Weapons Complex Vol. 26 No. 22 At Savannah River
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Cleanup & Remediation
At Portsmouth
FBP Undergoes Safety ‘Stand-Down’ After String of Incidents WC Monitor 5/29/2015 After a series of minor recordable safety incidents this month at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, the site undertook a “safety stand-down” this week to review and focus on safety tenets. The May 28 stand down came when, after two months without a recordable […]
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National Laboratories
LATA Names New President and CEO
Mike Nartker WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Bill Vantine has been named the next President and CEO of LATA, effective Aug. 1. He will replace Bob Kingsbury, who is retiring after more than 35 years at LATA. “I’ve had a good long career here,” Kingsbury told WC Monitor late this week. “I think he [Vantine] will do […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
INTERVIEW: DOE-Savannah River Manager Dave Moody
The following exit interview with Department of Energy Savannah River Operations Office Manager Dave Moody, who is retiring this week after nearly five years as site manager, was conducted May 27 by ExchangeMonitor Senior Editor Kenneth Fletcher. WC Monitor 5/29/2015 What would you like to be seen as Savannah River’s major achievements during your five-year […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Wastren Advantage Wins Hanford 222-S Lab Contract
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Wastren Advantage won late this week the Department of Energy’s new $44.6 million contract for operation of Hanford’s 222-S Laboratory. The small business set-aside contract received four bids, and includes a two-year base period and three one-year option periods that would cover an estimated 15,000 to 25,000 laboratory analyses each […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
Senate Panel Wants DOE to Employ ‘Owner’s Agent’ at Hanford Vit Plant
Mike Nartker WC Monitor 5/29/2015 To help provide better oversight at one of the Department of Energy’s largest and most complex projects, the Senate Armed Services Committee is looking to have DOE bring in an “owner’s agent” for the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. The Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, […]
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Budget & Policy
Senate Bill Would Require Including Emergency Preparedness in Award Fee Evaluations
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Senate authorizers are looking to require the Department of Energy to complete emergency preparedness assessments as part of award fee evaluations for the Department’s set of M&O contractors. The Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which was recently reported out of committee, would require DOE […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
CHPRC Fires Back at Subcontractor Suing Over K Basin Annex Project
Company Alleges FE&C Was Unable to Perform Work Mike Nartker WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Hanford cleanup contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. (CHPRC) had a strong response this week to a subcontractor that has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for work on the K West Basin Annex construction project, accusing Federal Engineers and Constructors (FE&C) of […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Ohio Lawmakers Press DOE to Avoid Portsmouth Layoffs in 2016
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation are asking the Department of Energy how it plans to avoid layoffs at the Portsmouth site in 2016 given planned funding levels and cuts in the uranium transfers used to help pay for cleanup at the site. DOE recently announced plans to reduce the uranium […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Washington Closure Hanford Gets One-Year Contract Extension
Staff Reports WC Monitor 5/29/2015 Washington Closure Hanford has received a one-year extension to its contract for the River Corridor Cleanup project at Hanford, stretching it through September 2016, the Department of Energy announced this week. The final year of the extended contract would focus mostly on two challenging projects, cleanup of the trenches at […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
DOE IG Suggests Improvements to Portsmouth Nuclear Material Accountability
Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 5/29/2015 The Department of Energy has taken steps to improve controls and accountability of nuclear materials at the Portsmouth site after a DOE Office of Inspector General inspection found weaknesses there, according to an IG report released this week. The site uses the Portsmouth Materials Accountability System to track the location […]
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Budget & Policy
Better Management of Spare Parts Needed at DOE Sites, IG Says
Kenneth Fletcher NS&D Monitor 5/29/2015 The Department of Energy and its contractors should improve the management of spare parts at sites across the complex, according to a DOE Office of Inspector General report released this week. Spare parts inventories are needed to maintain DOE facilities, but the IG encountered issues at the three sites covered […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
At Richland
DOE, EPA Agree to Extend K Basin Sludge Cleanup Milestones WC Monitor 5/29/2015 The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have reached an agreement to extend Tri-Party Agreement milestones for getting sludge out of the K West Basin near the Columbia River. The agreement brings to an end a fine that had been […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up
WC Monitor 5/29/2015 IN CONGRESS The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing for June 16 to again consider the nomination of Monica Regalbuto to serve as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. The White House earlier this year nominated Regalbuto for a second time to head up the Department of […]