GAO Criticizes Energy Department’s Handling Of Whistleblower Complaints

"WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy’s nuclear program seldom holds its civilian contractors accountable for unlawful retaliation against whistleblowers, according to a draft Government Accountability Office report obtained by McClatchy.

The widely critical report found the DOE has taken little or no action against contractors responsible for creating chilled work environments at nuclear sites across the country and has yet to write effective regulations for doing so.

Only two violation notices have been issued in the past 20 years, the report notes. And employees who seek help for retaliation can be thwarted by a whistleblower protection program that’s hard to navigate without legal help, the report says."

Lindsay Wise and Sammy Fretwell report for the McClatchy Washington Bureau July 14, 2016.