National Laboratories

DOE Awards Contract for Los Alamos Scope Planning  WC Monitor 5/8/2015 The Department of Energy this week awarded a contract to IEI-PEC, JV, for scope planning at the Office of Environmental Management’s Los Alamos Field Office.  EM is currently standing up a new field office at Los Alamos and is the midst of planning a […]

DOE Holds ‘Productive’ Talks With Regulators on Mercury Facility WC Monitor 5/8/2015 A settlement to the dispute over a new mercury-treatment facility at Y-12 could be on the way following an April 21 meeting with environmental regulators that a Department of Energy spokesman termed “productive.” Representatives from the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management in Oak […]

DOE Convenes Separate Accident Investigation Board Kenneth Fletcher NS&D 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, which left one worker seriously injured and eight others seeking medical treatment. The May 3 […]

Mike Nartker NS&D Monitor 5/8/2015 Talks on a new collective bargaining agreement between Los Alamos National Laboratory and its protective force workers ran into a significant roadblock this week, with International Guards Union of American Local 69 breaking off talks after accusing the lab’s protective force subcontractor, SOC-Los Alamos, of negotiating “in bad faith.” The […]

Talks on a new collective bargaining agreement between Los Alamos National Laboratory and its protective force workers ran into a significant roadblock yesterday, with International Guards Union of American Local 69 breaking off talks after accusing the lab’s protective force subcontractor, SOC-Los Alamos, of negotiating “in bad faith.” The union has accused SOC-Los Alamos of […]

After nearly two years of talks with Nevada official 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 the first shipments of the […]

One Los Alamos National Laboratory worker is in critical condition and eight other workers sought medical treatment after an incident at an electrical substation Sunday. The workers were burned during preventative maintenance operations at an electrical substation at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The accident "resulted in a serious burn injury to an employee. […]

The Department of Energy late last week issued draft evaluation criteria (Section M) and instructions to offerors (Section L) for the planned procurement for a new contract to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. According to the draft evaluation criteria, “Strategic Vision for ORISE as a DOE Institute,” “Leadership, Management, and Direction” […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/1/2015 The Department of Energy and the New Mexico Environment Department this week reached a $73 million settlement in lieu of fines related to violations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The settlement funds will go to a number of community and environmental projects near WIPP […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/1/2015 Work on a new cleanup project to bring down structures at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Old Town Section should soon begin once documentation preparation is completed, officials said in April. The Lab’s Old Town section covers seven buildings totaling approximately 56,000 gross square feet and four concrete slabs remaining from […]

More Mediation in Lab Age Discrimination Case Scheduled for Next Week NS&D Monitor 5/1/2015 Another round of mediation is scheduled next week between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and lawyers for 130 laid off employees, but this time, the mediator will be different. The two sides have brought in mediator Jeff Ross to preside over the […]

Another round of mediation is scheduled between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and lawyers for 130 laid off employees for next week, but this time, the mediator will be different. The two sides have brought in mediator Jeff Ross to preside over the May 7 session after two days of talks mediated by David Rotman earlier […]

Lab, Guards Union Agree to Extend Bargaining Talks by 60 Days NS&D Monitor 4/24/2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory and its protective force workers will have another two months to hash out a new collective bargaining agreement after the lab and union agreed to a 60-day extension to the labor deal late this week, NS&D Monitor […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 4/24/2015 International Isotopes announced this week that it has entered into contracts for most of the cobalt-60 that will be produced under an agreement with the Department of Energy to use the Advanced Test Reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. The contracts would yield quarterly progress payments to the company […]

Abby L. Harvey GHG Monitor 4/24/2015 Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a new system of artificial photosynthesis, which could potentially utilize CO2 captured from flue gas to create useful chemicals. The process requires little energy or feedstock to run, requiring only sunlight, water and CO2 and in turn […]

Details Failures by WIPP and Los Alamos Contractors and DOE Oversight Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 4/17/2015 After nearly a year of focusing on the root causes of the 2014 radiological release at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Department of Energy’s Accident Investigation Board released a report this week declaring the release “preventable” and detailing […]

Rep. Pearce Has ‘Deep Concerns’ With Breidenbach’s Link to 2011 Incident Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 4/17/2015 The choice of Idaho National Laboratory’s Phil Breidenbach as the next head of Nuclear Waste Partnership , the managing contractor for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, is being met with questions this week given his link to a previous […]

Los Alamos Issues Sources Sought for Chromium Injection Wells WC Monitor 4/17/2015 Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking companies able to drill and install six groundwater wells as part of a pump-and-treat system to address the Lab’s chromium groundwater plume, according to a sources sought notice posted this week. The subcontract award is expected to […]

Solicitation Expected to Be Reissued Later Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 4/17/2015 The Department of Energy canceled last week the solicitation for a contractor to assist in the movement of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors to an unidentified national laboratory. After questions emerged from vendors about the scope of work, DOE decided to pull […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/17/2015 The collective bargaining agreement between Los Alamos National Laboratory and its protective force workers expires next week, and with negotiations deadlocked, the lab is readying a contingency force that would take over security at the lab once the current deal expires. The agreement between International Guards Union of American Local […]

No Settlement in Age Discrimination Lawsuit NS&D Monitor 4/17/2015 There could be a third trial in the long-running age discrimination case involving Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory after two mediation sessions ended inconclusively last week. LLNL officials and lawyers for 130 workers laid off from the lab met twice with mediator David Rotman last week but […]

The collective bargaining agreement between Los Alamos National Laboratory and its protective force workers expires next week, and with negotiations deadlocked, the lab is readying a contingency force that would take over security at the lab once the current deal expires. The agreement between International Guards Union of American Local 69 and lab protective force […]

Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking companies able to drill and install six groundwater wells as part of a pump-and-treat system to address the Lab’s chromium groundwater plume, according to a sources sought notice posted yesterday. The subcontract award is expected to be in place by Aug. 30, with readiness activities in September and the […]

The Department of Energy last week ?canceled ?the solicitation for a contractor to assist in the movement of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors to an unidentified national laboratory. DOE blamed the cancelation on “external circumstances.” “DOE regrets having to take this action; however, this decision was necessary due to external circumstances,” the notice said. The […]

NNSA Says ‘Considerable Time’ Needed to Resolve TRU Facility Analyses WC Monitor 4/10/2015 The National Nuclear Security Administration expects to take “considerable time” resolving issues with the documented safety analyses at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s facility for loading transuranic waste before allowing operations to restart, the agency said in a recent letter to the Defense […]

Savannah River National Lab Named Safest National Lab in DOE Complex WC Monitor 4/10/2015 Savannah River National Lab has been ranked as the safest lab among the 15 in the Department of Energy complex, SRNL announced this week, receiving the distinction in 10 of the past 11 years. The lab had a 2014 rate of […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/10/2015 The Department of Energy made this week the third and final award under a supercomputer collaboration, awarding a $200 million contract for a supercomputer to be built at Argonne National Laboratory. The supercomputer, dubbed “Aurora,” will be built by Intel and Cray, and is expected to reach peak speeds of […]

Livermore Age Discrimination Lawsuit Mediation Ongoing This Week NS&D Monitor 4/10/2015 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory officials and lawyers for 130 workers laid off from the lab in 2008 ended an initial mediation session this week without a settlement in the long-running case. A third trial involving a new subset of the employees—10 scientists and engineers […]

NS&D Monitor 4/10/2015 IN CONGRESS Rep. Chuck Fleischmann has been named the vice chairman of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, giving the Tennessee Republican more clout on the powerful panel. Fleischmann’s district includes the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other Oak Ridge Department of Energy facilities, and he’s been […]

Five-Year Contract Extension for ORNL Finalized NS&D Monitor 4/3/2015 UT-Battelle, which has managed Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2000, has signed a new five-year contract with the Department of Energy. ORNL Director Thom Mason confirmed March 30 that the extension had been signed. The existing contract was due to expire April 1. DOE announced in late 2013 its […]