Office of Environmental Management (EM)
DOE’s Office of Environmental Management runs the cleanup of Cold War nuclear weapons production sites, the largest environmental remediation program in the world. Coverage tracks EM budgets, contract awards, tank waste treatment, and site closure milestones across Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, Idaho, Portsmouth, and Paducah.
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Decommissioning
EM prime ready to demolish more aging Oak Ridge structures
The Department of Energy is continuing its own brand of urban renewal at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, with plans to tear down more dilapidated, contaminated structures. In a Tuesday news release, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and its Amentum-led prime United Cleanup Oak Ridge announced plans to demolish aging infrastructure at the Oak […]
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Vitrification & Grout
DOE issues Critical-Decision 4 supporting WTP operations
The Department of Energy has issued a decision to clear the way for a multi-billion-dollar plant to start turning radioactive sludge into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement late Wednesday she was glad DOE […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
It’s official: Bradburne now sits atop EM org chart
A new org chart from the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management makes it official – longtime DOE hand Joel Bradburne now heads the $8-billion nuclear cleanup branch. The new chart lists Bradburne, most recently manager of the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, as acting assistant secretary of Environmental Management, or EM-1. The chart dated Sept. […]
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Decommissioning
EM prime ready to demolish more aging Oak Ridge structures
The Department of Energy is continuing its own brand of urban renewal at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, with plans to tear down more dilapidated, contaminated structures. In a Tuesday news release, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and its Amentum-led prime United Cleanup Oak Ridge announced plans to demolish aging infrastructure at the Oak […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
Hanford waste moved to double-shell tank
Crews at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state have relocated 430,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and chemical waste from an old single-shell underground tank into a newer double-shell one, DOE said Tuesday. BWX Technologies-led contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C) oversaw the transfer to a newer double-shell tank from Single-Shell […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Cantwell latest to tell DOE not to waver on Hanford WTP
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is the latest official from her state to urge Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to stick with an Oct. 15 target for starting to convert radioactive sludge at the Hanford Site in a stable glass form. In a Senate floor statement on Friday Sept. 12 should not be “walking back” the […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP received 55 TRU waste shipments in August
The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico received 55 waste shipments in August. That’s slightly more than the 50 shipments sent to the facility in August 2024, and the 48 WIPP received in July. The figures are according to DOE’s public website for the underground salt mine disposal site. Of […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Coming Up:
Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 16: Meeting: The Portsmouth Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory meets in person starting at 6 p.m. Eastern Time at The Ohio State University, Endeavor Center, 1862 Shyville Road, Room 165, Piketon, Ohio 45661. 17: Virtual meeting: The Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wash. governor vows to use court order should DOE back out of WTP
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) said Friday his state won’t hesitate to enforce an existing federal court order if the Department of Energy attempts to cancel a multibillion-dollar plant designed to vitrify liquid radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site into a solid glass form. Ferguson, along with the head of the Washington state Department […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Wrap Up: BWXT taps new strategy officer; Urenco USA starts up new cascade; DOE invests in labs; NWTRB reschedules meeting; more
Rik Geiersbach was just appointed chief strategy officer for BWX Technologies and will report directly to CEO Rex Geveden, the nuclear fuel company announced Monday on its website. “As chief strategy officer, Rik will lead the development, execution and integration of BWXT’s enterprise strategy and merger and acquisition initiatives,” Geveden said in the release. “His […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Paducah, Portsmouth getting new cold box systems for DUF6
The Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Paducah Project Office and a contractor are installing a new system meant to cut downtime at depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) plants The current DUF6 conversion process makes use of small vacuum pumps to take out residual uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from heated cylinders, DOE said in a Sept. 2 press release. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Jarrell out at DOE nuclear cleanup branch
Roger Jarrell II has parted company the Department of Energy and as a result is no longer the top federal supervisor at the Office of Environmental Management, DOE confirmed Monday afternoon. Jarrell, the principal deputy assistant secretary for Environmental Management, or EM2, “is no longer with the department,” a spokesperson for DOE headquarters said in […]
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Budget & Policy
NDAA passes House with five nuclear amendments, Senate still loitering
The House passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 231-to-196 Wednesday, after two days of debating around 300 amendments. Four Republicans voted against the bill, while one did not vote. Meanwhile, 17 Democrats voted for the bill, while four did not vote. The House version would authorize $7 billion for Defense […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Knerr steps up to acting manager post at Portsmouth/Paducah
Veteran nuclear cleanup executive Reinhard Knerr is now acting manager of the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Paducah Project Office (PPPO) in Lexington, Ky. PPPO manager Joel Bradburne has moved up to acting head of its Office of Environmental Management (EM) as of Wednesday following the departure of Roger Jarrell. With Bradburne’s new posting, the Portsmouth […]
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Data Centers & Energy Demand
DOE seeks data center proposals for Idaho National Lab
The Department of Energy has published a request for application seeking deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and power generation projects at its Idaho National Laboratory site. Applicants will be responsible for constructing, operating and decommissioning each infrastructure project and must secure utility interconnection agreements for new electricity generation and storage systems, according to […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Justice urges court to throw out Riverkeeper’s Hanford FOIA case
The U.S. Department of Justice, representing the Department of Energy, this week urged a federal magistrate in Oregon to throw out a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by Columbia Riverkeeper. Columbia Riverkeeper sued DOE in mid-June in the U.S. District Court of Oregon alleging FOIA violations over the Joe Biden administration’s Cleanup to […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
PPPO boss Bradburne steps in at EM; Murray puts hold on Walsh
After an eventful couple of days, the Department of Energy turned to a longtime nuclear cleanup boss to serve as acting head of its Office of Environmental Management (EM) following the departure of Roger Jarrell. At the same time, the senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations, Patty Murray of Washington, said she has placed a […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE, N3B to hold Wednesday forum on Los Alamos cleanup
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and its legacy cleanup contractor will hold a public meeting starting at 5 p.m. Mountain Time Wednesday. Speakers from DOE and environmental prime Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, LLC (N3B) will discuss remediation at the Los Alamos National Laboratory site in New Mexico. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Justice urges court to throw out Riverkeeper’s Hanford FOIA case
The U.S. Department of Justice, representing the Department of Energy this week urged a federal magistrate in Oregon to throw out a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by Columbia Riverkeeper. Columbia Riverkeeper sued DOE in mid-June in the U.S. District Court of Oregon alleging FOIA violations over the Joe Biden administration’s Cleanup to […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wash state officials balk at talk of WTP cancellation; Energysec says nothing has changed
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued a statement Tuesday seeking to knock down speculation DOE might cancel the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) weeks before it is scheduled to start converting some radioactive waste into glass at the Hanford Site. “Contrary to news reports, the Department of Energy has made no changes to its […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Jarrell out at DOE nuclear cleanup branch
Roger Jarrell has left the Department of Energy and as a result is no longer the top federal supervisor at the Office of Environmental Management, DOE confirmed Monday afternoon. Jarrell, the principal deputy assistant secretary for Environmental Management, or EM2, “is no longer with the department,” a spokesperson for DOE headquarters said in an email […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Paducah, Portsmouth getting new cold box systems for DUF6
The Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Paducah Project Office and a contractor are installing a new system meant to cut downtime at depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) plants The current DUF6 conversion process makes use of small vacuum pumps to take out residual uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from heated cylinders, DOE said in a Sept. 2 press release. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Coming Up:
Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: September 10: Hybrid meeting: The DOE Site-Specific Advisory Board for the Nevada National Security Site meets starting at 4 p.m. Pacific Time at Molasky Corporate Center, 15th Floor Conference Room, 100 North City Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106. 16: Meeting: The Portsmouth […]
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Budget & Policy
House energy and water apps bill trimming EM passes by single vote
In a nail-biting finish, the House passed its version of the fiscal 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations bill on the floor Thursday 214-213 after two days of debate and amendments. The House bill would curb Department of Energy nuclear remediation funding by about three-quarters of a billion dollars. The four Republicans that voted against the […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Current waste treatment deals end in December
The Department of Energy’s current orders for national low-level and mixed low-level commercial waste treatment are scheduled to expire Dec. 3, according to a DOE Office of Environmental Management website. The nuclear cleanup office announced last week it has awarded five-year basic ordering agreements for five companies: EnergySolutions; Perma-Fix Environmental Services; Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE interested in small contractors for Hanford work
The Department of Energy said last week it will shop around for qualified small businesses capable of doing general support service work at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. The DOE Office of Environmental Management published a sources sought notice Aug. 26 on Sam.gov and on the Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center website. The DOE […]
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Transuranic Waste
DOE could extend UCOR at Transuranic Waste Center
The Department of Energy’s cleanup field office at the Oak Ridge Site intends to modify its current deal with United Cleanup of Oak Ridge (UCOR) for more transuranic waste processing and treatment at the Tennessee complex. “The services include the safe, compliant, and cost-effective operations and maintenance of the Melton Valley Solid Waste Storage Facilities […]
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Transuranic Waste
DOE could extend UCOR at Transuranic Waste Center
The Department of Energy’s cleanup field office at the Oak Ridge Site intends to modify its current deal with United Cleanup of Oak Ridge (UCOR) for more transuranic waste processing and treatment at the Tennessee complex. “The services include the safe, compliant, and cost-effective operations and maintenance of the Melton Valley Solid Waste Storage Facilities […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE interested in small contractors for Hanford work
The Department of Energy said last week it will shop around for qualified small businesses capable of doing general support service work at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. The DOE Office of Environmental Management published a sources sought notice Aug. 26 on Sam.gov and on the Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center website. The DOE […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Current waste treatment deals end in December
The Department of Energy’s current orders for national low-level and mixed low-level commercial waste treatment are scheduled to expire Dec. 3, according to a DOE Office of Environmental Management website. The nuclear cleanup office announced last week it has awarded five-year basic ordering agreements for five companies: EnergySolutions; Perma-Fix Environmental Services; Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal […]








