Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, environmental cleanup program, and national laboratory system. Coverage here tracks DOE budget requests, contract awards, policy decisions, regulatory action, and leadership changes across the agency’s defense and civilian nuclear missions.
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National Laboratories
Community groups request 45 day extension of LANL EIS comment period
Representatives from eight non-governmental organizations signed a letter Wednesday asking for a 45-day extension to provide “informed public comments” about Los Alamos National Laboratory’s site-wide environmental impact statement. “This extension is necessary to ensure the public and Tribes may thoroughly review and analyze the extensive and complex information contained in the draft document, which exceeds […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Amentum reports stronger first quarter earnings; not worried about Musk cuts
Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, which the company that recently combined with the government contracting wing of Jacobs attributed to strong core businesses linked with national security. In response to questions from Wall Street analysts during a Wednesday morning conference call, CEO John Heller said Amentum management […]
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Budget & Policy
Energy nerd Wright hits nuclear themes with DOE staff
The day after being sworn in as secretary of energy, self-described nerd Chris Wright said updating the U.S. nuclear arsenal, increasing civilian nuclear power and cleaning up Manhattan Project sites are among his priorities at the Department of Energy. It is vital to “modernize America’s nuclear stockpile,” Wright told DOE staffers during a Wednesday introductory […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Energy nerd Wright hits nuclear themes with DOE staff
The day after being sworn in as secretary of energy, self-described nerd Chris Wright said updating the U.S. nuclear arsenal, increasing civilian nuclear power and cleaning up Manhattan Project sites are among his priorities at the Department of Energy. It is vital to “modernize America’s nuclear stockpile,” Wright told DOE staffers during a Wednesday introductory […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Centrus signs long-term LEU agreement with South Korea
Centrus Energy signed a long-term agreement to supply Korea’s nuclear reactor fleet with low-enriched uranium from the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, the company announced Wednesday. Amir Vexler, president and CEO of Centrus, met with Whang Jooho, president and CEO of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, to sign the contract, according to a LinkedIn […]
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Recommissioning & Restarts
NRC finds no big enviro impact from Palisades restart, seeks comment
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no big environmental harm should result from Holtec International’s proposed restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich. Between now and March 3, the NRC is taking public comment on its draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact, according to a Federal Register […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Round Up: Fitzsimmons becomes DOE staff chief; Arizona trio look at SMRs; board member confirms resignation request; more
Alex Fitzsimmons, who previously held executive jobs at the Department of Energy and the private sector has been appointed DOE chief of staff under Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Fitzsimmons announced his chief of staff job last week on his LinkedIn page and introduced Wright Wednesday morning when the energy secretary gave his first address […]
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Uranium Enrichment & Fuel Cycle
Centrus quarterly revenue up, net earnings down for fourth quarter
Revenue rose at Centrus, Bethesda, Md., in the fourth quarter, which the uranium broker and enrichment technology developer attributed to the low-enriched uranium segment and higher uranium prices, even though net income was down. For the full year, Centrus experienced a rise in revenue at $442 million compared to $320.2 million in the prior year, […]
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Budget & Policy
Wright confirmed as secretary of energy, winning support of 59 senators
The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so […]
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Nuclear Weapons & Stockpile
With Connery departure, DNFSB slips to 2 members, loses quorum
With the retirement of chair Joyce Connery on Friday, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is down to two members and no longer has a quorum. The five-member panel with a mission to provide independent safety analysis and advice to the Department of Energy, now has only two members: Acting Chair Thomas Summers and […]
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National Laboratories
Community groups request 45 day extension of LANL EIS comment period
Representatives from eight non-governmental organizations signed a letter Wednesday asking for a 45-day extension to provide “informed public comments” about Los Alamos National Laboratory’s site-wide environmental impact statement. “This extension is necessary to ensure the public and Tribes may thoroughly review and analyze the extensive and complex information contained in the draft document, which exceeds […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Texas A&M offers land for companies to build SMRs
Texas A&M University announced Tuesday it would offer land to four advanced nuclear reactor companies to build small modular reactors. According to a press release by the university, reactor manufacturers have been looking for a piece of land large enough to build clusters of reactors to generate a power supply “needed for artificial intelligence endeavors, […]
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Budget & Policy
Wright confirmed as secretary of energy, winning support of 59 senators
The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so […]
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Budget & Policy
Wright confirmed as secretary of energy, winning support of 59 senators
The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
SRS crews continue double-stacking bins at second building
Crews at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina are continuing a program started in 2016 to save storage space by double-stacking canisters of vitrified high-level waste. Employees started the latest double-stacking phase, inside Glass Waste Storage Building 2 in December 2024. Crews have already modified 150 positions there so far, […]
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Budget & Policy
Fitzsimmons appointed DOE staff chief
Alex Fitzsimmons, who previously held executive jobs at the Department of Energy and the private sector has been appointed DOE chief of staff under Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Fitzsimmons announced his chief of staff job last week on his LinkedIn page and introduced Wright Wednesday morning when the energy secretary gave his first address […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
Energy nerd Wright hits nuclear themes with DOE staff
The day after being sworn in as secretary of energy, self-described nerd Chris Wright said updating the U.S. nuclear arsenal, increasing civilian nuclear power and cleaning up Manhattan Project sites are among his priorities at the Department of Energy. It is vital to “modernize America’s nuclear stockpile,” Wright told DOE staffers during a Wednesday introductory […]
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Contracts & Procurement
Amentum reports stronger first quarter earnings; not worried about Musk cuts
Earnings rose at Amentum, Chantilly, Va., in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, which the company that recently combined with the government contracting wing of Jacobs attributed to strong core businesses linked with national security. In response to questions from Wall Street analysts during a Wednesday morning conference call, CEO John Heller said Amentum management […]
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Cleanup & Remediation
SRS crews continue double-stacking bins at second building
Crews at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina are continuing a program started in 2016 to save storage space by double-stacking canisters of vitrified high-level waste. Employees started the latest double-stacking phase, inside Glass Waste Storage Building 2 in December 2024. Crews have already modified 150 positions there so far, […]
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Non-Proliferation
Trump nominates NNSA deputy and defense nuclear nonproliferation lead
President Donald Trump has tapped Scott Pappano and Matthew Napoli to be the National Nuclear Security Administration’s principal deputy administrator and deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation, respectively. The nominations require Senate confirmation. Both Pappano and Napoli were received by the Senate Armed Services Committee Monday. A date for a confirmation hearing for either has […]
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Advanced Nuclear & SMRs
Texas A&M offers land for companies to build SMRs
Texas A&M University announced Tuesday it would offer land to four advanced nuclear reactor companies to build small modular reactors. According to a press release by the university, reactor manufacturers have been looking for a piece of land large enough to build clusters of reactors to generate a power supply “needed for artificial intelligence endeavors, […]
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Budget & Policy
DOE vet Ted Garrish tapped by Trump to lead nuclear energy office
President Donald Trump has nominated a veteran federal executive Theodore (Ted) Garrish to be the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy. Garrish has been assistant secretary for nuclear power previously, and has generally been a fixture around DOE and the nuclear energy circuit for more than three decades, according to his bio. His […]
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Recommissioning & Restarts
NRC finds no big enviro impact from Palisades restart, seeks comment
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found no big environmental harm should result from Holtec International’s proposed restart of the 800-megawatt Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Mich. Between now and March 3, the NRC is taking public comment on its draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact, according to a Federal Register […]
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Budget & Policy
Wright confirmed as secretary of energy, winning support of 59 senators
The Senate voted 59-to-38 Monday evening to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Wright is CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, a publicly-traded company that provides services and technology to the oil and natural gas industry. Wright’s confirmation was expected given he was not considered one of the more controversial picks so […]
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Budget & Policy
With Connery departure, DNFSB slips to 2 members, loses quorum
With the retirement of chair Joyce Connery on Friday, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is down to two members and no longer has a quorum. The five-member panel with a mission to provide independent safety analysis and advice to the Department of Energy, now has only two members: Acting Chair Thomas Summers and […]
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Budget & Policy
This Week
Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking this week: 03: Vote: The Senate is expected to vote on Chris Wright nomination to be secretary of energy. Vote expected after 5:30 p.m. E.T. 06: Deadline; The White House has set close of business today as its deadline for federal employees […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
USAF awards BAE Systems nearly $1.2 billion extension for ICBM support
The U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s intercontinental ballistic missile directorate has awarded BAE Systems a more than two-year $1.2-billion contract extension, keeping BAE on the project through July 2027. The award came the day before BAE Systems’ nearly 12-year, $1.9 billion support contract was set to expire. The award comes as the Air Force […]
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Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad
USAF looks into replacement of Minuteman III flight control units
The U.S. Air Force is considering the replacement of flight control units for the engines on the three-stage Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile by Boeing. The 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyo., the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, N.D. operate […]
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Budget & Policy
Energysec nominee Wright set for confirmation vote
The full Senate is expected to vote Monday evening on whether to confirm Chris Wright as the 17th secretary of energy. Sometime after 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the Senate is expected to vote on Wright, according to a Senate website. Wright is currently the CEO of Liberty Energy, a company that provides services and technology […]
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Interim Storage & Waste Disposal
NWTRB member, Biden appointee, confirms resignation request
A member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) appointed by the prior administration confirmed late Friday was asked to resign by the new Donald Trump White House. “Yes, I received an email asking for my resignation by cob [close of business] on January 23, or be terminated from the NWTRB,” Scott Tyler, said […]











