Cleanup & Remediation

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 3/6/2015 The Department of Energy late last week released a draft request for proposals for a probabilistic performance assessment at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York state. One-on-one sessions with potential bidders are scheduled for March 10.The assessment would support the DOE and the New York State Energy Research […]

Sellafield Cleanup Cost Increases by £5 Billion Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 3/6/2015 The estimated total cost of cleaning up Sellafield has increased £5 billion ($7.6 billion), while the early termination of the Nuclear Management Partners contract will cost the government £430,000 ($656,000), according to a U.K. National Audit Office report released this week. Following the […]

Appeals Court Declines to Review Jury Trial Decision in Tamosaitis Case WC Monitor 3/6/2015 The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals declined this week to review a November ruling in favor of Hanford whistleblower Walt Tamosaitis. In November, a three-judge panel of the appeals court found that Tamosaitis’ case was wrongly dismissed from federal court […]

Registration Begins Next Week for 2015 Tours WC Monitor 3/6/2015 Registration will begin at 9 a.m. March 9 for Hanford tours this year, with a choice of two tours offered initially. Visitors can choose between a tour focused on Hanford cleanup, which includes a look inside B Reactor, or a more in depth tour of […]

Sheppard to Serve as Next SWPF Project Manager WC Monitor 3/6/2015 Frank Sheppard is set to become Parsons’ new Project Manager for the Salt Waste Processing Facility under construction at the Savannah River Site. Sheppard currently serves as deputy project manager, and he is set to assume the top spot at the project upon the […]

WC Monitor 3/6/2015 IN CONGRESS Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said this week that she will not seek re-election in 2016, opening up the top Democratic slot on the powerful spending panel. Mikulski, 78, has spent the last 30 years in the Senate, becoming chairman of the Senate […]

Stoller Newport News Nuclear has received a new six-month sole-source extension to its contract to provide support services to the Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management as challenges to DOE’s latest effort to award a follow-on contract are resolved. Stoller is now set to remain in place until the end of September, bringing to […]

Frank Sheppard is set to become Parsons’ Salt Waste Processing Facility project manager, taking over for Lou Jackson after his retirement. The move is subject to formal Department of Energy approval, Jackson said in a message to employees yesterday. “Frank is intimately familiar with the contract and the project having served as Deputy Project Manager […]

A “master acquisition plan” for future Los Alamos cleanup procurements should be out by June, with draft requests for proposals released by the end of the summer, Department of Energy officials said yesterday at an industry day for the procurements in Pojoaque, N.M. DOE plans to break out cleanup work from the Lab’s M&O contract […]

Los Alamos National Security, LLC, is reportedly balking at the terms the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management is proposing for the new ‘bridge’ cleanup contract at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, WC Monitor has learned. The new contract is intended to allow EM to directly manage cleanup work at Los Alamos while DOE […]

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the managing contractor for the Savannah River Site, is conducting market research to identify companies, preferably small businesses, for a set of three new subcontracts. SRNS is seeking expressions of interest by March 23 for subcontracts to cover materials management and distribution; records management; and fire protection and emergency services, according […]

The Department of Energy Friday released a draft request for proposal for a probabilistic performance assessment at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York. One on one sessions with potential bidders are scheduled for March 10.The assessment would support the DOE and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to undertake analyses […]

Bechtel has suspended major work on a bid for the new Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) Core contract, though the contractor hasn’t yet ruled out competing for the new contract entirely, WC Monitor has learned. Bechtel informed the Department of Energy of its decision to suspend bid work during a set of one-on-ones the Department held […]

Final RFP for New Contract to be Issued in Two Weeks Mike Nartker WC Monitor 2/27/2015 In another attempt to assuage industry concerns and boost potential competition for the new Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) Core contract, the Department of Energy unveiled late this week a new set of planned changes to the fee structure for […]

Move Comes Ahead of Next Week’s Industry Day Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/27/2015 In advance of next week’s industry day on future Los Alamos cleanup contracting, the Department of Energy this week released a sources sought notice seeking companies interested in competing in the upcoming procurement. DOE announced last fall plans to shift management of […]

Richland, WIPP Focus of Concern Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/27/2015 House lawmakers pressed Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz about proposed budget cuts for cleanup work at Hanford and the Waste Isolation Pilot in a set of hearings this week. Among the areas of concerns is DOE’s proposed cut for funding to the Richland Operations Office […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 2/27/2015 The Obama Administration nominated for a second time this week Monica Regalbuto to serve as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. Regalbuto was first nominated last spring to fill the vacancy left when Ines Triay stepped down as Assistant Energy Secretary for Environmental Management in July 2011. Regalbuto had […]

Kenneth Fletcher RW Monitor 2/27/2015 As the Department of Energy hopes to launch a pilot program for deep borehole disposal  of radioactive waste next fiscal year, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said this week that Hanford’s cesium-strontium capsules could be a good candidate for borehole disposal. The 1,936 high activity capsules stored at Hanford’s Waste […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/27/2015 The Department of Energy should incentivize contractors through performance and award fee or risk losing competition on procurements, industry executives said last week in a roundtable discussion at the seventh annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The discussion comes as the Department is undertaking a new contract management strategy that includes moving […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/27/2015 As the Department of Energy hopes to launch a pilot program for deep borehole disposal  of radioactive waste next fiscal year, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said this week that Hanford’s cesium-strontium capsules could be a good candidate for borehole disposal. The 1,936 high activity capsules stored at Hanford’s Waste […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 2/27/2015 Colin Jones, a senior official in the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, is leaving DOE to take a corporate vice president position with CH2M Hill, WC Monitor has learned. Jones is stepping down as EM Chief of Staff effective March 13, acting Assistant Energy Secretary for EM Mark […]

Schedule Set for Hearings on NMED Compliance Orders Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/27/2015 New Mexico has asked Los Alamos National Laboratory to turn over records for a suspect batch of waste dating back to 2006, threatening fines of up to $10,000 per day if the Department of Energy doesn’t comply. The documents cover nitrate salt-bearing […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/27/2015 The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is searching for a new director after the previous nominee for the slot withdrew from consideration this week. Last month, the DHEC Board tapped Eleanor Kitzman for the post following the resignation of director Catherine Templeton. But at Kitzman’s confirmation hearing […]

Remaining Cleanup Costs at Hanford Total Approx. $110 Billion WC Monitor 2/27/2015 An estimated $110.2 billion is needed to complete the remaining cleanup at Hanford, plus some post-cleanup oversight, according to the fifth annual lifecycle report since they became an annual requirement added to the Tri-Party Agreement in 2010. The price tag is down from […]

WC Monitor 2/27/2015 IN MEMORIAM Larry Kelly, manager of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge office, passed away late this week following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 58 years old. Kelly had more than 30 years of federal service and had worked at DOE’s Oak Ridge operations since 1990. He was named Manager […]

The Obama Administration yesterday nominated for a second time Monica Regalbuto to serve as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. Regalbuto was first nominated last spring to fill the vacancy left when Ines Triay stepped down as Assistant Energy Secretary for Environmental Management in July 2011. Since then, the position has been filled in […]

New Mexico has asked Los Alamos National Laboratory to turn over records for a suspect batch of waste dating back to 2006, threatening fines of up to $10,000 per day if the Department of Energy doesn’t comply. The documents cover nitrate salt-bearing waste drums processed at LANL, one of which is thought to be the […]

As the Department of Energy hopes to launch a pilot program for deep borehole disposal next fiscal year, DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz said yesterday that Hanford’s cesium-strontium capsules could be a good candidate for borehole disposal. The 1,936 high activity capsules stored at Hanford’s Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility gave been named one of the […]

Preparing for the transition of cleanup work at Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Office of Environmental Management, the Department of Energy this week posted a new position for the Manager of the Environmental Management Los Alamos Office.  Last fall DOE announced that it would transfer the management of LANL legacy cleanup work from the […]

The Department of Energy plans to issue a draft request for proposal in the next week for a probabilistic performance assessment at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York, according to a notice posted yesterday. The assessment would support the DOE and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to undertake analyses […]