Last year DCBureau.org reported on contractor abuse in Iraq. Since that report another KBR abuse has once again revealed. Two past controversies involved the horrifying electrocution of soldiers in the Armed Forces, and the unethical exposure of troops to toxic chemical stew that occurred right under KBR’s noses. Contracted to help our soldiers, KBR is in reality killing them.
A recent Oregonian report uncovered KBR’s involvement in exposing the Oregon Army National Guard to Hexavalent Chromium, a cancer-causing rust fighter. In 2003, U.S. and British troops had guarded KBR workers repairing a water-treatment plant near Basra. Following that, troops from four states and Britain claimed they suffered health problems. At least two had died of cancer.
In response to this, KBR refuted that the Army, not KBR, was responsible for safety in the plant. This is in congruence to an ultimatum to the Pentagon that was released within days of the 2003 Iraq invasion, which stated that either the Army covered the potential cost of any soldier or civilian killed or harmed on a KBR project- or the defense contractor would not proceed with its no-bid contract restoring Iraqi oil. To further deflect responsibility and to make light of the matter, KBR added that the soldiers were not there long enough to be at risk of cancer. Apparently in the book of KBR ethics, it is acceptable to be near cancer-causing chemicals- as long as you’re not there long enough.
KBR’s attorney, Raymond Biagini of Washington D.C., called KBR a “force multiplier” that allowed an all-volunteer Army to fight while KBR took care of making meals, hauling fuel and doing laundry. Furthermore, he argued that KBR should be immune from liability as a combatant in the war zone, since its management decisions were intertwined with military and international political decisions. Not only does KBR want to overcharge U.S. taxpayers for “taking care” of our troops, it wants to represent U.S. foreign policy as well.
The soldiers’ attorney, David Sugerman of Portland argued that KBR managers had violated federal health and safety laws and its contract by failing to do an environmental assessment, and by concealing the presence of Hexavalent Chromium. He added that KBR has the authority for health and safety decisions of the plant.
The progress of this case appears dismal. On Monday, attorneys representing the 26 current and former Oregon soldiers and KBR representatives argued for almost 80 minutes over whether the case should go forward in U.S. District Court in Oregon. KBR even had the audacity to ask Magistrate Judge Paul Papak to dismiss the case.
KBR abuses show that it is clearly time to carefully delineate the boundaries that contractors cannot cross, and to state the rules that they should abide by, especially when an appalling number of contractors operate in Iraq and Afghanistan today. We are putting our troops at risk.
It still remains to be seen if this report will provide further grist to the mill in pressuring Washington to take legal action against KBR. Even with the escalation of KBR abuses, the no-bid contract remains strong, and KBR has yet to be debarred from doing business with the Pentagon. Given the political clout that KBR has, chances are it will be a losing battle for our troops.
To read our series on KBR and contractor abuse click here.
