Hanford Site
A DOE-EM site in Washington state and the nation’s largest nuclear cleanup project, home to millions of gallons of high-level radioactive tank waste and the Waste Treatment Plant built to vitrify it.
-
Budget & Policy
House spending bill reflects nearly-complete construction of big projects
Key environmental construction projects are nearly complete at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state and its Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and that’s reflected in a House Appropriations funding plan for fiscal 2025. The budget proposal, details of which House appropriators released Monday in a bill report, was scheduled to be marked up […]
-
Transuranic Waste
Wrap up: Hanford crews empty 21st tank; WIPP hits 14,000 shipments; WIPP sets town hall
Workers at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state recently finished removing 346,000 gallons of radioactive and chemical waste from Tank AX-101, the 21st single-shell tank to be emptied at Hanford, DOE said this week. The retrieval project was completed by June, DOE said in a Tuesday press release. Amentum-led contractor Washington River […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Ecology posts demo permit for 2,000-gallon test bed, challenge possible
The Washington state Department of Ecology in June formally signed off on a Department of Energy plan to solidify into a concrete-like grout up to 2,000 gallons of low-level liquid radioactive waste from the Hanford Site. Filtering of cesium and other radionuclides, what DOE calls pretreatment, will happen onsite at the former plutonium production complex, […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Hanford guards ask federal court to force arbitration before HMIS labor pact ends
The security guard’s union at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state accuses Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions in court papers of trying to run out the clock on the existing labor contract without first resolving an overtime dispute. Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS), the DOE landlord contractor, has twice canceled arbitration sessions […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Longtime Amentum exec Covert retires at Hanford
Bruce Covert, a longtime executive with Amentum and its predecessors, who held many senior jobs across the Department of Energy’s weapons complex, retired June 30, the company confirmed Tuesday. Covert in May announced he would retire as deputy general manager at Amentum-led Waste Treatment Completion Co. He will be succeeded by another longtime senior manager […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Hanford landlord appoints acting COO
Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, the contractor for roads, grounds and essential infrastructure-related chores at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, appointed Todd Synoground acting chief operations officer. Synoground, listed as senior vice president of infrastructure and site services on the contractor’s website, will step in as acting operations chief with Amy Basche moving up […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Ecology posts demo permit for 2,000-gallon test bed, challenge possible
The Washington state Department of Ecology in June formally signed off on a Department of Energy plan to solidify into a concrete-like grout up to 2,000 gallons of low-level liquid radioactive waste from the Hanford Site. Filtering of cesium and other radionuclides, what DOE calls pretreatment, will happen onsite at the former plutonium production complex, […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Hanford landlord appoints acting COO
Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, the contractor for roads, grounds and essential infrastructure-related chores at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, appointed Todd Synoground acting chief operations officer. Synoground, listed as senior vice president of infrastructure and site services on the contractor’s website, will step in as acting operations chief with Amy Basche moving up […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Washington Ecology publishes comments, nears test-bed demo permit
In June, the Washington state Department of Ecology published its 85-page response to public comments about the Department of Energy’s plans to solidify 2,000 gallons of low-level radioactive waste at the Hanford Site in a concrete-like grout. The state’s public response to the comments checks one of the last boxes prior to issuance of the […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Central Plateau Cleanup president to be succeeded by Hanford landlord boss
The head of an Amentum-led cleanup prime at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site is leaving and will be replaced by the top executive of the Leidos-led landlord contractor at the former plutonium production complex in Washington state. In a Monday press release, Central Plateau Cleanup President John Eschenberg said he was leaving the remediation […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Hanford-area environmental groups not shocked by slip in cold commissioning
Two citizen groups in Washington state that track the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site said Friday they were not surprised to see a delay in cold commissioning of the multibillion-dollar plant to turn liquid radioactive waste into glass. DOE said last week it expects to miss the Aug. 1 target for starting cold commissioning, which […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
BWXT-led winner of Hanford liquid waste contract withdraws appeals court action
A BWX Technologies-led joint venture that twice won a $45-billion liquid waste contract at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, last week withdrew its 2023 case with a federal appeals court, seemingly clearing the way for a U.S. Federal Claims Court to again rule on a contract challenge by the losing bidder. According to online […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
BWXT-led winner of Hanford liquid waste contract withdraws appeals court action
A BWX Technologies-led joint venture that twice won a $45-billion liquid waste contract at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, Friday withdrew its 2023 case with a federal appeals court, seemingly clearing the way for a U.S. Federal Claims Court to again rule on a contract challenge by the losing bidder. According to online court […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Hanford-area environmental groups not shocked by slip in cold commissioning
Two citizen groups in Washington state that track the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site said Friday they were not surprised to see a delay in cold commissioning of the multibillion-dollar plant to turn liquid radioactive waste into glass. DOE said last Thursday it expects to miss the Aug. 1 target for starting cold commissioning, which […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Central Plateau Cleanup president leaving, Hanford landlord boss stepping in
The head of an Amentum-led cleanup prime at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site is leaving and will be replaced by the top executive of the Leidos-led landlord contractor at the former plutonium production complex in Washington state. In a Monday press release, Central Plateau Cleanup President John Eschenberg said he was leaving the remediation […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
DOE signals four-month delay in cold commissioning for Hanford waste treatment plant
The Department of Energy expects to miss a legally binding Aug. 1 milestone for starting cold commissioning, making glass from non-radioactive liquid, at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant at the Hanford Site in Washington state. DOE’s site manager for the former plutonium production complex, Brian Vance, told the Washington Department of Ecology of the […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Oak Ridge, Paducah RFPs could be out over summer; EM revs up EVs; Kunkle starts at LANL
Two final Department of Energy small business solicitations, one for technical support at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee and another for a landlord contract at the Paducah Site in Kentucky, could be released as early as July, the agency said Thursday. In a June 20 online notice, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said final […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Parties in $45B contract battle make arguments in closed-door hearing with claims judge
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge held a closed-door hearing June 14 but had yet to issue a decision in a legal fight over a potential $45-billion Department of Energy contract for emptying liquid waste tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state. In a Washington, D.C. courtroom, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge […]
-
Contracts & Procurement
Innovative wins $8.3M contract to handle workers comp at DOE Hanford Site
The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state has awarded an $8.3 million contract to California-based Innovative Claim Solutions to run the workers compensation processing program at the nuclear cleanup site. DOE procurement managers at Hanford said in a Monday press release that Innovative Claims has won a potential five-year contract to be the […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Weapons complex site managers wrestle with tech, workforce issues
ARLINGTON, VA — Contractor and federal managers from across the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons complex are using technology to help predict issues from workplace accidents to infrastructure failure, these people said at a meeting here Tuesday. Using technology to help school new hires on potential hazards in a nuclear workplace is important amid the […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Parties in $45B contract battle make arguments in closed-door hearing with claims judge
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge held a closed-door hearing Friday but had yet to issue a decision in a legal fight over a potential $45-billion Department of Energy contract for emptying liquid waste tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state. In a Washington, D.C. courtroom, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Marian […]
-
Contracts & Procurement
Innovative wins $8.3M contract to handle workers comp at DOE Hanford Site
The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state has awarded an $8.3 million contract to California-based Innovative Claim Solutions to run the workers compensation processing program at the nuclear cleanup site. DOE procurement managers at Hanford said in a Monday press release that Innovative Claims has won a potential five-year contract to be the […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Orders for electric vehicles, chargers ramp up at DOE cleanup sites
The Department of Energy nuclear cleanup office placed orders for 219 zero-emissions vehicles in fiscal 2024, which accounts for 89% of the total throughout the department, the Office of Environmental Management at the agency said last week. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management has to date also installed a total of 120 charging ports, the department […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Judge sets closed-door hearing in $45B DOE Hanford contract battle
A federal judge will soon hear arguments in a Washington, D.C., courtroom in litigation over a $45-billion Department of Energy liquid-waste contract at the Hanford Site in Washington state. According to online court documents, a “sealed” or closed proceeding on June 14, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Marian Blank Horn will consider cross-motions for […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap up: Second melter makes Hanford test glass; SRS empties tank; Adams named to North Wind post
Bechtel National has made its second batch of test glass at the Department of Energy’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant at the Hanford Site in Washington state, the company said in various social media posts. “Our team poured molten clean test glass into a container from Melter 2 for the first time,” Bechtel said in […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
‘Keith Richards might be dead by then,’ King says of best-case Hanford scenario
When pressed during a Senate hearing to say when the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state might be cleaned up, William (Ike) White, longtime DOE Environmental Management acting boss, said a “best-case” might be 2060. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who chairs the Senate Armed Forces Committee’s Strategic Forces subcommittee, appeared surprised by White’s […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
‘Keith Richards might be dead by then,’ King says of best-case Hanford scenario
When pressed during a Senate hearing to say when the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state might be cleaned up, William (Ike) White, longtime DOE Environmental Management acting boss, said a “best-case” might be 2060. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who chairs the Senate Armed Forces Committee’s Strategic Forces subcommittee, appeared surprised by White’s […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
September 2025 trial date set for Hanford landlord contractor
A federal judge in eastern Washington has scheduled a September 2025 jury trial in the Department of Justice’s case accusing a Leidos-led joint venture of false billing for fire prevention work at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. Barring settlement or good cause for delay, U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian plans to commence the trial […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
September 2025 trial date set for Hanford landlord contractor
A federal judge in eastern Washington has scheduled a September 2025 jury trial in the Department of Justice’s case accusing a Leidos-led joint venture of false billing for fire prevention work at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. Barring settlement or good cause for delay, U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian plans to commence the trial […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap up: Hanford backs DOE research into WIPP backup; Prep work advances for Oak Ridge landfill; Nevada lawmakers seek to snuff out any Yucca revival; more
The Department of Energy’s Hanford Advisory Board for the nuclear cleanup site in Washington state, wants the feds to start looking for a second underground disposal site for defense-related transuranic waste —just in case. DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, N.M., is permitted by the New Mexico Environment Department to continue disposing of […]




