EM Launches Comprehensive Flickr
Collection – USEFUL FOR PRESENTATIONS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – EM recently established an EM Flickr Collection, which organizes more than ,100 photos from around the EM
complex. This collection was created as a resource for anyone in search of
photographs of EM’s nuclear cleanup activities, from enormous demolition
projects to intricate groundwater cleanup. EM will continually update the
compilation with new images. The Flickr photos are easy to view, download and
use in their original, highest-quality size or other sizes and have been
approved for public use. Search for photos by topic — such as demolition and
disposal — or by an EM site — such as Savannah River Site or Los Alamos
National Laboratory.
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Atomic
bomb labs may be made a national park
The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan 67 years ago today. Now, there's a plan to mark the history of
that devastating weapon by turning its birthplaces into a national park. Lee
Cowan reports.
Where's the Oversight at Nuclear Labs?
Department of Energy's Hands-Off Approach is Recipe for Disaster
By PETER STOCKON and LYDIA DENNETT POGP Project on Government
Oversight
As the saying goes, “The fish rots from the head down.” This is
certainly the case at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
where an 82-year-old nun and two accomplices recently broke in, raising serious
questions about the Department of Energy’s (DOE) security strategy. LINK
Hanford
Washington will hold off on
Hanford vit plant dispute resolution
Published: August 4,
2012
By Annette Cary,
Tri-City Herald
The state of
Washington will not immediately go to dispute resolution over court-enforced
deadlines that will be missed at the Hanford vitrification plant, Gov. Chris
Gregoire said Friday. But she also will not allow the Department of Energy to
"throw in the towel" on the deadlines and tell the
state to trust the
federal government without full information, she told the Herald editorial
board.
State urged to take tough stance
on Hanford tank waste
Published: August 9, 2012 By Annette Cary, Tri-City
Herald
The state of
Washington needs to take a hard line with the Department of Energy on the 56
million gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste held in underground
tanks at Hanford, said speakers at a public hearing in the Tri-Cities this
week.
The Washington State
Department of Ecology heard comments on the newly released section of its draft
Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit that covers Hanford's leak-prone,
single-shell tanks. About 20 people attended the Richland meeting, with
additional people on a call-in line. Link
Hanford officials
finish water treatment plant
Paul Erickson —
Tri-City Herald Published: August 9,
2012
A new groundwater
treatment plant opened at Hanford today. CH2M Hill and Department of Energy
officials marked the completion and start-up of the 200 West Pump and Treat
System that will help clean up one of the largest contaminated plumes at
Hanford.
CH2M Hill and
Department of Energy officials celebrated the completion and start-up of the
200 West Pump and Treat System at Hanford this morning. The plant will help
clean up one of the largest contaminated plumes at Hanford.
The large
sophisticated plant uses technology to go after multiple chemical and
radioactive pollutants in central Hanford groundwater, rather than just one
type of contaminant like most groundwater treatment projects. Link
Oak
Ridge
State
supports DOE's 2014 environmental budget proposal; pushes for more Oak Ridge
funding; cleanup could go until 2043 at current spending
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is
supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge cleanup funding request
for Fiscal Year 2014, although neither the state nor DOE will reveal the exact
amount of the funding request. story
New
acting general manager appointed for Y-12's security contractor
By Frank Munger
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
OAK RIDGE — WSI, the
government's security contractor in Oak Ridge for the past decade, is bringing
in a senior executive from a federal project in Washington State to lead the
operations and is making a series of other personnel changes as the contractor
tries to restore confidence following an unprecedented security breach at the
Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. Steven C. Hafner is a senior vice president with
WSI, formerly known as Wackenhut Services. He has been working for Mission
Support Alliance — a contractor partnership of Lockheed Martin, Jacobs and WSI
— at the U.S. Department Energy's Hanford Operations. He served there as
director of safety, security and environment. Hafner succeeds Lee Brooks, the
former Oak Ridge general manager, who was relieved of his duties in the wake of
the July 28 intrusion at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. Gary Brandon, WSI's
protective force director at Y-12, also was removed from his position, and the
contractor is shuffling personnel to resolve issues associated with the
security lapse that allowed three protesters, including an 82-year-old nun, to
penetrate the Oak Ridge plant's fences and reach the high-security inner core. Story
Posted at 3:27 pm August 6, 2012 by John Huotari 5
Comments
Two administrators at security contractor WSI
Oak Ridge have been replaced after three anti-nuclear weapons activists
penetrated the high-security Protected Area at the Y-12 National Security
Complex on July 28, allegedly splashing blood
and spraying paint on a uranium storage building.Story
See also http://oakridgetoday.com/category/news/department-of-energy/y-12-security-breach/
Final
deal on K-25 MOA reportedly close
Mike Koentop on Monday
evening said the Department of Energy had received all the necessary signatures
except one for the final Memorandum of Agreement on the K-25 mitigation plan
with preservation parties. "We have all of the required signatures except
for the SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office)," Koentop said, saying
the federal agency hopes and expects to have the agreement wrapped up soon.
Under the agreement, the Department of Energy would commit to spending millions
of dollars on historic preservation and history-commemorating projects. The MOA
also would set the stage for DOE to demolish the K-25 building's North Tower,
which had been protected under an earlier agreement but is now reportedly too
deteriorated to salvage safely.
Posted by Frank Munger on August 7, 2012 at 11:32 AM
State signs K-25 agreement; pact
with preservation groups will allow DOE to finish demolition Frank Munger
Posted by Frank Munger on August 7, 2012 at 2:29 PM
Published at 2:14 p.m. on August 9, 2012 | Modified at 2:15 p.m.
on August 9, 2012
Savannah River Site
Contaminated soil removal completed at SRS creek
From Staff Reports Tuesday, Aug 7,
2012 5:49 PM
An extensive cleanup involving the
removal of 5 million pounds of contaminated soil along Lower Three Runs Creek
has been completed, according to Savannah River Site officials.
The 20-mile creek flows through the
site and crosses portions of Barnwell and Allendale counties before meeting the
Savannah River.
A multiyear project financed in part
by the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act included cleanup work at three
primary sites and the placement of miles of fencing and more than 2,000 signs.
Though the stream leaves SRS, government property on both sides serves as a
buffer as if flows through private property.
SRS reaches
cleanup milestone as SRNS completes Lower Three Runs project
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has
confirmed that 85 percent of the Savannah River Site has been cleaned up with
the recent completion of the Lower Three Runs Project. Twenty miles long, Lower
Three Runs leaves the main body of the site and runs through areas of Barnwell
and Allendale Counties until it flows into the Savannah River. "We
excavated and disposed of more than five million pounds of contaminated soil
from three specific sites along the stream, erected miles of fence and placed
over 2,000 signs in order to make Lower Three Runs safe and to reduce our
site's footprint by another 10 percent," said Chris Bergren, manager of
the Area Completion Projects. "Cost efficiencies obtained through the
America Recovery and Reinvestment Act Project at SRS provided the funding
necessary to accelerate this cleanup of Lower Three Runs. Story
EPA
Five companies agree to clean-up mercury contaminated site
Published: Wednesday,
August 08, 2012
By Ian Benjamin The
Record Troy NY
ALBANY - The
Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement Tuesday with five
companies to conduct the clean-up of a mercury contaminated site straddling the
towns of Colonie and Guilderland. According to a press release from the
Environmental Protection Agency, Gillette, KeySpan Gas East, Energizer Battery,
and the Union Carbide and Spectrum Brands will be responsible for remedying
ground water, soil, and sediment contamination at 26 Railroad Ave. The cost of
the clean-up work is estimated at $9.3 million. Story
NRC
Nuclear waste issues freeze permits for U.S. power plants
By Steve Hargreaves
@CNNMoney August 9, 2012: 7:12 AM ET
U.S. halts permits for
new nuclear power plants and renewals at existing reactors until waste issues
are settled. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – The U.S. government said it will stop
issuing permits for new nuclear power plants and license extensions for
existing facilities until it resolves issues around storing radioactive waste.
The government's main watchdog, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, believes
that current storage plans are safe and achievable. But a federal court said
that the NRC didn't detail what the environmental consequences would be if the
agency is wrong. "We are now considering all available options for
resolving the waste issue," the five-member NRC said in a ruling earlier
this week. "But, in recognition of our duties under the law, we will not
issue [reactor] licenses until the court's remand is appropriately
addressed." There are 14 reactors awaiting license renewals at the NRC,
and an additional 16 reactors awaiting permits for new construction.
Ultimately, it'll be up to lawmakers to find a solution to long-term nuclear
waste storage, but their track record on the issue hasn't been good. Nuclear
waste disposal has been a daunting political question that is still unanswered
after decades of study. But the NRC is expected to do more research around what
would happen if a long-term waste storage facility isn't built. It will also
conduct more research into the environmental impact if waste can't safely be
stored on-site at nuclear plants, where it's currently stored. Link
"NRC
Halts Plant License Approvals To Resolve Waste Issue" (Reuters)
"NRC
Halts Licensing Decisions Amid Storage Debate" (Greenwire)
Nuclear waste issues freeze permits for U.S.
power plants
CNNMoney - Aug 9, 2012
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The U.S. government said it will stop
issuing permits for new nuclear power plants and license extensions for
existing facilities until it resolves issues around storing radioactive waste. The
government's main watchdog, the Nuclear ...
NRC puts nuclear licensing decisions on hold
Businessweek - Aug 9, 2012
A
coalition of two dozen environmental groups sought the delay after a federal
appeals court in Washington ruled in June that the NRC's plans for long-term
storage of radioactive waste at individual reactors were
insufficient. The ruling came in response to a ...
US Regulator Halts Nuclear-Plant Licensing
Wall Street Journal - Aug 7, 2012
The move, while not expected to affect any nuclear plants right
away, shows how the standstill in finding a permanent American nuclear waste dump could undermine the expansion of
nuclear power, which is already facing a challenge from cheaper natural ...
Yucca Mountain
Yucca Mountain decision put off
Published: August 4,
2012 By Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald
Supporters of opening
a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., see indications that an
appeals court may order the project to move forward, even though the court
issued an order Friday delaying a decision. The District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals indicated it likely will force the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission to act on a license application to build the repository unless
Congress takes action by Dec. 14.
Link
Fukushima
Videos Shed Light on
Chaos at Fukushima as a Nuclear Crisis Unfolded
By HIROKO TABUCHI
August 9, 2012 New York Times
TOKYO — Shortly
after an explosion rocked the stricken nuclear plant at Fukushima last year,
blanketing the plant and nearby towns in radioactive material, Masao Yoshida,
the plant’s chief manager, rallied his men.
“I fear we are in
acute danger,” he said. “But let’s calm down a little. Let’s all take a deep
breath. Inhale, exhale.” Link
Nuclear Energy Institute
NEI Disappointed by Court Ruling on Petition
Tied to Yucca Mountain Project
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
ruled today in Aiken County et al v. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the
case be held in abeyance for up to four months pending congressional action on
fiscal year 2013 appropriations related to the federal government’s nuclear
waste management program. Aiken County petitioned the court in 2011 for a writ
of mandamus ordering the NRC to complete its review of the Yucca Mountain
repository license application and issue a final decision approving or
disapproving the application. The lawsuit was filed in response to the
Department of Energy’s attempt to abandon the license application pending
before the NRC on the proposed repository for used nuclear fuel from commercial
nuclear power plants and high-level radioactive waste from U.S. defense
programs. Following is a statement regarding the court’s ruling by Ellen
Ginsberg, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s vice president and general counsel. Story
INPO Updates Report on Lessons Learned From Fukushima Daiichi Accident
The Institute of
Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) has conducted an independent review of Japan’s
Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, at the request of Tokyo
Electric Power Co., to examine and share lessons learned from the 2011 accident
in which an earthquake and tsunami damaged the nuclear energy facilities. Link
Congress
THE
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE HEARING: DOE’s Nuclear Weapons Complex:
Challenges to Safety, Security, and Taxpayer Stewardship
September 12, 2012
The
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has scheduled a hearing on
Wednesday, September 12, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House
Office Building. The title of the hearing is “DOE’s Nuclear Weapons Complex:
Challenges to Safety, Security, and Taxpayer Stewardship.” Background Memo
Sen. Bingaman
proposes nuclear waste management bill
By Zack Colman - 08/01/12 03:05 PM ET
Chairman of the Senate Energy
Committee Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) introduced a bill Thursday to revamp federal
oversight of nuclear waste, although he acknowledged partisan disagreements
would prevent it from passing Congress this session.
Bingaman's bill would
implement recommendations from a January report by
the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. President Obama created
the commission in 2009 to evaluate the nation’s handling of nuclear waste.
S. 3469: Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2012
A bill to establish a new organization to manage nuclear
waste, provide a consensual process for siting nuclear waste facilities, ensure
adequate funding for managing nuclear waste, and for other purposes. Link
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