Whistleblowers at the Hanford Nuclear Site in eastern Washington play an essential role in bringing accountability to one of the most expensive and dangerous environmental cleanups in history. Without these brave individuals, Hanford cleanup would look very different. Thanks to Hanford whistleblowers, the environment and people who call the Pacific Northwest home have a safer, cleaner future.
Blowing the whistle on Hanford is no easy task and often requires expert assistance. Join Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Tom Mueller (Author, Crisis of Conscience) and Tom Carpenter (Executive Director, Hanford Challenge) on June 4th for a livestream event by Town Hall Seattle. Their discussion will be focused on the importance of whistleblowing at Hanford and the work being done to protect these brave individuals who bring accountability to one of the most complex cleanup projects in the United States.
About the Speakers:
Tom Mueller is a freelance fiction and non-fiction writer. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic. He is the author of the New York Times–bestseller Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. His most recent book, Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud, was published in October, 2019 by Penguin Random House and includes a chapter focused on whistleblowing at Hanford.
Bob Ferguson is Washington State’s 18th Attorney General. As the state’s chief legal officer, Ferguson is committed to protecting the people of Washington against powerful interests that don’t play by the rules. He is a fourth-generation Washingtonian. As Attorney General, Ferguson has filed multiple legal actions against the U.S. Department of Energy regarding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, first for delaying cleanup of nuclear waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and then for putting hundreds of Hanford workers at risk of exposure to harmful toxic waste. Both lawsuits led to successful outcomes.
Tom Carpenter is the founder and Executive Director of Hanford Challenge, a nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Seattle, WA. He brings four decades of experience in organizing, litigating, and policy oversight in the nuclear field, much of it devoted to Hanford. As an attorney, Carpenter has represented numerous whistleblowers at various nuclear sites around the nation. He has authored numerous reports and articles on the effects of nuclear production on the environment and workforce health and safety, and established environmental sampling programs at Hanford, Los Alamos, and Russian nuclear sites