Susan Beard, a Department of Energy attorney of more than 25 years nominated in April to become the agency’s next inspector general, had her day in the Senate Thursday, where lawmakers who must consent to her nomination pressed her about the DOE’s Hanford Site: regarded by many as the most challenging cleanup in the entire weapons complex.
The hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee concluded without a recommendation one way or another from the committee. Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) asked Beard to respond to the many questions she received from committee members. When the committee decides whether it consents to Beard’s nomination, a notice will appear in the Senate’s executive calendar; none had at press time for Weapons Complex Monitor.
Beard’s Thursday confirmation hearing comes as dozens of Hanford workers have sought medical attention after possible exposure in recent weeks to toxic chemical vapors in areas including the vicinity of the now-infamous Tank AY-102: a leaky double-shelled vessel DOE contractor Washington River Protection Solutions has been draining into a sturdier double-shelled tank at the AP Tank Farm.
Veteran Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) struck a particularly harsh tone with Beard. The lawmaker on May 5 visited the site near Richland, Wash., and met with workers there in the wake of the latest worries over vapor leaks at the former plutonium production site. The same day, Wyden appeared at a press conference alongside Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who last year brought a lawsuit against DOE and its contractor over vapor leaks.
“I was there last week, and the Hanford site’s legacy of failed performance and retaliation against whistleblowers and workers who raise safety concerns is alive and well,” Wyden said.
Beard, said she has “not personally been involved with any contractor whistleblower issues,” but told the committee that “whistleblowers play a very important role. And it’s very important that whistleblowers feel, and are in fact, protected from retaliation.”
Wyden was not satisfied, telling Beard he had heard this before from prospective inspector generals, and that such answers were not good enough.
“I can’t tell you how many times a nominee has said ‘I share your concerns,'” Wyden said from the dais. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about reports. That’s not changing business as usual, Ms. Beard. That’s more of the same.”
Beard replied that she would take a firmer hand in ensuring DOE follows-up with recommendations from the inspector general’s reports, and that if the agency was not, that her office would “be more public” about that lack of action. That still was not enough for Wyden, who gave Beard three days to draw up a timetable for actions she will take as inspector general to change the way cleanup is managed at Hanford.
“If getting this waste cleaned up wasn’t so essential to public health and environmental protection, I guess it might be a sequel for the movie Money Pit,” Wyden said, referencing a 1986 Tom Hanks film about an expensive fixer-upper house.
Murkowski urged Beard to comply with Wyden’s request, saying “the more expeditious we can get responses to the members’ requests, the more quickly we can move.”
A roughly $30-billion-a-year agency, about a fifth of DOE’s annual budget goes to the nuclear cleanup programs administered by the Office of Environmental Management.
If confirmed, Beard would replace Gregory Friedman, the former DOE IG who stepped down in October after 17 years as the agency’s top internal watchdog. Since Friedman retired, Rickey Hass, a Marine Corps veteran and certified public accountant, has been DOE’s acting inspector general.
Beard got a show of support at Thursday’s hearing from committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), a dependable ally for the Hanford cleanup.
“I believe Ms. Beard has good credentials,” Cantwell said. “She knows the Department of Energy [and] “she has demonstrated good integrity and legal capabilities that job requires.”
Still, Cantwell contributed her own bit of tough-talking, telling Beard the IG job was about more than writing reports.
“This isn’t about publishing a report,” Cantwell said. “This is about getting results.”
