Friday, Nov. 29, 2002 | 8:53 a.m.
The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, should be swift in agreeing with Nevada's senators that the firing of an employee at Yucca Mountain and the transfer of another must be investigated. Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign wrote to the GAO this week, alleging "fraud and abuse" in the treatment of the two employees. The quality-assurance workers allege their treatment came after they reported concerns about work at the mountain. Adding to the urgent need for a GAO investigation is the U.S. Labor Department's finding that the firing was wrong.
Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is where the government intends to bury the nation's high-level nuclear waste. Any questions about safety should be fully answered, and not just by the Department of Energy, which is developing Yucca. For the sake of public safety and trust, the GAO should get to the bottom of the employees' serious allegations.
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