DOE near to agreement with environmental regulators
The Dept. of Energy is close to wrapping up some changes and additions to the Federal Facilities Agreement that governs the schedule for environmental cleanup on the Oak Ridge reservation, a DOE spokesman confirmed.
The agency has been negotiating with U.S. EPA and the Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation to resolve a dispute on scheduled milestones. DOE had said budget problems prevented it from achieving some of the near-term work previously agreed upon.
IG on DU: don't throw that stuff away
6,000 cylinders of DUF6 were shipped to Ohio a few years ago.
photo/Joe Howell
The Dept. of Energy's Office of Inspector General said DOE has fallen down on efforts to find other-than-disposal uses for the vast stockpile of depleted uranium hexafluoride leftover from decades of uranium enrichment (including the work done at the Oak Ridge K-25 Site).
"Our audit disclosed that the department had not taken adequate action to facilitate development of depleted uranium oxide-based products. In spite of finding potential uses that have shown promise, the department plans to dispose of virtually the entire 551,000 metric tons of depleted uranium oxide produced by the conversion process as low-level waste at an estimated cost of about $428 million."
Statement from Wackenhut
Wackenhut Services Inc. issued a statement via spokeswoman Courtney Henry this afternoon regarding the latest performance evaluation and fee results.
Here's the comment:
Audit underway at Perma-Fix Environmental
A team from the Radioactive Waste Acceptance Program at Nevada Test Site is in Washington state this week auditing the Perma-Fix facility at Richland. It's part of the follow-up to problems in late 2008 that led the Dept. of Energy to temporarily bar Perma-Fix from sending waste to NTS. (Here and here)
Alexander, Gordon resume fight against waste imports
Alexander and Gordon talk about waste issue last year at ORNL.
photo/Michael Patrick
With the 111th Congress now in session, Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee reintroduced bills that would ban most imports of foreign-generated radioactive waste.
The legislation this time around is titled, "The Radioactive Import Deterrence Act" or the RID Act. The action was precipitated by EnergySolutions' plans to import up to 20,000 tons of low-level waste from Italy, process it at the Oak Ridge waste facility, and the ship the remainder to Utah for disposal at the company landfill near Clive.
Wackenhut rated 'outstanding' and 'good' in Oak Ridge
Y-12 security police officers in late-2008 security exercise.
photo/Michael Patrick
According to the latest performance evaluations on Wackenhut's Oak Ridge security contracts, the company earned more than $2.5 milliion for the final six months of fiscal 2008.
Wackenhut Services Inc. received an "outstanding" rating from the National Nuclear Security Administration for its protective services work at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, which is the largest of the two Oak Ridge contracts. The security contractor got a "good" rating from the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge office on the second contract (covering the protection of ORNL, the Oak Ridge Federal Building, etc.)
Chu passes first test in Washington
I didn't get a chance to watch Steven Chu's hearing yesterday while it was happening, but I did catch the replay last night thanks to the wonders of C-Span. Based on the hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, it looks like a smooth go for Dr. Chu's confirmation as Energy Secretary.
Dabney Johnson and the ORNL Mouse House
In 2002 photo, Dabney Johnson shows packages of frozen mouse embryos.
photo/Michael Patrick
Dabney Johnson, former head of the mammalian genetics research program at ORNL, talks about the loss of the Mouse House and a piece of Oak Ridge's heritage. Today's column is available here.
India-U.S. Research Exchange Program
Oak Ridge Associated Universities is recruiting applicants and will help manage a new exchange program that provides American graduate students an opportunity to conduct research in India, while American institutions host graduate students and faculty members from India in the United States.
Accelerate Oak Ridge cleanup? No problem, state says
"We would have no difficulty with finding additional projects for the Dept. of Energy to accelerate in its cleanup program," John Owsley, the state's environmental oversight chief said today regarding reports that DOE wants to advance the cleanup plan as a part of an economic stimulus package.
"We're very much willing to accelerate the cleanup schedule," Owsley said.
Wamp said he won't use House seat as backup plan
Here's AP story out of Nashville. Congressman Wamp said he won't run again for House seat if his gubernatorial bid fails.
Steven Chu's Senate hearing
Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu is sworn in for today's hearing.
(AP photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Here's a link to the AP report by Josef Hebert on today's hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Among other things, Steven Chu said nuclear energy would be "an important part of our energy mix."
Fed study finds no public threat from Oak Ridge releases
A public health assessment by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded there were "no public health hazards" from airborne releases at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (also known as the K-25 Site) and the early-era S-50 facility at the Oak Ridge site.
The full report is available online and at local libraries. The agency is receiving public comment through Feb. 20.
Sen. Reid's update on EEOICP
Terrie Barrie of the Alliance of Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups circulated a Dec. 30 letter she received from Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada regarding the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
As for the earlier request he and other senators made for a comprehensive investigation of the federal program, Reid wrote, "I am pleased to let you know that GAO is giving priority status to our request. In fact, I was recently informed that the investigation is already under way, and I plan to closely monitor its progress."
Taking out the trash at Y-12
Over the past year, there's been a major effort to get rid of surplus materials at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant as part of a safety campaign and cleanup of old nuclear facilities.
According to a Dec. 5 report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, things really got rolling in November.
Cheers for possible cleanup stimulus
Steve Dixon, chairman of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, said he likes the idea of using accelerated cleanup of DOE sites as an economic stimulus.
"I think that's absolutely great," Dixon said this afternoon, although noting he's seen nothing official regarding the proposal. "In theory, I'm very much supportive and excited."
Oak Ridge cleanup and economic stimulus
John Shewairy of DOE's Oak Ridge office said nobody knows how much money might be coming to Oak Ridge to support an accelerated cleanup plan or how many jobs would be created if it's included in an economic stimulus package.
On Friday, however, DOE's Oak Ridge manager Gerald Boyd reportedly told an ETEC (East Tennessee Economic Council) audience that the job figure could be as high as 1,000 this year if the best case funding scenario came to be.
The demolition crew for K-1401
BJC photo
After completing the demolition of the 500,000-square-foot K-1401 Building and hauling away the 50 million pounds of debris, the Oak Ridge work crew celebated the milestone with pizza and then posed for this picture.
Cool.
Steven Chu's nomination hearing set for Tuesday
Here's the link for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. It's set for 10 a.m.
Steven Chu, the nominee for Energy Secretary, is a Nobel Laureate in physics and director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
Frank Munger will be covering the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge facilities and other things nuclear. The blog will include random thoughts and opinions, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and expanded coverage and analysis of Oak Ridge news. 