Weapons Complex Vol. 25 No. 8 WITH WIPP SHUT DOWN, OPTIONS EMERGE FOR TRU WASTE MISSION
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Budget & Policy
KLOTZ, ROBINSON NOMINATIONS REMAIN STALLED IN SENATE
Senate Could Vote on State Department Arms Control Nominee, Rose Gottemoeller, Next Week Todd Jacobson WC Monitor 2/28/2014 An attempt to get two top Department of Energy nominees confirmed hit a roadblock this week when an anonymous hold was placed on the pair. Senate Republicans attempted to “hotline” the nominations of Frank Klotz, the Administration’s pick […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
RESTART OF YUCCA WORK SWAYS DOE’S U-233 DISCUSSIONS WITH NEVADA
Jeremy Dillon and Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/28/2014 It appears the specter of Yucca Mountain has entered the negotiations on a batch of uranium-233 the Department of Energy hopes to dispose of at the Nevada National Security Site as DOE undertakes a Congressionally-mandated examination of disposal alternatives, WC Monitor has learned. DOE received indications before, […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE OFFICIAL CONFIRMS NEW PROJECT MGMT. ORG. UNDER CONSIDERATION.
Mike Nartker WC Monitor 2/28/2014 A senior Department of Energy official late this week confirmed DOE has been examining the possible creation of a new organization that would be responsible for major line-item construction projects, but stressed that the idea was one among many under consideration to help improve how DOE manages projects. “There are […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
NEW DETAILS EMERGE ON MGMT. STRIFE WITHIN DNFSB
Report Describes Apparent Tensions Between Technical Director, Staff Mike Nartker WC Monitor 6/28/2014 There appear to be significant tensions between the technical staff at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and the Board’s Office of the Technical Director (OTD), according to a report WC Monitor obtained this week. The report provides the full, unredacted version of […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
UNIONS TAKE WAIT-AND-SEE APPROACH ON NEW DOE SAFETY REORG.
Mike Nartker and Todd Jacobson WC Monitor 2/28/2014 Labor union officials are so far taking a wait-and-see stance toward the Department of Energy’s recently announced plans for reorganizing its health, safety and security functions, though the anticipated role going forward of DOE’s current Chief Health, Safety and Security Officer, Glenn Podonsky, is giving organized labor […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
WASH. GOVERNOR REMAINS CONCERNED OVER DOE’S PLANS FOR HANFORD WASTE
Staff Reports WC Monitor 2/28/2014 The Department of Energy has proposed a promising approach to treating Hanford’s low activity tank waste, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee (D) said during a press conference late this week. But he remains concerned about how DOE plans to treat the high-level radioactive tank waste, he said. He may know […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
PROJECT COMPLETION CERTAINTY IMPROVING AT HANFORD’S PFP
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/28/2014 Hanford cleanup contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Co. is still holding fast to its 2016 milestone for the Plutonium Finishing Plant D&D project and is gaining more certainty in its schedule since a technical study last fall gave it a 50 percent probability for meeting that date. “PFP is continuing […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
DOE LAUNCHES NEW PUBLIC SEARCH FOR PADUCAH SITE LEAD
Mike Nartker WC Monitor 2/28/2014 The Department of Energy has launched a new public search for candidates to fill on a permanent basis the long-vacant position of Site Lead for the Paducah site. Earlier this month, DOE posted the position for a second time on the USAJobs.gov website, and is accepting applications through March 4. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DOE SAYS IT’S MAKING PROGRESS ON WORK PLANNING IMPROVEMENTS
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 2/28/2014 The Department of Energy has made “significant progress” on commitments for improving work planning and control in response to concerns from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DOE told the DNFSB this month. In August 2012 the DNFSB sent a letter to DOE detailing issues with the implementation of work […]
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Contracts & Procurement
NAVARRO AGAIN PROTESTS LM SUPPORT CONTRACT AWARD
Two Protests Now Filed Over DOE’s Decision to Again Award to Portage Mike Nartker WC Monitor 2/28/2014 Navarro Research and Engineering this week filed a new challenge over the Department of Energy’s decision to once again award Portage the new support services contract for DOE’s Office of Legacy Management. Navarro filed its protest with the Government […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
AT RICHLAND
HANFORD TOUR REGISTRATION OPENS NEXT WEEK WC Monitor 2/28/2014 Registration will open March 3 for all site-wide tours this year of Hanford, and a day later registration will open for tours just of Hanford’s historic B Reactor. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis, and seats for the tours, particularly of Hanford, go quickly. It […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
AT LOS ALAMOS
NNSA LOOKING TO ACCELERATE RLWTF UPGRADE WC Monitor 2/28/2014 The National Nuclear Security Administration is looking at options to potentially accelerate the schedule for a project to upgrade Los Alamos National Laboratory’s aging Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility. NNSA and the lab plan to replace the current facility with two new ones—one that would address […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
AT PADUCAH
GLE TO SUBMIT LICENSE APPLICATION IN SEPTEMBER WC Monitor 2/28/2014 In a another step in a proposal to construct a new enrichment plant at the Paducah site, Global Laser Enrichment intends to submit a license application by September to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the company told the NRC last week. “GLE expects to submit the […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
AT SPRU
URS COMPLETES SLUDGE REMOVAL WC Monitor 2/28/2014 URS late this week completed an effort to treat and remove the remaining radioactive sludge waste from the Separations Process Research Unit (SPRU)—a project the Department of Energy says eliminates the majority of the remaining radioactivity at the site. Since the work began last spring, URS has solidified […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
WRAP UP: IN CONGRESS, IN THE INDUSTRY
WC Monitor 2/28/2014 IN CONGRESS Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) announced late this week that he will not seek re-election this November. Pastor is a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, among other Congressional roles. “After 23 years in Congress serving the people of Arizona, I have decided that I will not seek […]