Wrap Up: DOE noms clear Senate panel; EM gets new chief of staff; NNSA sets pits meetings; more

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on April 30 favorably reported out two of President Donald Trump’s Department of Energy nominees.

The committee endorsed Preston Wells Griffith to be undersecretary of energy and Dario Gil to be undersecretary of energy for science. Both nominations are being placed on the Senate executive calendar, one of the last steps before being voted on by the full Senate.

Griffith passed 14-6 and Gill passed 15-to-5. Gill served on a group of national science advisers during the first Trump administration. Currently a consultant, Griffith was a special assistant to the president on energy and environmental policy during the first Trump term.

The Department of Energy has appointed Alicia Stetin as the new chief of staff for the Office of Environmental Management, an agency representative confirmed this week.

The new chief of staff, Stetin, joined Environmental Management (EM) this month, according to her LinkedIn page. The chief of staff position was vacant as recently as a month ago. 

Stetin has held management posts with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute and the Heritage Foundation. She is a graduate from the State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego, and holds a bachelor’s degrees in both political science and public relations.

The new chief of staff will work with Environmental Management supervisors to support the priorities of the White House, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and ultimately the assistant secretary for environmental management upon confirmation, a DOE representative said Tuesday. 

On the heels of a federal judge’s ruling last fall, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration formally announced plans Friday for a detailed review of environmental impacts of planned plutonium pit production.

DOE’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced in the Federal Register it is kicking off a programmatic environmental impact statement EIS to ensure that large-scale pit production will comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

According to the Federal Register notice, NNSA will hold public meetings and public hearings as part of the process. Virtual public meetings are scheduled May 27 and 28. 

Amentum has announced the opening of its new Nuclear Center of Excellence in Oak Ridge, Tenn. to support the expansion of nuclear power.

The center will serve as a hub for nuclear expertise, engineering and operational purposes. Amentum said in its Thursday press release that the center will work closely with government agencies to strengthen partnerships in the private and public sectors to foster collaboration.

Former Central Plateau Cleanup Company president John Eschenberg will lead the center, Amentum announced.