Weapons Complex Vol. 25 No. 37 DOE Breaking Out Cleanup Work at Los Alamos, LANL Cleanup Managers Relieved of Duties
-
Decommissioning
DOE IG: Improvements Needed After Delays at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 9/26/2014 After numerous issues led to a three-year delay and increased costs at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant, the Department of Energy is taking steps to increase oversight of CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company’s contract. D&D work at the former plutonium processing facility was originally expected to be complete by September 2013 […]
-
High-Level & Tank Waste
DOE to Enter Dispute Resolution with South Carolina Over Tank Closure Milestone
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 9/26/2014 After South Carolina and the Environmental Protection Agency denied a request from the Department of Energy to extend a Savannah River high-level waste tank closure milestone, DOE late last week invoked dispute resolution on the matter. Citing technical and funding issues, DOE in August requested an extension of the closure […]
-
Contracts & Procurement
Navarro Team Wins New NNSS Environmental Services Contract
Mike Nartker WC Monitor 9/26/2014 A team led by Navarro Research and Engineering has won the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new contract to provide environmental program services at the Nevada National Security Site. The award was first reported by WC Monitor, with the NNSA subsequently making an official announcement late this week. The new contract […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Senator Questions How WRPS Is Handling Challenge of DOL Order Over Dismissed Worker
Former WRPS Worker Says She Was Terminated for Raising Concerns Mike Nartker WC Monitor 9/26/2014 Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who has long been an advocate for whistleblowers at Hanford, is not happy with how the site’s tank farms contractor is handling its challenge to a preliminary order from the Department of Labor to reinstate a […]
-
High-Level & Tank Waste
DOE Warns It Will Likely Miss Hanford Tank Waste Retrieval Deadline
Staff Reports WC Monitor 9/26/2014 The Department of Energy notified the states of Washington and Oregon this week that a third Hanford waste tank is at serious risk of not being emptied by the deadline in the 2010 court-enforced consent decree. DOE is required to have the 16 tanks in the C Tank Farm emptied […]
-
International
U.K. Cleanup Focus
New Dounreay Funding Profile Expected at End of the Year Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 9/26/2014 Completion of a new funding profile for the Dounreay site is now not expected to occur until the end of this year, though officials had originally hoped to complete the process this month. “It’s such a big thing, they don’t […]
-
High-Level & Tank Waste
At River Protection
Hanford’s 242-A Evaporator Restarts Operations WC Monitor 9/26/2014 Hanford’s 242-A Evaporator has restarted operations in recent weeks and in its latest campaign has reduced tank waste volume by an estimated 365,000 gallons. The evaporator is used to concentrate waste in Hanford’s double-shell tank farms to help increase available space, and will be used in multiple […]
-
High-Level & Tank Waste
At Richland
Perma-Fix Looks to Add Evaporator System That Could Aid Hanford Cleanup WC Monitor 9/26/2014 Perma-Fix Northwest is proposing adding an evaporation system to its suite of systems used to treat and package waste at its Richland, Wash., plant near Hanford. The new system would be used to treat water contaminated with mixed low-level radioactive waste, […]
-
Decommissioning
At Idaho
DOE Completes Final EA on Demo of Central Facilities Area Structures WC Monitor 9/26/2014 The Department of Energy has completed a Final Environmental Assessment on the proposed demolition of five structures at the Idaho National Laboratory’s Central Facilities Area, finding that the action will not have a significant impact on the environment. The facilities, which […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
At Oak Ridge
Potential Detonation Threat Comes From Pu Containers From SRS WC Monitor 9/26/2014 The Department of Energy this week confirmed that a detonation threat under review at an Oak Ridge waste storage site involves containers of plutonium that were brought to Oak Ridge from Savannah River more than 30 years ago. Mike Koentop, executive officer at […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
At Savannah River
SRS CAB: Lack of DOE Communication Could ‘Erode Public Trust’ WC Monitor 9/26/2014 The Savannah River Citizens Advisory Board is citing poor communication from the Department of Energy as threatening to “erode public trust,” and passed two recommendations this week that aim to improve lines of information from DOE. Instead of DOE sharing information with […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up
WC Monitor 9/26/2014 IN DOE The Department of Energy plans to hold a pre-proposal conference briefing and site tour the week of Oct. 13 for the new Paducah infrastructure support services contract. DOE also said in a notice published late this week that it plans to issue a final Request for Proposals for the new […]