Oak Ridge Today

DOE not affected by shutdown

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The Joe L. Evins Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy is not affected by the partial government shutdown that started at midnight, and DOE employees and contractors, including in Oak Ridge, are expected to continue their normal work schedules.

”The partial government shutdown does not impact Department of Energy facilities,” federal officials said in a statement. “DOE’s fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill was approved by Congress and signed by the president in September. DOE employees and contractors are expected to continue to report to work according to their usual work schedule.”

Among the DOE sites and operations in Oak Ridge are East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Y-12 National Security Complex. Y-12 is overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration, a DOE agency. [Read more…]

(For members) New DOE security contractor will take over in December

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The Joe L. Evins Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Joe L. Evins Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Joe L. Evins Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

After a protest was denied this month, a new security contractor will take over protecting U.S. Department of Energy sites in Oak Ridge at the end of December.

The contract could be worth close to $66 million and be in place for five years.

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Controlled burns scheduled in North Boundary Greenway Area

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Controlled burns are scheduled soon on part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

DOE’s Oak Ridge Office said it will start controlled burns of woodland areas of the Oak Ridge Reservation that are within the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement East Tract and Parcel ED-6 along North Boundary Road and Wisconsin Avenue in west Oak Ridge.

“Firebreak installation activities supporting these burns will begin in the near future, with ignitions taking place as soon thereafter as weather conditions permit and continuing through December 2018,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Government shutdown: How it affects Manhattan Project Park

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During the federal government shutdown, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park location at the American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue will remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services, but there will be no visitor services provided by the National Park Service. (Submitted photo)

 

The federal government shut down this weekend after federal funding expired Friday, and an official outlined the impacts to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, on Sunday.

During the shutdown, there will be no visitor services provided by the National Park Service at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, including public information, said Kris Kirby, superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Denver. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Because of the federal government shutdown, National Park Service social media and websites are not being monitored or updated and may not reflect current conditions, Kirby said. All park programs have been canceled.

Kirby said national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures.

“During this time, the following locations will remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services,” Kirby said: [Read more…]

With government shut down, Y-12 employees still working

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

With some apparent exceptions, employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge will continue working even after the federal government shut down after federal funding expired Friday.

Y-12 posted an announcement after the federal government shut down early Saturday. The announcement said workers at Y-12 and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, are expected to report to work on their next scheduled work day unless they have previously approved leave or have been given formal notice by their management to not report to work.

A few other federal organizations and federal contractors didn’t immediately appear to have posted notices as of early Saturday afternoon, about 12 hours after the shutdown began. Those include Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]

Possible government shutdown: DOE says it will be open Monday

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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…]

Road conditions still bad, police say; Y-12 closed

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An Oak Ridge Public Works Department snow truck is pictured on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 16, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department snow truck is pictured on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 16, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 p.m.

Update: Driving conditions on main roads and side streets in Oak Ridge seemed to have improved by about 5 p.m. Wednesday, although there were still patches of ice and snow, including in shopping center parking lots.

Wednesday evening, the Oak Ridge Police Department said conditions had improved on main roads, but side streets were still extremely slick. Drivers should use extra caution if they have to get out tonight. There could be some refreezing on the roads overnight with the low temperatures. Oak Ridge Schools will be closed again on Thursday, January 18, due to the conditions.

A few inches of snow fell Tuesday, and road conditions are still bad Wednesday morning, especially in the city’s neighborhoods, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. The Y-12 National Security Complex and the Uranium Processing Facility offices are closed.

Oak Ridge Public Works Department crews are out clearing and treating the roads.

“If you must go out, please use extreme caution,” the ORPD said.

Y-12 said normal operations will resume Thursday, January 18. [Read more…]

AMSE could move into new location in June

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An artist's rendering of the entrance at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

An artist’s rendering of the entrance to the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The American Museum of Science and Energy could move into its new location at Main Street Oak Ridge in June, officials said Tuesday.

Crews began work on Friday and “increased activity can be expected in the area over the coming weeks as construction progresses,” a press release said.

RealtyLink, the South Carolina company developing Main Street Oak Ridge, selected Oak Ridge-based Summit Construction as the contractor for the project, the press release said.

The start of construction was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office and the City of Oak Ridge.

The new space for AMSE is located between the current JCPenney store and a future Marriott hotel, which is also under construction. The museum entrance will be on Main Street East. AMSE will be all on one floor, occupying approximately 18,000 square feet. [Read more…]

Construction starts at new AMSE location

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Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday. A crew was working at the new AMSE location on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday. A crew was working at the new AMSE location on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday.

The value of the improvements is estimated at roughly $1.5 million. A building permit was issued December 29.

AMSE will be relocated from its current home on South Tulane Avenue, where it’s been since the mid-1970s, to about 18,000 square feet of renovated space at Main Street Oak Ridge. That’s the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The move is part of an agreement that was signed by the City of Oak Ridge and U.S. Department of Energy in December 2016.

AMSE will have about 15,000 square feet of space in the former Sears Roebuck store near JCPenney and roughly 2,700 square feet in the former Cole’s Drug Store. Inside, there will be about 7,200 square feet of exhibit space, two 800-square-foot classrooms, and a large theater with a stage, consultant Ray Evans told Oak Ridge City Council members during a December 19 work session.

Evans said construction could take 4.5 to five months. An opening date had not been set as of the December work session. [Read more…]

Construction documents submitted for new museum at Main Street Oak Ridge

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An agreement signed Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, by the U.S. Department of Energy and City of Oak Ridge calls for the American Museum of Science and Energy missions to be relocated within about one year to 18,000 square feet of space in a two-story building that once housed a Sears Roebuck store next to JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction documents have been submitted to the City of Oak Ridge for the new museum at Main Street Oak Ridge, and the American Museum of Science and Energy will continue to be at its current location past the end of the year, municipal and federal officials said this week.

It’s not clear when AMSE might open at its new home at Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

On Monday, John Shewairy, assistant manager for administration in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office, said the construction documents were also expected to be submitted to a contractor for pricing this week.

“We don’t yet have an estimated opening date for the museum in its new location because the construction schedule is still being finalized,” Shewairy said.

On Friday, Wayne Blasius, director of Oak Ridge Community Development, confirmed that the city has received the construction documents for the new museum at Main Street Oak Ridge. The construction documents for the new museum are now under staff review, Blasius said. It’s not clear how long that review might take. The submission of the documents is for a building permit, which does not require the approval of either the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission or Oak Ridge City Council. [Read more…]

Video: Learn more about DOE’s first transuranic waste shipment in five years

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For the first time since 2012, processed and treated transuranic waste is leaving Oak Ridge’s Transuranic Waste Processing Center for permanent disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Employees celebrate in the photo above. A waste shipment is pictured above leaving Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

For the first time since 2012, processed and treated transuranic waste is leaving Oak Ridge’s Transuranic Waste Processing Center for permanent disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Employees celebrate in the photo above. A waste shipment is pictured above leaving Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

 

Oak Ridge has resumed shipments of transuranic waste to New Mexico after five years.

The waste is treated and processed in Oak Ridge. It is leaving the Transuranic Waste Processing Center, which is south of Bethel Valley Road on Highway 95 in southwest Oak Ridge. It is being shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico, where it will be kept underground permanently.

The first shipment left Oak Ridge on August 9.

Before then, Oak Ridge hadn’t made a shipment since 2012. The waste has been stored in facilities in Oak Ridge since 2014, when the shipments were suspended, said Jay Mullis, acting manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office has published a video about the resumption of shipments, which is considered an important risk-reduction activity. You can see the video below. [Read more…]

Senate bill also rejects Trump’s science cut, increases funding instead

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Energy Secretary Rick Perry, left, talks to reporters after touring Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Hardin Valley Road on Monday, May 22, 2017. Also pictured is U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, center, a Tennessee Republican, and ORNL Director Thom Mason. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, center, a Tennessee Republican, is pictured above with Energy Secretary Rick Perry, left, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley on Monday, May 22, 2017. Also pictured is former ORNL Director Thom Mason. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An appropriations bill approved by a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday rejects the Trump administration’s proposal to cut $919 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science in the fiscal year that starts October 1.

Instead of cutting, the Senate bill would actually increase funding for the Office of Science, boosting it to $5.55 billion in fiscal year 2018. That would be again a record funding level in a regular appropriations bill, according to U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican who often advocates for the federal sites in Oak Ridge and chairs the Senate subcommittee.

Like the Senate this week, the House Appropriations Committee last week also rejected President Donald Trump’s request to cut DOE’s Office of Science.

Unlike the Senate bill, though, the House bill would keep funding flat at $5.39 billion, the same as in the current fiscal year. That level of funding was also a record in a regular appropriations bill, Alexander said in May.

The Office of Science is the nation’s largest supporter of research in the physical sciences.

The president’s budget request, submitted to Congress on May 23, would cut Office of Science funding by about 17 percent, dropping it to $4.47 billion.

Keeping Office of Science funding flat, or even increasing it, could be important to several of the federal sites in Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is an Office of Science lab, and the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, or OSTI, is an Office of Science unit. [Read more…]