TriCity Herald (WA), 12/17/09
WASHINGTON — The federal secretary of Health and Human Services has agreed to expand automatic compensation of $150,000 to more Hanford workers who may have developed cancer because of exposure to radiation.
If Congress does not object, the decision by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius takes effect Jan. 10. The action was recommended in October by a federal advisory board.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, will review 340 pending claims of former Hanford workers, some filed by their survivors. The claims are for workers who had cancers covered under the automatic compensation program and who worked at Hanford during the years the new expanded rules would cover.
Those pending claims are in addition to hundreds of past claims that have been denied but would be reviewed by the Department of Labor to see if they now qualify for compensation under the eased rules. The new rules also could help some middle-aged Hanford workers and recent retirees who yet may develop cancer.
CRESP Newstories and Links related to risk-based cleanup of the nation’s nuclear weapons production facility waste sites and cost-effective, risk-based management of potential future nuclear sites and wastes. CRESP seeks to improve the scientific and technical basis for environmental management decisions by the Department of Energy (DOE) and by fostering public participation in that search.
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Monday, December 21, 2009
Department of Energy Office of Inspector General
Department of Energy Office of Inspector General
Recent reports:
• 2009-12-11- Audit Special Report MIG-0832*
Audit Special Report "Management Challenges at the Department of Energy" http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/IG-0832.pdf
• 2009-12-07- Audit Special Report OAS-RA-10-03*
Audit Special Report "Selected Department of Energy Program Efforts to Implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act"
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/OAS-RA-10-03.pdf
•Semiannual Report to Congress*
for the Period of April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009.
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/Semiannual_Report_to_Congress_4-09_to_9-09.pdf
Recent reports:
• 2009-12-11- Audit Special Report MIG-0832*
Audit Special Report "Management Challenges at the Department of Energy" http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/IG-0832.pdf
• 2009-12-07- Audit Special Report OAS-RA-10-03*
Audit Special Report "Selected Department of Energy Program Efforts to Implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act"
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/OAS-RA-10-03.pdf
•Semiannual Report to Congress*
for the Period of April 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009.
http://www.ig.energy.gov/documents/Semiannual_Report_to_Congress_4-09_to_9-09.pdf
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Nuclear Site Finds Money Can Bring Headaches
By MICHAEL COOPER; Matthew L. Wald contributed reporting. /1340 words/13 December 2009/The New York Times/NYTF/Late Edition - Final/30/English/Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
AIKEN, S.C. -- There is a phenomenon known as the lottery winner's curse, where those who suddenly strike it rich do not live happily ever after. If the experience at the Savannah River Site here is any guide, something like it may threaten the winners of stimulus bonanzas.
Earlier this year, the nuclear site won one of the biggest pots of stimulus money, $1.6 billion, to accelerate its cleanup of radioactive waste left behind after decades of producing materials for the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. But the pressure to spend the money quickly and effectively has led to a series of bitter disputes among officials that burst into public view this fall after the tensions reached critical mass.
At the heart of the dispute is the question of whether officials in Washington or at the site can do a better job managing the cleanup. The tensions have spurred a wide-ranging investigation by the Department of Energy's inspector general and a host of bitter accusations, including one that led to an inquiry into whether one stimulus official had really threatened another by saying she wanted to shoot him.
They have also raised questions not only about one of the biggest stimulus projects, but also about the oversight and operations at one of the country's biggest nuclear sites as it grapples with the complex question of the cleanup.
AIKEN, S.C. -- There is a phenomenon known as the lottery winner's curse, where those who suddenly strike it rich do not live happily ever after. If the experience at the Savannah River Site here is any guide, something like it may threaten the winners of stimulus bonanzas.
Earlier this year, the nuclear site won one of the biggest pots of stimulus money, $1.6 billion, to accelerate its cleanup of radioactive waste left behind after decades of producing materials for the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. But the pressure to spend the money quickly and effectively has led to a series of bitter disputes among officials that burst into public view this fall after the tensions reached critical mass.
At the heart of the dispute is the question of whether officials in Washington or at the site can do a better job managing the cleanup. The tensions have spurred a wide-ranging investigation by the Department of Energy's inspector general and a host of bitter accusations, including one that led to an inquiry into whether one stimulus official had really threatened another by saying she wanted to shoot him.
They have also raised questions not only about one of the biggest stimulus projects, but also about the oversight and operations at one of the country's biggest nuclear sites as it grapples with the complex question of the cleanup.
Nevada Officials See DOE Yucca Application Withdrawal By Late 2010
502 words\16 December 2009Energy Washington WeekIEPAVol. 6, No. 50EnglishCopyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
Nevada officials closely tracking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's review of the DOE Yucca Mountain application review anticipate the department will extend the process well into 2010 but will withdraw the license some time after depositions begin in early February on the 225 contentions Nevada has brought against the Yucca waste site but before the late-2010 or early 2011 hearings start.
Since a DOE memo was leaked last month industry and Nevada officials have been anticipating DOE's withdrawal of its application to build a permanent waste facility in Nevada. The memo said that in December DOE would be ending all actions to defend Yucca Mountain against criticisms, prompting nuclear energy industry sources to expect that DOE would by now have announced its application withdrawal because it is getting late for any federal action, according to industry sources. The sources say the DOE memo leak and a lack of overall response by DOE on Yucca Mountain has created confusion among industry observers who hope that the department will provide clarification of its intended waste management strategy once the Yucca license is yanked.
Industry sources are also baffled by DOE and administration foot dragging on the formation of a blue-ribbon commission, which is seen as the federal government's process for defining a new nuclear waste strategy now that the administration has said Yucca Mountain is no longer an option.
Nevada officials closely tracking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's review of the DOE Yucca Mountain application review anticipate the department will extend the process well into 2010 but will withdraw the license some time after depositions begin in early February on the 225 contentions Nevada has brought against the Yucca waste site but before the late-2010 or early 2011 hearings start.
Since a DOE memo was leaked last month industry and Nevada officials have been anticipating DOE's withdrawal of its application to build a permanent waste facility in Nevada. The memo said that in December DOE would be ending all actions to defend Yucca Mountain against criticisms, prompting nuclear energy industry sources to expect that DOE would by now have announced its application withdrawal because it is getting late for any federal action, according to industry sources. The sources say the DOE memo leak and a lack of overall response by DOE on Yucca Mountain has created confusion among industry observers who hope that the department will provide clarification of its intended waste management strategy once the Yucca license is yanked.
Industry sources are also baffled by DOE and administration foot dragging on the formation of a blue-ribbon commission, which is seen as the federal government's process for defining a new nuclear waste strategy now that the administration has said Yucca Mountain is no longer an option.
NRC Will Likely Reject NEI Request To Redirect Yucca Review Funds
908 words/16 December 2009/Energy Washington Week/IEPA/Vol. 6, No. 50/English/
Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is likely to reject a nuclear industry request for the commission to use its limited fiscal year 2010 budget to expedite the NRC technical review for a permanent waste repository rather than spending money to fight Nevada's "contentions" against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, according to Nevada state and congressional representatives. The request -- in a letter from Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President Marvin Fertel to commission Chairman Greg Jaczko -- has provoked the ire of Nevada state officials and its legal counsel, who call the request unlawful, the sources say.
While NRC is still determining how it will respond to the letter, the commission is expected to respond soon and is likely to say "no," says a commission source. The almost certain negative response to the NEI proposal is expected because Nevada legal counsel believe Fertel's request to the commission is highly questionable, according to sources.
Commission sources say the NRC has received a detailed legal analysis of the request from Nevada's lawyers and are seriously considering the state's recommendations.
Copyright © 2009, Inside Washington Publishers. All rights reserved. Also available in print and online as part of www.EnergyWashington.com.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is likely to reject a nuclear industry request for the commission to use its limited fiscal year 2010 budget to expedite the NRC technical review for a permanent waste repository rather than spending money to fight Nevada's "contentions" against the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, according to Nevada state and congressional representatives. The request -- in a letter from Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President Marvin Fertel to commission Chairman Greg Jaczko -- has provoked the ire of Nevada state officials and its legal counsel, who call the request unlawful, the sources say.
While NRC is still determining how it will respond to the letter, the commission is expected to respond soon and is likely to say "no," says a commission source. The almost certain negative response to the NEI proposal is expected because Nevada legal counsel believe Fertel's request to the commission is highly questionable, according to sources.
Commission sources say the NRC has received a detailed legal analysis of the request from Nevada's lawyers and are seriously considering the state's recommendations.
NUCLEAR WASTE; Tensions at nuclear site after increased stimulus oversight
267 words14 December 2009GreenwireGRWREnglish© 2009 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Pressure to see one of the country's largest single stimulus awards -- $1.6 billion given to the cleanup of the Savannah River nuclear site in South Carolina -- spent quickly and effectively have lead to a series of disputes between the project and its overseers at the Department of Energy.
During the cold war, Savannah River produced 40 percent of the plutonium in the nation's atomic stockpile. Today the site is part of DOE's long-term efforts to repair land damaged by the country's nuclear weapon complex, an effort that has lasted decades.
The lead contractor at Savannah has added more than 1,600 new jobs thanks to the stimulus award, but DOE officials warned that some of the site's stimulus proposals were vague, and instead redirected $200 million to a secondary contractor at Savannah that had an already active liquid-waste removal project. Local overseers at the site bristled against the interference.
The federal government took steps to make sure the program was on track to finish its work by the end of 2011, said Inés R. Triay, DOE's assistant secretary for environmental management.
"Every time that headquarters strengthens its oversight role, there's a tension that gets created between headquarters and the field site," Triay said. "That's a natural tension. It brings out the passion and commitment of all involved to get the job done."
DOE's inspector general is investigating what the stimulus funding has engendered at the site (Michael Cooper, New York Times, Dec. 13). -- PV
Pressure to see one of the country's largest single stimulus awards -- $1.6 billion given to the cleanup of the Savannah River nuclear site in South Carolina -- spent quickly and effectively have lead to a series of disputes between the project and its overseers at the Department of Energy.
During the cold war, Savannah River produced 40 percent of the plutonium in the nation's atomic stockpile. Today the site is part of DOE's long-term efforts to repair land damaged by the country's nuclear weapon complex, an effort that has lasted decades.
The lead contractor at Savannah has added more than 1,600 new jobs thanks to the stimulus award, but DOE officials warned that some of the site's stimulus proposals were vague, and instead redirected $200 million to a secondary contractor at Savannah that had an already active liquid-waste removal project. Local overseers at the site bristled against the interference.
The federal government took steps to make sure the program was on track to finish its work by the end of 2011, said Inés R. Triay, DOE's assistant secretary for environmental management.
"Every time that headquarters strengthens its oversight role, there's a tension that gets created between headquarters and the field site," Triay said. "That's a natural tension. It brings out the passion and commitment of all involved to get the job done."
DOE's inspector general is investigating what the stimulus funding has engendered at the site (Michael Cooper, New York Times, Dec. 13). -- PV
Nuclear’s next generation
2563 words/12 December 2009/The Economist/EC/ECN/English/(c) The Economist Newspaper Limited, London 2009. All rights reserved
Inside story: A group of six new blueprints for nuclear power-stations promise advances in safety and efficiency. How do they differ from existing designs?
DWIGHT EISENHOWER observed in his “Atoms for Peace” speech in 1953 that nuclear technology originally developed for military purposes could also be put to peaceful uses, namely generating electricity. His speech led to the dissemination of nuclear technology for civilian purposes, and the establishment of the first nuclear power-stations. Many of these early reactors, built during the cold war, made a virtue of the “dual use” nature of nuclear technology. Designs were favoured that could create weapons-grade material as well as electricity.
Today those priorities have been reversed. America and Russia are taking steps to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and the international community is trying to prevent their acquisition by new states. Under America’s “Megatons to Megawatts” programme, weapons-grade material from retired warheads is being broken down to provide fuel for civilian nuclear power-stations. With 53 new reactors under construction around the world and dozens more planned, the main difficulties facing nuclear scientists now are to reduce the threat of proliferation, improve efficiency and do something about the growing stock of nuclear waste in indefinite temporary storage.
These new priorities favour new sorts of reactor. Taking the lead in the development of the next generation of reactors is an international programme called the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), a collaboration between the governments of America, Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland, plus Euratom, the EU’s nuclear body. Established in 2001, the GIF has drawn up a shortlist of six of the most promising designs, which range from updated versions of existing reactors to radically different approaches.
Inside story: A group of six new blueprints for nuclear power-stations promise advances in safety and efficiency. How do they differ from existing designs?
DWIGHT EISENHOWER observed in his “Atoms for Peace” speech in 1953 that nuclear technology originally developed for military purposes could also be put to peaceful uses, namely generating electricity. His speech led to the dissemination of nuclear technology for civilian purposes, and the establishment of the first nuclear power-stations. Many of these early reactors, built during the cold war, made a virtue of the “dual use” nature of nuclear technology. Designs were favoured that could create weapons-grade material as well as electricity.
Today those priorities have been reversed. America and Russia are taking steps to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and the international community is trying to prevent their acquisition by new states. Under America’s “Megatons to Megawatts” programme, weapons-grade material from retired warheads is being broken down to provide fuel for civilian nuclear power-stations. With 53 new reactors under construction around the world and dozens more planned, the main difficulties facing nuclear scientists now are to reduce the threat of proliferation, improve efficiency and do something about the growing stock of nuclear waste in indefinite temporary storage.
These new priorities favour new sorts of reactor. Taking the lead in the development of the next generation of reactors is an international programme called the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), a collaboration between the governments of America, Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland, plus Euratom, the EU’s nuclear body. Established in 2001, the GIF has drawn up a shortlist of six of the most promising designs, which range from updated versions of existing reactors to radically different approaches.
Keep Hanford land options open, Doc says
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer /Cary Annette/483 words/11 December 2009/Tri-City Herald/TRIC/D1/English/(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
The federal government needs to keep all options open and prevent land from being locked up as cleanup is completed on parts of the Hanford nuclear reservation, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said Thursday.
He discussed the future and funding issues for Hanford and other Department of Energy sites in Washington, D.C., as the keynote speaker at the semi-annual meeting of the Energy Facilities Contractor Group.
DOE expects to have most of the cleanup along the Columbia River at Hanford completed by 2015, shrinking the contaminated portion of the nuclear reservation from 586 square miles to about 75 square miles at its center. In addition, much of $1.96 billion in federal economic stimulus money is being used to speed up cleanup and free up areas for other uses, such as a clean energy park to research and produce energy.
A top priority should be ensuring that local communities have a meaningful leadership role in determining their future with these lands, he said.
“It is critical that we remember the unique features of each site and each community,” he said.
Earlier this year he worked to get Hanford deleted from a bill that would have designated Hanford as a National Environmental Research Park, believing a designation that covered the entire site could have unintended consequences and reduce flexibility in making long-range land use plans.
Plans also are being made at Hanford’s historic B Reactor, where supporters have worked for years to have it preserved as a museum.
The federal government needs to keep all options open and prevent land from being locked up as cleanup is completed on parts of the Hanford nuclear reservation, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said Thursday.
He discussed the future and funding issues for Hanford and other Department of Energy sites in Washington, D.C., as the keynote speaker at the semi-annual meeting of the Energy Facilities Contractor Group.
DOE expects to have most of the cleanup along the Columbia River at Hanford completed by 2015, shrinking the contaminated portion of the nuclear reservation from 586 square miles to about 75 square miles at its center. In addition, much of $1.96 billion in federal economic stimulus money is being used to speed up cleanup and free up areas for other uses, such as a clean energy park to research and produce energy.
A top priority should be ensuring that local communities have a meaningful leadership role in determining their future with these lands, he said.
“It is critical that we remember the unique features of each site and each community,” he said.
Earlier this year he worked to get Hanford deleted from a bill that would have designated Hanford as a National Environmental Research Park, believing a designation that covered the entire site could have unintended consequences and reduce flexibility in making long-range land use plans.
Plans also are being made at Hanford’s historic B Reactor, where supporters have worked for years to have it preserved as a museum.
Hanford contract award for lab protested
Annette Cary;Herald staff writer /Cary Annette/390 words/10 December 2009/Tri-City Herald/TRIC/B6/
English/(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
A protest has been lodged in the Department of Energy’s $48.6 million award to Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International to operate Hanford’s 222-S Laboratory.
The Department of Energy will have 35 days to address the protest, which was filed with the agency’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center rather than the Government Accountability Office. The protest was filed Nov. 27.
Four bids were received for the small business contract, which DOE awarded Nov. 20. DOE declined to say who bid on the project or which bidder filed the protest.
English/(c) 2009 The Tri-City Herald. All Rights Reserved.
A protest has been lodged in the Department of Energy’s $48.6 million award to Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International to operate Hanford’s 222-S Laboratory.
The Department of Energy will have 35 days to address the protest, which was filed with the agency’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center rather than the Government Accountability Office. The protest was filed Nov. 27.
Four bids were received for the small business contract, which DOE awarded Nov. 20. DOE declined to say who bid on the project or which bidder filed the protest.
Former Oak Ridge lab leader nominated to TVA board
BILL THEOBALD /264 words/10 December 2009/Gannett News Service/GNS/English/© 2009 Gannett News Service. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved. /By BILL THEOBALD/Gannett Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Marilyn A. Brown, who formerly managed the energy efficiency research and development program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was part of a committee that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, was nominated to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors on Thursday by President Barack Obama.
Brown's nomination is the fourth Obama has made to the TVA board this year. The nominees would fill out the nine-member board that oversees the nation's largest public utility.
Brown is a professor of energy policy at the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, where she joined the faculty in 2006. She was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore.
In 2006, Brown helped launch the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. She serves on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the National Commission on Energy Policy.
Brown remains a distinguished visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She earned a Ph.D. in geography from Ohio State University, a master's in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University.
Brown donated several times to Republican Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga while she worked at Oak Ridge, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Her nomination must be approved by the Senate.
WASHINGTON - Marilyn A. Brown, who formerly managed the energy efficiency research and development program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was part of a committee that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, was nominated to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors on Thursday by President Barack Obama.
Brown's nomination is the fourth Obama has made to the TVA board this year. The nominees would fill out the nine-member board that oversees the nation's largest public utility.
Brown is a professor of energy policy at the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, where she joined the faculty in 2006. She was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore.
In 2006, Brown helped launch the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. She serves on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the National Commission on Energy Policy.
Brown remains a distinguished visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She earned a Ph.D. in geography from Ohio State University, a master's in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University.
Brown donated several times to Republican Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga while she worked at Oak Ridge, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Her nomination must be approved by the Senate.
Debate over nuclear legal challenge heats up
1002 words/10 December 2009/European Daily Electricity Markets/EURODE/English/(c)2009 Heren Energy Ltd
A top energy lawyer has dismissed the possibility of a legal challenge against UK nuclear industry “subsidies”.
The anti-nuclear lobby in the UK has repeatedly raised the possibility of a legal challenge, with supporters including Liberal Democrats shadow energy secretary Simon Hughes, on the grounds that alleged financial assistance may be an infringement of EU competition laws (see EDEM 20 October 2009).
The seven areas of subsidy were identified in the report Nuclear Subsidies, published last month by the influential pressure group Energy Fair. These were:
limitations on liabilities
underwriting commercial risks
protection against terrorist attack
the cap on short- to medium-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
a cap on long-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants being ring-fenced
institutional support for the nuclear industry.
A top energy lawyer has dismissed the possibility of a legal challenge against UK nuclear industry “subsidies”.
The anti-nuclear lobby in the UK has repeatedly raised the possibility of a legal challenge, with supporters including Liberal Democrats shadow energy secretary Simon Hughes, on the grounds that alleged financial assistance may be an infringement of EU competition laws (see EDEM 20 October 2009).
The seven areas of subsidy were identified in the report Nuclear Subsidies, published last month by the influential pressure group Energy Fair. These were:
limitations on liabilities
underwriting commercial risks
protection against terrorist attack
the cap on short- to medium-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
a cap on long-term costs of disposing of nuclear waste
the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants being ring-fenced
institutional support for the nuclear industry.
Utah congressman's spokeswoman: DOE has decided to dispose of SC depleted uranium in Utah
By BROCK VERGAKIS /Associated Press Writer/143 words/10 December 2009/17:43/Associated Press Newswires/APRS/English/(c) 2009. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A spokeswoman for Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah says the Department of Energy has decided it will begin shipping thousands of drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah.
Alyson Heyrend says the department informed Matheson's office of its decision Thursday.
Matheson had asked the agency to halt shipments of depleted uranium from the Savannah River Site until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalizes rules for how the material should be disposed of.
Depleted uranium is different from other low-level radioactive waste disposed of in Utah because it becomes more radioactive over time.
The regulatory commission isn't expected to finalize its rules until 2012 at the earliest.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A spokeswoman for Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah says the Department of Energy has decided it will begin shipping thousands of drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah.
Alyson Heyrend says the department informed Matheson's office of its decision Thursday.
Matheson had asked the agency to halt shipments of depleted uranium from the Savannah River Site until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalizes rules for how the material should be disposed of.
Depleted uranium is different from other low-level radioactive waste disposed of in Utah because it becomes more radioactive over time.
The regulatory commission isn't expected to finalize its rules until 2012 at the earliest.
DOE: Nevada not an option for SC depleted uranium
By BROCK VERGAKIS /Associated Press Writer/527 words/9 December 2009/17:07/Associated Press Newswires/APRS/English/(c) 2009. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Nevada has been ruled out as an alternative disposal site for low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina currently scheduled to come to Utah, a Department of Energy spokeswoman said Wednesday.
DOE spokeswoman Lauren Milone said nearly 15,000 drums of the material will either be disposed of in Utah or remain in South Carolina, and a final decision could come as early as next week.
She said the Nevada site about 65 miles north of Las Vegas is being excluded from discussions about the depleted uranium because the energy department agreed to conduct a statewide environmental impact statement before accepting new waste there. The review would take too long, probably at least a year, she said.
Disposal of the Savannah River Site waste is being funded through federal stimulus money, which is intended to quickly spur the economy.
The first shipments of depleted uranium were scheduled to leave South Carolina for Utah this month but the move was opposed by an environmental group and U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
Depleted uranium is different from other waste disposed at EnergySolutions Inc.'s facility 70 miles west of Salt Lake City because it becomes more radioactive over time, for up to 1 million years. The material is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process used to make nuclear weapons in the Cold War era.
EnergySolutions operates the country's largest and only privately owned low-level radioactive waste disposal site.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Nevada has been ruled out as an alternative disposal site for low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina currently scheduled to come to Utah, a Department of Energy spokeswoman said Wednesday.
DOE spokeswoman Lauren Milone said nearly 15,000 drums of the material will either be disposed of in Utah or remain in South Carolina, and a final decision could come as early as next week.
She said the Nevada site about 65 miles north of Las Vegas is being excluded from discussions about the depleted uranium because the energy department agreed to conduct a statewide environmental impact statement before accepting new waste there. The review would take too long, probably at least a year, she said.
Disposal of the Savannah River Site waste is being funded through federal stimulus money, which is intended to quickly spur the economy.
The first shipments of depleted uranium were scheduled to leave South Carolina for Utah this month but the move was opposed by an environmental group and U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
Depleted uranium is different from other waste disposed at EnergySolutions Inc.'s facility 70 miles west of Salt Lake City because it becomes more radioactive over time, for up to 1 million years. The material is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process used to make nuclear weapons in the Cold War era.
EnergySolutions operates the country's largest and only privately owned low-level radioactive waste disposal site.
DOE; Staffing woes frustrate stimulus disbursement -- IG
Katherine Ling, E&E reporter /314 words/9 December 2009/Greenwire/GRWR/English/© 2009 E&E Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The Energy Department's ability to hire, train and retain a sufficient number of employees to disburse and monitor the almost $33 billion in stimulus funds remains a problem, DOE's inspector general said in a report released today.
The report found program staffing inadequate to ensure stimulus funds could be distributed in a timely manner and monitored for abuse or fraud. DOE has awarded almost $19 billion so far, of which $1.6 billion has been spent.
"While we recognize that it takes time to address inadequate staffing levels, we believe that this will continue to be a challenge encountered by most programs in the foreseeable future," the report says. "The effort to date has strained existing resources. As has been widely acknowledged, any effort to disburse massive additional funding and to expeditiously initiate and complete projects increases the risk of fraud, waste and abuse," it says.
The report acknowledged that DOE has made some progress in identifying risks and preparing mitigation plans by establishing the Risk Management Office within the Chief Financial Office. DOE also reported that programs are set to submit staffing requirement plans in January and have hired some contractors and reallocated personnel.
The report also recommends that performance measures be tied to accomplishing goals. "In this way, contractors' performance on Recovery Act projects may directly affect the fees they can earn," the report says.
DOE should also give extra scrutiny to larger projects -- for example, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) projects for coal-fired power plants -- that include multiple partners, the report says. "Given the complexity and substantial costs of these projects, business arrangements between teaming partners should be subject to extensive coordination and rigorous Department review," it says.
DOE management generally concurred with the report's findings.
The Energy Department's ability to hire, train and retain a sufficient number of employees to disburse and monitor the almost $33 billion in stimulus funds remains a problem, DOE's inspector general said in a report released today.
The report found program staffing inadequate to ensure stimulus funds could be distributed in a timely manner and monitored for abuse or fraud. DOE has awarded almost $19 billion so far, of which $1.6 billion has been spent.
"While we recognize that it takes time to address inadequate staffing levels, we believe that this will continue to be a challenge encountered by most programs in the foreseeable future," the report says. "The effort to date has strained existing resources. As has been widely acknowledged, any effort to disburse massive additional funding and to expeditiously initiate and complete projects increases the risk of fraud, waste and abuse," it says.
The report acknowledged that DOE has made some progress in identifying risks and preparing mitigation plans by establishing the Risk Management Office within the Chief Financial Office. DOE also reported that programs are set to submit staffing requirement plans in January and have hired some contractors and reallocated personnel.
The report also recommends that performance measures be tied to accomplishing goals. "In this way, contractors' performance on Recovery Act projects may directly affect the fees they can earn," the report says.
DOE should also give extra scrutiny to larger projects -- for example, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) projects for coal-fired power plants -- that include multiple partners, the report says. "Given the complexity and substantial costs of these projects, business arrangements between teaming partners should be subject to extensive coordination and rigorous Department review," it says.
DOE management generally concurred with the report's findings.
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