Vol. 21, No. 47 
Trump Signs NDAA With Pit Protections, Warhead Competition, MOX Authorization
-
Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Former Feds Praise NNSA Administrator-Designate Gordon-Hagerty
In fulfillment of a long-circulating rumor, the Donald Trump administration announced it will nominate former National Security Council and Department of Energy staffer Lisa Gordon-Hagerty to run U.S. nuclear warhead programs as undersecretary for nuclear security and head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). If approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee and confirmed […]
-
Budget & Policy
Pentagon Gets Permanent 2018 Budget in Latest Spending Bill; NNSA Does Not
The House Appropriations Committee unveiled a peculiar budget bill this week that would provide permanent 2018 appropriations for the Pentagon, but keep other agencies including the Department of Energy funded at 2017 levels through Jan. 19. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) introduced the bill Wednesday. The Department of Energy (DOE), like the rest […]
-
Contracts & Procurement
CH2M-Jacobs Merger Complete
Colorado-based CH2M on Friday officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Dallas-based Jacobs Engineering, CH2M announced in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. More details about the merger will be disclosed Monday, CH2M said at press time. CH2M shareholders voted Wednesday to approve the buyout. The preliminary results of the special meeting […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
No Changes for NNSA in DOE Reorg
The Department of Energy on Friday made official a long-rumored bureaucratic reorganization that puts the agency’s Cold War nuclear-cleanup programs under new management but leaves the quasi-independent National Nuclear Security Administration essentially unchanged. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) roughly $6.5-million-a-year Office of Environmental Management (EM), steward of environmental remediation of Cold War nuclear weapons sites […]
-
National Laboratories
Still No Details on LANL Teaming Arrangements After Bid Deadline
The deadline to tender bids to run the Los Alamos National Laboratory came and went this week without any prospective offerors besides major universities identifying themselves. Known to be in the hunt are the University of California, the University of Texas, and Texas A&M University. The publicly funded universities cannot hide their interest in the […]
-
Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
DNFSB Cans Second Planned Closed-Door Meeting
One thing at least is now known about the Dec. 6 closed-door meeting of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB): it was the only one the five-member federal nuclear-site watchdog needed to mull a possible safety recommendation to the Department of Energy. The meeting was one of two planned so the DNFSB could “discuss […]
-
National Laboratories
DOE to Investigate Los Alamos After Tech Enters Low-O2 Chamber
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Enterprise Assessments said it will investigate an incident in a Los Alamos National Lab facility that resulted in a “near miss to a fatality.” The DOE watchdog office decided to investigate lab prime contractor Los Alamos National Security (LANS) following a September incident in which “a LANS worker […]
-
Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Savannah River Site Advocacy Group Names New Chair
A longtime advocate for the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina has again been named chairman of the SRS Community Reuse Organization, a nongovernmental group that works with local stakeholders to benefit the site and local economy. David Jameson’s two-year term will begin Jan. 1. He previously chaired the SRSCRO from 2010-2011. As […]