In the wake of URS firing a key nuclear safety manager at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, Sen. Ron Wyden said yesterday that he will ask the Government Accountability Office investigate how whistleblowers are treated at the Department of Energy. Wyden criticized DOE earlier this week after URS terminated Donna Busche, who had held the position of environmental and nuclear safety manager at the Hanford vit plant. DOE has said it was not given advance notice of URS’ decision to terminate Busche, who has alleged she has faced retaliation for raising safety concerns, and that it was not involved in the move. However, Wyden said URS’ decision to fire “yet another Hanford whistleblower shows that nothing has changed at the Energy Department when it comes to stifling dissent,” adding, “When DOE sits back and allows its contractors to systematically remove whistleblowers, it is clear that DOE is part of the problem, despite all of the rhetoric to the contrary.”
Wyden said he planned to ask the GAO to investigate “not only the pattern of contractor retaliation against whistleblowers at Hanford, but also DOE’s lack of response to these actions.” He also said, “Finally, I plan to personally hold accountable DOE officials for the unchecked retaliation against whistleblowers who have revealed major, legitimate risks to public safety.” DOE did not respond to requests for comment on Wyden’s statement yesterday.
Busche said earlier this week that URS officials told her she was being terminated for “unprofessional conduct,” adding that she was provided no additional details as to the reason for her termination. Busche has filed two complaints with the Department of Labor in recent years alleging she has faced retaliation from WTP contractor Bechtel National and URS for raising safety issues, and she is also in the midst of a lawsuit against the two contractors. URS has so far provided little information as to why it fired Busche, but did stress that it was “due to issues unrelated to her purported concerns.” In a statement, a URS spokesman said, “Ms. Busche’s allegations will not withstand scrutiny, and URS looks forward to demonstrating through the legal process that the company and its managers acted appropriately and in full compliance with the law in their dealings with Ms. Busche.”
