KNOXVILLE (AP) — An attorney is asking the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review the Tennessee Valley Authority's new whistleblowing program before it's implemented.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports attorney Billie Garde filed a letter Tuesday saying TVA fired some of its nuclear employee whistleblowing program managers. Garde represents the managers. She says the move is designed to stop safety complaints and silence workers.

TVA's Chief Nuclear Officer Tim Rausch says the whistleblower program is being improved after worker complaints and other criticism. He says the managers weren't fired but don't qualify for the new positions within the overhauled program. Rausch says they are being offered other positions within the utility.

TVA has three nuclear plants: Browns Ferry in Athens, Alabama; Sequoyah in Soddy-Daisy; and Watts Bar in Spring City.