Hanford Site

ARLINGTON, VA — After earlier trouble scrubbing liquid radioactive waste down to levels acceptable for solidification, the Hanford Site has produced more than 550,000 gallons of compliant waste, a federal official said here at an industry gathering. That is the beginning of a batch of roughly 800,000 gallons of compliant waste that the site wants […]

A federal advisory panel heard Tuesday the Department of Energy’s top manager at the Hanford Site in Washington state still expects to start making test glass in November from a simulant designed to mimic low-level radioactive tank waste. DOE site manager Brian Vance told the Hanford Advisory Board cold commissioning of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste […]

A federal judge on Monday ruled that a team led by BWX Technologies should keep the long-term, multibillion-dollar liquid waste contract twice awarded to it by the Department of Energy. The ruling was made under seal, so the judge’s reasoning in the case, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, was not public as […]

The Department of Energy is bidding adieu to its Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office in Washington state effective Oct. 1, DOE’s manager for the Hanford Site said Tuesday. “We are going to be the Hanford Field Office, it’s going to be a new name,” Vance told the Hanford Advisory Board Tuesday evening. […]

The Department of Energy should not move Hanford Site liquid radioactive waste through Spokane, Wash., on its way to disposal sites in Texas or Utah, the mayor of Spokane told the Hanford Advisory Board Wednesday  “I am quite concerned about the plan to transport liquid waste through our city,” enroute to Waste Control Specialists in […]

The Department of Energy is bidding adieu to its Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office in Washington state effective Oct. 1, DOE’s manager for the Hanford Site said Tuesday. “We are going to be the Hanford Field Office, it’s going to be a new name,” Vance told the Hanford Advisory Board Tuesday evening. […]

A federal advisory panel heard Tuesday the Department of Energy’s top manager at the Hanford Site in Washington state still expects to start making test glass in November from a simulant designed to mimic low-level radioactive tank waste. DOE site manager Brian Vance told the Hanford Advisory Board cold commissioning of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste […]

A federal judge on Monday ruled that a team led by BWX Technologies should keep the long-term, multibillion-dollar liquid waste contract twice awarded to it by the Department of Energy. The ruling was made under seal, so the judge’s reasoning in the case, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, was not public as […]

Hanford stabilized its final reactor basin in August, meaning all the water has been removed and the empty pool has been filled with grout. Hanford’s K West reactor is the last one to be cleaned out, its outlying buildings demolished and to be sealed off. The site has nine shuttered reactors dating back to World […]

Hanford stabilized its final reactor basin in August, meaning all the water has been removed and the empty pool has been filled with grout. Hanford’s K West reactor is the last one to be cleaned out, its outlying buildings demolished and to be sealed off. The site has nine shuttered reactors dating back to World […]

A federal claims court judge held a closed- door hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday Aug. 28 with litigants in a dispute over a $45-billion liquid waste contract at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Marian Blank Horn set the hearing for 11 a.m. Eastern Time […]

A federal claims court judge plans a closed- door hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday Aug. 28 with litigants in a dispute over a $45-billion liquid waste contract at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Marian Blank Horn set the hearing for 11 a.m. Eastern Time […]

A Department of Energy assessment during April and May found longstanding concerns over fire suppression systems at the Hanford Site in Washington state have still not been fixed, according to a recent report. Oversight of technical safety measures “are not adequate to ensure that safety significant FSSs [fire suppression systems] at the Central Waste Complex […]

The Department of Energy confirmed Thursday that “more likely than not” another underground tank at the Hanford Site in Washington state is leaking radioactive waste. “Based on conservative estimates, it has been determined that T-101 is more likely than not leaking a small amount of contamination to the soil beneath the tank,” DOE managers at […]

The Department of Energy and its contractor in charge of the Hanford’s Site’s 222-S Laboratory in Washington state have not determined the source of a mysterious odor that prompted workers to take cover Monday, according to a DOE spokesperson. Around 11 a.m. Pacific Time Monday, workers at the laboratory and its support facilities, were told […]

The Department of Energy’s tank waste contractor at the Hanford Site in Washington state is installing gear for the planned Test Bed Initiative where about 2,000 gallons of liquid radioactive waste will be shipped out of state for disposal in a concrete-like grout form. DOE contractor Washington River Protection Solutions  is installing in-tank pretreatment equipment, […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee wants the Department of Energy to help New Mexico pay for improving roads to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and also keep eye on contamination under a decaying building at the Hanford Site in Washington state. These are a couple of recommendations the Senate panel made in its report about the […]

Here is a look at how far five Department of Energy nuclear-weapon sites have come in the year since the agency announced a drive to repurpose underutilized land for clean energy generation. DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy Project launched in July 2023. It was DOE’s way of meeting President Biden’s (D) Executive Order calling on […]

A federal district court judge in Washington state last week formally approved giving the Department of Energy four more months to start cold commissioning of a facility to turn some of the less radioactive waste at the Hanford Site into a solid glass form. The prior deadline was Thursday Aug. 1 for startup of cold […]

The landlord contractor overseeing roads, grounds and daily services at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state told employees Tuesday the executives acting as president and chief operations officer are now the permanent bosses. Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) Amy Basche as president and chief operations officer Todd Synoground “have been confirmed […]

The president and CEO of Lynchburg, Va.,- based BWX Technologies said Monday he expects a legal protest over a potential $45-billion Department of Energy liquid waste contract will be “sorted out” within a few months. Rex Geveden offered his take on the court battle over the Integrated Tanks Contract at the Hanford Site in Washington […]

Here is a look at how far five Department of Energy nuclear-weapon sites have come in the year since the agency announced a drive to repurpose underutilized land for clean energy generation.  DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy Project launched in July 2023. It was DOE’s way of meeting President Biden’s (D) Executive Order calling on […]

The landlord contractor overseeing roads, grounds and daily services at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state told employees Tuesday the executives acting as president and chief operations officer are now the permanent bosses. Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) Amy Basche as president and chief operations officer Todd Synoground “have been confirmed […]

The president and CEO of Lynchburg, Va.,- based BWX Technologies said Monday he expects a legal protest over a potential $45-billion Department of Energy liquid waste contract will be “sorted out” within a few months. Rex Geveden offered his take on the court battle over the Integrated Tanks Contract at the Hanford Site in Washington […]

A federal district court judge in Washington state last week formally approved giving the Department of Energy four more months to start cold commissioning of a facility to turn some of the less radioactive waste at the Hanford Site into a solid glass form. The prior deadline was Thursday Aug. 1 for startup of cold […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee wants the Department of Energy to help New Mexico pay for improving roads to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and also keep eye on contamination under a decaying building at the Hanford Site in Washington state. These are a couple of recommendations the Senate panel made in its report about the […]

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management would receive $8.4 billion in fiscal 2025, under the Energy and Water appropriations bill rolled out Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee, more than House appropriators sought. The figure is less than the nearly $8.5-billion appropriated by Congress for fiscal 2024, which ends Sept. 30, but more […]

The Leidos-led landlord contractor at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is shopping for a subcontractor to provide office and warehouse space at the former plutonium production site. Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) on Tuesday put out a request for proposals on an Information Management Field Support Services Replacement Facility at the […]

The Department of Energy’s $8-billion nuclear cleanup office needs better oversight of contractors doing big, expensive infrastructure projects, according to a federal audit released Wednesday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) wants DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) to better monitor performance “and hold contractors accountable,” according to the new report. “GAO reviewed five selected EM […]

An amended Department of Energy competition for a $45-billion liquid waste contract permitted bidders with gaps in their federal procurement registration, the company twice awarded the work argued last week in court.  That fact alone should sink the losing bidder’s claim that the DOE award should be thrown out because of a ruling in a […]