Office of Environmental Management (EM)

The chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy and Water wants to see the Department of Energy’s nuclear-related programs receive as much money as realistically possible during a period of government cutbacks. “I want to see the most robust budgets that we can — understanding that we are in tight fiscal times,” Rep. Chuck […]

The Department of Energy has circulated its own Deferred Resignation Plan, akin to the Office of Personnel Management’s earlier “Fork in the Road” initiative, and responses are due Tuesday April 8, according to a Monday memo from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The new DOE buyout is spawned by President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive […]

A virtual public meeting is scheduled April 30 on a proposal to build a facility to analyze, store and process transuranic and mixed low-level wastes at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. DOE’s Hanford Field Office and the Washington state Department of Ecology will hold the briefing at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time. […]

The Department of Energy’s $8-billion Office of Environmental Management last week posted an updated organizational chart that now shows longtime federal supervisor Dae Chung as the acting head of the branch. Chung’s formal title, according to the chart posted March 26, is acting principal deputy assistant secretary. Chung was made the acting chief a few […]

The Department of Energy has circulated its own Deferred Resignation Plan, akin to the Office of Personnel Management’s earlier “Fork in the Road” initiative, and responses are due Tuesday April 8, according to a Monday memo from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. The new DOE buyout is spawned by President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive […]

The Department of Energy cleanup contractor at the Idaho National Laboratory continues to find more old drums of transuranic waste with leaks and corrosion problems at the lab’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, according to a safety board. The issue was cited in a regular report on Idaho National Laboratory (INL) remediation work by the […]

John (Jay) Mullis finished his federal career last week as the Department of Energy’s manager for nuclear cleanup at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, with deputy Eric Olds stepping in as the acting boss. The transition was confirmed via email Monday by a spokesperson for DOE. Exchange Monitor first reported the Mullis retirement plans […]

The pending departure of the Department of Energy’s top manager for nuclear cleanup at the Hanford Site in Washington state as well as federal layoffs at site, concern the head of the advocacy group Hanford Challenge. In a Friday email response to Exchange Monitor the executive director of Seattle-based Hanford Challenge said he was caught […]

President Donald Trump has nominated a trio of officials to lead key Department of Energy branches serving the weapons complex, although as of mid-week Senate committees had not scheduled confirmation hearings on any of them. All three would report to the already confirmed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Exchange Monitor will update the nominees’ progress […]

The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory is shopping around for industry partners to invest between $5 million and $10 million in an “incubator” for startup businesses aimed at areas such as nuclear energy and cyber security. In exchange for the seed investment, the startups would gain access to Idaho National Laboratory’s “world-class facilities and […]

President Donald Trump has nominated a trio of officials to lead key Department of Energy branches serving the weapons complex, although as of mid-week Senate committees had not scheduled confirmation hearings on any of them. All three would report to the already confirmed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Exchange Monitor will update the nominees’ progress […]

The manager of the Department of Energy’s largest and most expensive nuclear cleanup property announced Wednesday he is leaving the department. “After much consideration, I have made the very difficult decision to resign as Hanford Field Office manager, effective on April 24, 2025,” said Brian Vance, Hanford Site manager in a Wednesday memo to site […]

Two former high-ranking members of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch who took some variant of the White House’s buyout program say on social media they are open to new professional opportunities. Candice Robertston, the recent former head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), as well as Mike Budney, former EM operations boss […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is accepting public comments between now and April 23 on plans to grout some of the less-radioactive waste from the 200 West Area. The draft analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act looks at DOE’s plans to pretreat tank waste from the 200 West Area and […]

A Department of Energy advisory board on nuclear cleanup at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina this week welcomed Edwin DeShong III as interim manager of the remediation field office. . Phyllis Britt, who chairs the Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board (CAB), acknowledged DeShong’s promotion from deputy manager of the Environmental Management […]

Substantial demolition of the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York state is winding down, the top manager for a Department of Energy contractor told the West Valley Citizen Task Force meeting Tuesday. Jason Casper, president of the current contractor, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, said workers are wrapping […]

A Department of Energy advisory board on nuclear cleanup at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina this week welcomed Edwin DeShong III as interim manager of the remediation field office. . Phyllis Britt, who chairs the Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board (CAB), acknowledged DeShong’s promotion from deputy manager of the Environmental Management […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is accepting public comments between now and April 23 on plans to grout some of the less-radioactive waste from the 200 West Area. The draft analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act looks at DOE’s plans to pretreat tank waste from the 200 West Area and […]

The Citizen Task Force for the West Valley Demonstration Project holds a hybrid meeting Wednesday starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Ashford, N.Y. Registration information is available online for those seeking to watch remotely via Zoom.   A report on the ongoing remediation by the current contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley will be presented […]

Two former high-ranking members of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch who took some variant of the White House’s buyout program say on social media they are open to new professional opportunities. Candice Roberston, the recent former head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), as well as Mike Budney, former EM operations boss […]

24: Earnings call: Oklo reports on financial results in an earnings call with analysts scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific Time, 5 p.m. Eastern Time.  26: A federal court hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. ET in Baltimore on a potential preliminary injunction request that could put restrictions on future mass reductions in force at the […]

Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup field bosses and top brass faced a Friday March 21 deadline to review existing contracts and recommend which ones should be retained, tweaked or terminated, according to an Office of Environmental Management memo. This “review of covered contracts and grants” is implemented under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14222, according […]

PHOENIX —The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee is an example of where  remediation successfully cleared the way for new nuclear and other business ventures, an Amentum executive told the Waste Management Symposia here last week. The former Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion “plant has been transformed into a clean, modernized, multi-use industrial park, […]

The Department of Energy and its Office of Environmental Management is rehiring many probationary employees laid off in recent government downsizing by the Donald Trump administration, sources said this week. DOE and Environmental Management did not immediately reply to an email Friday morning seeking confirmation and no hard numbers were available. The workers are being […]

Work crews at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California will soon start removing the concrete slab from the site of Building 251, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Tuesday. Once the slab is gone, Building 251 or the Heavy Elements Facility will become available for future work by DOE and its […]

Work crews at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California will soon start removing the concrete slab from the site of Building 251, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Tuesday. Once the slab is gone, Building 251 or the Heavy Elements Facility will become available for future work by DOE and its […]

In response to a recent environmental report, Santa Fe County commissioners reportedly plan to raise concerns about impacts of a potential expansion of the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory on regional resources. According to an article last week in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, the county commissioners are preparing to respond to […]

Work crews at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California will soon start removing the concrete slab from the site of Building 251, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Tuesday. Once the slab is gone, Building 251 or the Heavy Elements Facility will become available for future work by DOE and its […]

Local development officials in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state remain cautiously optimistic a major new solar power project envisioned for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site will happen despite a change in administrations. Officials at DOE and the Chicago-based developer, Hecate Energy, both declined comment last week. Also last week, Roger Jarrell, a DOE […]

Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup field bosses and top brass have until Friday to review existing contracts and recommend which ones should be retained, tweaked or terminated, according to an Office of Environmental Management memo. This “review of covered contracts and grants” is implemented under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14222, according to the March […]