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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High-Level & Tank Waste
Hanford WTP turns 100,000 gallons of waste into glass form
The Department of Energy and its construction manager for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) said Tuesday the facility has now vitrified 100,000 gallons of liquid tank waste into a solid glass form. “Each gallon of immobilized waste brings us closer to a cleaner, safer environment and revitalized community,” Brian Hartman, WTP project director […]
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Budget & Policy
Newhouse defends $2.8B Hanford funding level in committee proposal
While the House Appropriations Committee proposes to spend less in fiscal 2027 for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site than in fiscal 2026, or what was requested by the White House, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) said there is still enough to meet cleanup milestones. During a committee markup, Newhouse, the longtime incumbent who represents Washington’s […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Environmental Management brain drain grew worse in 2025, GAO finds
Staffing vacancies in key positions at the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) have grown more acute, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report made public Tuesday. The office in charge of nuclear cleanup at Cold War and Manhattan Project sites “has become further understaffed since GAO reported on EM’s workforce […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE, N3B plan public briefing on Los Alamos chromium plume
The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup field office at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and its environmental contractor will conduct a presentation Wednesday on the hexavalent chromium plume during the Los Alamos County, N.M., Department of Public Utilities Board meeting. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and contractor Newport News Nuclear-BWXT Los Alamos will discuss the […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP receives 55 TRU shipments in April, most since September
Shipments to the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) appear to be back in full swing, with the facility receiving 55 waste shipments in April. That’s the highest total since the 61 shipments of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste that WIPP received in September 2025. It was also higher than the 47 it received […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Naval reactor office could save billions partnering with EM, but risk involved, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Naval Reactors could save billions of dollars and 15 years of cleanup time partnering with the Office of Environmental Management to clean up retired nuclear propulsion facilities, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A report from the agency last week said the Office of Naval Reactors, which is responsible […]
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Transuranic Waste
Idaho makes first remote-handled TRU shipment to WIPP in years
The Department of Energy said Tuesday the Idaho National Laboratory recently made its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste to DOE’s underground disposal site in New Mexico for the first time since 2014. Workers from Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition made the remote-handled transuranic waste shipment on April 21, according to DOE. The shipments […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Naval reactor office could save billions partnering with EM, but risk involved, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Naval Reactors could save billions of dollars and 15 years of cleanup time partnering with the Office of Environmental Management to clean up retired nuclear propulsion facilities, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A report from the agency last week said the Office of Naval Reactors, which is responsible […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
N3B to remain on Los Alamos cleanup job until 2028
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has exercised its second two-year option period with the Huntington Ingalls Industries-led legacy cleanup contractor at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a DOE spokesperson confirmed Monday. As a result, Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) will stay on the job through April 29, 2028, the spokesperson […]
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Budget & Policy
House Appropriations bill passed, proposes less than Trump for EM
The House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee passed by voice vote the fiscal 2027 funding bill that would give the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management $7.7 billion, according to a summary of the Energy & Water legislation. That figure would represent less than the almost $8.2 billion proposed by the administration of President […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE executives field Senate Armed Services nuclear cleanup questions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tim Walsh, the Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, told a Senate panel Wednesday that his office is serious about solidifying tank waste at the DOE’s Hanford State in Washington state. Walsh appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee alongside Secretary of Energy Chris Wright as well as National Nuclear […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Ted Wyka retiring in June; NNSA ships HALEU from Japan; Amentum communications exec to retire; more
Ted Wyka, the manager at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos Field Office, is retiring at the end of June, sources told the Exchange Monitor at a hearing in Santa Fe, N.M. Prior to his manager role, Wyka was NNSA’s principal deputy associate administrator for safety, infrastructure and operations, and NNSA’s cognizant secretarial officer […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE executives field Senate Armed Services nuclear cleanup questions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tim Walsh, the Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, told a Senate panel Wednesday that his office is serious about solidifying tank waste at the DOE’s Hanford State in Washington state. Walsh appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee alongside Secretary of Energy Chris Wright as well as National Nuclear […]
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Transuranic Waste
Idaho makes first remote-handled TRU shipment to WIPP in years
The Department of Energy said Tuesday the Idaho National Laboratory recently made its first shipment of remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste to DOE’s underground disposal site in New Mexico for the first time since 2014. Workers from Amentum-led contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition made the remote-handled transuranic waste shipment on April 21, according to DOE. The shipments […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Oak Ridge advisory board seeks new members
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is inviting interested residents of several East Tennessee counties to apply for openings on the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board. The DOE-sanctioned advisory board provides the Office of Environmental Management (EM) with advice and recommendations on cleanup of the DOE’s Oak Ridge Site, the […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Amentum earnings rise thanks to favorable trends
Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, which the engineering and technology company attributed to favorable trends in its key business lines. Amentum announced its earnings in a Monday press release, followed by a conference call with Wall Street analysts Tuesday morning. Amentum’s earnings slide deck is also posted online […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
N3B to remain on Los Alamos cleanup job until 2028
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has exercised its second two-year option period with the Huntington Ingalls Industries-led legacy cleanup contractor at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a DOE spokesperson confirmed Monday. As a result, Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) will stay on the job through April 29, 2028, the spokesperson […]
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Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Naval reactor office could save billions partnering with EM, but risk involved, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Naval Reactors could save billions of dollars and 15 years of cleanup time partnering with the Office of Environmental Management to clean up retired nuclear propulsion facilities, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A report from the agency last week said the Office of Naval Reactors, which is responsible […]
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Reindustrialization & Redevelopment
Environmental Management awards $5-million grant to SRS reuse group
The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch said Friday it is awarding a $5-million non-competitive grant to the Savannah River Site (SRS) Community Reuse Organization in North Augusta, S.C. The grant from DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), spread over five years, is for the Workforce Opportunities in Regional Careers program, DOE said in a […]
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Contracts & Procurement
AtkinsRéalis reorganizes U.S. nuclear biz
AtkinsRéalis Group said Friday it is revamping its nuclear business in the United States, by setting up two operating divisions to better align with accelerating demand across the federal and commercial nuclear markets. “Jack Craig, Jr. will serve as senior vice president of Federal Services, where he will lead our federal nuclear portfolio, including our […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Eldercare for old facilities costing EM more nowadays, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) has plenty of facilities that are more than a half-century old and, since fiscal 2020, the cost of upkeep has more than doubled to $950 million yearly, according to a government watchdog. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Tuesday it is recommending several improvements to the […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
Hanford crews remove waste from 23rd old underground tank
The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office said Friday May 1 that crews have finished emptying radioactive waste from the 23rd underground storage tank at the Hanford Site in Washington state. The work is part of a long-running effort to move waste from old leak-prone single shell tanks to newer double-shell tanks. Hanford Tank Waste […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Final SRS, Hanford cleanups remain far into future
While the head of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), Tim Walsh, has publicly expressed hopes of accelerating cleanup of Cold War and Manhattan Project sites, no speedup is reflected in a fiscal 2027 budget justification. The estimated final remediation of the Hanford Site in Washington state is currently forecast to fall […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Legacy Management scientist, engineer promoted
The Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management (LM) said this week it has promoted both a scientist and engineer to new positions. In a Monday press release, LM reported that Physical Scientist Nicole Olin has been promoted to LM’s team lead for LM-25, which includes Environmental, Health, Safety and Quality programs The safety and […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Final SRS, Hanford cleanups remain far into future
While the head of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), Tim Walsh, has publicly expressed hopes of accelerating cleanup of Cold War and Manhattan Project sites, no speedup is reflected in a fiscal 2027 budget justification. The estimated final remediation of the Hanford Site in Washington state is currently forecast to fall […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Eldercare for old facilities costing EM more nowadays, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) has plenty of facilities that are more than a half-century old and, since fiscal 2020, the cost of upkeep has more than doubled to $950 million yearly, according to a government watchdog. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Tuesday it is recommending several improvements to the […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
Hanford crews remove waste from 23rd old underground tank
The Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup office said Friday May 1 that crews have finished emptying radioactive waste from the 23rd underground storage tank at the Hanford Site in Washington state. The work is part of a long-running effort to move waste from old leak-prone single shell tanks to newer double-shell tanks. Hanford Tank Waste […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
EM recycling program would have access to Advanced Test reactor fuel
The foray into spent fuel recycling by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) will take advantage of used nuclear fuel (UNF) from a test reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. That is according to material issued with the request for applications (RFA) announced April 22. DOE’s Environmental Management and Nuclear Energy (NE) […]
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Budget & Policy
Justification offers details of $8.2 billion EM request
A 437-page justification for the Donald Trump administration’s request for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management adds more detail on White House priorities for nuclear cleanup. Overall, the roughly $8.2 billion Environmental Management (EM) budget would be $386 million less than the $8.56 billion enacted by Congress for fiscal 2026, according to the […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE eyes artificial intelligence to help nuclear cleanup; other budget notes
The Department of Energy’s $8.2 billion budget request for its nuclear cleanup branch would help support everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to new emergency facilities. That is among the tidbits emerging from the DOE Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) 437-page budget justification posted online last week. DOE said an initiative, the AI Research and Development […]









