Vol. 36, No. 12 
DOE Hanford manager Brian Vance resigns
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Budget & Policy
Judge seeks more filings in Dem AGs challenge to mass layoffs
A Maryland-based federal district judge on Wednesday called for additional legal briefs from the U.S. Department of Justice and 20 state attorneys general challenging mass layoffs of probationary workers at the Department of Energy and other federal agencies. U.S. District Judge James Bredar issued a temporary restraining order against the mass layoffs earlier this month. […]
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Vitrification & Grout
Public comment period underway on Hanford grout analysis
The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is accepting public comments between now and April 23 on plans to grout some of the less-radioactive waste from the 200 West Area. The draft analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act looks at DOE’s plans to pretreat tank waste from the 200 West Area and […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
West Valley nuclear cleanup boss touts progress
Substantial demolition of the Main Plant Process Building at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York state is winding down, the top manager for a Department of Energy contractor told the West Valley Citizen Task Force meeting Tuesday. Jason Casper, president of the current contractor, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, said workers are wrapping […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Former federal nuclear cleanup execs open to new work
Two former high-ranking members of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch who took some variant of the White House’s buyout program say on social media they are open to new professional opportunities. Candice Robertston, the recent former head of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), as well as Mike Budney, former EM operations boss […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Savannah River advisory panel welcomes interim EM site manager
A Department of Energy advisory board on nuclear cleanup at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina this week welcomed Edwin DeShong III as interim manager of the remediation field office. . Phyllis Britt, who chairs the Savannah River Site (SRS) Citizens Advisory Board (CAB), acknowledged DeShong’s promotion from deputy manager of the Environmental Management […]
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Budget & Policy
Trump nominees for weapons complex await hearings
President Donald Trump has nominated a trio of officials to lead key Department of Energy branches serving the weapons complex, although as of mid-week Senate committees had not scheduled confirmation hearings on any of them. All three would report to the already confirmed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Exchange Monitor will update the nominees’ progress […]
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Budget & Policy
Claims office for sick DOE nuclear workers targeted by DOGE
The lease for a Department of Labor office set up in Richland, Wash., to handle claims from workers made ill from nuclear weapons-related work at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, could be on the chopping block, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said last week. In addition to the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, the White […]
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National Laboratories
Wrap Up: INL seeks startup investors; Lee probes use of China tech; obituary
The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory is shopping around for industry partners to invest between $5 million and $10 million in an “incubator” for startup businesses aimed at areas such as nuclear energy and cyber security. In exchange for the seed investment, the startups would gain access to Idaho National Laboratory’s “world-class facilities and […]