Washington Nuclear Whistleblower Alleges Energy Department Retaliation
November 10, 2011 - 4 Comments
In a lawsuit announced Wednesday in Kennewick, Washington, Walt Tamosaitis – a whistleblower who has previously raised concerns about nuclear safety about a waste-treatment factory being built at the Hanford nuclear site in southeast Washington state – alleges that the U.S. Department of Energy took part in engineering his removal from the construction project after he voiced safety concerns. In an article published on its website yesterday, NPR reports that Mr. Tamosaitis spoke and corresponded with top officials at the Department of Energy about misconduct by his employer, a federal contractor, prior to losing his management position.
Mr. Tamosaitis’s attorney, Jack Sheridan, pointed out that his client had spoken up because “the consequences here are tremendous. If they don’t produce the correct design for the waste treatment plant,” Sheridan said, “the plant might not work. And this is one of the most expensive projects that we’ve ever undertaken as a country.” The Corporate Whistleblower Blog commends Mr. Tamosaitis for having the courage to step forward and raise his concerns.
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