Vol. 20, No. 15 
CPPNM Amendment to Enter Into Force Next Month
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Non-Proliferation
Conferences, New Contact Group to Sustain Nuclear Security Summit Progress
Creation of a new multilateral contact group and plans to continue nuclear security discussions at international conferences were rolled out last week as means of building upon the progress made in four Nuclear Security Summits in protecting dangerous materials from misuse. The two-day summit in Washington, D.C., which brought together over 50 heads of state […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Gov. Haley Re-Emphasizes MOX Money Owed to S.C.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday she still expects the Department of Energy to pony up $100 million for missing a plutonium disposition milestone at the Savannah River Site’s Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). South Carolina sued the federal government on Feb. 9 because DOE had failed for more than a month to […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
G-7 Nations Offer Support for Global Plutonium Conversion to MOX
The Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP) will provide assistance to the international community on the conversion of plutonium to mixed oxide (MOX) fuel despite a recent shift in White House policy away from MOX and toward alternative plutonium disposition methods. The action plan for the Global Partnership, […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA Approves CD-1 for New Y-12 Emergency Ops Center
The National Nuclear Security Administration has approved Critical Decision-1 for a new emergency operations center at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The CD-1 confirmation was contained in a March 4 weekly activity report by Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board staff assigned to Y-12. CD-1 is approval of the selection of alternatives […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA Docs Highlight Infrastructure, MOX Milestones
Two new annual reports released by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) reaffirm agency milestones in its stockpile and nonproliferation operations and highlight infrastructure investments, the proposed termination of the mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel approach, and departmental reorganizations as recent internal areas of focus. The fiscal 2017 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan noted no significant changes […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA Aims to Have Lithium Leader in 2016
The National Nuclear Security Administration has indicated it plans to name an individual to oversee its lithium operations, an essential part of the work on thermonuclear weapons. In the newly released Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, NNSA said a lithium strategic material manager will be named in 2016. The new position would reportedly be similar […]
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National Laboratories
Watchdog Fumes over NNSA Contractor Evaluations
Nuclear Watch New Mexico on Thursday said it had filed another Freedom of Information Act request aimed at getting the National Nuclear Security Administration to release fiscal 2015 performance evaluation reports (PERs) for the Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories. As the nuclear weapons agency has not responded to a FOIA request on Dec. 22, […]
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Non-Proliferation
Summit Leaders Agree To Strengthen Cybersecurity Of Nuclear Facilities
Richard Abott Defense Daily 4/8/2016 Many participating countries of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, held in Washington, D.C. last week, agreed to strengthen the cybersecurity practices of their respective nuclear facilities and work together to bolster cyber defenses. After the close of the summit on Friday, President Obama noted during a press conference that “as part […]
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Budget & Policy
Labor Dept. Extends Nuke Worker Compensation Program Comment Period
The U.S. Department of Labor is reopening and extending the comment period on proposed changes to the government’s nuclear workers compensation program. The comment period has been extended through May 9, apparently as a result of a strong request from U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.). The senators urged Labor Secretary Thomas […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Wrap Up: CNS Seeking Vendors for Y-12 Body Armor
Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), the contractor that manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is seeking expressions of interest for the replacement of body armor used at the site, according to a recent solicitation posted. Vendors must demonstrate good past performance within the last seven years on similar supply contracts […]