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ORAU reports minimal impact from government shutdown

Posted at 1:48 pm January 25, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

ORAU on Friday reported that the partial shutdown of the federal government has had, for the most part, a minimal impact on its operations.

The partial government shutdown is now in its 35th day. It’s the longest shutdown ever, and it includes about 25 percent of the federal government.

ORAU has a customer base that includes more than 20 federal agencies.

“The impact to date has been varied, but for the most part minimal,” ORAU spokesperson Pam Bonee said in an emailed response to questions on Friday. “The majority of our work is funded or had sufficient funds to carry the work into the first quarter of 2019.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: federal government, government shutdown, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ORAU, ORISE, Pam Bonee, partial government shutdown, partial shutdown

Government shutdown not affecting DOE cleanup work

Posted at 2:59 pm January 18, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The partial shutdown of the federal government is not affecting the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup program in Oak Ridge, a spokesperson said Friday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides federal oversight of the work, and EPA is one of the federal departments and agencies affected by the partial government shutdown.

But on Friday, Ben Williams, spokesperson for the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, said the shutdown is not affecting the office’s cleanup work at this time. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Ben Williams, DOE, DOE cleanup, EPA, federal government, federal oversight, government shutdown, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, Oak Ridge cleanup, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, partial government shutdown, partial shutdown, state oversight, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A dozen IIA employees affected by government shutdown

Posted at 11:39 am January 18, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information International Associates

Pictured above in a file photo from February 2014 is the headquarters of Information International Associates on Union Valley Road in Oak Ridge.

 

About a dozen employees of Information International Associates Inc. have been affected by the partial shutdown of the federal government, an executive said in response to questions on Wednesday.

IIA staff members who support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio, have been affected by the shutdown, said Kelly Callison, senior vice president of operations.

“All the rest of the agencies we support have funding,” Callison said.

He said about 12 IIA staff members are affected to some extent. Two of those employees are part-time, and three have shifted work to another project but that will end soon. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: EPA, federal government, government shutdown, IIa, Information International Associates Inc., Kelly Callison, partial shutdown, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Government shutdown affects National Park Service in Oak Ridge

Posted at 7:59 pm January 11, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, as pictured above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge. There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, as pictured above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The partial government shutdown that started three weeks ago has affected the National Park Service in Oak Ridge.

There are no National Park Service staff members or volunteers working at the Park Service desk at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Park Service left maps and brochures for visitors to pick up at the museum, but there is no one there to give a certain type of stamp that visitors can use to log visits to national parks.

A sign on the National Park Service desk on Friday said “Closed until further notice,” with a simple sketch of a frowning face underneath it.

Oak Ridge is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Established about three years ago, the park commemorates the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Besides Oak Ridge, the park includes Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, government shutdown, Hanford, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, partial government shutdown, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Interior, World War II

NOAA building in Oak Ridge closed due to government shutdown

Posted at 3:29 pm January 11, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The NOAA building on South Illinois Avenue, shown above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, has a sign posted on the front door announcing that it is closed due to the partial shutdown of the federal government. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The NOAA building on South Illinois Avenue, shown above on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, has a sign posted on the front door announcing that it is closed due to the partial shutdown of the federal government. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building in Oak Ridge is closed due to the partial shutdown of the federal government, which is now three weeks old and approaching a record length.

NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is one of nine cabinet-level departments affected by the partial government shutdown. The shutdown, which mostly hinges on a dispute between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress over whether to allocate $5.7 billion in funding for a wall on the border with Mexico, also affects the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the federal judiciary, and other related government programs.

About 380,000 workers were to be sent home and not be paid for their time off during the shutdown, the New York Times reported. Another 420,000 deemed too essential to be furloughed are being forced to work without pay, the newspaper said. After past shutdowns, such workers have been reimbursed later.

It wasn’t immediately clear Friday afternoon how many NOAA workers in Oak Ridge, part of an air research laboratory that has a division here, have been furloughed and how many, if any, are being forced to work without pay. A sign posted on the front door announced that the building is closed due to the shutdown. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Science, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Air Resources Laboratory, American Museum of Science and Energy, Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, Climate Reference Network, federal government, government shutdown, Kris Kirby, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, NOAA, ORAU, partial government shutdown, partial shutdown, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Interior

Updated: Park Service will not provide visitor services during shutdown

Posted at 11:18 am December 22, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 1:50 p.m.

The National Park Service will not provide visitor services during the partial government shutdown that started Friday night, and that could affect programs in Oak Ridge and other national parks in the area. But Manhattan Project Park locations at three sites, including Oak Ridge, will remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services.

Oak Ridge is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which is part of the National Park Service. The park, which is about three years old, commemorates the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Besides Oak Ridge, two other sites are part of the park: Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

In Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is based at the Children’s Museum on West Outer Drive. The park includes programs such as historical films, celebrations, and programs, and informative hikes and bicycle rides with rangers.

The National Park Service did not respond to two inquiries this week, but a program scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Oak Ridge will presumably be canceled. That program was intended to discuss secrecy, security, and spies during the Manhattan Project. It was scheduled for this afternoon (Saturday, December 22) at the Turnpike Gatehouse in west Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government Tagged With: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, DOE, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal employees, government shutdown, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Kris Kirby, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Earthquake Information Center, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, NPS, Oak Ridge, partial government shutdown, partial shutdown, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Geological Survey

FBI agents will continue working if part of government shuts down

Posted at 1:25 pm December 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

FBI Knoxville

FBI Knoxville on Dowell Springs Road is pictured above in August 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation will continue working if there a partial government shutdown because of a lapse in funding starting at midnight, but they will work without pay.

There is a disagreement involving Congress, President Donald Trump, Republicans, and Democrats over whether to include $5 billion in funding for a wall on the border with Mexico in spending legislation for a number of federal departments. So far, the parties haven’t agreed on a bill that could pass the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and be signed by Trump.

If an agreement isn’t reached, funding will expire for nine federal departments and a number of agencies. The departments include the U.S. Department of Justice, which includes the FBI. The FBI field office in Knoxville covers Anderson, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union counties, among others. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: FBI, FBI field office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, government shutdown, Jason Pack, Knoxville, U.S. Department of Justice

Regular operations resumed at Manhattan Project Park when shutdown ended

Posted at 1:18 am January 26, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

National-Park-Service-Employees

National Park Service employees are pictured above at the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)

 

The three-day federal government shutdown ended Monday, and staff at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, resumed regular operations, officials said.

Congress passed a short-term spending bill on Monday that will fund the government through February 8, and President Donald Trump signed it Monday night.

On Tuesday, the National Park Service said employees of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park are “happy to be back at work, serving the American people and welcoming visitors to their national parks.”

The Park Service said it appreciated the support of local partners who “stepped up to offer support and continue to serve our visitors over the last few days,” and the NPS thanked the following partners: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Congress, Donald Trump, federal government shutdown, government shutdown, Hanford, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, shutdown, spending bill, U.S. Department of Energy

Possible government shutdown: DOE says it will be open Monday

Posted at 11:17 am January 19, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 National Security Complex Aerial Photo

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above in June 2012. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:35 p.m.

A possible government shutdown is looming with federal funding expiring today, but the U.S. Department of Energy, which has facilities in Oak Ridge, said it will be open for business on Monday.

For now, federal employees are expected to continue to report for work as scheduled, DOE said in a shutdown plan posted on its website Friday. That approach appeared similar to DOE’s guidance during the last shutdown more than four years ago.

But “a prolonged lapse in appropriations may require subsequent employee furloughs,” DOE said of this year’s possible shutdown on Friday. “If there is an imminent threat to human life or protection of property, a limited number of employees may be recalled from furlough status.”

Federal sites in Oak Ridge include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, the Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, among others. Those are DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration sites, and they include a mix of federal and contractor employees. There is also a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facility on South Illinois Avenue. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, government shutdown, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex

United Way raises $1.17 million, about 90 percent of ‘bold’ goal

Posted at 7:21 pm April 17, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Greta Ownby and Edwena Crowe

UWAC Board President, Greta Ownby, left, announces Edwena Crowe, right, as Volunteer of the Year. (Submitted photos)

The campaign was complicated by the partial government shutdown in October, but the United Way of Anderson County raised close to $1.2 million this year, or about 90 percent of its goal.

The results were announced at an annual meeting and campaign announcement at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The campaign goal, which was described as “bold,” had been $1.3 million. The total amount raised was $1,172,742. The United Way said this will allow for stable funding for its agency programs.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to increase funding to our community partners,” UWAC Executive Director Rick Morrow said. “Last year’s total resulted in a reduction of $200,000 to the funding pool, and this year’s total will only allow for continued funding at that level.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Community, Nonprofits, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: American Centrifuge Manufacturing LLC, AMETEK Inc, B&W Y-12, Bechtel National Inc., Bruce Borchers, Charles Crowe, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, David Mandl, Edwena Crowe, Eric Abelquist, government shutdown, Greta Ownby, Jennifer Pettyjohn, Jimmy Stone, John Garrity, Mary Ann Condry, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Mike Belbeck, Mike Twine, Mike Vermeulen, Nicholas Crowe, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, ORNL Federal Credit Union, Rebecca Crowe, Rick Morrow, Steve Jones, UCOR, United Way, United Way of Anderson County, USEC, UT-Battelle, UWAC

If elected, Wamp could become youngest member of Congress

Posted at 6:28 pm March 21, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Weston Wamp and Verrner Anderson

Weston Wamp, right, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, talks to Verner Anderson, who volunteered for the first campaign of Wamp’s father, Zach Wamp, in 1994.

If elected this year, Weston Wamp could become the youngest member of Congress. The Chattanooga Republican turns 27 this month.

If elected, he would return the East Tennessee seat to a member of the Wamp family. His father, Zach Wamp, held the seat for 16 years, from 1994-2010.

Wamp tried to unseat the incumbent, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, once before, in 2012. He wasn’t successful. Now, he’s trying again.

“Tennessee’s Third District deserves better representation,” Wamp said during a recent interview in Oak Ridge. “At the very least, they deserve a choice at the ballot box.”

Wamp suggested Fleischmann’s record could hurt the two-term congressman. Wamp said many federal employees and U.S. Department of Energy contractors are not pleased with Fleischmann’s performance, especially after a high-profile budget vote that led to a partial government shutdown in October. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Federal, Government, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, budget, Chattanooga, Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, conservative, East Tennessee, fundraising, furloughs, government shutdown, Lamp Post Group, millennial, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Obamacare, Patrick Murphy, Republican, Republican primary, Scottie Mayfield, shutdown, Third District, U.S. Department of Energy, Verner Anderson, Weston Wamp, Y-12 National Security Complex, Zach Wamp

Federal spending bill includes money for Y-12 water plant, reduces UPF spending

Posted at 9:22 pm January 22, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Water Treatment Plant Announcement

In May 2013, state and federal officials announce a plant to treat mercury-contaminated water at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Pictured from left are Mark Whitney, Robert Martineau, Lamar Alexander, Dave Huizenga, and Stan Meiburg.

The $1 trillion federal spending bill passed by Congress last week provides money for a water treatment plant that would help reduce mercury contamination in Oak Ridge, and it includes less money for the Uranium Processing Facility than President Obama had requested, Sen. Lamar Alexander said Thursday.

The U.S. Senate approved the spending bill in a 72-26 vote after the House passed it 359-67. Alexander and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann voted for it, while Sen. Bob Corker voted against it. All are Tennessee Republicans, and Fleischmann’s district includes Oak Ridge.

Alexander said the spending bill provides $16 million less than Obama had requested in his budget for the UPF, a multi-billion-dollar building that would replace old buildings at the Y-12 National Security Complex as part of a years-long effort to update the 811-acre site, consolidate operations, and cut the plant’s high-security “footprint” from 150 acres to 15. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: appropriations, Bob Corker, Chickamauga Lock, Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, East Fork Poplar Creek, Energy and Water, entitlements, environmental management, federal spending bill, government shutdown, House, Lamar Alexander, Mark Whitney, mercury contamination, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, President Obama, spending, Tennessee River, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Senate, UPF, uranium, uranium processing facility, water treatment plant, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 water plant

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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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