Department of Energy Inspector General Gregory Friedman said two federal contractors in Washington state hired to build a radioactive waste processing facility have stonewalled his requests for documents related to the firing of a whistle-blower.
URS Energy Construction employee Donna Busche was fired after alerting officials about safety concerns that URS said were without merit.
The DOE is attempting to find out if the employee's termination was related to her whistle-blowing activity.
The inspector general, in turn, requested more than 4,500 documents related to Busche's termination, but URS and Bechtel National, the primary contractor for the $11 billion project at Hanford Nuclear Reservation, both refused to hand over the documents. Attorneys for the companies said the clauses in the contract that mandate they make the records available were too broad to be enforceable, the Washington Post reported.
They also cited attorney-client privilege, stating they would also be giving up their rights to this protection in a court proceeding in the future if they were to hand over the documents now.
Without the documents, the inquiry into the firing remains incomplete, Friedman wrote to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.
In a statement, URS said, “each employee is encouraged and empowered to raise concerns about safety, and we are methodical in addressing the concerns they identify.”
“We work closely with our employees to promote an open atmosphere, because the complex issues we tackle demand a questioning attitude and creative solutions,” the statement released Monday said.