July 16, 2013

Allegations Regarding Prohibited Personnel Practices at the Bonneville Power Administration

In June 2012, the Office of Inspector General received an anonymous complaint alleging prohibited personnel practices at Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville). 

Based on our work to date, we have reached a preliminary conclusion that Bonneville engaged in a number of prohibited personnel practices.  Notably, Bonneville’s hiring practices appeared to have effectively disadvantaged veterans and other applicants. Such action was inconsistent with concerted efforts by the Federal government to ensure that veterans received appropriate preferential treatment in the hiring process.  Equally concerning and the primary reason for the urgency of the management alert, Bonneville has apparently proposed or recently executed a number of personnel actions against certain employees who have cooperated with our review. These actions have a potentially chilling effect on various aspects of our work and, as such, jeopardize our ability to effectively complete our review of the circumstances surrounding inappropriate Bonneville hiring practices.  The Department’s comments were responsive to our recommendations.  Notably, the Department initiated immediate corrective actions. 

TOPIC: Human Resource