Who is Rick Parks, the whistleblower from Three Mile Island?
This article features Government Accountability Project’s whistleblower client, Rick Parks, and was originally published here.
Netflix has a new docuseries to binge outlining the devastating nuclear event known as the Three Mile Island accident.
We introduce you to Rick Parks, the whistleblower featured in the documentary, reveal where he is now, and provide an overview of the docuseries.
Directed by Kief Davidson with executive producer Carla Shamberg, the docuseries Meltdown: Three Mile Island details the catastrophic event that led to the United States’ worst commercial nuclear disaster and emphasizes why whistleblowers are important.
Who is Rick Parks?
Rick Parks, whose full name is Richard D. Parks, is known as the whistleblower who frequently talks about the nuclear crisis that developed in Pennsylvania.
Parks exposed the truth surrounding the incident and how corporate corruption led to the disaster that changed America’s industry.
Hired as a cleanup supervisor under The Bechtel Corp, Parks’ operation was supervised by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and The Guardian reported:
“The cleanup was risky, arduous, and behind schedule. Bechtel received funds upon completion of individual tasks, incentivizing the company and its hirer, General Public Utilities (GPU), to cut corners and ignore NRC regulations.”
Parks was later fired from his position after speaking out about the unsafe practices on site, which could have led to something far worse.
Where is he now?
Rick Parks continues to be a devout advocate of nuclear energy safety and has survived many tragedies in his life, including losing his wife to a car accident and surviving throat cancer.
After being fired, Parks’ efforts to air the unethical practices led to the Metropolitan Edison being charged for falsifying data.
Parks now lives in East Texas, reported by The Cinemaholic, and has two sons from his marriage.
Meltdown: Three Mile Island
The Netflix docuseries is a four-part investigation using a series of first-person accounts, reenactments, and archival footage from the event – in addition to an interview with Rick Parks.
Director Kief Davidson told Tudum that he “set out to have a four-episode arc that felt like there was a ticking time bomb that was about to go off”.