|
NWC Issues Statement Calling on Congress to Update Environmental Statutes |
Washington, D.C. May 3, 2010. In the wake of the gulf coast oil spill, Stephen M. Kohn,
Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center, released the
following statement:
We call upon BP and all other companies involved in offshore drilling operations to ensure
that any employee who steps forward to expose deficiencies in the offshore
drilling process is not retaliated against.
The United States Department of Labor and all appropriate offices must fully and immediately investigate any claims made by whistleblowers about BP's practices.
Between 1972 and 1980 Congress enacted
6 critical environmental whistleblower protection laws, which would
cover BP
employees. However, these laws have long been criticized due to numerous
defects, such as a radically short 30-day statute of limitations that
has
undercut the ability of employees to obtain protection when they blow
the
whistle on environmental violations.
Unlike more modern whistleblower laws,
these environmental laws do not permit employees access to federal
court.
We call on Congress to immediately
update these laws to ensure that employees who blow the whistle on
dangerous
offshore drilling practices are fully protected.
|
|
Tags: Press Releases, Environment, Corporate Accountability
|
