Cleanup & Remediation

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has scheduled its next business opportunity forum for 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1., at the Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Ave. SW in Washington, D.C. “Topics will include a discussion on status of ongoing and upcoming procurement opportunities” with the DOE branch that oversees cleanup of legacy nuclear […]

The Environmental Protection Agency late last week issued a request for information for companies capable of performing assessments and technical support activities related to the Navajo Area Uranium Mines cleanup, according to a notice in FedBizOpps. The draft scope of work says the winner of the Navajo Area Uranium Mines Response Assessment and Evaluation Services […]

Former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus blasted the Department of Energy this past weekend for failing to publicly disclose details concerning its planned shipment of spent nuclear fuel for research at the Idaho National Laboratory. Andrus’ op-ed, which appeared in the Idaho Statesman, criticized the department for rejecting his Freedom of Information Act requests for details […]

The U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council has scheduled its first-ever EM Roundtable for Thursday, Sept. 17, providing congressional, private sector, and Department of Energy perspectives on DOE’s environmental management programs. The session will address "DOE’s EM program: The Next Five Years," and will feature Mark Whitney, principal deputy assistant secretary for environmental management, along with staff […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 9/11/2015 Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster (R) released late last week a series of reports from independent contractors that indicate that the smoldering fire and contamination surrounding the West Lake Landfill are more wide-spread than previously thought. According to the reports, contamination in groundwater outside the landfill perimeter has been […]

Staff Reports WC Monitor 9/11/2015 External events and natural phenomena, including severe earthquakes, fires, and extended loss of power, pose some of the greatest risk at the Hanford Site, according to an interim report on a risk review project for the site. The interim report, prepared by the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation […]

Chris Schneidmiller WC Monitor 9/12/2015 The Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has voluntarily acknowledged that it had breached the terms of its hazardous waste permit with the state of New Mexico. Laboratory Director Charles McMillan and National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Field Office Manager Kimberly Davis Lebak noted multiple “instances of […]

Washington to Remove Section of Hanford Site From Hazardous Sites List A section of the Hanford Site will be removed from the state of Washington’s Hazardous Sites List for the first time, pending completion of a public comment period.  “This will basically take it off the books,” said Jane Hedges, manager of the state Department […]

WC Monitor 9/11/2015  IN INDUSTRY Centrus Energy has notified about 380 American Centrifuge workers that layoffs could be coming in a couple months. The company, which heads the uranium enrichment project, emphasized that the notices don’t necessarily mean layoffs are sure to happen but are necessary to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification […]

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster released late last week a series of reports from independent contractors that indicate that the smoldering fire and contamination surrounding the West Lake Landfill are more wide-spread than previously thought. According to the reports, contamination in groundwater outside the landfill perimeter has been identified, including radiological contamination detected in trees […]

Montana-based S&L Logistics has received a $12.8 million fixed-price contract to provide project scheduling and cost estimating support services for the Savannah River Site, the Department of Energy announced on Friday. The contract’s base period is one year, followed by four yearlong optional extensions, according to a press release.The company, which is owned by the Confederated […]

The Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) last week voluntarily acknowledged that it had breached regulations set by its hazardous waste permit with the state of New Mexico. Laboratory Director Charles McMillan and National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Field Office Manager Kimberly Davis Lebak noted multiple “instances of non-compliance” in an Aug. 31 […]

Staff Reports WC Monitor 9/4/2015 Two lawsuits were filed this week against the Department of Energy and Hanford tank farm contractor Washington River Protection Solutions seeking better protection for workers from chemical vapors. The state of Washington sued in its role as regulator, and the second lawsuit was filed on behalf of workers by advocacy […]

Staff Reports WC Monitor 9/4/2015 The governors of Washington and Oregon are asking Congress not to proceed with recommendations in a report on environmental management risk ordered by the last federal omnibus appropriations bill. The recommendations would substantially reduce states’ authority over environmental cleanup projects, including taking away the right to have disputes over missed […]

Chris Schneidmiller WCM Monitor 9/4/2015 Local officials in Ohio and their congressional representatives are campaigning to persuade the Department of Energy to provide the funding needed to prevent hundreds of layoffs at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant cleanup site. Fluor-BWXT said last week that a budget shortfall of up to $81 million in fiscal 2016 […]

Chris Schneidmiller WCM Monitor 9/4/2015 The Idaho National Laboratory needs a more stringent approach to determine whether it must update its assessment of the potential threat posed by earthquakes to the facility, the head of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said in a letter this week to the Department of Energy. Department rules mandate […]

Contamination Incidents Reported During Hanford Plant Cleanup Void limits for radiological work permits for the ongoing remediation of the Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) were breached on two occasions in early August, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board site representative report released this week. One case involved damage to ductwork that led […]

Worker Exposed to Contamination at Oak Ridge TWPC At least one worker at the Oak Ridge Transuranic Waste Processing Center appeared to be exposed to radiological contamination during an incident in July, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board site representative report released this week. The July 31 document said the incident occurred “late […]

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Selects New COO The management contractor for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site on Tuesday announced the selection of a new chief operations officer and executive vice president. Dave Eyler takes over for Fred Dohse, who earlier this summer announced that he would retire from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). […]

IN DOE Parsons Government Services will pay $3.8 million to resolve claims that it intentionally charged the Department of Energy for “ineligible or inflated” personnel relocation expenses in its position as the lead builder of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Savannah River Site, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday. Under the […]

Two lawsuits were filed Wednesday in federal court against the Department of Energy and its Hanford tank farm contractor to better protect workers from chemical vapors. One lawsuit was filed by the state of Washington as a Hanford regulator and the other by the watchdog organization Hanford Challenge and Local 598, which represents Hanford pipefitters […]

The Department of Energy on Wednesday issued a request for information from companies interested in taking on the decontamination and decommissioning contract for the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky. "DOE is seeking feedback from contractors and other interested parties regarding options for innovative approaches for the performance of the attached [draft performance work […]

Void limits for radiological work permits for the ongoing remediation of the Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) were breached on two occasions in early August, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board site representative report released this week. One case involved damage to ductwork that led to a radiation release, and the other […]

Washington River Protection Solutions, the tank farm contractor at the Hanford Site, has received the Voluntary Protection Program Innovation Award for a tool its workers developed and built. The award was presented at the VPP Participants’ Association national conference in Grapevine, Texas, last week. The tool helps reduce worker exposure during surveys of equipment used […]

The management contractor for the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site on Tuesday announced the selection of a new chief operations officer and executive vice president. Dave Eyler takes over for Fred Dohse, who earlier this summer announced that he would retire from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). Eyler has worked for SRNS since June […]

The Department of Energy on Monday announced that it had awarded a $15 million contract to North Wind Solutions to provide technical and support services for the West Valley Demonstration Project site in New York. The five-year contract calls for the Knoxville, Tenn.-based contractor to provide a host of services, according to a DOE press […]

The governors of Washington and Oregon have asked lawmakers not to endorse recommendations in a new congressionally mandated report analyzing how effectively the Department of Energy identifies risk at defense nuclear cleanup sites and executes plans to address risk nationwide. “The report fails at this task by instead focusing primarily on ways to reduce costs […]

WC Monitor 8/28/2015 IN INDUSTRY The Honeywell Metropolis Works facility returned to full operations this week following the investigation into a uranium hexafluoride leak that occurred earlier this month. The investigation revealed that 12.04 pounds of UF6 were released as a result of the leak, which was caused by the over pressurization of a system […]

Congress was out and Washington was empty, but that didn’t stop news from breaking during our annual publication break. As chronicled in the Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, here are a few stories that we’ve been following… AECOM Acknowledges Federal Investigations at Hanford Government contractor AECOM has acknowledged several federal investigations of affiliate companies doing work […]

WC Monitor 8/28/2015 DOE Extends Comment Period for Hanford M-091 Milestone Changes The deadline for submitting comments on proposed changes to the Hanford M-091 milestones of the Tri-Party Agreement has been extended until Sept 25 at the request of stakeholders. Comments may be submitted to Kristen.Skopeck@rl.doe.gov.  The proposed new deadlines were negotiated in response to delays of shipments […]