Nuclear Nightmares

When you can't fix the problem, can the guy who brought it to your attention. That's the message Bechtel sends from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation boondoggle Bechtel has been in on for some two decades now. After all, getting rid of whistle-blowers is easier than getting rid of the most toxic mess on Earth.

At least that's what San Francisco-based Bechtel Corporation thought when having its subcontractor URS can Walter Tamosaitis, the research and technical manager for the nation's largest Superfund cleanup. Tamosaitis' concerns about the nuclear waste processing plant design and safety -- communicated internally -- are now the subject of a lawsuit filed by Tamosaitis against Bechtel subcontractor URS, as well as in discussions at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Given Tamosaitis' concerns are about preventing the release of deadly radiation, one would hope boondoggle dreams don't completely overshadow nuclear nightmares.