ECA Update: May 7, 2012
Published: Mon, 05/07/12
Please see the EM announcement below:
EM Announces New Director of Office of External Affairs
EM Program Update May 7, 2012 WASHINGTON, D.C. EM has announced that Paul Seidler has joined EM as the Director of the Office of External Affairs.
In this position, Seidler will be responsible for leading EM's public affairs and intergovernmental relations programs. He has over 25 years experience in communications, government relations and program management for nuclear programs.
"I am very pleased that someone with Paul's knowledge, experience and commitment to our mission has joined the EM program," said David Huizenga, Senior Advisor for EM. "His leadership will help us continue providing relevant and timely information to our stakeholders."
Following subcommittee action in late April, the full House Armed Services Committee will mark up the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes DOE national security programs, on Wednesday, May 9 ar 10:00 AM. The mark up will be streamed live and archived at the committee website.
Letting the key Department of Energy headquarters position responsible for overseeing Hanford cleanup remain vacant since July 15 is unacceptable, said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., in a letter to President Obama this week.
He also made his wishes clear in a separate letter to DOE on another key position that soon will be vacant, the federal project director for the Hanford vitrification plant.
Ines Triay, the last DOE assistant secretary of environmental management, resigned from the position in July. It's the top position for DOE environmental cleanup with responsibility for an approximately $5 billion annual budget.
David Huizenga was named to fill in as acting assistant secretary, but that expired after 210 days, the maximum time allowed by law. He's now serving as senior adviser for environmental management.
"It's unacceptable that after nearly a year this administration has failed to even nominate a new leader for this program," Hastings said in the letter. "I request that an assistant secretary be nominated without further delay."
No explanation has been given for the delay in nominating someone.
DOE finds performance issues at Hanford vit plant, raising concerns about Bechtel management
Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald May 5, 2012 Significant performance issues at the Hanford vitrification plant have raised serious concerns about Bechtel National's management system, according to a newly released Department of Energy report.
The concern came to light in the most recently released weekly staff report of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, which said that DOE had identified a Priority Level 1 finding "associated with the potential breakdown in contractor management and their less than adequate performance."
"This finding was identified as a result of several recent DOE oversight activities in which inadequate performance was an issue," the defense board staff report said. "The report concludes that these performance issues 'could have significant impacts on the successful completion of the (vitrification plant) project.' "
DOE project director Dale Knutson sent Bechtel a letter March 20 saying that based on the cumulative impact of issues identified, "It is important for BNI (Bechtel) to step back, identify the underlying organizational processes and values driving these findings, and address them effectively."
The Herald obtained the letter and attached reports this week.
The Taos Town Council voted unanimously April 24 to join the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities, giving the town representation on a board that works to address environmental and economic issues related to the Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL).
Established last year, the coalition also includes Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Taos counties, as well as the cities of Santa Fe and Espanola. Commissioner Andrew Chavez represents Taos County on the board of directors, and Councilor Andrew Gonzales said he would be interested in representing the town of Taos.
According to a joint powers agreement establishing the coalition among the respective entities, LANL is "one of the largest employers in Northern New Mexico and a critical economic driver in the region," each party's local economy and environment is affected by LANL's activities, and the parties "share a common interest in assuring that LANL missions remain sustainable and diversified, while assuring protection of the environment."
NRC questions Savannah River Site radiation models
Rob Pavey, The Augusta ChronicleMay 4, 2012 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission disagrees with models used by the U.S. Energy Department to calculate radiation risks from Savannah River Site's saltstone low-level waste disposal site.
Saltstone, a mixture of low-level radioactive waste and cementlike grout, is pumped into underground vaults at the site, where it hardens to a stable, permanent form.
In a 289-page technical evaluation released Friday, the NRC concluded that the Saltstone Disposal Facility vaults meet most performance objectives, including resistance to intrusion from groundwater, protection of workers who operate the site and stability against earthquakes.
"However, based on its evaluation of DOE's results and independent sensitivity analyses conducted with DOE's models, the NRC staff no longer has reasonable assurance that DOE's disposal activities meet the performance objective for protection of the general population from releases of radioactivity," the report said.
Elected officials in South Carolina and Georgia are once again calling upon the Department of Energy to schedule a meeting to discuss the heavily debated changes to retirees' medical benefits, after an earlier attempt to meet proved unsuccessful.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who first contacted David Huizenga, DOE's senior manager for environmental management, in December seeking answers and a meeting to discuss the changes slated for January 2013, sent a second letter late last month, along with Congressman Joe Wilson.
Georgia Congressman Paul Broun also sent a letter relaying constituent concerns about the proposed changes.
Under the proposed changes, employees 65 and older would be removed from the site's insurance plan and given a stipend, the amount of which had yet to be determined this week, to purchase their own insurance. Retirees younger than 65 would be moved to a separate group and would pay a premium based on their health care needs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. EM announced today that Mark Whitney has been selected as the Oak Ridge Office Assistant Manager for Environmental Management, effective August 2012.
"Mark is an engaging leader with a broad understanding of DOE-wide programs and policies and has a history of proven success developing and implementing strategies to improve organizational performance," said David Huizenga, Senior Advisor for EM. "I am pleased Mark has agreed to take on this important role and devote his talents to the nuclear waste cleanup mission in his home state of Tennessee."
The Oak Ridge Reservation is one of DOE's most unique and complex sites, encompassing three major campuses and spanning almost 34,000 acres. Each campus performs a diverse set of missions, but all share a crucial need for environmental cleanup. The EM program addresses this need by removing the hazards left behind from research and defense operations during the Manhattan Project and Cold War.
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