 9-1-1 if they see a suspicious device.

Brown said of the person who picked up the bomb, "We're not criticizing him, but he could have killed himself or the people around him."

Who left the bomb at TransAlta is a mystery. No message or threat was left with it, Brown said.

TransAlta Corp. is a Canadian-owned utility that operates a coal-fired electrical generating plant near where the bomb was found. In November 2006, TransAlta closed its primary mine there, citing its age and operating costs. Six hundred mine workers lost their jobs.

Asked whether a group that has protested at TransAlta in the past or a disgruntled former employee could have been responsible for the bomb, Brown said, "We're not speculating on why the device was there and who left it there."

TransAlta spokeswoman Marcy McAuley wouldn't say whether there are surveillance cameras where the bomb was placed. She also declined to say whether current or former TransAlta employees are under investigation.

"We're taking this very seriously," she said. "Our first priority is safety. It has not impacted our operations. We continue to produce power."

Asked what security measures TransAlta is taking after the incident, she said, "We have the appropriate security measures in place."

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.