National Laboratories

The Energy Department yesterday issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNOV) to UT-Battelle, LLC, which could result in a more than $130,000 fine for violations of DOE worker safety and health regulations, according to a DOE press release. “DOE proposes civil penalty of $131,250 based on the safety significance of the violations and in consideration […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/12/2015 The Department of Energy’s Office of Enforcement plans to investigate Los Alamos National Security and National Security Technologies for “losses of contamination control of highly enriched uranium” at the Nevada National Security Site, according to two letters released this week. The incidents occurred at NNSS’s National Criticality Experiments Research Center […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/12/2015 The new Transuranic Waste Facility under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory is on track to be completed ahead of schedule and on cost, a Department of Energy review has found. The new facility is intended to process newly generated transuranic waste at Los Alamos. A DOE Construction Project Review […]

Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 6/12/2015 After five months of often tense contract negotiations, SOC-Los Alamos, the protective forces subcontractor for Los Alamos National Laboratory, has reached an agreement with labor union International Guards Union of American Local 69. This week, union members voted to ratify a five-year contract that includes the retirement benefits the union […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 6/12/2015 The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management is on track to release in the coming weeks its plans for new cleanup procurements at Los Alamos National Laboratory, EM Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Project Management Jack Surash said at a Business Opportunity Forum EM held this week. DOE […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management is on track to release its plans in the coming weeks for cleanup procurements at Los Alamos National Laboratory, EM Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Project Management Jack Surash said at his quarterly Business Opportunity Forum. DOE is in the process of breaking out cleanup work […]

After five months of often tense contract negotiations by Los Alamos National Laboratory protective force workers, SOC-Los Alamos the lab’s protective force subcontractor, has reached an agreement with labor union International Guards Union of American Local 69. Yesterday union members voted to ratify a five-year contract that includes the retirement benefits it had sought and […]

The Department of Energy will investigate Los Alamos National Security and National Security Technologies for “losses of contamination control of highly enriched uranium” at the Nevada National Security Site, according to two letters of intent to investigate released by the DOE’s Office of Enforcement yesterday. The incidents occurred at NNSS’s National Critical Experiments Research Center […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 Sandia National Laboratories committed six violations of the Department of Energy’s classified information security requirements and is facing a proposed penalty of more than half a million dollars, according to a Preliminary Notice of Violation the DOE Office of Enforcement released this week. The security concern, discovered at SNL’s New […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 The White House has come out in opposition to sections of the Senate version of the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act that would impose restrictions on retirements of nuclear-capable bombers and increase the funding cap for Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) programs at the Energy Department’s national laboratories. With […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory is facing a proposed fine of $247,500 and must take corrective action to address “three violations of DOE classified information security requirements” and an incident of “high safety significance” that resulted in chlorine exposure for five workers, according to two separate Preliminary Notices of Violation released […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/5/2015 Oak Ridge National Laboratory managing contractor UT-Battelle has reached an agreement with the Department of Energy to pay $112,500 and complete a set of corrective actions following an investigation of radiation exposure among seven workers at a lab facility last August. The DOE Office of Enforcement announced this week that […]

Sandia National Laboratories committed six violations of the Department of Energy’s classified information security requirements and faces a $577,500 penalty, according to a Preliminary Notice of Violation released yesterday by the DOE’s Office of Enforcement. The security concern, discovered at SNL’s New Mexico site in July 2012, involved the unauthorized disclosure of classified information in […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory is facing a proposed fine of $247,500 and must take corrective actions to address “three violations of DOE classified information security requirements” and an incident of “high safety significance” that resulted in chlorine exposure for five workers, according to two separate Preliminary Notices of Violation released yesterday by the Department of […]

UT-Battelle has reached an agreement with the Department of Energy to pay $112,500 and complete a set of corrective actions following an investigation of radiation exposure among seven workers at an Oak Ridge National Laboratory facility last August. The DOE’s Office of Enforcement announced yesterday that the contractor agreed to a Consent Order issued last […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Bill Vantine has been named the next President and CEO of LATA, effective Aug. 1.  He will replace Bob Kingsbury, who is retiring after more than 35 years at LATA. “I’ve had a good long career here,” Kingsbury told WC Monitor late this week. “I think he [Vantine] will do […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 The Senate Armed Services Committee is proposing to increase the funding cap for Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) programs at the Energy Department’s national laboratories. Currently, the maximum percentage of lab funding that can be apportioned for special projects is 6 percent. The Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2016 […]

Spallation Neutron Source Now Operating ‘Reasonably Well’ NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 While the Spallation Neutron Source has had some rocky times over the past year, including a period last fall in which two target vessels failed prematurely back to back, in a more reason status report, operations chief Kevin Jones – who directs the accelerator division […]

AREVA Wins Subcontract to Help Address Leaking ORNL Reactor Pool WC Monitor 5/22/2015 AREVA has received a $2.8 million subcontract from URS-CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) to support efforts to resolve a leaking reactor pool at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and retrieve and dispose of highly radioactive components stored in the pool at the old research […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 To aid nonproliferation efforts, the National Nuclear Security Administration would be directed to establish a new “Uranium Science Institute” under the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, reported out of committee this week. The bill would provide a total of $426.8 million for the […]

Lockheed Martin Contract Extended Through April 2017 Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/22/2015 The long-awaited procurement for the next contract to manage Sandia National Laboratories is moving forward, with the National Nuclear Security Administration releasing this week a sources sought notice and announcing plans to extend Lockheed Martin’s current contract for Sandia by another year. The […]

The long awaited procurement for the Sandia National Laboratories M&O procurement is scheduled to be awarded by April 2017, as the National Nuclear Security Administration released a sources sought notice yesterday and announced it will extend by another year Lockheed Martin’s contract to run the Lab. NNSA plans to conduct a full and open competition […]

Alutiiq Professional Training, LLC, an 8(a) Alaskan Native Corporation based in Anchorage, has received an $11.3 million support services contract with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office. The performance period of the contract is about five years, and the work will include financial pricing review; general office administration; technical editing/writing; tracking and quality control […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 Sandia National Laboratories Director Paul Hommert announced this week that he plans to retire in mid-summer. “The process to name my successor is well underway and will be complete in time to support a smooth leadership transition,” he said in a release. “The timing for my retirement is consistent with […]

Los Alamos Guards Union Looks to Resume Contract Talks Next Week NS&D Monitor 5/15/2015 Talks appear set to resume next week on a new collective bargaining agreement for protective force workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, though the union representing the protective force workers is not optimistic an “acceptable” economic package will be reached. The […]

Talks appear set to resume next week on a new collective bargaining agreement for protective force workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, though the union representing the protective force workers is not optimistic an “acceptable” economic package will be reached. The International Guards Union of America Local 69 broke off talks with the lab’s protective […]

Sandia National Laboratories Director Paul Hommert announced yesterday that he plans to retire in mid-summer. “The process to name my successor is well underway and will be complete in time to support a smooth leadership transition,” he said in a release. “The timing for my retirement is consistent with commitments made to the Sandia Board […]

In the latest twist in the negotiations between Los Alamos National Laboratory and its protective force workers on a new collective bargaining agreement, International Guards Union of America Local 69 announced late last week that its members had unanimously voted “no confidence” in SOC-Los Alamos’ ability to manage the lab’s security contract. The move came […]

DOE Convenes Separate Accident Investigation Board Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/8/2015 The Department of Energy had already launched an investigation into the electrical systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory after several incidents occurred prior to this week’s electrical accident there that left one worker seriously injured and eight others seeking medical treatment. The May 3 […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/8/2015 After nearly two years of talks with Nevada officials regarding disposal of a batch of uranium-233 from Oak Ridge at the Nevada National Security Site, the Department of Energy is moving ahead with the shipments by conducting a trial run this week.  DOE had originally hoped to complete in 2013 […]