Vol. 34, No. 05 
Feds find much glass from Hanford vit plant can be managed as low-level waste
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Vitrification & Grout
Grout is best for low-level waste that direct-feed plant can’t treat, Savannah River lab says
In a draft report presented this week to a National Academies panel, a Department of Energy research team said grout represents the safest bet for treating half of the low-level radioactive waste at the Hanford Site in Washington state. “Only alternatives employing grout technology appear to be technically viable, low-to-moderate risk, and flexible enough to […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Back to the future: Bid protest filed in Centerra SRS security award
An entity called SRS Critical Infrastructure Security, which appeared to have the business in hand two years ago, filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office over the Department of Energy’s award of a new Savannah River Site security contract for incumbent Centerra. The award was announced earlier in January, and the bid protest […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Turk unsure if DOE can tackle Mo. school contamination in lieu of Army Corps
Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk told Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) Thursday during a hearing he is unsure if the Department of Energy can address radiological contamination around a St. Louis area school, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appears to have jurisdiction. “We’ve had conversations including with the Army Corps … and I […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Pragada assumes the reins as Jacobs CEO; CFO transition announced
As scheduled, Bob Pragada formally became the new big boss at Jacobs last week, as the former president and chief operating officer succeeded retiring CEO Steve Demetriou, the company announced in a press release. Also last week Jacobs announced the appointment of a new chief financial officer effective in August. The Dallas-based international engineering and […]
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High-Level & Tank Waste
WRPS seeks sub for solidified waste containers
The tank management prime at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is shopping for a subcontractor to provide containers for immobilized low-activity radioactive waste produced by the new vitrification plant. Amentum-led Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) posted a request for proposals (RFP) notice Wednesday on the federal procurement website SAM.gov. A pre-proposal […]
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Transuranic Waste
Contractor adds new lawyer as WIPP discrimination trial now expected in May
The prime contractor for the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico has added a new attorney to its defense team in a racial discrimination case brought by an employee who claims he was unfairly passed over for promotion. With a new trial date and new federal magistrate judge in place, the […]
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National Laboratories
Offers, counteroffers made to settle Oak Ridge Lab vax case
Employees suing the Department of Energy’s prime for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee over its COVID-19 vaccination policy continued settlement talks with the contractor and a mediator, according to a recent court filing. Since the Dec. 28 joint status report, “the parties have continued to exchange offers and counter-offers,” according to the update […]
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Transuranic Waste
DOE works with Carlsbad, N.M., on electric vehicle charging stations
The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office in New Mexico is working with Carlsbad city officials to secure federal money for electric vehicle charging stations in the community, a spokesperson said in a Tuesday email. The local Carlsbad Current Argus newspaper reported last week the city and DOE’s Carlsbad field office management have agreed to […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Wrap Up: COVID change means little at EM; UCOR ops chief to retire; acting Carlsbad boss starts; SRS deer hunt returns
President Joe Biden’s announced lifting of the national COVID-19 pandemic emergency status in May will likely result in little noticeable change in daily operations for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, a spokesperson said this week. The cleanup office has said for months that most employees are at their pre-pandemic workstations most of […]