Hanford Workers Beat Deadline; Other Contractor Told of Proposed DoE Fine

摘要

There was good news and bad news at the nation's most contaminated Cold War-era site this month as workers beat a December deadline for digging up buried radioactive waste, but one Hanford contractor was fined for retaliating against a whistleblower.rnThe U.S. Department of Energy last week issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation to Bechtel National, Inc. that could result in a civil penalty of $41,250.rnBechtel is responsible for designing and building a waste treatment and immobilization plant at the Hanford site near Richland, Wash. DoE first received word three years ago that Bechtel employees may have retaliated against a Hanford worker who raised nuclear safety-related concerns at the site's waste treatment plant. During its investigation, DoE's Office of Hearings and Appeals - the body responsible for resolving whistleblower complaints - determined that retaliation had taken place.