Vol. 29, No. 42 
House Member Representing WIPP Pursues New Mexico Governorship
-
Budget & Policy
DOE EM-1 Will Attend DNFSB Hearing in Washington
The head of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management will attend a Nov. 28 public hearing about a controversial agency order the independent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) fears will limit its access to defense-nuclear sites across the country. Anne Marie White, assistant secretary for environmental management, accepted the invitation on or […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wait Continues for Permanent DOE Cleanup Lieutenant
Contractors and other observers are still waiting to see who will be selected as permanent second in command for the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management (EM). “We are all waiting on an EM-2” to be named, one industry source said Monday, using the common term for the principal deputy assistant secretary to the […]
-
Vitrification & Grout
Grouting Resumes at Hanford Waste Tunnel After Take-Cover Incident
Workers at the Hanford Site on Wednesday resumed stabilizing the second PUREX Plant radioactive waste storage tunnel with concrete-like grout to prevent its possible collapse. The project was suspended for several days after an Oct. 26 incident in which steam was spotted coming from a small building attached to the tunnel, leading to a precautionary […]
-
Transuranic Waste
Idaho Waste-Treatment Penalties Against DOE Hit $4.77 Million
The state of Idaho has now assessed the Energy Department $4.77 million in penalties for its failure to start treating sodium-bearing waste at the Idaho National Laboratory. Fluor Idaho has estimated it could be well into 2019 before it begins operation of DOE’s Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU), Natalie Creed, hazardous waste unit manager at […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
West Valley Vendor Finishes Shipping Legacy Low-Level Waste Off-Site
The Energy Department contractor at the West Valley Demonstration Project near Buffalo, N.Y., recently finished shipping the last of the site’s legacy low-level radioactive waste for disposal. Contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) finished the shipments on Sept. 6, seven months ahead of the April 2019 deadline, a spokesman said by email. The waste, […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Tennessee Withholds Support for DOE’s Planned New Oak Ridge Landfill
The Energy Department must address concerns about potential water contamination before the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is ready to sign off on a new waste disposal landfill at the Oak Ridge Reservation. “To gain the state’s support, DOE may need to revise the landfill design, because groundwater near the land surface could […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Fluor Chief Cheers Contract Extensions from Energy Department
Fluor Chairman and CEO David Seaton on Thursday lauded two Department of Energy contract extensions for programs led by the company and expressed optimism about winning more business during the fourth quarter. The Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions team, which manages the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, received a 12-month contract extension from in […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Companies Dispute Legal Fees in Settling Hanford Contracting Lawsuit
Extensive mediation has not resolved a dispute over the amount of money former Department of Energy cleanup contractor Washington Closure must pay Savage Logistics in attorney fees and other legal costs as part of a lawsuit settlement, according to federal court documents. In mid-June, Washington Closure Hanford agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle a […]
-
High-Level & Tank Waste
Energy Department Reviews Parsons Baseline Proposal on SWPF
The Energy Department said this week it is reviewing a new baseline laying out an updated cost and schedule for completion of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The agency has not released details of the baseline submitted in June by SWPF contractor Parsons or said when […]
-
Decommissioning
BWXT Picks New Head for D&D Work at Naval Labs
Lynchburg, Va.-based BWX Technologies has selected executive David Brown to head a joint venture, BWSR LLC, focused on decommissioning and tearing down facilities at Naval Nuclear Laboratory sites. As president of BWSR, Brown will lead the 250-person BWXT Technical Services Group-APTIM Federal Services team that provides cleanup at sites under contract to Fluor Marine Propulsion […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Former Hanford Medical Services Prime Settles Lawsuit
Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) has agreed to pay $389,355 to settle a civil lawsuit related to its former work as the prime medical services provider for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington and joined this week by the Department of Justice, claimed […]