Vol. 33, No. 48 
2023 NDAA, 1-week continuing resolution pass Congress
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Contracts & Procurement
Quick decision: Swift & Staley loses appeal on Paducah set-aside contract
Department of Energy contractor Swift & Staley is ineligible for the $160-million landlord contract awarded at the Paducah Site in Kentucky two years ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Monday, only days after oral arguments in the protracted case. The “per curiam” or unanimous decision, was issued in a one-page […]
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Contracts & Procurement
DOE targets February for RFPs on small biz cleanup, Hanford healthcare
The Department of Energy reiterated this week that solicitations for a new occupational healthcare contract at the Hanford Site in Washington state as well as a national small business contract for nuclear cleanup could both drop as early as February. The DOE’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center provided its latest procurement update on Wednesday. The […]
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Transuranic Waste
WIPP receives 16 November shipments of TRU waste
The Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant received 16 shipments of defense-related transuranic waste during November, according to DOE. There were 14 shipments recorded on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) public website as of Tuesday Dec. 13. The website runs about two weeks behind active shipments and a site spokesperson said two more […]
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Vitrification & Grout
Hanford liquid effluent facility prepped for increased use during vitrification
A contractor readiness review at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state has concluded the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility is about ready to start operations as a hazard category 3 nuclear facility, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board report. The readiness review that occurred in Novemebr is designed to check to […]
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Transuranic Waste
Bechtel group promises stability for incumbent WIPP workforce
The incoming Bechtel National prime for the Departments of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico expects to get most of its hiring done by mid-January, according to the new contractor website. “We are working diligently to complete the majority of the hiring activities by mid-January and declare readiness to perform operations by late […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
EM-2 Avery starts new job next month
The newly-appointed second-in-command at the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, Jeffrey Avery, will formally assume his new job next month, a spokesperson said Monday. Avery, most recently director of regulatory and security affairs with the Office of Naval Reactors, is already listed as principal deputy assistant secretary or EM-2, in the latest org […]
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Budget & Policy
Abrajano tapped to be next CEO at Nuclear Industry Council
The United States Nuclear Industry Council has selected Todd Abrajano, founder of Turning Point Public Affairs, as its new president and chief executive officer effective Jan. 2, the industry advocacy organization announced Wednesday. Abrajano will succeed Clarence (Bud) Albright who has led the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council (USNIC) since December 2019 and previously served as […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
DNFSB appoints new Hanford Site inspector
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board last week appointed Nichole Huntington a new resident inspector at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. Huntington’s first day on the job was Dec. 5, according to a press release from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) acting executive director of operations Christopher Roscetti. Huntington […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Former Ohio mayor and ECA officer dies at age 81
Former Miamisburg, Ohio mayor and a founding member of the Energy Communities Alliance, Dick Church, has died at age 81, the advocacy group for Department of Energy localities said Dec. 9. Church “was a founding member that led the organization through transition and helped it grow from an idea into an organization that works for […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: Brinton out at DOE; investment firm targets DOE biz; Idaho TRU tested; system tracks SRS waste; regulatory council lands grant
Sam Brinton, hired over the summer to lead the Department of Energy’s efforts to find a disposal solution for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel, was fired from the agency following multiple accusations of felony theft, according to reports. Brinton was removed from their post as DOE’s deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition, […]