ML20133F372
| ML20133F372 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Sequoyah  |
| Issue date: | 01/14/1997 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PR-II-97-008, PR-II-97-8, NUDOCS 9701140160 | |
| Download: ML20133F372 (1) | |
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L UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 101 Marietta St.,
Suite 2900, Atlanta, GA 30323 Tel. 404-331-5503 or 7878 No.:
II-97-08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE l
Contacts: Ken Clark 404-331-5503 (Tuesday, January 14, 1997)
Roger Hannah 404-331-7878 l
NRC STAFF PROPOSES $100,000 FINE AGAINST TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY l
NRC Staff Also Prohibits TVA Executive from Involvement in NRC-Licensed Activities The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $100,000 civil penalty against the Tennessee Valley Authority after the U.S.
Department of Labor and the NRC Office of Investigations concluded that TVA discriminated against William F. Jocher, a former TVA corporate manager and a former manager at TVA's Sequoyah nuclear plant.
The DOL and NRC both found that Jocher resigned under threat of termination after engaging in protected activities which included raising questions at the Sequoyah plant about post-accident i
sampling, on-line chemistry instrumentation and the accuracy of training in the chemistry area.
According to the letter sent to TVA by NRC Regional Administrator Luis Reyes, the violation is significant and is given a Severity Level I, the highest level of NRC violation, because "it involved an act of employee discrimination by a senior corporate j
manager."
Reyes further wrote that "the impact of discrimination i
committed at this level has the potential to affect the environment throughout the company," and "the NRC places a high value on the freedom of nuclear industry employees to raise potential safety concerns to licensee management or to the NRC."
In addition to the fine, the NRC staff has issued an order prohibiting TVA executive Joseph R. Bynum from engaging in NRC-licensed activities for a period of five years for his role in the discrimination.
That prohibition is retroactive to May 1, 1993 and will be effective until April 30, 1998.
Bynum was TVA's Vice President of Nuclear Operations but is currently in a non-nuclear part of the utility.
TVA has 30 days to either pay the fine or to protest its imposition.
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