As part of the plan to employ local Iraqi civillians, these bases were built by and managed by local Iraqi contractors. Specificationss were given but were altered to accomidate the need to use locals. As a result, structures were built by and to Iraqi standards. There were also inspected by Iraqi inspectors. KBR has some of the contracts for sensitive areas but not for the whole thing. The Iraqis use widow maker water heaters which are the reason for the electrocutions. We hired them and they built what they were used to.

It sells papers to report that KBR is there and to sensationalize the whole affair, but the problem lies in the fact that we used Iraqi’s and their standards.