Budget & Policy

President Donald Trump has nominated a veteran federal executive Theodore (Ted) Garrish to be the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy. Garrish has been assistant secretary for nuclear power previously, and has generally been a fixture around DOE and the nuclear energy circuit for more than three decades, according to his bio. His […]

The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so […]

With the retirement of chair Joyce Connery on Friday, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is down to two members and no longer has a quorum. The five-member panel with a mission to provide independent safety analysis and advice to the Department of Energy, now has only two members: Acting Chair Thomas Summers and […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking this week: 03: Vote: The Senate is expected to vote on Chris Wright nomination to be secretary of energy. Vote expected after 5:30 p.m. E.T.  06: Deadline; The White House has set close of business today as its deadline for federal employees […]

The full Senate is expected to vote Monday evening on whether to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Sometime after 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the Senate is expected to vote on Wright, according to a Senate website. Wright is currently the CEO of Liberty Energy, a company that provides services and technology […]

A member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) appointed by the prior administration confirmed late Friday was asked to resign by the new Donald Trump White House. “Yes, I received an email asking for my resignation by cob [close of business] on January 23, or be terminated from the NWTRB,” Scott Tyler, said […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is revising its work policy to comply with recent White House directives, including getting most employees off telework and back to the office, a spokesperson said last week. “The NRC is working to ensure compliance with the White House’s executive orders and companion guidance, where applicable,” an NRC spokesperson said […]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are reintroducing a bill to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation (RECA) Act. A similar bill passed the Senate last session but never made it to a vote in the House of Representatives. On Thursday Jan. 23, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced he and Sen. Ben Ray Luján […]

The Donald Trump administration is replacing most members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, sources told Exchange Monitor late last week. Two sources within the Department of Energy weapons complex told the Monitor the White House asked for the resignation of nearly all members of the 11-member board charged with independent scientific peer reviews […]

The Senate overwhelmingly voted Thursday evening to confirm former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) to be secretary of interior, and also took a step closer to a confirmation vote on Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright.  Burgum, who would also lead President Donald Trump’s National Energy Council, easily won confirmation to head the Interior […]

The Senate last week narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as the new secretary of defense with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie breaking vote on a Friday evening. Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon was approved largely along party lines while three Republicans, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), joined […]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are reintroducing a bill to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation (RECA) Act (RECA). A similar bill passed the Senate last session but never made it to a vote in the House of Representatives. On Thursday, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced he and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) […]

President Trump has signed an executive order for the Pentagon to move forward with developing an “Iron Dome for America,” a massive, likely multi-billion dollar project that will utilize space-based interceptors.  New Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has 60 days to submit a plan for building out the “next-generation missile defense shield,” with the White […]

The White House this week invited employees of the federal government, including those connected with nuclear energy, weapons and cleanup, to take something akin to a buyout, by submitting a “deferred resignation.” . In a memo dubbed “fork in the road” the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said federal employees can submit deferred resignations by […]

The White House this week invited employees of the federal government, including those connected with nuclear energy, weapons and cleanup, to take something akin to a buyout, by submitting a “deferred resignation.” . In a memo dubbed “fork in the road” the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said federal employees can submit deferred resignations by […]

The White House this week invited employees of the federal government, including those connected with nuclear energy, weapons and cleanup, to take something akin to a buyout, by submitting a “deferred resignation.” . In a memo dubbed “fork in the road” the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said federal employees can submit deferred resignations by […]

Joel Spangenberg, a career fed who logged several years as a manager around the Department of Energy’s weapons complex, has retired from the federal government and accepted a post with the U.S. branch of a nuclear company based in the United Kingdom. “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President […]

Joel Spangenberg, a career fed who logged several years as a manager around the Department of Energy’s weapons complex, has retired from the federal government and accepted a post with the U.S. branch of a nuclear company based in the United Kingdom. “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President […]

Jeff Avery, the No. 2 officer at the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, is moving over to the National Nuclear Security Administration, according to a memo distributed Monday. An “EM Colleagues” memo Monday from Environmental Management office senior adviser Candice Robertson detailed Avery’s move. Robertson also announced Roger Jarrell is returning to the […]

ARLINGTON, VA – Dennis Carr, the president and CEO of the prime contractor for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina says he is not seeking to head the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy, although “if asked I would consider it.” “People keep coming up and asking me that,” Carr told Exchange Monitor Tuesday […]

The Senate overwhelmingly voted Thursday evening to confirm former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) to be secretary of interior, and also took a step closer to a confirmation vote on Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright.  Burgum, who would also lead President Donald Trump’s National Energy Council, easily won confirmation to head the Interior […]

The Senate overwhelmingly voted Thursday evening to confirm former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) to be secretary of interior, and also took a step closer to a confirmation vote on Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright.  Burgum, who would also lead President Donald Trump’s National Energy Council, easily won confirmation to head the Interior […]

The Donald Trump administration is replacing most members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, sources told Exchange Monitor late last week. Two sources within the Department of Energy weapons complex told the Monitor the White House asked for the resignation of nearly all members of the 11-member board charged with independent scientific peer reviews […]

Senate Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) filed motions this week seeking to bring about full Senate votes for President Donald Trump’s nominees to head the Department of Energy and the Department of Interior. Thune filed cloture motions Monday seeking to spark floor votes on Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright to be secretary of energy and former […]

ARLINGTON, VA – Dennis Carr, the president and CEO of the prime contractor for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina says he is not seeking to head the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy, although “if asked I would consider it.” “People keep coming up and asking me that,” Carr told Exchange Monitor Tuesday […]

Jeff Avery, the No. 2 officer at the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, is moving over to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and a corporate official who worked at DOE during the first Donald Trump administration is being detailed to the nuclear cleanup branch in a senior adviser role, according to a […]

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are reintroducing a bill to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation (RECA) Act (RECA). A similar bill passed the Senate last session but never made it to a vote in the House of Representatives. On Thursday, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced he and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) […]

The Senate on Friday evening narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as the new secretary of defense with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie breaking vote. Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon was approved largely along party lines while three Republicans, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), joined all Democrats in […]

Joel Spangenberg, a career fed who logged several years as a manager around the Department of Energy’s weapons complex, has retired from the federal government and accepted a post with the U.S. branch of a nuclear company based in the United Kingdom. “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President […]

The Donald Trump administration is replacing most members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, sources told Exchange Monitor late last week. Two sources within the Department of Energy weapons complex told the Monitor the White House asked for the resignation of nearly all members of the 11-member board charged with independent scientific peer reviews […]