Department of Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Materials that used to be considered purely radioactive waste are increasingly being recycled into usable products for everything from medical treatments to advanced nuclear reactors, federal officials said last week. That was the word July 15 from the Department of Energy’s Under-Secretary for Science Dario Gil along with DOE Environmental Management (EM) […]

An updated plan for the Savannah River Site liquid waste mission pushes completion out to 2041 although 2037 is still possible, but would require increases in federal funding, according to environmental contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC).  Steve Howell, a senior vice president for the contractor, said Tuesday during an SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) […]

It might be a tough week for those who work outside this week at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site near Richland, Wash., as daily high temperatures are expected to hover around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The National Weather Service has an extreme heat watch in effect from Tuesday through Thursday, according to Weather.gov. After a […]

The Department of Energy plans to formally announce its selections for the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus program later this month and the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah could be winners, a senior industry source told Exchange Monitor Monday. When reached Monday a DOE Office of Nuclear Energy spokesperson would not comment on what states […]

For now at least, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has suspended publication of many of the congressional watchdog’s routine reports on safety and operations at Department of Energy nuclear sites.   “The DNFSB is not currently posting technical documents, such as resident inspector weekly, site monthly and other technical reports, while the board works […]

The BWX Technologies-led prime cleanup contractor for the West Valley Demonstration Project near Buffalo, N.Y., is holding an industry day July 30 for vendors that have expressed an interest in the Secant Pile Wall construction project. West Valley Cleanup Alliance (WVCA) recently issued a request for information (RFI) for subcontractors interested in doing the work […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will host a meeting July 21 at 9 a.m. in Rockville, Md. to discuss the licensing and regulatory needs for advanced reactors with several industry members. The public meeting will be held at the commission hearing room on the first floor of NRC’s headquarters in Rockville. Notably, Department of Energy Assistant […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) cranked out reports this week on the Department of Energy nuclear complex. Here is a glimpse at two of the congressional watchdog’s latest reports: A report on streamlining project management at national labs and nuclear sites was made public Thursday. DOE and its semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) oversees […]

The Department of Energy renewed its contract with UChicago Argonne this week to continue to manage and operate its Argonne National Laboratory. UChicago Argonne, which manages Argonne for DOE’s Office of Science, has a new five-year contract that will go into effect on Oct. 1. UChicago Argonne, a limited liability company formed by the University […]

The liquid waste prime contractor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina has finished key construction stages for the latest jumbo-sized Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU), DOE said Thursday. The Savannah River Site (SRS) environmental prime Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) and its subcontractors have now installed 208 support columns, 25 wall […]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee who oversees Savannah River Site in his state, died suddenly Saturday, Graham’s office said Sunday. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement early […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., has made its first shipment of concentrate from the Effluent Management Facility (EMF) to a nearby plant operated by Perma-Fix for grouting, DOE said this week. The EMF concentrate is a liquid waste byproduct created when Hanford’s radioactive underground tank waste is vitrified into a glass […]

An ex-apprentice electrician at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment Plant in Richland, Wash., has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in federal court against her former foreman and companies in charge of the facility. Madalyn Jennings, of Yakima County, filed the litigation last month in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Jennings […]

While advocates are thankful Congress expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 2025, they said Tuesday last year’s action did not go far enough. As a result, James Moylan (R-Guam), a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and other House members representing atomic veterans and downwinders, plan to propose another RECA expansion […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

The Department of Energy renewed its contract with UChicago Argonne this week to continue to manage and operate its Argonne National Laboratory. UChicago Argonne, which manages Argonne for DOE’s Office of Science, has a new five-year contract that will go into effect on Oct. 1. UChicago Argonne, a limited liability company formed by the University […]

While there is a “remote” chance the full House of Representatives could vote on the fiscal 2027 Energy & Water Appropriations bill next week, it is more likely that the measure won’t be taken up until September, a key House Appropriator said Wednesday. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn) who chairs the House Appropriations Energy & Water […]

The Department of Energy is still being very tight-fisted when it comes to sharing information with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB said in a recent letter to Congress. In addition, the congressionally-created safety watchdog said in its July 10 letter that DOE is not living up to the terms of a  2022 memorandum […]

While advocates are thankful Congress expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 2025, they said Tuesday last year’s action did not go far enough. As a result, James Moylan (R-Guam), a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and other House members representing atomic veterans and downwinders, plan to propose another RECA expansion […]

An ex-apprentice electrician at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment Plant in Richland, Wash., has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in federal court against her former foreman and companies in charge of the facility. Madalyn Jennings, of Yakima County, filed the litigation last month in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Jennings […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., has made its first shipment of concentrate from the Effluent Management Facility (EMF) to a nearby plant operated by Perma-Fix for grouting, DOE said Monday. The EMF concentrate is a liquid waste byproduct created when Hanford’s radioactive underground tank waste is vitrified into a glass form […]

A House Energy and Commerce Committee panel is set to consider six nuclear power-related bills Tuesday morning, according to the committee’s website. The Energy Subcommittee will convene at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time to markup bills on topics ranging from uranium enrichment to Nuclear Regulatory Commission pay to nuclear transparency at the Department of Energy. The […]

The liquid waste prime contractor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina has finished key construction stages for the latest jumbo-sized Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU), DOE said Thursday. The Savannah River Site (SRS) environmental prime Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) and its subcontractors have now installed 208 support columns, 25 wall […]

Aleut Government Services has been awarded a $6.2-million contract by the Department of Energy Office of Science for administrative and business support services at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee. The award notice was posted online July 6. Aleut Government Services business address is listed as Colorado Springs, Colo., according to the notice. Aleut Government […]

Multiple environmental groups have publicly denounced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s proposal to change radiation protection standards, saying the proposal would loosen protections at the risk of the public.    On July 1, NRC released the proposed new rulemaking that will do away with the “as low as reasonably achievable” – or ALARA radiation protection standard. […]

Centrus Energy will join the S&P SmallCap 600 Index before markets open July 14, a move the company said reflects its growing role in rebuilding the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain and expanding domestic uranium enrichment capacity. “Our invitation into the S&P SmallCap 600 reflects the progress our team has made and the expanding role […]

The Department of Energy and local law enforcement are investigating a fatal head-on collision that occurred Wednesday evening inside a Hanford Site security gate after a speeding car, reportedly driven by an ex-Hanford worker, dodged the check point and struck a DOE Hanford Patrol vehicle. The Tri-City Herald reported Thursday that a Toyota Camry driven […]

July 7 marked the deadline for parties interested in learning more about the draft request for proposals (RFP) for the 222-S Laboratory management contract at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., to sign up for a site tour and information sessions later this month. The department will hold a Hanford Site tour […]

The Department of Energy briefed residents in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state last month on its plans to expand upon its Tank-Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) technology at the Hanford Site. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management provided a public briefing June 17 at the Richland, Wash., public library on plans to “bring existing modular cesium […]

The head of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, Tim Walsh, recently wrote the director of Washington state’s Department of Ecology to stress “the urgency” DOE places on state approval of grouting some of Hanford Site’s less-radioactive waste. DOE appreciates Washington state’s “willingness to consider our proposed ‘glass-plus-grout’ strategy” for the 200 East […]