Nuclear Watchdog Group

Diablo muzzles workers concerned about plant safety, SLO group alleges

Mothers for Peace says in a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that employees face possible retaliation

By David Sneed

A nuclear watchdog group has filed a complaint with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission alleging that workers at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant face possible retaliation if they raise safety concerns.

In a letter sent April 14 to the NRC’s regional office in Arlington, Texas, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace cites one incident in which a worker filed a complaint document called a differing professional opinion during a recent refueling outage for steam generator replacement.

Calls to plant owners Pacific Gas and Electric Co. seeking comment Monday were not returned.

An investigation validated most of the worker’s concerns, but he received a downgraded performance evaluation because he was not a team player.

The incident, and those similar to it, has caused a chilling effect in which workers fear raising safety concerns out of fear of retaliation, states the letter.

“We are concerned about the treatment of the employees at the plant and that their concerns are not being addressed fairly,” said Morgan Rafferty, Mothers for Peace member.

An unspecified number of power plant employees contacted the group after they became frustrated with the internal complaint resolution process at the plant, Rafferty said.

The NRC has responded to the allegation letter and says it will investigate and report back to Rafferty.

Reach David Sneed at 781-7930.