Vol. 30, No. 46 
Another Leidos-Led Joint Venture Wins Hanford Support Contract
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Cleanup & Remediation
Federal Mediator to Assist DOE, State in Hanford Talks
A federal mediator will assist the U.S. Energy Department and the Washington state Ecology Department in their talks over cleanup milestones at the Hanford Site. The parties have agreed to use the services of a federal mediator to assist in the “holistic talks” on Hanford remediation issues, according to a slide presentation from Suzanne Dahl, […]
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Budget & Policy
Brouillette Takes Helm as 15th Energy Secretary
Dan Brouillette was sworn in Wednesday as the 15th U.S. secretary of energy, after the Senate voted 70-15 to confirm him for the Cabinet spot earlier this week, a Department of Energy spokesperson said. Brouillette had served since 2017 as the deputy secretary of energy under Rick Perry, who resigned as secretary effective Sunday. The […]
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Budget & Policy
Congress Yet to Reach Deal on 2020 NDAA
Congress had not produced a compromise National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020 as of Friday morning, prolonging a lack of authorization for key nuclear modernization programs. It was a week of whiplash predictions from top defense authorizers Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), who in the aggregate appeared less certain of […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Fluor Government Biz Gets Looks From Prospective Buyers, CEO Says
Fluor is receiving strong interest as it seeks a buyer for the government contracting business that does work for the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies, CEO Carlos Hernandez said Wednesday. “The interest in that business is very, very substantial,” Hernandez said during an appearance at the Credit Suisse 7th Annual Industrials Conference […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Washington State Ecology Chief to Retire by New Year
Washington state Department of Ecology Director Maia Bellon said Monday she would retire at the end of this month. Ecology is the state regulator for the U.S. Department of Energy’s sprawling Hanford Site through a variety of permits including the dangerous waste, or site-wide, permit. Bellon announced her pending retirement after 25 years as a […]
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Transuranic Waste
Senate Approves West Valley Reauthorization Bill
The U.S. Senate on Monday passed legislation to reauthorize the Energy Department’s cleanup of the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York state. The measure awaits President Donald Trump’s signature after receiving unanimous consent from the Senate. The president is expected to sign the bill into law within a couple weeks, according to a congressional […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP Catches Up With 2018 Waste Shipment Pace
The U.S. Energy Department’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico received 275 shipments of defense-related transuranic waste during the first 10 months of this year, compared to 272 during the same period in 2018. October is the last full month for which shipment information is available through WIPP’s public database. It shows that the […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Jacobs Revenue Rises to $3.4B in Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2019
Jacobs Engineering on Nov. 25 posted $3.4 billion in revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 27, a step up from $3 billion from the same period a year earlier. The Dallas-based multinational reported earnings for the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2019 before the market opened for the day. Its earnings per diluted share was […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Contract Management, Nuclear Cleanup Woes Still Bedevil Energy Department, IG Finds
Oversight of contractors and environmental remediation remains at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Energy’s management challenges for fiscal 2020, according to a Nov. 15 special report from DOE’s Office of Inspector General. Other major concerns include nuclear waste management, cybersecurity, safeguards and security of DOE installations, civilian stewardship of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Perry Praises Santa Susana Cleanup During Last Day as Energy Secretary
Rick Perry ended his tenure as U.S. secretary of energy on Sunday, but not before issuing a press release highlighting the progress of cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, Calif. “I am proud of the work the Department of Energy (DOE) has done to advance the final cleanup of the […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Colorado Soil Sampling Raises No Alarms on Rocky Flags Contamination So Far
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite one soil sample that showed an elevated level of radioactive contamination, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) thinks land near the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant poses no significant threat to people. “Our state experts and toxicologists do not believe there is any immediate threat to public […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Perma-Fix Hit with $23K EPA Fine
Perma-Fix Northwest accepted a $23,275 fine for its failure in 2013-2014 to ensure it had sufficient third-party liability coverage for its Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) radioactive waste facility in Richland, Wash., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday. Representatives for the federal agency and the company signed a consent agreement on Aug. 12. […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Idaho Expects Waste Treatment Unit Startup Late in 2020
Based on conversations with the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of Idaho expects the long-awaited Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) will start operating in late 2020 at the Idaho National Laboratory. However, the state for now will continue to assess financial penalties over DOE’s failure to meet the deadline for beginning operations at the […]