Cleanup & Remediation

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The completion of a risk reduction plan for Building 235-F at the Savannah River Site will be delayed 29 months due to budget setbacks, the Department of Energy told the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board last week. The DNFSB formally urged action to reduce risk at the former plutonium processing […]

$135M Sale of G4S Gov’t Solutions to Private Equity Firm Completed Nov. 24 Todd Jacobson WC Monitor 12/5/2014 After being acquired by private equity firm Alvarez & Marsal Capital Security Holdings, security firm G4S Government Solutions has a new name, the Centerra Group, and new plans for expansion under its new owners, President and CEO […]

DOE Officially Names Charboneau as New Richland Office Manager WC Monitor 12/5/2014 Stacy Charboneau, as expected, was officially named the new Manager of the Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office this week. WC Monitor first reported in late November that Charboneau, who previously held the title of acting deputy manager, was the top candidate to […]

DOE Releases Small Business RFP for Los Alamos Restoration Plan WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Department of Energy last month issued a Request for Proposals for a Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan for Los Alamos National Laboratory. The procurement is set aside for small businesses meeting a 500 employee size standard, and proposals are […]

DOE Decides to Seal and Close Leaking Reactor Pool WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Department of Energy has decided to clean up, seal and close a leaking reactor pool at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, but some of the details – including whether to incorporate a second reactor pool in the project – have yet to be […]

WC Monitor 12/5/2014 IN DOE DOE Office of Environmental Management official Jay Rhoderick is set to retire from federal service, effective Jan. 2, WC Monitor has learned. Since February 2012, Rhoderick has held the position of Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tank Waste and Nuclear Materials, where he helped oversee EM’s efforts to address high-level […]

Watchdog Groups Call for Major Fee Cut For Lab Contractor NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 Two weapons complex watchdog groups are asking Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to slash the Fiscal Year 2014 performance fee for Los Alamos National Laboratory contractor Los Alamos National Security because of the lab’s alleged role in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant radiological […]

Two weapons complex watchdog groups are asking Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to slash the Fiscal Year 2014 performance fee for Los Alamos National Laboratory contractor Los Alamos National Security because of the lab’s role in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant radiological release and problems with the lab’s Plutonium Facility. In a Dec. 3 letter to […]

With Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz slated to speak at the Western Governors’ Association meeting Saturday in Las Vegas, Moniz is expected to have one-on-one meetings with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez to discuss Department of Energy issues in those states. Notably, New Mexico is currently deciding on enforcement actions […]

The Department of Energy yesterday officially released the details of plans for the transition of management legacy cleanup work at Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Office of Environmental Management. As previously reported by WC Monitor, DOE plans to award a sole source contract early next year to current Lab contractor Los Alamos National Security […]

DOE Office of Environmental Management official Jay Rhoderick is set to retire from federal service, effective Jan. 2, Weapons Complex Morning Briefing has learned. Since February 2012, Rhoderick has held the position of Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tank Waste and Nuclear Materials, where he helped oversee EM’s efforts to address high-level waste and nuclear […]

The completion of a risk reduction plan for Savannah River’s building 235-F will be delayed 29 months due to budget setbacks, the Department of Energy told the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board last week. The DNFSB urged action to reduce risk at the former plutonium processing facility in a 2012 recommendation, which noted that residual […]

The Department of Energy is expected to roll out details today of its plan for transitioning management of legacy cleanup work at Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Office of Environmental Management. DOE has scheduled a press call this afternoon on the topic with EM Acting Assistant Secretary Mark Whitney and Los Alamos Site Office […]

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board yesterday published its final rule for establishing procedures for preliminary and formal safety investigations at Department of Energy facilities, which includes a “safety privilege” aimed at protecting confidential information. Information given to the Board during an investigation can be treated confidential, “safety privileged” and non-public, according to the rule. […]

Stacy Charboneau, as expected, was officially named the new Manager of the Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office yesterday. WC Monitor first reported in late November that Charboneau, who previously held the title of acting deputy manager, was the top candidate to head the Richland Operations Office at Hanford. The position of Richland Operations Office […]

Though Department of Energy officials say they may not publicly release the final plan for the management transition for cleanup work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the New Mexico Environment Department is urging DOE to release all non-classified documents related to the transition. Following incidents earlier this year at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that […]

CH2M Hill earlier this week dropped its share price by more than 20 percent, to $45.93 per share, from a price set in mid-August of $60.20 per share. The drop, which resulted in CH2M Hill’s lowest share price since February 2012, came as the company also announced a net loss of $131 million for the […]

The Department of Energy is planning to support an independent review of the incidents earlier this year at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a condition previously called for by New Mexico for restart of the facility. In order to regain confidence in the facility, the state needs a firm answer on the cause of the […]

A survey of employees in the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has found that approximately 60 percent are satisfied with their jobs, but less are satisfied with the organization as a whole, according to information EM provided to Weapons Complex Morning Briefing late last week. The results of the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint […]

James and Teresa Tomac, a married couple who both worked at the Savannah River Site, were found shot dead in their home last weekend in what local media is reporting as a potential murder-suicide. James T. Tomac was the manager of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions NNSA Safeguards and Security Programs, while Teresa M. Tomac was […]

Site license company Dounreay Site Restoration Limited has agreed to take steps to improve operations after a fire and potential radiological release at the Scottish cleanup site’s tank farms, the company said Friday. The incident occurred on Oct. 7 at the site’s Prototype Fast Reactor tank farm, and earlier this month the U.K.’s Office of […]

The Department of Energy’s lengthy procurement for a new support services contract for the Office of Legacy Management may be soon coming to an end, with a third award decision set to come in the next few weeks, though it remains to be seen if unsuccessful bidders will continue to challenge the Department‘s decision. DOE […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 KNOXVILLE, Tenn.–As the Department of Energy works to finalize a plan to shift management of the remaining legacy cleanup work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Office of Environmental Management from the National Nuclear Security Administration, DOE has not yet decided whether the final plan will be publicly […]

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Adam Smith, all Washington Democrats, sent a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Friday urging DOE to better protect Hanford workers from tank farm chemical vapors. The letter asked when an implementation plan for the Hanford Tank Vapors Assessment led by the Savannah River National Laboratory […]

The Department of Energy late last week issues a request for proposals for a Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan for Los Alamos National Laboratory. The procurement is set aside for small businesses meeting a 500 employee size standard, and proposals are due Jan. 5. The assessment and plan come out of a 2008 […]

WC Monitor 11/21/2014 IN DOE The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management plans to hold a new Business Opportunity Forum next month. Topics to be discussed at the meeting, according to a notice issued late last week, will include ongoing and upcoming procurement activities, as well as “contractor cost/pricing information.” The meeting is scheduled […]

K-31 Demolition Ahead of Schedule, UCOR Chief Says WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Demolition of Building K-31 at Oak Ridge got started on Oct. 8, and already the project is weeks ahead of schedule, according to cleanup contractor URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC. UCOR President Ken Rueter said this week that the contractor has already knocked down major […]

Facing Tight Funding, Site Looks at Balancing Progress Toward D&D Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Fluor-B&W Portsmouth, LLC, responsible for the Portsmouth D&D project, is awaiting the next step from Congress to see if it can avoid hundreds of layoffs next month, officials said this week. Despite facing a funding shortfall of $110 million at […]

As is our annual practice, WC Monitor will not publish next week in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The next regular issue will be in your inbox Dec. 5. The Weapons Complex Morning Briefing will continue to be published Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and we will issue bulletins should any major news break in the […]

Final RFP Could Slip Into New Year Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—As the Department of Energy continues to consider concerns raised by industry about the draft Request for Proposals for the new Idaho Cleanup Project Core contract, release of a final RFP  could be pushed into the new year, DOE Office of Environmental […]