Vol. 25, No. 05 
Senate Energy and Resources Easily Approves Biden Energy Secretary Nominee Granholm
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
Pentagon Won’t Rubberstamp Nuke Modernization Plans, DepSecDef Nominee Tells Senators
A review of nuclear modernization is among the top items for Kathleen Hicks, if the Senate confirms her as Deputy Secretary of Defense. Hicks, 50, has been involved on the inside and outside of the Pentagon since 1993, most recently as a senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She […]
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National Laboratories
COVID-19 Fatalities at Los Alamos, Y-12; Active Cases Fall, Vaccinations Increase
Two more people in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s workforce died from COVID-19 this week, as recoveries continued to outpace new infections and more nuclear weapons workers got vaccinated. One of the two fatalities this week was at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It was the fourth fatal case for the lab during the pandemic. […]
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Budget & Policy
DOE HQ Seeking Regular COVID Tests for Employees in Washington Region
A year into the pandemic, the Department of Energy is officially in the market for routine COVID-19 tests for employees who work at the agency’s Washington area headquarters, according to a request for information posted online this week. “It is anticipated that testing and support services will be required for an initial six-month period, with […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Domestic Uranium Decision Still Looms at NNSA
The National Nuclear Security Administration still has not awarded Nuclear Fuel Services a contract to purify uranium for nuclear weapons programs, but the City of Oak Ridge this week repeated its opposition to the move, which it continued to paint as a job-killer for the region. “The logistics and costs that would be required to […]
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Budget & Policy
Nuke Site Ally Heinrich Joins Senate Appropriations Committee, Leave Armed Services Committee
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will leave the Senate Armed Services Committee and join the chamber’s Appropriations Committee, keeping intact an important legislative shield for nuclear sites in the Land of Enchantment. I’m looking forward to serving as Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee as well as a member of the Appropriations Committee. I’ll also […]
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International
New START Extension Official, Secretary of State Says
The New START nuclear arms-control treaty is officially extended through Feb. 5, 2026, giving the U.S. time to pursue more arms control agreements with Russia, and possibly with China, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this week in a press release. “The United States will use the time provided by a five-year extension of the […]