Environmental Management
Priority
Review
EM is undertaking a 45-day, full program review. Jim Owendoff, Acting EM-1, has said the
review will "help focus the Department's cleanup efforts by emphasizing more timely decisions on some of our more complex cleanup challenges." This leaves ECA wondering what changes are in store, and what are the main areas of focus of the review, due
mid-August.
ECA members are encouraged to send comments to ECA this week to ensure that
your priorities are included in the review. ECA will compile comments on contracting, waste disposition, cleanup activities and funding, local government involvement in decision-making processes, and other
issues.
Leadership Changes in EM
ECA is hearing that the large shake-up once promised in EM leadership is now a
small shake-up. With Owendoff as the new acting EM-1, other rumored changes may not be occurring immediately--at least not until a new EM political appointee is named. ECA will keep you posted on actual moves once they are
announced.
OCRWM Start Date--Win an ECA Hat!
ECA staff is taking bets on the date for when the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) will be officially stood up. If you want to participate, send your guess to bulletin@energyca.org! The person with the closest guess will win an ECA hat. Second place wins an ECA
umbrella.
National Nuclear Security Administration
ECA continues to hear reports that a new NNSA Administrator nomination is imminent. The White House has yet to officially announce. an name. Administrator Klotz is well respected and has build momentum within the organization; we hope the next Administrator can continue to move NNSA
forward.
Contracting
One of the biggest contracts in the complex -
Los Alamos M&O is planned to be released tomorrow on Fed Bix Ops. The Los Alamos cleanup contract announcement is
overdue (from the estimates), but still expected soon.
A comprehensive list of recent contract awards and new contracts out for bid
can be found in ECA's June
Bulletin.
Nominations
What ever happened to DOE's nominees? The answer:
they're stalled in the Senate. Reports say that the nomination of Dan Brouillette to be Deputy Secretary of Energy is currently being held up by Senator Heller (R-NV). Over what? Yucca Mountain, of course. ECA will continue to provide updates as additional DOE nominations are made or
approved.
