THREE MONTHS AFTER TOPS RAID, QUESTIONS PERSIST

Three months after federal law enforcement agents raided the office of a subcontractor to URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR), the purpose of the raid remains unclear. On Jan. 16, agents with the FBI and the Department of Energy Inspector General’s Office removed records from the office of Transportation, Operations and Professional Services, Inc., which performs waste transportation services for UCOR. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee declined to comment on the issue yesterday. “It is the policy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to neither comment on, nor confirm or deny the existence or status of a pending investigation,” a spokeswoman said in a written response. TOPS CEO and owner Joni Armes was not available for comment yesterday.

 

The DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office referred calls for comment yesterday to UCOR.  TOPS is still performing work for UCOR at Oak Ridge, according to UCOR spokesman Wayne McKinney. “TOPS is continuing to transport waste generated from the East Tennessee Technology Park cleanup project under its subcontract with UCOR,” McKinney said in a written response yesterday.