Vol. 31, No. 23 
Most DOE Nuclear Cleanup Sites Entering Phase 1 of Operations Ramp-Up
-
Cleanup & Remediation
COVID-19 Infections Rise to 23 at Savannah River Site
The Energy Department’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina as of Friday has confirmed 23 cases of COVID-19 among its workforce. That is up from 22 reported at the end of last week. Sixteen of those employees have recovered and returned to work, a spokeswoman for the DOE’s SRS operations said by email. Savannah […]
-
Transuranic Waste
Pit Plan Could Strand Waste, New Mexico Says
Nuclear waste will pile up at the Los Alamos National Laboratory under the National Nuclear Security Administration’s plan to make nuclear-weapon cores there, according to the New Mexico Environment Department. In six pages of comments filed last month about the plan, the state agency also challenged the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) March finding that the […]
-
Budget & Policy
House Schedules Markup for Defense Authorization Bill
The House Armed Services Committee plans to mark up the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act from June 22 to July 1, giving the chamber’s Democratic majority an opportunity to weigh about the dramatic increase proposed for active nuclear weapons programs at the Department of Energy and potential cuts to its nuclear cleanup budget. The annual […]
-
Defense Low-Level Waste
Energy Department Finalizes Plan for Disposal of Depleted Uranium Oxide
Waste disposal sites in up to three states could be the final destination for the Energy Department’s depleted uranium oxide from retired gaseous diffusion plants in Piketon, Ohio, and Paducah, Ky. The DOE Office of Environmental Management said Friday it has published the record of decision (ROD) for disposal of material generated from conversion of […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Bechtel Earns 64% of Fee for 2019 Work at Hanford
Bechtel National earned $5 million of the potential $7.87 million 2019 fee for ongoing construction on the Waste Treatment Plant at the Hanford Site in Washington state, the Energy Department said Tuesday. By claiming an overall score of “good” and winning roughly 64% of the maximum available fee for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Virus Threat Might Put the Brakes on DOE Carpools
Some of the Energy Department’s largest nuclear cleanup sites are calling more employees back to the jobsite, but asking them to travel solo to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19. Officials for the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, along with the company building the Waste Treatment Plant at the Hanford Site in Washington […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wildfire Near Hanford Brought Under Control, Callbacks Continue
A weekend wildfire on Gable Mountain within the Energy Department’s Hanford Site in Washington state was brought under control within a day, officials said this week The fire was ignited Saturday night by a lightning strike and burned roughly 5,500 acres before being contained by 8 p.m. local time Sunday night, said Reneé Brooks, spokeswoman […]
-
Budget & Policy
ECA Wants Clarity on Defense Board Safety Recommendation
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) might lose credibility in the eyes of Department of Energy site host communities if it does not explain its opposition to proposed changes to federal nuclear safety standards in plain words, a community interest group said. “It would be in the best interest for sites and communities to […]
-
Budget & Policy
Lawyer to Represent Dems in New Mexico Congressional Race
With the outcome of the Republican primary still uncertain, Teresa Leger Fernandez has won the Democratic Party nomination to succeed Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) as the House member for the congressional district covering the Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory. Leger Fernandez, an attorney with deep New Mexico roots and endorsements from national party […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Construction RFP Issued for New Hanford Water Treatment Plant
Mission Support Alliance has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a subcontractor to build a new water treatment facility on the Central Plateau at the Energy Department’s Hanford Site in Washington state. In a June 2 notice posted on a federal procurement website, the Leidos-led site support services vendor said bids are due by […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Federal Judge Rejects Discrimination Case Against Centerra-SRS
A federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed the $3.5 million racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee of the security provider at the Energy Department’s Savannah River Site. U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon ruled May 28 that plaintiff Marcialena Tremble Brown missed the deadline to file her case against her former employer, Centerra-SRS. […]
-
Budget & Policy
No Return Date Set for DNFSB Staff in Washington, D.C.
While some other federal agencies are bringing personnel back into the workplace, there is no timetable for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) staff to return to their offices in downtown Washington, D.C. “No date has been set for a return” to board headquarters on Indiana Avenue, DNFSB spokeswoman Tara Tadlock said in a Thursday […]
-
Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Hanford Fire Chief Dies
The fire chief for the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state has died, contractor Mission Support Alliance announced this week. Norbert Kuhman died May 29 at age 63, according to an obituary published Wednesday in the Tri-City Herald newspaper. Kuhman had served in the position since February 2014. Management of the 145-person Hanford Fire […]