Archive

Cleanup & Remediation

Coverage of DOE-EM’s multi-billion-dollar effort to address Cold War and Manhattan Project nuclear legacy waste, including tank waste treatment, site remediation, and decommissioning at Hanford, Savannah River, Oak Ridge, and other major sites.

  • Savannah River advisory panel welcomes interim EM site manager

    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 […]

  • West Valley Citizen Task Force to discuss cleanup

    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 […]

  • Former federal nuclear cleanup execs open to new work

    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 […]

  • This Week

    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 […]

  • EM contracts go under magnifying glass in search of DOGE savings

    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 […]

  • Amentum boss lauds Oak Ridge for cleanup, bid development

    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, […]

  • Locals still have fingers crossed on major Hanford solar project

    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 […]

  • Livermore crews prepare to remove concrete slab at Building 251

    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 […]

  • Livermore crews prepare to remove concrete slab at Building 251

    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 […]

  • Amentum appoints Parr international development VP

    CHANTILLY, VA – Amentum has announced Corhyn Parr as its vice president of international development on Tuesday. Parr previously served as the CEO of Nuclear Waste Services, a subdivision of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and was the director of Integrated Waste at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. “I am thrilled to join Amentum at […]

  • EM contracts go under magnifying glass in search of DOGE savings

    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 […]

  • Amentum boss lauds Oak Ridge for cleanup, bid development

    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, […]

  • Wrap Up: DOE exec talks costs; Canada touts waste site process; NNSA issues RFP; more

    PHOENIX – Expediting nuclear cleanup and making it less expensive is vital to the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, a senior adviser to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said here Monday. Current projections indicate the Hanford Site in Washington state, which once produced plutonium for the government, won’t be fully cleaned up until […]

  • Federal attendance down, anxiety up annual Waste Management

    PHOENIX —After layoffs and buyouts and the possibility of a government shutdown, the Department of Energy presence was lighter than usual at the annual Waste Management Symposia here. Although no official figures were immediately available, the buzz at a Sunday night reception here was that while DOE and its nuclear cleanup arm typically send around […]

  • Cleanup office, DOE Legacy Management already talking Moab handoff

    PHOENIX —With remediation of an old uranium tailings pile along the Colorado River in Utah entering the home stretch, a Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management executive said Monday that closure plans are already being discussed. With only one million tons left to be removed from a tailings pile near the Colorado River, Environmental […]

  • Hanford deputy manager Stickney leaving DOE

    It is official: Brian Stickney, deputy manager for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state, is retiring from the federal government, according to a memo viewed by Exchange Monitor. “After more than 15 years with the U.S. Department of Energy and over 30 years with the federal government, HFO [Hanford Field Office] Deputy […]

  • Federal attendance down, anxiety up annual Waste Management

    PHOENIX —After layoffs and buyouts and the possibility of a government shutdown, the Department of Energy presence was lighter than usual at the annual Waste Management Symposia here. The buzz at a Sunday night reception here was that while DOE and its nuclear cleanup arm typically sends around 200 people, this year’s contingent was closer […]

  • Colorado developer Walsh nominated to head Environmental Management

    President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy’s multibillion-dollar Office of Environmental Management, is founder of a real estate development business in Golden, Colo. Tim Walsh founded Confluence Companies in 2006 and the business has 15 developments, including apartment complexes, condominiums and hotels, according to the company’s website. Walsh is an Army veteran […]

  • Colorado’s Walsh nominated to head Environmental Management

    The Donald Trump administration is nominating Timothy John Walsh of Colorado to become the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, according to an entry in Monday’s Congressional Record. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is also from Colorado. If confirmed, Walsh would be the first Senate-confirmed assistant secretary for environmental management (EM-1) since Anne Marie […]

  • Hanford lost 51 to job cuts, manager says

    PHOENIX — The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., lost 51 employees to federal job cuts so far, a senior manager at the nuclear cleanup complex said here Wednesday. At the same time, Delmar Noyes, a senior DOE manager at the former plutonium production site, said having a single Hanford Field Office helps […]

  • Hanford deputy manager Stickney leaving DOE

    It is official: Brian Stickney, deputy manager for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state, is retiring from the federal government, according to a memo viewed by Exchange Monitor. “After more than 15 years with the U.S. Department of Energy and over 30 years with the federal government, HFO [Hanford Field Office] Deputy […]

  • EM-1 nominee heads real estate development biz

    President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy’s multibillion-dollar Office of Environmental Management, is founder of a real estate development business in Golden, Colo. Tim Walsh founded Confluence Companies in 2006 and the business has 15 developments, including apartment complex, condominiums and hotels, according to the company’s website. Walsh is an Army veteran […]

  • Hanford lost 51 to job cuts, manager says

    PHOENIX — The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., lost 51 employees to federal job cuts so far, a senior manager at the nuclear cleanup complex said here Wednesday. At the same time, Delmar Noyes, a senior DOE manager at the former plutonium production site, said having a single Hanford Field Office helps […]

  • Leaner government includes nuclear cleanup, DOE adviser said

    PHOENIX – Expediting nuclear cleanup and making it less expensive is vital to the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, a senior adviser to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said here Monday. Current projections indicate the Hanford Site in Washington state, which once produced plutonium for the government, won’t be fully cleaned up until […]

  • Cleanup office, DOE Legacy Management already talking Moab handoff

    PHOENIX —With remediation of an old uranium tailings pile along the Colorado River in Utah entering the home stretch, a Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management executive said Monday that closure plans are already being discussed. With only one million tons left to be removed from a tailings pile near the Colorado River, Environmental […]

  • Colorado’s Walsh nominated to head Environmental Management

    The Donald Trump administration is nominating Timothy John Walsh of Colorado to become the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, according to an entry in Monday’s Congressional Record. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is also from Colorado. If confirmed, Walsh would be the first Senate-confirmed assistant secretary for environmental management (EM-1) since Anne Marie […]

  • Amid cutbacks, DOE footprint lighter than usual at Waste Management

    PHOENIX – After federal layoffs and buyouts and the looming prospect of a possible government shutdown, the Department of Energy presence is lighter than usual at the kickoff of the annual Waste Management Symposia here. Although no official figures were immediately available, the buzz at a Sunday night reception here was that while DOE and […]

  • Speakers from Canada, IAEA, DOE kick off Waste Management

    PHOENIX — Executives from Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency are scheduled to help kick off the 2025 Waste Management Symposia here Monday. Canada is this year’s featured nation at the conference for nuclear waste professionals held annually in Downtown Phoenix. Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization President and […]

  • June completion planned for SRNL manufacturing center

    The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site could see completion of its Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative this June at the nearby University of South Carolina-Aiken, a spokesperson said recently.  Construction of the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative was 85% completed   In November 2024. Contractor North Wind Group started building it in March 2023 and will wrap up this […]

  • Wrap Up: Canada inks reactor deal; LANL collects radioactive devices; Amentum hires top legal officer; more

    The government of Canada announced this week it is entering into a four-year contract worth up to C$304 million with AtkinsRéalis to support the development and modernization of a new, large-scale, natural uranium–fuelled Canadian deuterium uranium (CANDU) nuclear reactor. The contract with AtkinsRéalis is meant to finance half of the design project, according to the […]