ML19354A884
| ML19354A884 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vogtle  |
| Issue date: | 12/20/2019 |
| From: | Garde B - No Known Affiliation, Clifford & Garde, LLP |
| To: | NRC/OCM |
| SECY RAS | |
| References | |
| 50-026-EA, 52-025-EA, EA-18-130, EA-18-171, Enforcement Action, RAS 55491 | |
| Download: ML19354A884 (56) | |
Text
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of ) Docket No. 5200025, 5200026
) License No. NPF-91, NPF-92 Southern Nuclear Operating Company )
) EA-18-130 Vogtle Electric Generating Plant ) and Units 3 and 4 ) EA-18-171 MOTION TO INTERVENE and MOTION TO COMBINE OPPOSITION WITH RELATED PROCEEDING Comes now, Leonard Sparks, pursuant to 10 CFR §2.309, and for the reasons set forth below, requests the Commission to:
(1) Grant his request to Intervene in the above-styled proceeding; and (2) Combine this request for intervention with his previously filed Motion to Intervene In the Matter of Thomas Saunders, IA-19-027.
Southern Nuclear Company (SNC) has agreed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Staff to take certain actions to address confirmed issues of illegal acts of retaliation by SNC managers, as confirmed by Agency investigations. The agreed upon actions by SNC in Confirmatory Order EA-18 and EA 171 do not address the serious safety culture breakdown at Vogtle 3 & 4 with respect to the compliance of the Licensee with 10 CFR 50.5. In fact, it makes the situation worse. 1 Significantly, the Confirmatory Order entered into by SNC is not based on agreed upon facts. Thus, SNC is only agreeing to take certain actions that are not related to any factual determination or any agreed upon misconduct. Under the collective facts and circumstances of 1
See, Confirmatory Order IA-19-027, In the Matter of Thomas B. Saunders, IA-19-027.
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these two Orders, an intervention will provide an opportunity to determine the facts, and better serve the public in a manner that will improve the safety conscious work environment (SCWE) at SNC.
Mr. Sparks asserts that the original Order regarding Mr. Saunders in which he has sought intervention, combined with the Confirmatory Order against SNC, create a situation where persons, like him, are still unable to get back to work at Vogtle as a result of engagement in legally protected activity. Thus, Mr. Sparks challenges the issuance of the Order to SNC and requests intervention.
BACKGROUND Leonard J. Sparks is a nuclear mechanical planner, with multiple certifications, with over 16 years of experience in the nuclear industry. In the 2014-2015 time frame he was employed as a contractor, working at the Southern Nuclear Companys (SNC) Vogtle 3 & 4 construction project. In the course of his employment he identified numerous safety and quality concerns. He raised the concerns through his line management, the SNC Employee Concerns Program and ultimately to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Region II office. Based on the continual mistreatment and pressure he was receiving by management he voluntarily left the project in February 2015.
In July, 2017 he was hired back to work at Vogtle, through a contractor. Within two days he was advised that his services were no longer needed and was escorted out the gate of the facility. He then filed a complaint of retaliation with the NRC, which referred it for investigation by the Office of Investigations (OI). OI, RIII, completed its investigation, OI Case No. 2-2017-032, and issued the Report of Investigation concluding that, in fact, Mr. Sparks had been the 2
subject of retaliatory termination. 2 (The OI investigation of the wrongful termination issue, in redacted form, is included as the factual support for the request for intervention. (Attachment 1.
OI Investigation Case Number 2-2017-032) Notwithstanding that the Report is stamped CONFIDENTIAL, the Report has been released for public distribution. (Attachment 2 "Memorandum to the Parties (Public Availability of Redacted Report of Investigation),
December 12, 2019.) The OI conclusion regarding the Failure to Hire/Blacklisting case is not ripe for consideration, because the issue has been resubmitted to the RII allegation staff with additional information and evidence, and corrections to the investigation record. Contrary to the statement in the OI report, the Department of Labor (DOL) case has not issued any initial investigation results into Mr. Sparks DOL complaint of blacklisting.
On October 21, 2017, as a result of the investigation findings, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Order against Mr. Thomas B. Saunders, the former Southern Nuclear employee, who the NRC determined was responsible for the July 17, 2019 action in terminating Mr. Sparks.
(Confirmatory Order IA-19-027). The Order requires Mr. Saunders to engage in a variety of actions to allegedly atone for his actions in terminating Mr. Sparks, and demonstrate an honest understanding of the actions he should have taken, and that others should take, to demonstrate the lessons learned regarding the importance of employee protection (to include contractors),
why it is necessary to ensure proper follow up response, and proper follow up when evaluating any potentially adverse personnel decisions. Confirmatory Order, at 5.
On November 20, 2019 the NRC issued a second, related, Confirmatory Order to Southern Nuclear. (Confirmatory Order Modifying License: Effective Upon Issuance EA0 2 Mr. Sparks is not identified, by name, in the underlying Confirmatory Order; is the impacted employee described in the Order and in the attached, but redacted, OI report.
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130 and EA 171) 3 The Confirmatory Order, which was agreed to during an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) session, is characterized in the Order as a preliminary settlement agreement. There is no indication there is a final settlement agreement, or what the process is that the Agency is undertaking to get to a final agreement.
The Order states:
This Confirmatory Order is the result of an agreement reached during an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mediation session conducted on August 5, 2019 in Rockville, Maryland to address two apparent violations. The NRC and SNC agree to disagree as to whether the violations occurred. (emphasis added)
Notwithstanding that the Staff and SNC failed to reach a determination on the facts, and whether those facts were a violation of NRC Regulations, the Order includes 1) corrective actions that SNC has already completed to improve the nuclear safety culture (NSC) and safety conscious work environment (SCWE) at the site (provided to the NRC at the August 5, 2019 ADR mediation session); 2) agreed upon future actions; and 3) general provisions.
The Order, allegedly, 4 modifies the SNC license for Vogtle 3 & 4 to include a variety of enhancements (previously completed) 5 to its Employee Concerns Program, Corrective Action 3
In addition to the events surrounding the illegal discrimination taken against Mr. Saunders, the SNC Confirmatory Order contains information about a second case of retaliation taken by SNC.
The Order states that SNC directed a contract employee at the Vogtle Units 3 and 4 construction site be removed in December 2015, in part, for engaging in protected activities. The contract employee was subsequently terminated by his employer on February 3, 2016. Order, at 2. No additional information is provided in the Order and it is unclear whether those facts will ever be disclosed. The only further information on this situation is included in a Notice of Violation issued to Mr. Mark Rauckhorst for blacklisting other employees. (See, NOV Investigation Report No. 2-2017-004).
4 It is not clear if the Confirmatory Order is actually a final agreement between SNC and the NRC, since the parties disagreed on the factual basis for the Order; and the settlement agreement is described as preliminary. (Order, 3) 5 The Confirmatory Order does not identify when SNC allegedly completed the previous actions, but if it is referring to the actions taken in response to the enforcement actions taken following the CB&I retaliation findings in 2016 (See, Chicago Bridge & Iron Confirmatory Order EA 4
program, senior leadership training, and an updated SCWE policy. In addition, SNC agreed to further enhancements to the ECP presence at Vogtle 3&4, and other changes to the Adverse Action review processes, training, and other actions. However, in the absence of an understanding of what are the facts underlying the agreement, and whether those facts constitute a violation of NRC regulations, the Confirmatory Order (2) should not be sustained.
I. REQUEST FOR INTERVENTION 10 CFR §2.309 provides for intervention in circumstances where, as here, a person is affected by a proceeding must establish that they have standing, and request a hearing and specify the contentions which the party seeks to have litigated in the hearing. 10 CFR §2.309(a).
As set out below, Mr. Sparks has standing and has submitted two (2) valid contentions:
(d) STANDING (i) Leonard Sparks, Petitioner c/o Ms. Billie Garde Clifford & Garde, Esq.
I828 L St., NW, Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 280-6116 (Office)
(202) 255-9670 (Cell)
(ii) Right Under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding The Petitioner asserts a right to be made a party to the proceeding. First, because the Orders themselves harm Mr. Sparks, by failing to set out the facts and circumstances within SNC that led to his retaliatory termination. As a result, Mr. Sparks professional reputation and credibility remain in question, with the NRCs actions failing to set forth the necessary facts to vindicate him, to demonstrate that retaliating against employees is a violation of NRC 189, September 16, 2013), then we would assert that those actions were not successful, since all of these current events occurred AFTER those corrective actions were taken.
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regulations, and to prevent a chilling effect to exist at the site is ill served by this Confirmatory Order. His position as an intervenor is consistent with existing case law. See, generally, Bellotti
- v. NRC, 725 F.2d 1380 (D.C. Cir 1983); Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (Anchorage, Ak), CLI-04-26, 60 NRC 399, reconsidn denied, CLI-04-38. 60 NRC 652 (2004).
(iii) Property or Financial Interest Mr. Sparks has a property and financial interest in being free to seek and obtain employment without the intentional retaliatory actions of persons working for Licensees, in this case SNC; and, as the victim of SNC and Mr. Saunders action, is entitled to raise a contention as an aggrieved person to the agreement of Mr. Saunders and the NRCs agreement for resolution.
(iv) Possible Effect of Any Decision or Order that May be issued In the Proceeding on the Petitioners Interest Should the Commission hear the actual facts of the case, and reject the agreed upon Confirmatory Order - reached as a result of ADR and settlement negotiations - Petitioner asserts it will vindicate and restore his reputation, because the facts that will be established at a hearing, will reflect the facts he has been espousing since the underlying events occurred. This will impact his professional reputation and credibility, and thus his ability to obtain employment in his field.
The lack of facts set out in the SNC Confirmatory Order Modifying License make the Order fatally defective. The Confirmatory Decision undermines safety, by promoting and regulating from a false or disputed narrative for the underlying facts in these matters. See, generally, In the Matter of Southern Nuclear Operating Company (Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 3 and 4, License No. NPF-91 and NPF-92), Confirmatory Order EA-18-130 and 18-6
171, issued November20, 2019; as well as the similar case against Mr. Mark Rauckhorst for blacklisting other employees 6. (See, generally, NOV Investigation Report No. 2-2017-004).
(f) CONTENTION According to the Order, the only issue to be considered at the hearing is . whether the Confirmatory Order should be sustained. (Order, at 10.)
Petitioner proposes that the proper contentions should be:
- 1. What are the facts, as determined by the NRC Staff, that form the basis for the proposed Confirmatory Order Modifying License?
- 2. Whether the actions agreed upon in the Confirmatory Order(s) are sufficient to ensure that the Licensee, and its supervisors, managers, executives and support infrastructure, i.e., HR, Compliance and Concerns Department, and ECP, as well as all contractors, ensure that the workforce (employees and contractors), are free to raise safety concerns without fear of reprisal, in compliance with the NRCs requirements for Employee Protections 10 CFR 52.5 Employee Protection.
In this case, where the facts apparently became secondary if not irrelevant to the parties reaching agreement at ADR, it is critical that the facts are developed and then a determination made on whether the proposed sanction is supported by these facts.
Here, the Staff has not disclosed the facts that support the Order. While Mr. Sparks is intimately, and personally, familiar with many of the facts, and other witnesses can and will supply more facts, the Staff has disclosed only the conclusion of its work. Those witnesses are in the best position to support a factual determination in this enforcement action. See, In the 6
On November 20, 2019, the NRC issued a Notice of Violation against Mr. Mark Rauckhorst, after a failure of ADR and as a result of a Preliminary Enforcement Action (PEA), the NRC has determined that a deliberate violation of NRC requirements occurred for deliberate misconduct. causing SNC, the Licensee, to be in violation of NRC requirements for employee protection, and you to be in violation of 10 CFR 52.4 (c)(1), Deliberate Misconduct.
That misconduct was the submission of a list of 14 people who should not be hired, including at least one contract employee who was subsequently terminated because he engaged in protected activity.
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Matter of Andrew Siemaszko, IA-05-021, at 8; June 2, 2006, citing, e.g., North Anna, ALAB-363, 4 NRC, at 633 (given the role that [Sun Ship] played in the fabrication of these particular supports, Sun Ship is well equipped to make a genuinely significant contribution to that exploration.
II. REQUEST FOR CONSOLIDATION As stated throughout this Motion to Intervene, the issue raised by the Confirmatory Order against Mr. Saunders must be considered along with the more recently issued Confirmatory Order against Southern Nuclear (along with the Notice of Violation against yet another SNC manager, Mr. Mark Rauckhorst, for blacklisting employees engaged in protected activities)
(Id.). Petitioner requests that the Commission consolidate these actions for consideration of the same identified contentions above.
It should be noted that the actions proposed by SNC, and agreed to by the Staff, have a gaping hole in their coverage -- employees and contractors, like Petitioner, will not be protected by the Confirmatory Order at all. The Adverse Action review discussed at pp. 5-6, for Agreed Upon Future Actions, only applies to those actions that result in the termination or suspension against current members of the workforce. (See, Confirmatory Order, at pp. 5-6.) The changes do not apply to those that have engaged in protected activities, have been terminated or removed in retaliation for raising concerns, and are trying to get back to work on the Vogtle units.
It is Petitioners belief that there are numerous employees and contractors, like himself, who have been wrongfully terminated and are unable to be rehired into the SNC workforce.
Thus, it is critical for the facts underlying the SNC agreed upon Confirmatory Order to be developed, and for a determination on whether the facts support the agreed upon actions in both of the Orders.
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For all the reasons stated above, Petitioner Leonard Sparks, requests that the Commission grant his request for intervention in the above-stated Enforcement Action, as well as consider his request to consolidate this matter with the Thomas Saunders Confirmatory Order.
Respectfully submitted Billie Pirner Garde Dated: December 20, 2019 Clifford & Garde, LLP 1828 L St., NW, Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 280-6116 Attorney for Petitioner Leonard Sparks 9
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of ) Docket No. 5200025, 5200026
) License No. NPF-91, NPF-92 Southern Nuclear Operating Company )
) EA-18-130 Vogtle Electric Generating Plant ) and Units 3 and 4 ) EA-18-171 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that copies of the foregoing Motion to Intervene and Motion to Combine Opposition with Related Proceeding have been served electronically on all interested parties through the Electronic Information Exchange, this 20th day of December, 2019.
Billie Pirner Garde Billie Pirner Garde Clifford & Garde, LLP 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 Attorney for Petitioner Leonard Sparks 10