URS OFFICIAL AT HANFORD VIT PLANT FILES LAWSUIT ALLEGING RETALIATION

Donna Busche, a senior contractor official at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, is escalating her efforts against Bechtel National and URS for allegedly conducting a campaign of retaliation against her for raising technical and safety concerns. Earlier this week, Busche, a URS employee who holds the position of Environmental and Nuclear Safety Manager at the Hanford vit plant, filed a lawsuit against Bechtel National and URS in federal court after more than a year went by without the Department of Labor taking action on a whistleblower complaint. In her suit, Busche accused the two companies of viewing her “as a roadblock to meeting deadlines, rather than as a valuable check against noncompliance” with safety requirements.

Among Busche’s allegations is that Bechtel National sought to reduce her authority and attempted, unsuccessfully, to have her removed as a “key personnel” on the WTP contract. She also accused both Bechtel National and URS of “systematically” isolating her from WTP project meetings and of stripping her of “the decision-making authority established in WTP requirement documents, programs and procedures; as well as having “countermanded technical decisions” she made. “As a proximate cause of the actions of URS and BNI, there is a chilling effect on the WTP’s workforce to bring forth safety and engineering concerns that could impact the cost and schedule of the facility in a manner that might threaten the fees and profits” of URS and Bechtel National, Busche’s lawsuit says. The suit seeks to have Bechtel National and URS pay damages including “back pay, front pay (to retirement), and lost benefits,” along with damages for “emotional harm” and “mental anguish,” among others.

URS declined to comment yesterday on Busche’s suit. For its part, Bechtel National has "thoroughly reviewed” Busche’s complaint and “found no basis for it,” contractor spokesman Todd Nelson said in a written response yesterday. “Our project has a transparent process that requires employees to raise issues they believe merit greater attention. We take these concerns seriously, and evaluate and address each one. We do not tolerate retaliation or harassment in any form against anyone who raises a concern,” Nelson said. “We remain committed to ensuring that WTP’s nuclear safety and quality culture is strong.”