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The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

Fluor Corporation

Federal PCB Violations

Date: 11/01/2007 (Date of Announcement)

Misconduct Type: Environment

Enforcement Agency: EPA

Contracting Party: Energy

Court Type: Administrative

Amount: $54,800

Disposition: Fine

Synopsis: Fluor-Hanford and Twin City Metals agreed to pay the Environmental Protection Agency $54,800 and $30,000, respectively, in penalties for mishandling transformers contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”), which are believed to cause liver damage or cancer in humans. In May 2006, Fluor, the primary clean-up contractor at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Reservation, transported 60 transformers from Hanford to Twin City Metals, a Richland, Washington metal recycler. One of the transformers contained approximately 50 gallons of fluid contaminated with PCBs. The next day, as TCM was handling the transformers, fluid was spilled from the PCB-contaminated transformer. According to investigators, TCM notified Fluor later that day, but Fluor took no immediate action to limit or abate the spill, which contaminated the soil and other surfaces and may have exposed workers to PCBs. See related pending Fluor instance, "Somers v. Fluor Hanford (PCB Spill)."