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DOE Oak Ridge has Veterans Day program on Thursday

Posted at 2:26 pm November 7, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

James L. Campbell

James L. Campbell

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office will host a Veterans Day program on Thursday in honor of the courageous men and women who serve and have served in our nation’s armed forces, a press release said.

The program is scheduled between 10-11 a.m. Thursday, November 8, in the American Museum of Science and Energy Auditorium at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge. The new museum is near JCPenney.

The program will include keynote speaker Lieutenant General James L. Campbell, who is retired from the U.S. Army. He will share his thoughts on “Sacrifices of Service,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, DOE Oak Ridge, DOE Oak Ridge Office, James L. Campbell, U.S. Department of Energy, Veterans Day

UCOR awards site prep contract for Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12

Posted at 1:35 pm September 19, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m.

UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, has awarded a $1.4 million contract to a Knoxville company for early site preparation activities for the Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, and the work could start in November.

GEM Technologies of Knoxville will perform the work for the new Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12, UCOR said in a press release Tuesday.

UCOR is also known as URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Under the contract, GEM Technologies will perform limited demolition of existing abandoned utilities and the extension of new utilities—including electrical power, water, sewer, and storm drains—to the treatment facility sites, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: DOE, DOE Oak Ridge Office, early site preparation, East Fork Poplar Creek, East Tennessee Technology Park, Energy and Water Appropriations, environmental management, GEM Technologies, Headworks Facility, Jay Mullis, lithium isotopes, Mark Whitney, mercury, mercury contamination, mercury remediation, Mercury Treatment Facility, nuclear weapons work, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Outfall 200, Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment Facility, site prep contract, Sue Cange, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, West End Mercury Area, Y-12 National Security Complex

House bill keeps DOE Office of Science spending flat, increases NNSA funding

Posted at 2:02 pm July 18, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Photo by ORNL

 

Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

A House bill approved Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s proposed funding cut of about $900 million for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

Instead of cutting, the House Appropriations Committee bill would keep spending flat for the Office of Science, holding it at $5.39 billion in the next fiscal year, the same as in the current fiscal year.

That could be good news for DOE Office of Science laboratories and offices here, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, or OSTI.

Separately, the House bill recommends a funding increase for the National Nuclear Security Administration. That’s something that the Trump administration had also proposed. The NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within DOE, and its activities include nuclear weapons work, nuclear nonproliferation efforts, and naval reactors. The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is an NNSA site.

“Issues of national and economic security are continually on the forefront of the minds of all Americans,” said U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge. “Last week, the House Appropriations Committee, on which I serve, approved the Fiscal Year 2018 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. I was proud to help direct additional funding towards the national security programs at Y-12.

“Additionally, funding levels included in this legislation will allow for cleanup of high risk excess facilities at Y-12. This is the first step in a long process, and I want to assure my constituents that I will continue fighting to ensure that Y-12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and environmental management activities get the funding needed to continue their critical missions.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, ARPA-E, budget request, Chuck Fleischmann, DOE Oak Ridge Office, DOE Office of Science, DOE spending, Donald Trump, East Tennessee Technology Park, EERE, EM, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, environmental cleanup, environmental management, House Appropriations Committee, House bill, K-25, Lamar Alexander, Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, Mike Simpson, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, nuclear facility cleanup, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Office of Science, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, ORNL, Pantex Plant, Rodney Frelinghuysen, Trump administration, U.S. Department of Energy, uranium processing facility, West End Protected Area Reduction Project, Y-12 Biology Complex, Y-12 National Security Complex

Construction could start this year on K-25 History Center

Posted at 11:37 am May 4, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 History Center and Equipment Building

An image showing the K-25 History Center on the second floor of the city-owned fire station, right, at East Tennessee Technology Park, with the Equipment Building and Viewing Tower at left. (Graphic by David Brown/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

Construction could start this year on the K-25 History Center at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge, federal officials said. Plans also call for an Equipment Building and Viewing Tower at the site. Although the projects depend upon funding, the goal is to finish the work by 2019.

The K-25 site was one of three large sites built by the federal government in Oak Ridge during World War II to help make the world’s first atomic weapons as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. The other two sites were X-10, which is now known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Y-12, now the Y-12 National Security Complex.

At K-25, the three history-related facilities will have three missions. The History Center will tell the story of the workers. The Equipment Building will focus on the technology. And the Viewing Tower will show visitors the size of the site. All three facilities will be on the south side of the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building.

K-25 used a process called gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and, later, for commercial nuclear power plants. Officials and contractors have said that K-25 helped win the Cold War. The site is now known as Heritage Center or East Tennessee Technology Park.

Preserving its history is part of a Memorandum of Agreement that was signed in August 2012 and allowed for the complete demolition of K-25, once the world’s largest building under one roof. The historic preservation work is expected to cost about $20 million total. [Read more…]

Filed Under: K-25, K-25, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, Ben Williams, David Brown, DOE Oak Ridge Office, East Tennessee Technology Park, equipment building, ETTP, gaseous diffusion, Heritage Center, historic preservation, Jay Mullis, K-25, K-25 Building, K-25 History Center, K-25 site, Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, viewing tower, World War II, X-10, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Munger, retiring DOE reporter for the News Sentinel, receives Muddy Boot Award

Posted at 10:45 am June 30, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Frank Munger and Jim Campbell Muddy Boot Award

Frank Munger, right, the U.S. Department of Energy reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel, received a Muddy Boot Award from the East Tennessee Economic Council on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Munger, who is considered by many to be the best in the field, is retiring Thursday, June 30, after covering DOE for 35 years for the News Sentinel. Also pictured above is ETEC President Jim Campbell. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

Frank Munger, U.S. Department of Energy reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel, received a Muddy Boot Award from the East Tennessee Economic Council during a retirement celebration on Wednesday.

Munger is retiring today (June 30) after 35 years covering DOE for the News Sentinel. Many consider him to be the best DOE reporter in the DOE complex. It’s not clear if he will be replaced. Some have said he is irreplaceable.

Among those who praised Munger’s work and “shoe-leather” journalism on Wednesday, even if DOE wasn’t always pleased with his stories, were current and former DOE and contractor officials Gerald Boyd, Sue Cange, Dave Keim, Thom Mason, Billy Stair, and Jim Alexander. They recalled humorous moments; his pocket-sized voice recorder, which he was carrying Wednesday; the occasional arguments; and his ability to translate stories about complex subjects such as the Spallation Neutron Source into language that people without scientific training could understand. They also presented Munger with mementos, including a framed collection of photos from Oak Ridge National Laboratory showing Munger at work over the years, reporting at the lab.

“I can say without reservation that you were always accurate and fair in your reporting—mostly,” said Boyd, a former DOE Oak Ridge Office manager who was unable to attend but delivered his message through a sometimes-humorous letter to Munger. “You always tried to tell all sides of each story, and we all appreciated that even when the story was hard to accept. Your studied approach to reporting on things DOE Oak Ridge always kept the important issues visible and in the forefront, forcing us to have to deal with them. I believe that made us a better operation. In particular, your in-depth articles on various Oak Ridge programs, projects, and activities were excellent tutorials for the general public and helped us explain the value of the Oak Ridge missions. We will miss that.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Atomic City Underground, Barbara Ferrell, Billy Stair, D. Ray Smith, Dave Keim, Dick Smyser, DOE, DOE Oak Ridge Office, DOE reporter, East Tennessee Economic Council, Frank Munger, Gerald Boyd, Horace Wells, Jim Alexander, Jim Campbell, Knoxville News Sentinel, Muddy Boot Award, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sue Cange, Thom Mason, Tom Hill, U.S. Department of Energy

DOE remains interested in transferring Clark Center Park to city

Posted at 12:31 pm June 21, 2016
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Clark Center Park Water View

A view of Melton Hill Lake near a boat ramp and between two picnic areas at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge in July 2014. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy remains interested in transferring Clark Center Park to Oak Ridge, and the city continues to discuss that possibility with the federal government even though it could be a strain on municipal finances, officials said Tuesday.

The property could be transferred at no cost to the city. But one of the questions raised two years ago about the potential property transfer was whether Oak Ridge could afford to take over the 80-acre park.

That appears to remain a concern. It costs DOE about $300,000 per year to operate the park, which is in south Oak Ridge on Melton Hill Lake.

“Monetarily, it’s difficult for us right now,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said Tuesday.

In 2014, there were Oak Ridge City Council meetings and public meetings about the future of the park and the potential transfer to the city. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, Recreation, Slider, Sports, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, Clark Center Park, DiAnn Fields, DOE, DOE Oak Ridge Office, General Services Administration, GSA, Mark Watson, Melton hill lake, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy

City approves water contract extension for Y-12, ORNL, but DOE rates questioned

Posted at 8:03 pm March 29, 2016
By John Huotari 5 Comments

Oak-Ridge-Water-Treatment-Plant-2009-1

The Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant is pictured on Pine Ridge above the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. March 30.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday approved a one-year, $2.1 million contract extension for water supplied to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, but a few members questioned whether the U.S. Department of Energy is paying a fair rate.

The one-year extension is expected to give the city time to have a qualified third-party engineering firm study the city’s aging water plant on Pine Ridge above Y-12, consider what is needed, and develop options that could help Oak Ridge decide whether to renovate the 70-year-old facility—or build a new one at a new site.

City officials said bringing the existing plant up to code could cost $16 million or more. It was transferred to the city from DOE in 2000, more than 15 years ago. Officials declined to estimate how much it could cost to build a new one, although it’s also said to be in the multi-million-dollar range.

Among the challenges at the water plant now are a leak of 3,000 gallons per day. The city staff is not sure where the leak originates or whether the water that is leaking has already been treated, and so far they haven’t been able to stop the leak. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, contract extension, DOE Oak Ridge Office, East Tennessee Technology Park, Ellen Smith, Jack Suggs, Janice McGinnis, K-25, Kelly Callison, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Public Works, Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant, ORNL, Rick Chinn, Shira McWaters, Trina Baughn, U.S. Department of Energy, Warren Gooch, water, water contract, water contract extension, water rate, Y-12 National Security Complex

TVC Summit next week includes House majority leader

Posted at 6:15 pm May 22, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Eric Cantor

Eric Cantor

Submitted

Business, community, and political leaders and senior decision-makers will convene at the 2013 Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit next week to discuss issues that are critical to the economic engine of the Tennessee Valley, a press release said.

Hosted by Third District Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, the two-day meeting themed “Securing America’s Future” will focus on energy and environment, innovation and entrepreneurism, public and private partnerships, and advanced manufacturing, the release said.

The Summit will be held at the Y-12 National Security Complex’s New Hope Center in Oak Ridge on May 29-30. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Federal, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: advanced manufacturing, Andy Page, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, Bill Johnson, Bob Raines, Chuck Fleischmann, DOE, DOE Oak Ridge Office, economy, energy, entrepreneurship, environment, Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader, innovation, John Morris, Lamar Alexander, Mark Whitney, National Nuclear Security Administration, Neile Miller, NNSA, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pete Lyons, Phil Roe, public/private partnerships, Randall T. Kempner, Securing America’s Future, Tech 20/20, Tennessee Valley, Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit, Thom Mason, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy

Eight firms show interest in designing ETTP museum

Posted at 1:03 pm March 5, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

ETTP After Cleanup

An artist’s rendering of what the East Tennessee Technology Park could look like after cleanup and historic preservation activities are completed. (Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy/UCOR)

The pre-qualification window for companies to bid on the professional site design for a museum at the East Tennessee Technology Park closed in February. Eight firms that specialize in museum planning and exhibit design responded to the pre-qualification request.

Planning for the museum is one of several activities under way to commemorate ETTP’s history, including a history center located on the second floor of the Oak Ridge Fire Station and an observation tower overlooking the K-25 Building footprint.

The museum will house artifact and historic materials removed from the K-25 Building, which was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons. The building and ETTP, often referred to as the K-25 site, were also used to enrich uranium after the war.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories Tagged With: DOE Oak Ridge Office, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, history center, K-25, K-25 Building, K-25 virtual museum, K-27, Manhattan Project, museum, Oak Ridge Fire Station, Oak Ridge Office, observation tower, pre-qualification request, Public Involvement News, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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