• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Eight new members join DOE’s environmental advisory board

Posted at 5:05 am March 12, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB) welcomed eight new members during the board’s February monthly meeting in Oak Ridge. From left (front), Bonnie Shoemaker, Leon Shields, Michelle Lohmann, and Harriett McCurdy; from left (back), Tom Tuck, Mary Butler, Atilio Anzellotti, Christine Michaels, Noah Keebler, Mike Mark, Harold Conner, Jr., Rosario Gonzalez, Roger Petrie, Paul Dill, Melyssa Noe and Kristof Czartoryski. (Submitted photo)

The U.S. Department of Energy recently welcomed eight new members to its Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management citizen advisory board.

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board is a federally chartered citizens’ panel that provides independent recommendations to OREM, which is responsible for the cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

“ORSSAB is a core element of our outreach and engagement with the community,” said OREM Manager Jay Mullis. “We’re very grateful to have area residents who are willing to invest their time and energy to learn more about our work, share their perspectives, and provide recommendations. Their insight and feedback greatly benefit our cleanup program.”

All board members are volunteers from the region and have a variety of backgrounds.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Atilio Anzellotti, Christina Michaels, citizen advisory board, Harold Conner, Jay Mullis, Jr., Kris Bartholomew, Mary Butler, Mike Mark, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, OREM, Paul Dill, Rosario Gonzalez, SSAB, U.S. Department of Energy

DOE conducting controlled burns on Oak Ridge Reservation

Posted at 4:35 am March 12, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy is conducting controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation through mid-April, weather permitting.

People may see smoke from this activity. However, smoke in Oak Ridge and other areas in the region could also be the result of prescribed burns currently being undertaken by other federal and state agencies, a press release said.

It said the controlled burns are planned on the Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Police and Fire, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: controlled burns, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee Division of Forestry, U.S. Department of Energy

UCOR announces management change

Posted at 12:04 pm February 5, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Tom Dieter

United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC, the lead cleanup contractor at federal sites in Oak Ridge, has announced a top management change that will be effective April 1.

UCOR Chief Operating Officer Tom Dieter has announced he will retire March 31, and Kent Fortenberry has been appointed to take his place.

In a press release, UCOR said Dieter has had a 30-year career, and during that time, he has earned a national reputation, leading more than $3 billion in cleanup successes in complex nuclear enterprises in several states.

“Tom led UCOR’s transition for our 10-year, $8.3 billion Oak Ridge Reservation cleanup contract, and we’re grateful for his leadership in the company maintaining a strong safety performance in our first year,” said UCOR President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Rueter.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR Tagged With: cleanup contractor, Ken Rueter, Kent Fortenberry, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tom Dieter, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC

You may hear Y-12 sirens when maintenance performed

Posted at 10:33 am January 20, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

There will be maintenance work on the public warning siren system in Oak Ridge during the week of January 23, and people in the area might occasionally hear audio from individual sirens around the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The sirens are strategically placed to notify the public in the unlikely event of an on-site emergency that has impacts beyond the site boundary.

In case of an actual emergency on the Oak Ridge Reservation, sirens will sound simultaneously with the standard tone.

For more information about what to do in the event of an emergency visit the Y-12 website at www.y12.doe.gov/about/emergency-public-information.

Filed Under: Police and Fire, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Oak Ridge Reservation, Public Warning Siren System, sirens, Y-12 National Security Complex

Rueter named to Tennessee Chamber board

Posted at 1:50 pm January 5, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Ken Rueter

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appointed Kenneth J. Rueter, who leads a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, to its Board of Directors for a three-year term.

Rueter is president and chief executive officer of United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR). UCOR is the U.S. Department of Energy’s prime contractor for environmental cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation. It is a partnership of Amentum, Jacobs, and Honeywell.

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the state’s oldest and most prominent statewide business trade association, impacting public policy on behalf of business and manufacturing for more than a century, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bradley Jackson, Ken Rueter, Kenneth J. Rueter, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, United Cleanup Oak Ridge

Controlled burns scheduled on Oak Ridge Reservation

Posted at 3:17 pm February 12, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Controlled burns are scheduled on the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation. (Submitted photo)

Controlled burns are scheduled on the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation.

“The public should expect to see some smoke from this activity,” a press release said. “However, smoke in this and other areas in the region could also be the result of prescribed burns currently being undertaken by other federal and state agencies.”

DOE will be starting a series of controlled burns of grassland areas on the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation on the Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads, and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58, the press release said.

Beginning this week and continuing through mid-April 2021 as weather permits, controlled burns will take place at:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Reservation, Police and Fire, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: controlled burns, DOE, Oak Ridge Reservation, planned burns, U.S. Department of Energy

Mullis, who led Oak Ridge cleanup, now working at DOE HQ

Posted at 3:42 pm December 30, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Jay Mullis

Jay Mullis, who has led Oak Ridge’s federal cleanup program for more than five years, is now working in U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mullis became the acting associate principal deputy assistant secretary for regulatory and policy affairs on November 1. He will serve in that position until it is filled. He replaces Mark Gilbertson, who retired from federal service at the end of October.

With Mullis going to Washington, D.C., Laura Wilkerson has been named acting manager for the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM).

As manager of cleanup work in Oak Ridge, Mullis has been responsible for an annual budget of more than $650 million that supports environmental cleanup and stewardship, decontamination and decommissioning, waste processing and management, surveillance and maintenance programs, historic preservation, and procurement and contract functions, according to DOE.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: DOE, environmental cleanup, federal cleanup, Jay Mullis, Laura Wilkerson, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, OREM, U.S. Department of Energy

UCOR requiring COVID vaccinations

Posted at 12:38 pm September 21, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

UCOR is requiring its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The requirement applies to all of its nearly 2,000 employees, and it is a condition of employment, the company said Tuesday.

The vaccination requirement was announced by UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter on August 26.

The company, an Amentum-led partnership with Jacobs, is the U.S. Department of Energy’s lead environmental cleanup contractor on the Oak Ridge Reservation, and it has an award-winning safety record, the company said. Rueter said that the decision to require the vaccine was in line with the company’s commitment to safety and its culture of caring.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR Tagged With: COVID vaccinations, COVID-19, Ken Rueter, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, vaccination requirement

Controlled burns start this week on DOE land

Posted at 2:03 am January 15, 2021
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy is starting a series of controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation this week.

The controlled burns could continue through mid-April, depending upon weather. The burns will be on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Three Bend Area off Pump House and Bull Bluff Roads, and other managed grassland areas off Bethel Valley Road and off Highway 58, a press release said.

The controlled burns will take place at:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Tennessee, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: controlled burns, DOE, Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy

Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

Posted at 8:24 am November 12, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the availability of the ORETTC Final Environmental Assessment (EA), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings.

The Final EA analyzes the potential impacts of constructing and operating the ORETTC to train first responders and other experts in nuclear operations, safeguards, and emergency response.

The proposed site for the ORETTC is on the Oak Ridge Reservation, approximately 5 miles west of the Y-12 National Security Site, across from the Horizon Center Industrial Park on the Oak Ridge Turnpike, and approximately 1.5 mile east of the State Route (SR) 95—SR 58 interchange. Copies of the documents are available on the NNSA NEPA web page (https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/nnsa-nepa-reading-room) and/or the DOE NEPA web page (https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doe-environmental-assessments).

Filed Under: Classifieds, Public Notices, Sponsored Posts Tagged With: DOE, environmental assessment, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge Technology and Training Center, ORETTC, U.S. Department of Energy

Public notice: New document available to the Oak Ridge Community

Posted at 6:56 pm June 22, 2020
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Updated DOE Oak Ridge Reservation Property Boundary Map

The U.S. Department of Energy has recently published an updated map of the DOE Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) that shows DOE property boundary demarcations for all areas of the ORR, and it is now available to the public.

The updated map is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) product developed using records for land holdings the Department of Energy maintains ownership of. The GIS map provides a depiction of DOE property boundary lines throughout the ORR and can serve as an additional reference for current, or future potential non-DOE landowners to understand DOE property demarcations.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Sponsored Posts Tagged With: DOE, Oak Ridge Reservation, property boundary map, U.S. Department of Energy

ORNL researcher helps discover new species of cave snail

Posted at 11:59 am April 20, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Researchers discovered the Tennessee cavesnail, Antrorbis tennesseensis, in caves near Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The snail is less than two millimeters long. (Photo credit: ORNL/Nathaniel Shoobs and Matthew Niemiller)

A researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory helped discover a small cave snail.

The new snail species has been named the Tennessee cavesnail, or Antrorbis tennesseensis. Its name honors the state where it was found and the fact that several researchers involved in its discovery are affiliated with the University of Tennessee. A paper describing and naming the species was published in December.

The snail, which is less than two millimeters long, was found in two caves in Roane County a few miles south of the Oak Ridge Reservation. The reservation includes ORNL and parts of the city of Oak Ridge.

The snail is found on or under rocks far inside the caves, usually in streams that aren’t too muddy or silty, ORNL said. Researchers recommended that the species be listed as endangered.

The ORNL researcher is Evin Carter. He is a research associate and wildlife ecologist at ORNL, which is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory. With only a handful of surveys completed so far, Carter has plans to survey the 40 or so other caves on the Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Education, Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Science, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Annette Engel, Antrorbis tennesseensis, Cave Conservancy Foundation, cave snail, DOE, DOE Reservation Management, endangered, Evelyn Pieper, Evin Carter, Katherine Dooley, Kathryn Perez, Matthew Niemiller, Nathaniel Shoobs, Nick Gladstone, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Office of Science, ORNL, species, Tennesse cavesnail, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Tennessee

Next Page »

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...]

Recent Posts

  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday
  • AC man charged with attempted murder after alleged shooting

Recent Comments

  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Mysti M Desilva on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Mel Schuster on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Cecil King on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Rick Morrow on Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
  • Diana lively on Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25
  • Anne Garcia on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student
  • Raymond Dickover on Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center now open 6 days per week
  • Mike Mahathy on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today