Top SRS executive says reassignment is not final

A messy shake-up affecting Savannah River Site's top management is expanding with allegations of threats and retaliation, claims of mismanaged stimulus programs and an ongoing inquiry by the Energy Department's Office of Inspector General.

And officially, nobody is talking.

The pending departure of the site's top executive -- DOE Savannah River Site Manager Jeffrey Allison -- was announced earlier this week by Dr. Ines Triay, DOE's assistant secretary for environmental management.

However, Mr. Allison, who refused to be interviewed about the shake-up, said in a memo e-mailed to federal SRS employees Thursday that no final agreement has been reached on his reassignment.

"I just wanted to inform you that, despite what you might have read in the newspapers or have heard, I am still the Manager of the Savannah River Operations Office. Until such time as I receive word that I have been reassigned by the Deputy Secretary, I will remain in that position and continue to perform my duties to the best of my abilities. I'm sorry for any confusion and I ask each of you to continue to focus on doing your job in a safe and excellent manner."

Mr. Allison's move to an executive position as director of small sites with DOE's Environmental Management office at DOE headquarters in Washington was initially characterized as a promotion, but an e-mail Mr. Allison sent Tuesday to DOE's communications department said a planned formal announcement of the change was "full of untruths."

"I did not volunteer for this detail, in fact I was directed by Ines that I would go along with this detail and put a positive spin on it to my staff and stakeholders," he wrote, adding that he was threatened that the offer of a headquarters position might be withdrawn by Dr. Triay.

The "dramatic change," he wrote, was "retaliation" for his cooperation in an investigation under way at the site by the Inspector General's office involving the conduct of other managers, including Vince Adams, named by Dr. Triay as acting SRS manager, and Cynthia Anderson, who heads Recovery Act programs for DOE's Environmental Management office.

The team from the Inspector General's office includes about a dozen workers who are interviewing site employees and auditing e-mails sent to and received by individuals involved in the inquiry, according to site employees.

Phone calls and e-mails to the inspector general's office seeking additional comment were not returned, but the investigation is believed to focus on claims that certain managers inappropriately influenced hiring activities and job fairs related to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

SRS received $1.6 billion in such funds -- more than any federal nuclear facility except for Hanford, Wash. -- and is using the windfall to create 3,000 new jobs and accelerate a series of environmental cleanup projects that include the final decommissioning of P and R reactors, which once produced materials for the nation's nuclear arsenal.

During the week of Aug. 10, accountability auditors from the Energy Department's Office of Engineering & Construction Management visited the site to review the P and R reactor projects. Their 77-page report, released this week, identified 11 "major findings" of deficiency, 16 basic findings, 23 negative observations, two neutral observations and eight positive observations.

The major issues involved documentation and other facets of more than $200 million in cleanup projects for which the site's main contractor -- Savannah River Nuclear Solutions -- is responsible. The release of the report came just a few weeks after the abrupt retirement of Chuck Munns, who had served as president of the company.

Mr. Munns was succeeded by Garry Flowers, who previously served as senior vice president for construction services, health, safety and environment at Fluor Corp. -- the leader of the consortium that formed Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.

Reach Rob Pavey at 868-1222, Ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.