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Spending bill has $639 million for DOE cleanup in Oak Ridge

Posted at 5:30 pm March 29, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Biology Complex aerial

An aerial view of the Biology Complex at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Plans call for eventually demolishing the complex. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The federal spending bill approved last week includes $639 million for the federal government’s cleanup program in Oak Ridge, including what could be full funding for a top priority deactivation and demolition project at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The $639 million for the current fiscal year is an increase of $141 million or more, compared to recent fiscal years, and it’s the most money appropriated in a while.

Besides Y-12, the fiscal year 2018 funding will be used for U.S. Department of Energy cleanup projects at East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“It’s very positive for us,” said Jay Mullis, manager of the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM. Mullis gave a brief update at a meeting of the Oak Ridge Reservation Communities Alliance on Monday.

In addition to $125 million to deactivate and demolish the Biology Complex at Y-12, the fiscal year 2018 spending bill includes $17.1 million in funding for the planned Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12, about $200 million for continued cleanup work at ETTP, and a total of roughly $12 million for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, or EMDF. That’s a proposed landfill that could be west of Y-12 and accept waste from future cleanup work at Y-12 and ORNL, possibly early in the 2020s. The project plan for EMDF is expected to be open to public comment later this summer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 4, Barack Obama, Biology Complex, Bob Corker, Building 7500, Chuck Fleischmann, cleanup funding, cleanup program, cleanup work, COLEX, DOE, DOE cleanup, Donald Trump, East Tennessee Technology Park, EM, EMDF, environmental management, Environmental Management Disposal Facility, ETTP, Excess Contaminated Facilities, excess facilities, federal spending bill, Homogenous Reactor Experiment, Jay Mullis, Lamar Alexander, mercury abatement, Mercury Treatment Facility, Mike Koentop, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation Communities Alliance, OREM, ORNL, risk reduction, spending bill, Trump administration, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, uranium processing facility, uranium-233, Y-12 National Security Complex

Whitney, cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, takes new job at DOE

Posted at 9:15 am May 9, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Mark Whitney

Mark Whitney

Mark Whitney, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management for the U.S. Department of Energy, has accepted a new job as a principal deputy assistant secretary in Washington, D.C.

The official start date for the new position is May 18. Whitney, who has led cleanup work at the three federal sites in Oak Ridge, will be principal deputy assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. The change was announced Thursday by Acting Assistant Secretary Dave Huizenga.

Whitney’s appointment as assistant manager for environmental management in Oak Ridge was announced about two years ago. [Read more…]

Filed Under: National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Dave Huizenga, DOE, EM, environmental management, Jack Craig, Jim Owendoff, Mark Whitney, Mike Koentop, Monical Regalbuto, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, principal deputy assistant secretary, Sue Cange, U.S. Department of Energy

K-25 workers also shelter in place during police search

Posted at 3:20 pm January 16, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Aerial

Now demolished, the former K-25 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

Workers at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, were asked to shelter in place for about 30 minutes early Thursday afternoon as police officers searched for an armed person who had been reported to be traveling from the Clinton area to west Oak Ridge.

It was the same search that led to a brief lockdown at Jefferson Middle School at about 1 p.m. Thursday, said Mike Koentop, U.S. Department of Energy spokesman in the Oak Ridge Office.

“It was not related at all to any DOE activity,” Koentop said. “Steps were taken as a precaution.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Jefferson Middle School, K-25, lockdown, Mike Koentop, shelter in place, U.S. Department of Energy

With asbestos removed, DOE starts month-long move back into Federal Building

Posted at 8:53 am August 29, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Federal Building

The asbestos-containing insulation has been removed, and U.S. Department of Energy employees and contractors started a month-long move back into the Joe L. Evins Federal Building this week.

The asbestos-containing insulation has been removed, and U.S. Department of Energy employees and contractors started a month-long move back into the Joe L. Evins Federal Building this week, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The move back into the five-story building should be complete by the end of September, said Ben Williams, public affairs specialist for the DOE Oak Ridge Office. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: asbestos, asbestos-containing insulation, Ben Williams, Building 2714-G, Chuck Fleischmann, DOE, DOE Office of Inspector General, environmental management, GSA, Joe L. Evins Federal Building, Katmai Support Services LLC of Alaska, Mike Koentop, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, office space, Safety and Technical Services, Saudia Muwwakkil, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. General Services Administration

DOE asks for more information on $2 million CROET grant

Posted at 12:08 pm July 8, 2013
By John Huotari 7 Comments

The U.S. Department of Energy has requested additional information as it tries to close out a $2 million grant awarded 16 years ago to a nonprofit organization that owns, develops, and manages former DOE property.

The grant was issued in 1997 as part of a larger grant that the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee requested from DOE, said Lawrence Young, CROET president and chief executive officer. Most of the money was used for a high-risk loan program for small businesses. The purpose was to create jobs and promote economic development in East Tennessee, said Mike Koentop, spokesman for the DOE Oak Ridge Office. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, DOE, economic development, grant, jobs, Lawrence Young, loan, Mike Koentop, non-compliance letter, Oak Ridge Office, Pathway Lending, Pro2Serve, Protomet, small business, Sword and Shield, Tech 20/20, U.S. Department of Energy

Asbestos removal in final stage at Federal Building

Posted at 6:46 pm April 26, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Joe L Evins Federal Fuilding

A four-month project to remove asbestos-containing insulation from the Joe L. Evins Federal Building in Oak Ridge is wrapping up, and federal employees and contractors could move back in next month.

Work crews are wrapping up a four-month project to clean up and remove asbestos-containing insulation from the Joe L. Evins Federal Building in Oak Ridge, and displaced federal workers and contractors could move back into the building next month, a spokeswoman said Friday.

“We have reached the final stage of the project and expect to have the building available to tenants in May,” said Saudia Muwwakkil, regional public affairs officer for the U.S. General Services Administration, which owns the building.

There have been about 350 workers in the five-story building, which is home to the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office as well as a district office for U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann. The workers include roughly 200 federal employees and close to 150 contractors. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: asbestos, asbestos-containing insulation, contractors, federal employees, GSA, Joe L. Evins Federal Building, Katmai Support Services LLC, Mike Koentop, Saudia Muwwakkil, Synergy Solutions, U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann

Search Oak Ridge Today

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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