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Y-12‘s Biology Complex would be top priority if excess cleanup funding available

Posted at 1:41 pm July 23, 2017
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)

 

If excess funding is available, the federal cleanup program in Oak Ridge has a top priority: the Biology Complex at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The budget request submitted to Congress by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, May 23, included $225 million for high-risk excess contaminated facilities at Y-12 and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

It’s not clear how much of that money might be used in Oak Ridge, if the president’s budget request were approved. Officials said the allocations would be determined by U.S. Department of Energy headquarters.

But the Oak Ridge cleanup program, known as environmental management, has taken steps to ensure that some projects here, such as the planned demolition of Y-12’s Biology Complex, are “in a good position” if money becomes available.

On Friday, Jay Mullis, acting manager for the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or EM, said the Biology Complex would be a primary priority if Y-12 gets some portion of the $225 million proposed by the Trump administration.

“Provided there is excess funding, that would be the building we would go after,” the Oak Ridge EM program said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge Office, Science, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ARRA, Biology Complex, Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, DOE, DOE Office of Science, Donald Trump, EM, environmental management, Excess Contaminated Facilities Initiative, House Appropriations Committee, House Energy and Water Subcommittee, Jay Mullis, Lamar Alexander, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, Oak Ridge cleanup, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Trump administration, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS-CH2M, Y-12 National Security Complex

Senate bill recommends $8 million for K-25 historic preservation work

Posted at 10:39 am July 23, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Historic Preservation Footprint at ETTP

An image showing the footprint of the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building at the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center. Built during World War II to enrich uranium, the K-25 Building has been demolished but its “footprint” has been preserved. This image shows the footprint at center, the K-25 History Center on the second floor of the city-owned fire station, front right, and the Equipment Building and Viewing Tower at front left. (Graphic by David Brown/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

A bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday recommends $8 million for K-25 historic preservation work.

If approved, the funding would help preserve the historic contributions that the K-25 Site made to the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

The historic preservation work is required under a 2012 agreement that allowed the complete demolition of the K-25 Building, which was once the world’s largest building under one roof.

The 2012 agreement allowed workers to demolish the North Tower at the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge. Historic preservationists had lobbied for years to save the North Tower.

In exchange for the complete demolition of K-25, the agreement, announced in August 2012, called for a replica equipment building, a viewing tower, and a history center at a city-owned fire station. It also included an online virtual museum and a $500,000 grant to buy and stabilize the historic Alexander Inn in central Oak Ridge, which has since been converted into an assisted living center. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, K-25, K-25, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, atomic bombs, East Tennessee Technology Park, Energy and Water Development Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2018 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, gaseous diffusion, Hanford, Heritage Center, historic preservation, House Appropriations Committee, Jay Mullis, K-25 Building, K-25 Historic Preservation, K-25 History Center, K-25 site, Lamar Alexander, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, non-defense environmental cleanup, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, World War II

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

Posted at 8:39 am July 20, 2017
By John Huotari 4 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: 3D printing, advanced manufacturing, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Appalachian Regional Commission, appropriations bill, Army Corps of Engineers, ARPA-E, CASL, Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors, Dianne Feinstein, DOE, DOE Environmental Management, Donald Trump, East Tennessee Technology Park, EERE, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, environmental management, ETTP, House Appropriations Committee, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ITER, Jeanne Shaheen, Lamar Alexander, Lindsey Graham, Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, national laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Science, Office of Science Integrated Support Center, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, ORNL, OSTI, Senate bill, Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Susan Collins, Thom Mason, Titan, Trump administration, U.S. Department of Energy, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

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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