TVA fined $606K, two executives reprimanded over actions against former employees

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is assessing a penalty of almost $607,000 against TVA and punishing two TVA executives after an investigation found they sought to punish two employees who came forward to express legally protected concerns.

The actions follow an NRC investigation into the conduct of Joseph Shea, identified as vice president of nuclear technology innovation at TVA’s corporate office, and Erin Henderson, then the director of corporate nuclear licensing at TVA. … The NRC found essentially that Henderson and Shea discriminated against the two unnamed employees who raised concerns about a chilled work environment that discouraged them from talking about safety concerns.

According to a public notice Tuesday, the NRC found that Shea and Henderson “engaged in deliberate misconduct.”

“The NRC is prohibiting (Shea) from any involvement in NRC-licensed activities for five years, since he was a decision-maker for the adverse employee actions. The NRC is issuing a Notice of Violation to (Henderson).”

According to NRC records, the case dates back several years ago when a whistleblowing employee at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant operated by TVA in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., expressed concerns about the regulatory response to violations regarding operations at the plant.

The now former employee was legally protected to speak up to Henderson from a safety context. The employee also filed a complaint alleging Henderson had created “a chilled work environment,” records state.