Tetra Tech Responds to Rep. Nancy Pelosi: Says Clean-up Done to Navy Standards, But False Accusations, Fear Mongering By Plaintiffs Mislead Pelosi, Regulators, and Public
Tetra Tech today said it was disappointed in comments by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi regarding its clean-up of a portion of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. The congresswoman issued a news release today that there was “massive manipulation and falsification of data” at Hunters Point in the clean-up and called upon the Inspector General to look into the accusations as well as to investigate U.S. Navy and EPA oversight of Tetra Tech EC.
The company as well as San Francisco health officials deny the claims made Rep. Pelosi. The company pointed out that the San Francisco Department of Public Health has continued to publically state the clean-up was done appropriately and that the naval base is safe for human use.
Tetra Tech believes the source of Rep. Pelosi’s statement is the false statements by a plaintiff’s attorney and “whistleblowers’ that have mislead the Navy, EPA, other regulatory agencies, and are based upon fear-mongering by the attorney and activist groups supporting a lawsuit. The attorney and activist groups all oppose any development of the shipyard by Lennar/FivePoint, which is now probably set back many years because of the delays caused by the allegations.
Tetra Tech issued the following news release in response to the comments by Congresswoman Pelosi:
The work that Tetra Tech EC completed at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard was done properly and to the standards established by the U.S. Navy. We are disappointed that Representative Pelosi has been misled by fraudulent accusations by a group of self-motivated plaintiffs against Tetra Tech EC, the Navy and the EPA, of not doing a proper job.
The false allegations by plaintiffs are being pursued by a small handful of former employees and subcontractors, and are spearheaded by a disgraced lawyer, David Anton, who has been disciplined and suspended from the California State Bar for falsifying evidence.
Anton’s key “whistleblower,” Anthony James Smith, has been arrested multiple times, most recently for “terroristic threats” and the attempted murder of his girlfriend. Smith was criminally indicted in 2017 by the State of Georgia on eight counts of battery and assault, including making terroristic threats.
We know that when regulatory agencies and the public know the actual facts—rather than the fraudulent claims being made by Anton and Smith—that Tetra Tech EC will be found to have done its job at the shipyard properly. We are disappointed that the fraudulent claims by a handful of people have so quickly misled so many, created unnecessary fear and concern, and all without checking the veracity of the data and the backgrounds of the accusers.
Today’s comments by Rep. Pelosi are based upon false accusations against Tetra Tech EC, concocted by plaintiffs desiring to extract money based upon their fraudulent claims that the shipyard wasn’t properly cleaned.
The City of San Francisco’s own Department of Public Health has said numerous times, as recently as the past few months, that the shipyard is safe and meets public health standards, directly contradicting Rep. Pelosi, the plaintiffs and others.
Tetra Tech EC’s work at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Background
Tetra Tech EC’s first Navy contract at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS) was awarded in 2002. The company provided cleanup of about 20 percent of the land surface at HPNS and were among many contractors providing remedial services at the site. Tetra Tech put safety at the forefront of all our projects and worked more than 2,000 days (or 5.4 years) without a lost-time injury at HPNS.
The Genesis of the False Claims Against Tetra Tech EC at Hunters Point
In 2012 at HPNS, the Navy identified soil sampling data at one location that did not appear representative of the sampling area. Tetra Tech EC (TtEC) immediately conducted a full investigation. At the company’s expense, TtEC analyzed 70,000 sample results, identified areas for resampling, and conducted additional remediation where necessary. After implementing corrective actions there were no repeat occurrences. TtEC fully documented the investigation and completed corrective actions with full review by and coordination with Navy and regulators.
The Navy also conducted an independent review and released its own report in 2014. The Navy’s own report concluded that “The Navy’s contractor corrected identified deficient conditions and incorporated additional QC steps to avoid recurrence.”
Wrongdoing committed by three individuals
Stephen Rolfe and Justin Hubbard are former employees of TtEC and subcontractor New World Technology. TtEC learned in May 2018 that Rolfe and Hubbard admitted to falsifying reports at HPNS and have been sentenced by the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Their plea statements align with the findings of TtEC’s 2014 report regarding soil data anomalies identified in 2012.
Tetra Tech fully supports the actions of the DOJ regarding the illegal actions of Rolfe and Hubbard. Anthony Smith, a former employee of New World Technology, has publicly admitted to assisting Rolfe and Hubbard with sample swapping and has made multiple false public statements.
Tetra Tech’s offer to re-sample areas in question
TtEC’s 2014 investigation report identified the areas in which Rolfe, Hubbard, and Smith admit to swapping samples. Those locations were corrected in 2012, and areas cleaned up by TtEC at HPNS are safe for redevelopment. To prove our work at HPNS meets cleanup standards, we have proposed to the Navy an immediate third-party re-sampling program at our expense.
Tetra Tech EC Hunters Point Website
Tetra Tech EC has established a website to correct false accusations. Visit: www.hunterspointfacts.com
Contacts: Sam Singer or Cassandra Sweet
Singer Associates Public Relations San Francisco
Office: 415-227-9700
Email: [email protected]
Or Charlie MacPherson
(626) 470-2439
Email: [email protected]