Publications: Weapons Cleanup Monitor

Fines Connected to Both WIPP Incident and Los Alamos Cleanup Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The New Mexico Environment Department is planning in the next 10 days to take enforcement actions against the Department of Energy that could include about $35 million in fines related to cleanup issues at Los Alamos National Laboratory, with a […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Senate moved forward late this week with approving a handful of pending Department of Energy nominations, but the White House’s choice to serve as the next head of the Office of Environmental Management still appears to remain in confirmation limbo. Franklin Orr was confirmed to serve as the new […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Department of Energy this week officially released the details of plans for the 18-to-24-month period for the transition of management of legacy cleanup work at Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Office of Environmental Management from the National Nuclear Security Administration. As previously reported by WC Monitor, DOE plans […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 12/5/2014 In apparent response to requests from potential bidders, the Department of Energy late this week pushed back the deadline for bids for the new contract to operate the Oak Ridge Transuranic Waste Processing Center, for a second time, to Dec. 23, from Dec. 11. The new extension was contained in […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 Industry officials called on the Department of Energy late last month to take a number of steps to improve small business contracting, including promoting more meaningful prime and subcontract opportunities that encourage business growth. A contracting task force formed by the Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association discussed its recommendations […]

Todd Jacobson WC Monitor 12/5/2014 Former Los Alamos National Laboratory Deputy Director Beth Sellers and her husband, Bill, have been suspended from doing work with the government and have been proposed for debarment, government records indicate. Sellers resigned as Los Alamos’ deputy director in March after an investigation by the Department of Energy’s Inspector General […]

Mike Nartker and Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board would see a cut of approximately 15 percent in the maximum number of employees it can have under the final version of the Fiscal Year 2015 defense authorization bill unveiled this week. The bill would limit the DNFSB to 130 employees, […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 A strategy plan for dealing with mercury contamination at Oak Ridge has been completed by the Department of Energy and regulators, and DOE is moving forward with design work for a new treatment plant in hope of stating of construction in 2017, according to acting DOE Oak Ridge EM Manager […]

Portage Protest Still Pending Mike Nartker WC Monitor 12/5/2014 INTERA has dropped its pending challenges against Navarro Research and Engineering’s win of the new Nevada National Security Site environmental programs services contract. INTERA had filed a protest over Navarro’s win with the Government Accountability Office, and was in the midst of appealing a determination by […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The completion of a risk reduction plan for Building 235-F at the Savannah River Site will be delayed 29 months due to budget setbacks, the Department of Energy told the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board last week. The DNFSB formally urged action to reduce risk at the former plutonium processing […]

$135M Sale of G4S Gov’t Solutions to Private Equity Firm Completed Nov. 24 Todd Jacobson WC Monitor 12/5/2014 After being acquired by private equity firm Alvarez & Marsal Capital Security Holdings, security firm G4S Government Solutions has a new name, the Centerra Group, and new plans for expansion under its new owners, President and CEO […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 12/5/2014 A new national park comprising of sites tied to the Manhattan Project is moving forward, with language in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, unveiled this week, calling for such a park to be created within a year. The proposed park, which has been […]

DOE Names New WIPP Recovery Manager WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Department of Energy has appointed Sean Dunagan from Sandia National Laboratories as the Carlsbad Field Office’s Senior WIPP Recovery Manager, replacing Tom Teynor. Dunagan, who takes over on Dec. 8, is currently a research and development manager at Sandia. He will lead the WIPP Recovery […]

Wash. State Supports New LAW Pretreatment System WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The state of Washington supports the concept of a proposed new facility that would allow Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant to start treating some waste sooner, but has concerns about how the Department of Energy will pay for the facility. The proposed Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System, […]

DOE Officially Names Charboneau as New Richland Office Manager WC Monitor 12/5/2014 Stacy Charboneau, as expected, was officially named the new Manager of the Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office this week. WC Monitor first reported in late November that Charboneau, who previously held the title of acting deputy manager, was the top candidate to […]

DOE Releases Small Business RFP for Los Alamos Restoration Plan WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Department of Energy last month issued a Request for Proposals for a Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan for Los Alamos National Laboratory. The procurement is set aside for small businesses meeting a 500 employee size standard, and proposals are […]

DOE Decides to Seal and Close Leaking Reactor Pool WC Monitor 12/5/2014 The Department of Energy has decided to clean up, seal and close a leaking reactor pool at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, but some of the details – including whether to incorporate a second reactor pool in the project – have yet to be […]

WC Monitor 12/5/2014 IN DOE DOE Office of Environmental Management official Jay Rhoderick is set to retire from federal service, effective Jan. 2, WC Monitor has learned. Since February 2012, Rhoderick has held the position of Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tank Waste and Nuclear Materials, where he helped oversee EM’s efforts to address high-level […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 KNOXVILLE, Tenn.–As the Department of Energy works to finalize a plan to shift management of the remaining legacy cleanup work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Office of Environmental Management from the National Nuclear Security Administration, DOE has not yet decided whether the final plan will be publicly […]

WC Monitor 11/21/2014 IN DOE The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management plans to hold a new Business Opportunity Forum next month. Topics to be discussed at the meeting, according to a notice issued late last week, will include ongoing and upcoming procurement activities, as well as “contractor cost/pricing information.” The meeting is scheduled […]

K-31 Demolition Ahead of Schedule, UCOR Chief Says WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Demolition of Building K-31 at Oak Ridge got started on Oct. 8, and already the project is weeks ahead of schedule, according to cleanup contractor URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC. UCOR President Ken Rueter said this week that the contractor has already knocked down major […]

Facing Tight Funding, Site Looks at Balancing Progress Toward D&D Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Fluor-B&W Portsmouth, LLC, responsible for the Portsmouth D&D project, is awaiting the next step from Congress to see if it can avoid hundreds of layoffs next month, officials said this week. Despite facing a funding shortfall of $110 million at […]

As is our annual practice, WC Monitor will not publish next week in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The next regular issue will be in your inbox Dec. 5. The Weapons Complex Morning Briefing will continue to be published Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and we will issue bulletins should any major news break in the […]

Final RFP Could Slip Into New Year Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—As the Department of Energy continues to consider concerns raised by industry about the draft Request for Proposals for the new Idaho Cleanup Project Core contract, release of a final RFP  could be pushed into the new year, DOE Office of Environmental […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Stacy Charboneau appears set to serve as the next Manager of the Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office at Hanford, WC Monitor has learned. DOE is in the final stages of approving Charboneau for the position, and a formal announcement is expected in the next few weeks. The Richland Operations […]

Kenneth Fletcher WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Department of Energy Savannah River Operations Office Manager David Moody has announced plans to retire in June after a 36-year career. “Dr. Moody’s leadership at the Savannah River Site (SRS) over the last four years has resulted in tremendous achievements for the cleanup of the site,” DOE Office of Environmental […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 11/21/2014 Three years after the Department of Energy began a safety investigation at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, the investigation remains open, there is no sign of resolution and it remains unclear whether any violations or potential penalties may be issued to project contractor Bechtel National. DOE’s Office of Enforcement began […]

Mike Nartker WC Monitor 11/21/2014 CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. earned approximately $5 million in award fee for its work at Hanford in Fiscal Year 2013, the last year in the base period for its contract, according to information the Department of Energy released late this week. The Department gave CHPRC a rating of “excellent” […]