Vol. 31, No. 16 
COVID-19 Could Delay Savannah River Site Waste Facility Startup
-
Cleanup & Remediation
DOE Offers Guidance on Paid Leave Package
The Department of Energy published guidance Wednesday for contractors that need to bill the government for paid time off given to employees unable to report for work due to COVID-19. The new guidance attempts to steer contracting officers through the process of modifying existing deals so that vendors can claim reimbursement under the $2.2 trillion CARES […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Pandemic Could Mean Another Delay in Hanford Tank Contract
With the Energy Department temporarily doing only minimal physical work at the Hanford Site in Washington state due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is apt to further delay award of a potential 10-year, $15 billion contract for tank waste management at the facility, a source said Wednesday. Many in industry expected the contract for managing […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
House, Senate Will Return to D.C. in May
Both chambers of Congress will remain on recess later than scheduled, returning no earlier than May 4, lawmakers said this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced the upper chamber would add two weeks to its current recess in a Tuesday note to fellow senators, then in a press release. His announcement followed a […]
-
Vitrification & Grout
Feds Begin Market Research for Potential Operator of Hanford Vitrification Plant
The Department of Energy has begun market research for a contractor to convert low-activity radioactive waste into glass at the Waste Treatment Plant being built at the Hanford Site in Washington state, The DOE Office of Environmental Management on Thursday published a request for Information (RFI)/sources sought notice for a vendor to run Direct-Feed Low-Activity […]
-
Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
Waste Companies Feeling Financial Impact of Virus
Companies in the radioactive waste processing and disposal industry acknowledged this week they are feeling the pinch from the COVID-19 pandemic, but emphasized that they remain fully open for business. At least one industry mainstay confirmed that it has sought federal assistance via the $2.2 trillion CARES Act signed into law on March 27 to […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
DOE Legacy Management Contract Award Draws Protests
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has received two protests to a potential $1 billion support services contract announced earlier this month by the Energy Department’s Office of Legacy Management to environmental services firm RSI EnTech. The Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based company’s five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract was announced April 1, following its award in […]
-
Vitrification & Grout
Subcontractor Hired to Use Grout to Reinforce 3 Hanford Underground Sites
The primary cleanup vendor for the Energy Department’s Hanford Site in Washington state has lined up a subcontractor to stabilize three underground structures with grout, according to a Tuesday press release. Jacobs subsidiary CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation is issuing a $3.9 million subcontract to engineering firm White Shield, of Pasco, Wash., to design and apply […]
-
Transuranic Waste
New Mexico Reviews 10-Year Permit Application for WIPP
The Energy Department has applied for renewal of the state permit to operate the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. The New Mexico Environment Department issued the current Hazardous Waste Facility Permit to DOE and WIPP contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership in late November 2010. The state agency has said it has no timetable for […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Ohio EPA: No Hearing Planned on Portsmouth Waste Facility Standards
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said on April 10 it has no plans for a public hearing on the Department of Energy’s waste acceptance criteria for the On-Site Disposal Facility being built at the Portsmouth Site. The document is available online, aency spokeswoman Heidi Griesmer noted by email: “There is no requirement for a public […]
-
Transuranic Waste
Wrap Up: Idaho Lawmakers Urge DOE Action on Spent Fuel
The Idaho congressional delegation last week urged Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to prioritize preparation of spent nuclear fuel at the Idaho National Laboratory for shipment out of state by the end of 2034. The Energy Department should follow the U.S. Navy’s lead in getting spent fuel at INL “road ready,” according to an April 8 […]