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Budget cuts cause concern in research community, including at ORNL

Posted at 7:54 pm October 29, 2013
By John Huotari 11 Comments

Thom Mason

Thom Mason

The budget deal that Congress approved earlier this month to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling kept in place automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.

But those across-the-board cuts are causing concern in the scientific community, including at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In August, ORNL Director Thom Mason said the lab had been, up to that point, mostly immune from the cuts because of steps that UT-Battelle, the managing and operating contractor, had already taken to cut costs, including through workforce restructuring, reduced staff and overhead budgets, and benefit changes.

“We’ve just been doing everything we can to prepare for lean budgets,” Mason said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Science, Top Stories Tagged With: Argonne National Laboratory, Atlantic, automatic budget cuts, Budget Control Act, budget cuts, Congress, Democrats, Eric D. Isaacs, industries, laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, NPR, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Paul Alivisatos, Republicans, research, researchers, science, sequestration, supercomputer, Thom Mason, Titan, U.S. Department of Energy, UT-Battelle, voluntary separation program

Neutrons, electrons, and theory reveal secrets of natural gas reserves

Posted at 11:10 pm October 28, 2013
By Oak Ridge National Laboratory Leave a Comment

Scanning Electronic Microscope Image of Unconventional Gas Reservoir

A scanning electron microscope image illustrating mineralogy and texture of an unconventional gas reservoir. Note that nanoporosity is not resolvable with this image. SANS and USANS analysis is required to quantify pore size distribution and interconnectivity. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Gas and oil deposits in shale have no place to hide from an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technique that provides an inside look at pores and reveals structural information potentially vital to the nation’s energy needs.

The research by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy laboratory could clear the path to the more efficient extraction of gas and oil from shale, environmentally benign and efficient energy production from coal, and perhaps viable carbon dioxide sequestration technologies, according to Yuri Melnichenko, an instrument scientist at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Science Tagged With: absorption, adsorption, carbon dioxide, coal, Cristian Contescu, electron microscopy, energy, Eugene Mamontov, gas, gas reservoir, General Purpose SANS, HFIR, High Flux Isotope Reactor, Hongxin Zhang, James Morris, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Lilin He, Materials Science and Technology Division, Matthew Chisholm, Matthew Stone, Modern approaches to studying gas adsorption in nanoporous carbons, nanoporous carbon, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, natural gas, neutron scattering, Nidia Gallego, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, oil deposits, ORNL, pores, Raina Olsen, scanning electronic microscope, sequestration, shale, ShaRE User Facility, Spallation Neutron Source, Stephen Pennycook, U.S. Department of Energy, Valentino Cooper, Yungok Ihm, Yuri Melnichenko

With Y-12 furloughs pending, union leader, activists to urge Congress to resolve fiscal disputes

Posted at 4:36 pm October 14, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 National Security Complex Aerial View

Thousands of furloughs are expected at the Y-12 National Security Complex later this week, and on Tuesday, a union leader and political activists will urge Congress to reopen the federal government, pays the nation’s bills, and “get back to work.” An aerial view of Y-12 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy B&W Y-12)

Thousands of furloughs are expected at the Y-12 National Security Complex later this week, and on Tuesday, a union leader and political activists will urge Congress to reopen the federal government, pay the nation’s bills, and “get back to work,” a press release said.

Steve Jones, president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, will be the featured speaker at a 10:30 a.m. Tuesday press conference organized by Organizing for Action. The press conference is at the ATLC union hall at 109 Viking Road in Oak Ridge.

Y-12 started an “orderly shutdown” on Monday, Oct. 7, because Congress has not passed a budget in the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. The press release said Y-12 will go into a safe and secure shutdown mode on Thursday, and only essential personnel—about 900 people, with half of them being security forces—will remain. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, ATLC, Atomic Trades and Labor Council, budget, budget cuts, Congress, debt limit, default, federal government, furloughs, Obamacare, orderly shutdown, Organizing for Action, safe and secure shutdown, sequestration, spending, Steve Jones, Union, Y-12 National Security Complex

Alexander, Corker vote against 14-month debt limit increase

Posted at 8:50 am October 14, 2013
By John Huotari 3 Comments

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

Tennessee’s two U.S. senators both voted on Saturday against raising the nation’s debt limit for 14 months, and Congress remained at an impasse over reopening the government and preventing the nation’s first default on its debt.

“The bill we considered today would have raised the debt ceiling for more than a year without implementing the spending restraints Congress needs to force us to deal with our fiscal issues, so I couldn’t support it,” Sen. Bob Corker said in a statement Saturday. “I’m optimistic that bipartisan discussions in the Senate will eventually produce a solution that reopens the government and strengthens our country fiscally.”

“I voted against a 14-month increase of the debt limit that took no steps to reduce out-of-control mandatory spending,” Sen. Lamar Alexander said.

Alexander and Corker are both Tennessee Republicans. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, Bob Corker, Congress, debt ceiling, debt limit, furloughs, government, Lamar Alexander, Obamacare, sequestration, shutdown, spending, spending bill

UT report: Economy shows signs of strength, finds ‘firm footing’

Posted at 6:00 am June 6, 2013
By University of Tennessee Leave a Comment

KNOXVILLE—Falling unemployment rates, an increase in vehicle sales, and a long-awaited rebound in the residential housing market are all indications that the national and state economies are making a comeback.

Despite sequestration of federal spending and a payroll tax increase that have slowed consumer spending, the economy is poised for strong growth in both 2014 and 2015, according to the spring 2013 Tennessee Business and Economic Outlook released Wednesday.

The study, prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research, or CBER, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, predicts the trajectory of the state and national economies by examining many economic and fiscal factors and trends. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, College, Education, Top Stories Tagged With: CBER, Center for Business and Economic Research, consumer spending, economic performance, economies, federal spending, Great Recession, housing, manufacturing, manufacturing employment, Matt Murray, nonfarm employment, payroll employment, payroll tax, personal income, residential housing, sequestration, State Policy Reports, Tennessee Business and Economic Outlook, unemployment, unemployment rate, University of Tennessee, vehicle sales

Sequester scenarios: DOE contractors in Tennessee could furlough 1,400, lose $90 million

Posted at 3:16 pm March 7, 2013
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Daniel B. Poneman

Daniel B. Poneman

The federal funding cuts that went into effect March 1 could result in 1,400 furloughs or layoffs for U.S. Department of Energy contractors in Tennessee, an official said this week. The furloughs could start as early as April 1.

There could also be spending reductions of about $90 million for DOE contractors in the Volunteer State, DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel B. Poneman said in a March 5 letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

Funding for contractors at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge could be cut by roughly $41 million, and more than 1,000 contractor employees could be furloughed, Poneman said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Bill Haslam, Congress, contractors, Daniel B. Poneman, DOE, fiscal year, funding, furloughs, layoffs, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, president, sequestration, spending cuts, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Energy, work week, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Alexander: President failed to lead on spending cuts; ORNL, UPF should be shielded

Posted at 7:12 pm March 1, 2013
By John Huotari 4 Comments

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Thursday said the automatic federal spending cuts going into effect today demonstrate a failure of presidential leadership.

The senator also said he would like to minimize the impact of the cuts on important government institutions such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, student loans, and the proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 Security Complex.

Congress and the White House approved the automatic, across-the-board cuts in discretionary and defense spending— known as sequestration—about 18 months ago in the Budget Control Act of 2011. Considered unpalatable by many, the cuts were meant to encourage Democrats and Republicans to compromise on deficit reduction efforts.

That hasn’t worked.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Barack Obama, Bob Corker, Budget Control Act of 2011, Congress, debt, Lamar Alexander, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, presidential leadership, sequester, sequestration, spending cuts, U.S. Senate, UPF, uranium processing facility, Y-12 Security Complex

Sequester scenarios: $100 million in funding cuts at ORNL, furloughs at Y-12

Posted at 9:50 am February 28, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Chuck Spencer

Chuck Spencer

Operating costs have already been cut by 7 percent at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and all employees are expected to report to work on Friday, even if automatic federal spending cuts go into effect at midnight.

The federal cuts could reduce lab funding by 5 percent to 8 percent, ORNL Director Thom Mason said. That could translate into $70 million to $100 million in funding cuts, depending upon how the reductions are allocated.

Meanwhile, at the Y-12 National Security Complex, the automatic spending cuts could lead to furloughs, or temporary layoffs. Democrats on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee have said between 700 and 1,000 employees could be furloughed for up to six months.

But in a Feb. 14 message to employees, B&W Y-12 General Manager Chuck Spencer did not say how many employees might be affected.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: B&W Y-12, Barack Obama, Chuck Spencer, employees, furloughs, House Democrats, Lamar Alexander, layoffs, Oak Ridge Office, operating costs, ORNL, reduced funding, sequester, sequestration, spending cuts, Thom Mason, U.S. House Appropriations Committee, Y-12 National Security Complex

Sequestration could lead to $23 million in budget cuts at TVA

Posted at 7:56 pm February 27, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

The automatic federal spending cuts set to start taking effect Friday could result in $23 million in budget cuts at the Tennessee Valley Authority, a spokesman said Wednesday.

But the federal spending cuts—also referred to as sequestration—would probably not lead to temporary layoffs at the public utility, TVA spokesman Duncan Mansfield said. The federal cuts would trim $85 billion from defense and domestic spending for the rest of the fiscal year.

“We anticipate that we would not have to do furloughs, and we would be able to manage that through head count attrition,” Mansfield said. “At this point, we are not seeing an immediate impact.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: administrative expenses, budget cuts, Duncan Mansfield, furloughs, power programs, sequester, sequestration, spending cuts, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

Spending cuts could lead to Y-12 furloughs, ORNL reactor shutdown

Posted at 12:38 pm February 14, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 National Security Complex

Y-12 National Security Complex (Submitted photo)

A report released Wednesday said the automatic federal spending cuts set for March 1 would require furloughs at the Y-12 National Security Complex and a shutdown of the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The report was issued by Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee.

It said Y-12 would have to furlough 700-1,000 of its 4,500 employees for up to six months, and there would be hundreds of layoffs at national laboratories, universities, research facilities, and private sector companies that rely on grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science for energy research, the report said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: defense environmental management, Democrats, DOE, environmental remediation landfill, furloughs, Hanford, High Flux Isotope Reactor, high-performance computing, House Appropriations Committee, layoffs, national laboratories, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Science, ORNL, Pantex, Republicans, research facilities, security, sequestration, spending cuts, U.S. Department of Energy, universities, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Report: Slower economic growth in 2013, followed by increase in 2014

Posted at 11:55 am February 6, 2013
By University of Tennessee Leave a Comment

KNOXVILLE—The U.S. and Tennessee economies continue to dig their way out from the Great Recession, but they will be digging at a slower pace this year than last.

The debate over the nation’s debt ceiling, the looming risk of sequestration of federal spending, and the payroll tax increase contribute to the slowdown in predicted gains, according to the forecast in the 2013 Economic Report to the Governor of the State of Tennessee, released today.

The study, prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research, or CBER, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, predicts the trajectory of the state and national economies by examining many economic and fiscal factors and trends.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Top Stories Tagged With: 2013 Economic Report to the Governor of the State of Tennessee, CBER, Center for Business and Economic Research, debt ceiling, e-commerce, economic growth, economies, federal spending, Great Recession, housing, job growth, Matt Murray, payroll tax cut, payroll tax increase, revenue, sequestration, Tennessee economy, unemployment, University of Tennessee

House also passes ‘fiscal cliff’ deal, but Tennessee representatives oppose it

Posted at 11:56 pm January 1, 2013
By John Huotari 4 Comments

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved it, the U.S. House passed legislation late Tuesday night to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” but seven Tennessee Republicans and one Democrat opposed it.

The bill, which now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature, averts income tax increases for most Americans and temporarily delays large across-the-board spending cuts to defense and domestic programs.

However, the Associated Press reported most Americans will still end up paying more federal taxes in 2013 because the legislation did not renew a temporary 2 percent cut in the payroll tax. That reduction was worth about $1,000 to a worker making $50,000 a year.

U.S. senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both Tennessee Republicans, voted for the bill in the Senate, where it passed 89-8 early Tuesday morning. Alexander and Corker said the legislation, reached after weeks of negotiations between the White House and Congress, “rescues” 99 percent of Americans from a tax rate increase.

But all seven Tennessee Republicans in the U.S. House, including Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, voted against it. The vote in the House was 257-167.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Bob Corker, Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, entitlement reform, federal facilities, fiscal cliff, Lamar Alexander, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, President Barack Obama, sequestration, spending cuts, tax increases, taxes, Tennessee Republicans, Thom Mason, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, White House

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Classifieds

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...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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