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Caught Our Eye

Top Upton staffer jumps to owner of troubled nuclear plant in Upton's district

Posted by Jenna Ebersole on Jan. 28, 2015

A nuclear power plant dogged by periodic complaints from regulators, including Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) after a 2013 radioactive water leak into Lake Michigan, has a new but familiar advocate.

Upton's senior legislative assistant and media adviser has switched to government affairs work for Entergy Corp.'s Palisades Nuclear Power Plant.

Nicholas Culp left the Hill in December after working in Upton's office for more than a decade, beginning in 2003 as a district staff assistant. Upton, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, holds a key oversight position of the nuclear industry and represents the district that is home to the plant.

Upton was "outraged" after the 2013 leak, according to a press release from his office that listed Culp as a staff contact. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said there was no health risk from the leak.

round-up by MLive.com at the time outlined the series of issues over the years, and Entergy acknowledged this month a radiation monitoring error. Extra inspections have helped keep the plant operating, MLive.com found last year, even after it was temporarily downgraded to a status among the worst-performing U.S. nuclear plants.

Culp served as a legislative assistant in Upton's office for five years and started his first job in the office while earning his bachelor's in political science and government from Kalamazoo College.