Budget & Policy

A new report from the Government Accountability Office raises questions about large carryover balances in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation program, though NNSA is strongly countering the GAO’s conclusions. “From fiscal years 2006 through 2010, only about half of the total annual funds available to the DNN programs were costed, or expended, […]

The budgetary pressure facing the nation shouldn’t alter the Obama Administration’s $88 billion plan to modernize the nation’s nuclear arsenal and weapons complex, one of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s biggest backers told NW&M Monitor late last week. In a wide-ranging interview that will be publishhed in its entirety Friday, Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), the […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will be required to employ an Inspector General under the Fiscal Year 2012 Omnibus Appropriations Act approved by Congress late last week. For FY 2012-2013, the Board would be required to enter into an agreement with the IG of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and then would be directed to […]

Members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation announced over the weekend that they plan to introduce legislation that would pave the way for $150 million in R&D funding for USEC’s American Centrifuge Plant through a combination of reprogramming funds and selling uranium tails. USEC warned it may have to demobilize the Ohio project if it does not […]

A former member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is urging lawmakers to conduct an independent audit of the Board, saying that it has “ignored its obligation to conduct its business in such a way that the public can witness and judge its performance.” In a letter sent last week to senior lawmakers, obtained […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup for Jan. 18 on the “Energy and Revenue Enrichment Act,” which was authored by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and would require the Department of Energy to establish a pilot program to re-enrich a portion of its inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride tails. The proceeds from […]

Sparked in part by a Department of Energy Inspector General report on management challenges at DOE, Congressional appropriators are pushing to merge the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Congressional Affairs with similar functions within the Department. Registering concern with “overlap and duplication” between NNSA’s Office of Congressional Affairs, the Department of Energy’s Office of […]

Thank you for supporting us this year during the maiden voyage of Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. Today’s edition is the last one of the 2011—we’ll be closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day—and the next briefing will be waiting for you on the morning of Jan. 3. Until then, happy holidays to you and yours. […]

The Energy Communities Alliance, which represents local communities near Department of Energy sites, has elected a new board of directors. Oak Ridge, Tenn. Mayor Tom Beehan was elected as ECA Chairman. Other Board members include Vice-Chairman Councilman Chuck Smith, Aiken County, S.C.; Secretary Commissioner Roxanne Lara, Eddy County, N.M.; and Treasurer Councilor Fran Berting, Los […]

Investments at the Y-12 National Security Complex to improve conduct of operations at the plant could be jeopardized by another lingering safety issue at the plant, according to a recent letter from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to the National Nuclear Security Administration. In a Dec. 29 letter made public this week, DNFSB Chairman […]

The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant would be funded at an annual level of $740 million going forward under a new approach close to being finalized within the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, WC Monitor has learned. The impacts of the new funding profile on the project remain unclear, but a DOE review conducted […]

Here’s a look at a few events worth noting this week:  The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will announce whether it is moving the minute hand on its famous “Doomsday Clock” at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The Bulletin moved the minute hand on the clock, which it uses to represent how close the world is to […]

According to what WC Monitor has learned, the White House has quietly begun anew its search for an Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management nominee, a position a most thought would be filled by David Huizenga after he was brought over from the National Nuclear Security Administration in July to take the reigns of the cleanup […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has cancelled a markup that was scheduled to be held next week on a bill sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) that would require the Department of Energy to establish a pilot program to re-enrich a portion of its inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride tails. As a result, the […]

The decision by the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management not to release Performance Evaluation Review data has drawn the attention of Congress, and Hill staffers expect the issue to receive increased attention over the next year. NNSA has shielded the reviews from public release since 2009, citing […]

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is offering details on his position on the Yucca Mountain repository, telling South Carolina media this week that states should be refunded if Nevada rejects the repository. “I think the people in Nevada should be given an offer with a financial incentive to take the nuclear waste, and if they […]

Reacting to a plan in which USEC would provide low-enriched uranium to the Department of Energy for tritium production as part of a short-term lifeline for its proposed centrifuge enrichment plant, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is asking DOE to drop support for the company. “I believe that this support is unlikely to result in the […]

The Obama Administration has pushed back the release of its Fiscal Year 2013 budget submission to Congress, delaying the unveiling of the document by one week. Instead of being released Feb. 6—the traditional first-Monday-of-February due date—the budget request will reportedly be released Feb. 13. The Administration did not offer a specific reason for the delay. […]

President Obama, as expected, yesterday announced his intent to nominate James Miller as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Miller is currently serving as the principal deputy to current Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Fluornoy, who is stepping down from the post Feb. 3. Miller joined the Pentagon in 2009 after serving as […]

With the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future expected to release its final report on waste disposal this Thursday, industry officials hope that Congress will move quickly to consider the recommendations. “Congressional interest in this is already beginning, so we are quite hopeful that it is not going to be a report that simply […]

As the Obama Administration considers changes to the nation’s nuclear force structure, potentially moving toward a smaller nuclear force, the Administration should begin planning now to scale back its plans to modernize the nation’s nuclear deterrent rather than waiting for budget realities to dictate changes, a Congressional Research Service official said at an Arms Control […]

In a rare occurrence, the heads of the Department of Energy’s offices of Environmental Management and Health, Safety and Security are set to testify together before House appropriators at an upcoming hearing, WC Monitor has learned. By having the two officials testify together, House appropriators appear to be signaling that they’ll be focusing heavily on […]

Coming Ahead of Nevada’s Republican presidential caucus on Feb. 4, most of the remaining Republican presidential candidates expressed conditional support for the Yucca Mountain repository to local media last weekend. While Mitt Romney had been highly critical of Yucca Mountain in debates last fall, in statements published Sunday the candidate lambasted the Obama Administration’s handling […]

In a set of hearings this week, the House and Senate will delve into the nuclear waste disposal recommendations included in last week’s final report from the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. A House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by a Thursday hearing at 9:30 […]

A nuclear watchdog group that successfully sued to get the National Nuclear Security Administration to release its 10-year site plans several years ago says it will take the agency to court over its refusal to release the Performance Evaluation Reviews used to award fee to the contractors that run the sites. Since 2009, the agency […]

The Obama Administration is making a new push to significantly lower the amount of contractor executive pay that is reimbursed by the federal government. Currently, pay for senior executives under federal contracts is reimbursed up to a cap determined by the annual compensation for top executives at large publicly traded companies, with such a cap […]

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) continued to lash out at lawmakers that have suggested that the nation’s nuclear deterrent should be a target for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, suggesting that spending estimates for the nation’s nuclear activities have been greatly exaggerated. Led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), 65 Congressmen on Oct. 11 called […]

Here’s a look at key events going on this week: This week the Texas Compact Commission will meet Nov. 9 for the first time since its membership was reorganized in September The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will take place at the Texas State Capitol, Extension Room E2.012, and will also be webcast. […]

In a pair of departures that have been expected for some time, Under Secretary of Energy for Science Steve Koonin and acting General Counsel Sean Lev have announced plans to leave the Department. Koonin’s last day will be Nov. 18 and, notably, the Department does not plan to officially designate an acting Under Secretary to […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s biggest backer is continuing to push for full funding for the agency’s weapons program. In the wake of a hearing with senior Administration officials last week, Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, yesterday released a Nov. 4 letter to leaders on the […]