Vol. 23, No. 19 
Balky Capacitors Could Delay Two NNSA Nuke Refurb Programs
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Plutonium Pit Production
DOE, NNSA Chiefs Set for Face Time With Cortez Masto, Rosen in Nevada
Energy Secretary Rick Perry and the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration were set to meet Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in Nevada on Friday, about a week after after the Silver State’s senior senator stopped blocking nominees… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
NNSA Won’t Start Savannah River Plutonium Disposal Until 2028
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) indicated Monday it will not start disposal of 34 metric tons of surplus weapon-usable plutonium in South Carolina until 2028 — a date by which the agency could accrue more than $1 billion in financial penalties… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
MOX Services Sues for $53M in Unpaid Work at Savannah River Plutonium Disposal Plant
The Department of Energy’s contractor for the now-terminated plutonium recycling facility at the Savannah River Site is suing to recoup what it says is nearly $53 million the federal government failed to pay for its work. CB&I AREVA MOX Services added in… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Non-Proliferation
As White House Waffles on New START, Lawmakers File Bills Backing Treaty’s Nuke Limits
Lawmakers over the past week filed a pair of bills to prop up the U.S.-Russian New START arms-control treaty, one of which aims to unite Congress in support of the bilateral pact, the other aiming to bind the U.S. to the treaty’s nuclear weapons limits even if… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & […]
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Budget & Policy
House Appropriators Envision More Energy and Water Funding for 2020
The House of Representatives’ fiscal 2020 Energy and Water appropriations bill that contains the National Nuclear Security Administration’s budget will include about 4% more funding than the enacted 2019 bill did, according to spending limits published… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber to […]
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Stockpile Stewardship
Gang of Lawmakers Seeks Answers on JASON Transfer to NNSA
A big, mostly Democratic group of lawmakers from both sides of Capitol Hill wants the Pentagon to explain why it ditched its decades-old consultancy contract with the MITRE Corp.’s JASON group of scientists, a move that prompted the National Nuclear Security… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged […]
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Non-Proliferation
Thirteen People, Seven Floors Contaminated After Accident During Cesium Irradiator Swap
Thirteen people at a University of Washington research facility were exposed to cesium-137 last week when a contractor attempted to remove a blood irradiator as part of a Department of Energy-funded program. Personnel were removing a cesium irradiator manufactured… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
NNSA Subcritical Plutonium Test Data and Schedule Unaffected by Rad Leak
There are no problems with the data from a recent subcritical plutonium experiment in Nevada, despite the unprecedented breach of the protective steel container in which the explosive test took place, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said. The… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Centrus Expects Contract for HALEU Cascade in ‘Near Term,’ CEO Says
Centrus Energy Corp. expects to receive a Department of Energy contract to produce an unspecified quantity of energy-dense low-enriched uranium “in the near term,” President and CEO Daniel Poneman said Thursday. “[W]e continue to negotiate with the Department… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a […]
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Plutonium Pit Production
Safety Protocol Lapses Result in SRNL Work Suspension
The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) suspended work for two weeks last month after an employee accidentally cut the tip of a glove while handling metal samples that contained tritium, according to a recent report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged […]
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Contracts & Procurement
SRNS Ramps Up Hiring to Address Attrition, New Missions
The management and operations contractor for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina has hired 900 employees to date in fiscal 2019, part of its efforts to offset workforce attrition and to ramp up current and upcoming missions. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
Hole in Valve Linked to April Hydrogen Fluoride Leak at Y-12
A hole in a calibration valve caused the hydrogen fluoride leak that prompted the operations contractor of the Y-12 National Security Complex to evacuate the main U.S. uranium processing building in early April, according to a recent report by the Defense Nuclear… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Columbia Program Manager Vows First New Nuke Sub Will Deploy On Time
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program has almost no margin for delays, but the boats will be built and deployed on time, and additional inspections of suppliers will continue, the Navy’s Columbia program manager… SUBSCRIBER ACCESS Thank you for visitingNuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor! You must be logged in as a subscriber to view […]