Whistle-blower communications from inside the Columbia Generating Station (CGS),
formerly known as WPPSS Nuclear Plant #2

CGS whistle-blower letter to Energy Northwest and media, full text
Plant management criticized for poor safety and production record. January 2016

CGS whistle-blower letter undercuts plant managers' credibility
By Chuck Johnson, Physicians for Social Responsibility, April 2016

Another letter from CGS whistle-blowers, April 21, 2016
Another anonymous letter sent to Energy Northwest board members is criticizing the preliminary results of an investigation of allegations made in previous letters. Tri-City Herald, April 27, 2016
Anonymous Letter Criticizes Energy Northwest Investigation
A third anonymous letter is criticizing an investigation into the Northwest’s only nuclear power plant. The investigation stems from other letters written by apparent insiders at Energy Northwest and is looking into the plant’s performance. The anonymous letter says the nuclear plant’s poor performance was hidden from the board and the public. It says that Energy Northwest knowingly released confusing and false information that showed the plant was running at a higher performance level than was actually accurate. Northwest Public Radio, April 27, 2016
Full text of the April 21, 2016 letter
Exhibits with April 21, 2016 letter

New anonymous letter questions Energy Northwest training
Letter points to high failure rate on NRC exam. Six of 14 senior reactor candidates failed the initial Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed operator exam after their training in 2015. Millions of dollars were wasted on educating the workers who failed the test, according to the latest whistleblower letter. Tri-City Herald, June 21, 2016

Law firm investigating anonymous complaints issues report Tri-City Herald, June 22, 2016

Whistleblower letter of August 2016 In the last 12 months, there has been no improvement in plant performance, as rated by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). The plant remains in the bottom quartile in the accepted standard for US nuclear plant operations - the 86th worst-performing plant. In the  past 12 months:
• The Executive Board paid a large, unknown sum of money to a law firm to whitewash or at least minimize the actions of senior management.
• INPO has elevated its oversight of CGS as a result of a series of human performance errors resulting in the nuclear power plant components being mis-positioned, one of which resulted in a plant shut down.
• Whistleblowers notified the Executive Board of safety challenges and the investigation found little to no substance to the allegations. Subsequently an Energy Northwest employee was electrocuted and required hospitalization. This event resulted in a $2,000 fine from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. The reason for the fine was "Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Violation", the violation type "serious," and the citation stated, "Employer did not ensure the work practices in place were being followed, which violated WAC 296-800-1402" ... "This could have caused a serious injury if the employee had lost consciousness and fallen onto something sharp or hard."
• As whistleblowers sit in their cubicles, hearing teammates talk about the possible identity of the letter writers and how they might be found and punished, they have no hope that the Executive Board will provide the correct oversight to staff on this topic, and they wonder just how high in the organization the desire to find them exists.

Whistleblower letter of April 2017 The letter alleges that CGS leadership is disengaged and not solving the plant's poor performance, with the same issues recurring: radioactive waste, industrial safety, operations safety culture, and plant ratings in the lowest quartile of US plants. The letter was provided in response to a public-disclosure request, with certain names and titles redacted. April 2017

Energy Northwest's Talking Points (September 2015) Shows how CGS management purposely deceived the Energy Northwest board about nuclear reactor operations.
[Information released by Columbia Generating Station insiders]