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U-S Senator Questions Nuclear
Plant Cleanup
Hinting at Coziness, Grassley seeks memos between Energy Dept. and Lockheed By Joby Warrick, Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, August 10, page A03 A Senate Republican yesterday demanded extensive records of the Department of Energy's dealings with contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., questioning whether "cozy relations" were impeding a government probe of alleged fraud and environmental abuse at the agency's Paducah, Ky., uranium plant. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, was the second senior lawmaker in as many days to publicly question the department's handling of the cleanup at Paducah, a nuclear-fuel plant that became the focus of a federal probe three years ago this month. Although the department has acknowledged extensive environmental damage at the Kentucky plant -- and even issued an apology to workers -- it has not decided whether former plant operator Lockheed Martin should be held financially responsible. A Justice Department decision on whether to join a whistle-blower lawsuit against Lockheed has been delayed for more than two years, in part because the department has withheld its opinion on the merits of the case. The lawsuit alleges that Energy Department contractors misled workers and the government about environmental contamination at the plant, built in 1952 to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs. "I am troubled by the possibility that there may be a subtle effort underway at the Energy Department to slow or even sideline" the government's intervention in the case, Grassley wrote in a letter to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Too often, he wrote, "I have seen agencies place a premium on cozy relationships with their contractors . . . over and above the need to protect taxpayers." Grassley asked Abraham to turn over three years' worth of documents and memos between Energy officials and Lockheed. Similar concerns were raised in a letter Thursday by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee. Waxman noted ties between Lockheed and the Bush administration -- Vice President Cheney's wife, Lynne V. Cheney, is a former Lockheed board member -- as well as the contractor's reputation for lobbying and political giving. "If a corporation has indeed caused this terrible harm at Paducah, it would be outrageous to force the public to pay the bills three times over -- first for contract fees, second in suffering the harm and third for the cleanup," Waxman wrote. The Energy Department yesterday promised to review the lawmakers' concerns. "We are carefully considering all points raised and seeking the views of all parties," department spokesman Joe Davis said. Lockheed Martin has declined to talk about the specifics of the whistle-blower case, but spokeswoman Meghan Mariman said yesterday that the company has cooperated fully with government investigators. "We believe the case has no merit," she said. The apparent ambivalence over the whistle-blower case stands in sharp contrast with the department's decisive steps in launching a $1.3 billion cleanup and assisting ailing workers. On Thursday, Abraham announced changes intended to make it easier for workers to qualify for payments. "Employees of DOE contractors have performed important work for their country," Abraham said in announcing the rule changes. "Even though they may have worked for a government contractor, these dedicated individuals are our workers, and we are going to take care of them." |