Editing Bechtel (section)

== History ==

=== Founding and early years ===
Bechtel's business activities began in 1898, when [[cattle]] farmer [[Warren A. Bechtel]] moved from [[Peabody, Kansas]], to the [[Oklahoma Territory]] to [[History of rail transport in the United States|construct railroads]] with his team of [[mule]]s.<ref name=Wolf2010>{{cite book |title=Big Dams and Other Dreams: The Six Companies Story |author=Donald E. Wolf  |year=2010 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-4162-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HKgHSrsqAosC&q=wattis+bechtel&pg=PA22 |access-date=April 11, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Hiltzik2011 /> Bechtel moved his family frequently between construction sites around the [[western United States]] for the next several years, eventually moving to [[Oakland, California]], in 1904, where he worked as the superintendent on the [[Western Pacific Railroad]].<ref name=Wolf2010 />  In 1906, W. A. Bechtel won his first subcontract to build part of the Oroville-to-Oakland section of the Western Pacific Railroad.<ref name=Wolf2010 /> That year he bought a [[steam shovel]], becoming a pioneer of the new technology.<ref name=Krause2004>{{cite news |title=He Built It -- And They Came; Be Diligent: Bechtel's hard work powered his drive to build the frontier |author=Reinhardt Krause |url=http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/091404-401236-he-built-it-and-they-came-be-diligent-bechtels-hard-work-powered-his-drive-to-build-the-frontier.htm |work=[[Investor's Business Daily]] |date=September 14, 2004 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Wright1973>{{cite news |title=Company, 75, Still Is Family-Owned; Director of Companies Corporate Profile: Family-Owned Bechtel Is a World Builder at the Age of 75 Steamshovel Pioneer |author=Robert Wright |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/03/archives/company-75-still-is-familyowned-director-of-companies-corporate.html?ref=bechtelgroup |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 3, 1973 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> He painted "W.A. Bechtel Co." on the side of the steam shovel, effectively establishing Bechtel as a company, although it was not yet incorporated.<ref name=Hiltzik2011>{{cite book |title=Colossus: The Turbulent, Thrilling Saga of the Building of Hoover Dam |author=Michael Hiltzik |year=2011 |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-1-4165-3217-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-qMYJX4_8aQC&q=bechtel+peabody+kansas&pg=PA167 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref>  Bechtel completed work on a series of railroad contracts during the early 1900s, culminating in an extension of the [[Northwestern Pacific Railroad]] finished in 1914.<ref name=Wolf2010 />

Starting with the construction of Klamath River Highway in California in 1919, Bechtel ventured into jobs other than building railroads. The company built roads, bridges, and highways throughout the [[western United States]]. The company worked on its first [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] projects in the 1920s for [[Pacific Gas and Electric Company]] in [[California]].<ref name=Krause2004 /><ref name=Wright1973 /><ref name=Brunn2011>{{cite book |author=Jason Henderson |editor=Stanley D. Brunn |title=Engineering Earth: The Impacts of Megaengineering Projects |publisher=Springer |date=2011 |pages=783–801 |chapter=Chapter 45: Bechtel: The Global Corporation |isbn=978-9048199198 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mEyjMx7EV8IC&q=1919+road+california+bechtel&pg=PA785}}</ref>

In 1925, Warren, his sons Warren A. Bechtel Jr, [[Stephen D. Bechtel Sr.|Stephen]], [[Kenneth K. Bechtel|Kenneth]] (Ken), and his brother Arthur (Art) joined him to incorporate as ''W.A. Bechtel Company'',<ref>[http://peabody.advantage-preservation.com/Viewer/?fn=the_peabody_gazette-herald_usa_kansas_peabody_19331012_english_5 Obituary story of Warren A. Bechtel; Peabody Gazette-Herald; October 12, 1933.]</ref> which by this time was the leading construction company in the western United States.<ref name=Wolf2010 /><ref name=Pitta2003>{{cite news |title=Building a new world: Behind the scenes with Bechtel |author=Julie Pitta |url=http://www.worldtradewt100.com/articles/building-a-new-world-behind-the-scenes-with-bechtel?v=preview |work=World Trade |date=August 1, 2003 |access-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006104452/http://www.worldtradewt100.com/articles/building-a-new-world-behind-the-scenes-with-bechtel?v=preview |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1929, Warren's son, Stephen, urged his father to embark on the company's first pipeline project. Bechtel began working with [[Chevron Corporation|California Standard Oil Company]] to build pipelines and refineries.<ref name=Brunn2011 /><ref name=Streitfeld2003>{{cite news |title=Finalists for Rebuilding Down to 2 Firms |author=David Streitfeld |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-apr-03-war-rebuild3-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 3, 2003 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Church1998 />

In January 1931, Bechtel joined other contractors in the west to form [[Six Companies, Inc.]], a [[consortium]] created to bid for a contract from the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] to construct the [[Hoover Dam]]. Six Companies won the bid in March and construction began in the summer of 1931.<ref name=Hiltzik2011 /><ref name=Krause2004 />

=== WWII, overseas expansion and the nuclear age ===
Warren Bechtel died unexpectedly in 1933 while in [[Moscow]] on business. He was succeeded by his oldest son, Warren A. Bechtel Jr., first, then later [[Stephen David Bechtel Sr.|Stephen Bechtel Sr.]], who became both the head of Bechtel and chief executive of the Hoover Dam project. Under his leadership, the Hoover Dam was finished in 1935. The project was the largest of its kind in U.S. history at the time and Bechtel's first [[megaproject]].<ref name=Wright1973 /><ref name=Church1998 /><ref name=Lubove1999>{{cite news |title=Modern pharaohs |author=Seth Lubove |url=http://business.highbeam.com/392705/article-1G1-54663812/modern-pharaohs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006083429/http://business.highbeam.com/392705/article-1G1-54663812/modern-pharaohs |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |work=[[Forbes]] |date=May 31, 1999 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], the [[United States Maritime Commission]] invited the company to bid for a contract to build half of their order of 60 cargo ships. The company had no prior experience in [[shipbuilding]], but bid for the entire 60 ships.<ref name=Church1998 /><ref name=Baker2003>{{cite news |title=Bechtel's roots in Mideast / Lucrative projects date back to WWII |author=David R. Baker |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bechtel-s-roots-in-Mideast-Lucrative-projects-2618799.php#page-2 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=May 4, 2003 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref> Between 1941 and 1945, Bechtel's wartime shipyards, including [[Marinship]] and [[California Shipbuilding Corporation|Calship]], built 560 vessels. Bechtel also worked on a pipeline from the [[Yukon]] to [[Alaska]] called [[Canol pipeline|Canol]] for the [[United States Department of War]] during this period.<ref name=Pollack1989 />

Under Stephen Bechtel Sr., the company diversified its projects and expanded its work into other countries. The company also focused on [[turnkey]] projects, a concept Stephen Bechtel Sr. pioneered, in which Bechtel handled a project from planning and design through construction.<ref name=Church1998 /><ref name=Pollack1989>{{cite news |title=Stephen D. Bechtel Is Dead at 88; Led Major Construction Concern |author=Andrew Pollack |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/15/obituaries/stephen-d-bechtel-is-dead-at-88-led-major-construction-concern.html?pagewanted=print |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 15, 1989 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref><ref name=MiningEngineering1998>{{cite news |title=Bechtel Corp., Industry Partnership Award |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-36598333.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611070901/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-36598333.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 11, 2014 |work=[[Mining Engineering]] |date=November 1, 1998 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref>

Bechtel's first job outside the U.S. was building the Mene Grande pipeline in [[Venezuela]] in 1940. In 1947, Bechtel began construction on what was then the world's longest oil pipeline, the [[Trans-Arabian Pipeline]], which began in [[Saudi Arabia]], ran across [[Jordan]] and [[Syria]], and ended in [[Lebanon]],<ref name=Church1998 /><ref name=Baker2003 /><ref name=Vassiliou>{{cite book |title=The A to Z of the Petroleum Industry
|author=M. S. Vassiliou |year=2009 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Scarecrow Press]] |isbn= 978-0-8108-7066-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BdNjTbcB__0C&q=trans+arabian+pipeline+jordan+syria+bechtel&pg=PA512 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> followed by the [[Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline]] from Kirkuk, also to the Mediterranean.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=The Oil and Gas Journal |volume=50 |issue=35 |date=January 7, 1952 |title=I.P.C Line Pushed |page=52 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_oil-gas-journal_1952-01-07_50_35/page/52/mode/1up?q=%22Bechtel%22}}</ref> The company continued to expand globally throughout the 1940s, particularly in the [[Middle East]].<ref name=Pitta2003 /><ref name=Baker2003 />

In 1949, Bechtel began working with [[nuclear power]] after being contracted to build the [[Experimental Breeder Reactor I]] in [[Idaho]]. The company later built the United States' first privately financed commercial nuclear power plant, the [[Dresden Generating Station]], for [[Commonwealth Edison]] in [[Illinois]] in 1957.<ref name=Brunn2011 /><ref name=Menser1999>{{cite news |title=Bechtel, New Contractor at Idaho Lab, Has Strong Ties to Nuclear Industry |author=Paul Menser |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54816190.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323011713/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54816190.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 23, 2015 |work=[[Knight Ridder]] |date=June 4, 1999 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Wilson57">{{cite book |title=The Earth Changers |author1=Neill Wilson |author2=Frank Taylor |year=1957 |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |page=290 }}</ref>

Other major projects in the 1950s included the Trans Mountain Pipeline in 1952, an oil pipeline in [[Canada]], and a preliminary study for the [[English Channel]] in 1959.<ref name=Brunn2011 /><ref name=Pollack1989 /><ref name=Taylor1982>{{cite magazine |title=The Master Builders from Bechtel  |author=Alexander L. Taylor III |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925559,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=July 12, 1982 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> Bechtel also began engineering work on the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] (BART) system in 1959.<ref name=Brunn2011 /><ref name=Lubove1999 />

=== Megaprojects era ===
[[Stephen D. Bechtel Jr.]] took over for his father as president of the company as Stephen Bechtel Sr. retired in 1960.<ref name=Lubove1999 /><ref name="MiningEngineering1998" /><ref name=Rothman1991>{{cite news |title=The rebuilding of Bechtel: Riley Bechtel has made peace with his past and taken on the family job of doing the undoable |author=Matt Rothman |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T19676706087&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T19676706091&cisb=22_T19676706090&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=140610&docNo=8 |work=California Business |date=April 1, 1991 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> During the 1960s and 1970s, Bechtel was involved in constructing 40% of the nuclear plants in the United States.<ref name=Rothman1991 /> In 1968, the company completed the largest nuclear plant in the U.S. at the time, the [[San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station]], in California.<ref name="Wolf2010" /><ref name=Lindsay1982>{{cite news |title=Bechtel Group: training ground for Reagan Cabinet? |author=Leon Lindsay |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0707/070746.html/(page)/2 |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |date=July 7, 1982 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>
In 1972, Bechtel was involved in approximately 20% of all of the United States' new power-generating capacity.<ref name=MiningEngineering1998 /> By the end of the decade, the company had moved from nuclear power construction toward nuclear cleanup projects, including [[Three Mile Island accident|Three Mile Island]] in 1979.<ref name=Brunn2011 /><ref name=Rothman1991 />

Bechtel completed work on other megaprojects during the 1970s, including major airports in [[Saudi Arabia]] and the metro rail in [[Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project|Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="Brunn2011" /><ref name=Pollack1989 /> In 1976, the company began work on the industrial city of [[Jubail]] in Saudi Arabia. The company's multiple construction contracts helped to transform the area from a small village to a city with a population of over a quarter of a million people.<ref name=Pitta2003 /><ref name=Rothman1991 />

In the 1980s, Bechtel handled the project management of the 1984 [[1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles Summer Olympics]].<ref name=Deseret97>{{cite news |title=Bechtel team arrives to review Games plans |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600069/Bechtel-team-arrives-to-review-Games-plans.html?pg=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006095216/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600069/Bechtel-team-arrives-to-review-Games-plans.html?pg=all |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |work=[[Deseret News]] |date=December 11, 1997 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> The company also built the Ankara-Gerede Motorway in [[Turkey]] as part of the network of roadways linking [[Europe]] and [[Asia]] in 1986.<ref name=Hindley98>{{cite news |title=Continuity and change at the family firm |author=Angus Hindley |url=http://w3.nexis.com/new/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T19676632708&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T19676632712&cisb=22_T19676632711&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=140610&docNo=25 |work=[[MEED]] |date=March 20, 1998 |access-date=September 5, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714041228/http://www.nexis.com/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T19676632708&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T19676632712&cisb=22_T19676632711&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=140610&docNo=25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1987, Bechtel was awarded a contract for project management services of an undersea tunnel linking the [[United Kingdom|UK]] and [[France]] called the [[Channel Tunnel]] or "Chunnel". The tunnel was completed in 1994.<ref name=Wolf2010 /><ref name=railwaytechnology>{{cite web |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/channel-tunnel/  |title=Channel Tunnel, Strait of Dover, English Channel, United Kingdom |publisher=Railway-Technology |access-date=September 5, 2014}}{{unreliable source?|reason=domain on WP:BLACKLIST|date=August 2016}}</ref>

=== Increased business and visibility ===
The [[Early 1980s recession|recession of the 1980s]] turned the company's focus toward new areas of growth including environmental cleanup and alternative energy projects.<ref name=Rothman1991 /><ref name=Hayes1985>{{cite news |title=Big Builders Learn to Think Small |author=Thomas C. Hayes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/28/business/big-builders-learn-to-think-small.html?ref=bechtelgroup&pagewanted=all |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 28, 1985 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> In 1989 [[Riley P. Bechtel]] was named president of the company.<ref name=Lubove1999 />

In 1991, Bechtel, in a joint venture with [[Parsons Brinckerhoff]], broke ground on Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project or "[[Big Dig]]", a project the company had been in charge of since 1986.<ref name=Baker2006 /><ref name=Nelson03>{{cite news |title=Bechtel says report on overruns was unfair |author=Scott Bernard Nelson |url=http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/bechtel/022103_folo.shtml |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=February 21, 2003 |access-date=September 25, 2014}}</ref> The Big Dig was, at the time, the largest and most complex urban transportation project ever undertaken in the US. The 20-year project was critiqued for rising costs and increasing scope of work, as the Big Dig became more complex than was originally estimated. Criticism of the project increased in 2005 when a leak sprang in one of the new tunnels. In the summer of 2006, a faulty tunnel ceiling panel collapsed, killing a motorist.<ref name=Baker2006>{{cite news |title=Big Dig tragedy could stain Bechtel's name / Delays, cost overruns, leaks and now a death in Boston puts spotlight on S.F. construction giant -- and some of its other mammoth projects |author=David R. Baker |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Big-Dig-tragedy-could-stain-Bechtel-s-name-2492830.php#page-3 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=July 19, 2006 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> Litigation ensued, and in January 2008, Bechtel settled with federal and state officials for $352 million with other contractors involved paying smaller amounts.<ref name=Baker08>{{cite news |title=Bechtel, partner settle Big Dig lawsuit |author=David R. Baker |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Bechtel-partner-settle-Big-Dig-lawsuit-3230087.php |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=January 24, 2008 |access-date=September 9, 2014}}</ref>

As a result of the [[Gulf War]], Bechtel accepted the task of extinguishing oil well fires in [[Kuwait]] in 1991. This fire-suppression project was part of the effort to rebuild the infrastructure of Kuwait.<ref name=Lubove1999 /><ref name=Rothman1991 />

In 1994, Bechtel began work on the US$20 billion [[Airport Core Programme|Hong Kong Airport Core Programme]], which was the largest civil engineering project at the time and included a [[Hong Kong International Airport|new airport]] and nine other infrastructure projects.<ref name=Farley94>{{cite news |title=Asia : Hong Kong's New Airport Finally Gets Off Ground |author=Maggie Farley |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-02-mn-4094-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 2, 1994 |access-date=September 9, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Rowe11>{{cite book |title=Emergent Architectural Territories in East Asian Cities |author=Peter G Rowe |year=2011 |publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter]] |isbn= 978-3-0346-1059-9|page=84 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GeuaUWm7RbAC&q=bechtel&pg=PA84 |access-date=September 9, 2014}}</ref> Bechtel's other major projects during the 1990s included the [[Athens Metro]] system,<ref name=Church1998>{{cite magazine |title=Stephen Bechtel: Global Builder |author=George J. Church |url=https://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,989775,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=December 7, 1998 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref> the [[Atlantic LNG]] in [[Trinidad]],<ref name=Hindley98 /> the [[A1 (Croatia)|Croatian Motorway]],<ref name=Kosowatz02>{{cite news |title=Croatia Tries to Unlock Economy With Multibillion-Dollar Motorway |author=John J. Kosowatz |url=http://www.enr.com/articles/29758-croatia-tries-to-unlock-economy-with-multibillion-dollar-motorway?v=preview |work=[[Engineering News-Record]] |date=August 26, 2002 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> the [[Jubilee Line Extension]] for the [[London Underground]], Quezon Power Plant in the [[Philippines]],<ref name=PhilStar00>{{cite news |title=Quezon power plant soon to be operational |url=http://www.philstar.com/business/101319/quezon-power-plant-soon-be-operational |work=[[The Philippine Star]] |date=January 14, 2000 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> and a semiconductor plant in China.<ref name=AP1998>{{cite news |title=Massive public works projects featured at new exhibit |author=Randolph E. Schmid |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-19740384.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323011816/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-19740384.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 23, 2015 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=June 1, 1998 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Anderson2011>{{cite news |title=The private companies that drive the global economy |author=Richard Anderson |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12334757 |work=[[BBC]] |date=April 26, 2011 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=RT14>{{cite news |title=Bechtel completes phase 1 of Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/news/newsbechtel-completes-phase-i-of-dulles-corridor-metrorail-project-4253408 |work=Railway-Technology |date=April 28, 2014 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}{{unreliable source?|reason=domain on WP:BLACKLIST|date=August 2016}}</ref> Bechtel also managed design and construction of facilities for Olympic games: the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics]],<ref name=Deseret97 /> and the [[1998 Winter Olympics|Winter Games in Nagano, Japan]] in 1998.<ref name=Armstrong01>{{cite news |title=Firms Vie For Olympic Gold / U.S. companies see opportunities as Beijing prepares for 2008 games |author=David Armstrong |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Firms-Vie-For-Olympic-Gold-U-S-companies-see-2896823.php |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=July 26, 2001 |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> In the early 2000s, the company provided planning and management services for the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in [[Salt Lake City]].<ref name=Deseret97 /> In 2001, Bechtel was part of a consortium to project manage the US$4.3 billion construction of the CSPC Nanhai Petrochemicals Complex in [[China]].<ref name=CT>{{cite news |title=CSPC Petrochemical Complex, China |url=http://www.chemicals-technology.com/projects/nanhai/ |work=Chemicals-Technology |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref>

Several projects in the 2000s attracted controversy.<ref name=DavisMarch2003 /> In 2000, after a [[2000 Cochabamba protests|protest against water prices]] being raised by a utility partially owned by Bechtel in [[Bolivia]], the company pulled out of the country and later filed suit against Bolivia for $25 million in losses. The claim was settled in 2006 for $0.30.<ref name=DavisMarch2003 /><ref name=CorpWatch96>{{cite news |title=BOLIVIA: Bechtel Drops $50 Million Claim to Settle Bolivian Water Dispute |url=http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13144 |work=[[Environment News Service]] |date=January 19, 2006 |access-date=September 9, 2014 |archive-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213211154/https://corpwatch.org/article/bolivia-bechtel-drops-50-million-claim-settle-bolivian-water-dispute |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2001, Bechtel began work on the [[Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant]] at the [[Hanford site]] in [[Washington (state)|Washington state]].<ref name=Cary11>{{cite news |title=Building technologies developed at Hanford vit plant |author=Annette Cary |url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/11/25/1730597_building-technologies-developed.html?rh=1 |work=[[Tri-City Herald]] |date=November 25, 2011 |access-date=September 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006070451/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/11/25/1730597_building-technologies-developed.html?rh=1 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The project is a highly complex plant for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste that has employed new technologies and construction techniques that are the first of their kind. As of 2013, it is considered the most complex project in the US.<ref name=Cary11 /><ref name=Learn13>{{cite news |title=Sealed 'black cells' stall radioactive waste cleanup at Hanford nuclear reservation |author=Scott Learn |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/03/black_cells_behind_stalled_cle.html |work=[[The Oregonian]] |date=March 16, 2013 |access-date=September 25, 2014}}</ref>  Management of the project has been the subject of controversy including the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]]'s [[Inspector General]] reports and [[Government Accountability Office]] studies regarding rising costs, nuclear safety and quality, and whistleblower allegations. For example, in 2013 the DOE Inspector General concluded that "Bechtel determined that there was a systemic problem and a breakdown in controls over the review of design changes", but that the company had taken steps to correct the problems.<ref name="Mufson13">{{cite news |title=Bechtel failed to do safety checks at nuclear waste plant, Energy Department report says |last1=Mufson |first1=Steven |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bechtel-failed-to-do-safety-checks-at-nuclear-waste-plant-energy-department-report-says/2013/10/03/50e69782-2b8a-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 3, 2013 |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name=cpi>{{cite news|last=LaFlure|first=Rebecca|title=Hanford nuclear site clean-up: The mess gets worse|url=http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/18/21482804-hanford-nuclear-site-clean-up-the-mess-gets-worse?lite|access-date=January 24, 2014|newspaper=The Center for Public Integrity/NBC News|date=November 18, 2013}}</ref>

In 2003, Bechtel won a $680 million contract to begin rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq for [[United States Agency for International Development|U.S. Agency for International Development]]. The contract led to the company being accused of both non-competitive bidding and [[war profiteering]].<ref name=DavisMarch2003>{{cite news |title=Bechtel Target of Anti-War Protesters |author=Aaron Davis and Dana Hull |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-99317135.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323165835/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-99317135.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 23, 2015 |work=[[Knight Ridder]] |date=March 28, 2003 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> Bechtel won a competitively-bid second contract in January 2004,<ref name=Janofsky04>{{cite news |title=Bechtel Wins Its Second Big Contract for Iraq|author=Michael Janofsky |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/07/world/struggle-for-iraq-reconstruction-bechtel-wins-its-second-big-contract-for-iraq.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 7, 2004 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref> and completed 97 of 99 task orders of the contract, returning the two remaining projects due to the escalating security concerns in the country.<ref name=Sawyer06>{{cite news |title=Bechtel Speaks About Work in a War Zone |author=Tom Sawyer and Andrew G. Wright |url=http://www.enr.com/articles/35628-bechtel-speaks-about-work-in-a-war-zone?v=preview |work=[[Engineering News-Record]] |date=October 30, 2006 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref>

Following [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005, Bechtel was one of four companies hired by [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]] to build temporary housing.<ref name=Baker2006 /> Bechtel delivered over 35,000 trailers in under a year for displaced residents in [[Mississippi]], though the company was criticized by officials and in the media for the cost and quality of work.<ref name=Kaye2007>{{cite news |title=Controversy Continues over Post-Katrina Spending on Trailers |author=Jefferey Kaye |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather-jan-june07-katrina_04-09/ |work=[[PBS]] |date=April 9, 2007 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}</ref>

In 2007, Bechtel began work on the [[A3 motorway (Romania)|Romanian A3 motorway (Autostrada Transilvania)]] and Albanian motorways. Bechtel and the Romanian National Roads Authority jointly agreed on a settlement to end the contract for works on the Autostrada Transilvania in 2013. The Albanian Motorway was opened to traffic in 2010 on schedule.<ref name=Rogers14>{{cite news |title=Romania offers $450m to the contractor who'll finish its road to nowhere |author=David Rogers |url=http://www.globalconreview.com/markets/romania-offers-450m-finish-road-nowhere/ |work=Global Construction Review |date=June 6, 2014 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Koleka07>{{cite news |title=Highway set to bring Albania and Kosovo closer |author=Benet Koleka |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-albania-kosovo-link-idUSL261003820070628?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=June 28, 2007 |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006065841/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/06/28/us-albania-kosovo-link-idUSL261003820070628?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other major projects at the end of the 2000s included the twinning of the [[Tacoma Narrows Bridge]] in [[Washington (state)|Washington]] state,<ref name=Carson07>{{cite news |title=At last, it's good to go |author=Rob Carson |url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2007/07/15/110260/at-last-its-good-to-go.html |work=[[The News Tribune]] |date=July 15, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006114720/http://www.thenewstribune.com/2007/07/15/110260/at-last-its-good-to-go.html |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Jamnagar Refinery]] expansion in [[India]],<ref name=GI08>{{cite news |title=Sohar Aluminium pours first hot metal |url=http://www.gulfindustryonline.com/news/6795_Sohar-Aluminium-pours-first-hot-metal.html |work=Gulf Industry Online |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> [[EG LNG|Equatorial GuineaLNG]],<ref name=HT>{{cite news |title=Equatorial Guinea LNG Project, Bioko Island, Punta Europa, Equatorial Guinea |url=http://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/bioko-lng/
|work=Hydrocarbons-Technology |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> and [[Oak Creek Power Plant]] in [[Wisconsin]].<ref name=Neville10>{{cite news |title=Top Plant: Oak Creek Power Plant, Elm Road Units 1 and 2, Milwaukee and Racine Counties, Wisconsin |author=Angela Neville, JD |url=http://www.powermag.com/top-plant-oak-creek-power-plant-elm-road-units-1-and-2-milwaukee-and-racine-counties-wisconsin/ |work=Power Magazine |date=October 1, 2010 |access-date=August 21, 2014}}</ref>

=== 2000 Bolivian water privatization, rate increase and violence ===
{{Main|Cochabamba Water War}}
After years of unreliable water supply and 40% water loss in the city of [[Cochabamba]], Bolivia, the [[World Bank]] pressured Bolivia to put SEMAPA (the Cochabamba water utility) up for auction without funding. Bechtel and others formed a consortium named "Aguas del Tunari" (Water of Tunari – a local regional term) to file a bid to the city of [[Cochabamba]], Bolivia in 1999. Bechtel was a 27% partner and [[Abengoa S.A.]] of [[Spain]] was a 25% partner. This bid was in response to the increasing pressure from the [[World Bank]], which had funded and extended water supply projects for the country of [[Bolivia]], to privatize the water utility of Cochabamba. With the strings attached in 1995, and the World Bank participating in draft bids in 1997, the Aguas del Tunari consortium were the only bidders for the auction. The bid was accepted, under pressure of the World Bank and the conditions of their loans to Bolivia. The terms were ratified in the often-cited Law 2029 by the legislative body of Bolivia, however largely it had previously been accepted and influenced by local governments. Under the terms, Bechtel and the consortium immediately raised water pricing 35% and after the first month they had raised the price for water to the residents by almost 60% and in other parts much higher. The Bechtel consortium contract claimed harvesting of rainwater violated its contract essentially monopolizing the supply of water to millions of people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BOLIVIA: Bechtel Drops $50 Million Claim to Settle Bolivian Water Dispute {{!}} corpwatch |url=https://www.corpwatch.org/article/bolivia-bechtel-drops-50-million-claim-settle-bolivian-water-dispute |access-date=September 12, 2022 |website=www.corpwatch.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How Bolivians Fought For — and Won — Water Access for All |url=https://www.ucpress.edu/blog/58831/how-bolivians-fought-for-and-won-water-access-for-all/ |access-date=September 12, 2022 |website=UC Press Blog |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FRONTLINE/WORLD . Bolivia – Leasing the Rain . The Story {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bolivia/thestory.html |access-date=September 12, 2022 |website=www.pbs.org}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Lymphoblasts More Than 50 Percent of Bone Marrow Nucleated Cells |date=February 2, 2020 |work=Definitions |publisher=Qeios |doi=10.32388/2vtcpi |s2cid=240681878 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sangha |first=Sukhpal Kaur |title=Uncovering the Bolivian Water War 15 Years Later |url=https://natoassociation.ca/uncovering-the-bolivian-water-war-15-years-later/ |access-date=September 12, 2022 |website=NAOC |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bolivians end foreign-owned water privatization in Cochabamba 'Water War', 2000 {{!}} Global Nonviolent Action Database |url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/bolivians-end-foreign-owned-water-privatization-cochabamba-water-war-2000 |access-date=September 12, 2022 |website=nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu}}</ref> Water became one fifth of the average person's expenses and protests erupted. Protests were met with a cold shoulder response by Bechtel expressing they would simply cut-off water to those who did not pay. Further protests were enhanced when agricultural sectors realized the bylaws allowed Bechtel and the consortium rights to rain water as well, which was assumed to mean they could no longer collect rain water.<ref name="Tale of Three Cities">World Bank:[http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/oed/oeddoclib.nsf/docunidviewforjavasearch/ee95ee729b8a87cb85256bad0066c3a4/$file/precis_222.pdf Bolivia Water Management: A Tale of Three Cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719150002/http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/oed/oeddoclib.nsf/docunidviewforjavasearch/ee95ee729b8a87cb85256bad0066c3a4/$file/precis_222.pdf |date=July 19, 2011}}, Operations Evaluation Department Précis, Spring 2002, Number 222, retrieved on March 19, 2022</ref><ref name="New Yorker">{{cite news|title=Leasing The Rain|first=William|last=Finnegan |date=April 8, 2002|magazine=The New Yorker|url=http://www.waterobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=33711 |access-date=February 15, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929151555/http://www.waterobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=33711 |archive-date=September 29, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Violence between protesters and police resulted in the burning of government buildings and hundreds of injured within the first days of the conflict. The local governments of [[Manfred Reyes Villa]] (mayor) and Jose Pepe Orias (prefect or governor) resigned. The contract was ultimately abandoned, for which Bechtel in February 2021 demanded settlement. The aftermath of the violence was destruction of public property in downtown Cochabamba paid for by taxpayers, the death of one civilian, restitution by the government, and hundreds of injured police, military personnel, and protestors. A movie titled ''[[Even the Rain]]'' with actor [[Gael García Bernal]] depicts a historical fiction story set in this time. The conflict became known as the [[Cochabamba Water War]].<ref name="Tale of Three Cities" /><ref name="New Yorker" />