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DOE disposing of uranium-233 waste stored at ORNL

Posted at 7:55 pm August 27, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

ORNL CEUSP Waste Shipping

During training, workers removed a type of shipping cask that was expected to be used to transport 403 canisters of uranium-tainted waste from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Nevada National Security Site northwest of Las Vegas. (File photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Office of Environmental Management)

 

This story was updated at 5 p.m. Aug. 30.

They haven’t agreed on a final budget number, but the Trump administration and the U.S. House and Senate have proposed spending between about $33 million and $52 million in the next fiscal year to continue disposing of uranium-233 waste materials that are stored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a building that is the oldest continuously operating nuclear facility in the U.S. Department of Energy complex.

The uranium-233, or U-233, waste is now stored in secure vaults in Building 3019, which was built in the 1940s at ORNL. Removing the waste could allow ORNL to relax its overall security posture, which will reduce costs, eliminate nuclear safety issues, and make the campus more conducive to collaborative science, according to a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee report published in July.

Some of the waste is from a 1960s research and development test in New York, and it is being shipped to the Nevada National Security Site, a former nuclear weapons proving ground about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. In interviews this summer, DOE officials in Oak Ridge declined to discuss the amount of that waste that has been shipped to Nevada or to say how long the shipments might continue. But they are making progress, said Jay Mullis, acting manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

Once all of those materials are shipped, the remaining U-233 at ORNL will be treated in “hot cell” facilities across the street from Building 3019, at Building 2026. The DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management owns both buildings.

Mullis said there is other U-233 waste stored in Building 3019, including from glovebox research at ORNL, from reactor plates, and from conglomerate materials. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Area 5, Ben Williams, Brian Sandoval, Building 2026, Building 3019, CEUSP, CEUSP low-level waste, CEUSP waste, Consolidated Edison Indian Point-1, Consolidated Edison Uranium Solidification Program, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB, DOE, EMWMF, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, Ernest Moniz, House appropriations bill, Isotek Systems LLC, Jay Mullis, low-level waste, Mark Whitney, Nevada National Security Site, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Office of Environmental Management, Office of Science, Office of Secure Transportation, ORNL, Senate, Senate appropriations bill, Trump administration, U-233, U-233 disposition, U-233 processing, U-235, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House, U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, uranium, uranium-233, uranium-233 waste, uranium-233 waste materials, uranyl nitrate, UT-Battelle

Senate passes Manhattan Project park bill that includes Oak Ridge

Posted at 11:58 pm December 12, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Manhattan Project Park Sites

Note: This story was last updated at 11 a.m. Dec. 14.

House approved bill last week; legislation now headed to President Obama

After years of work, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill to set up a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that includes Oak Ridge, a once-secret city that played a key role in ending World War II. The legislation passed the U.S. House last week, and it now goes to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it into law.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park will include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. Those two cities were also part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to develop the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alexander Inn, American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation, atomic bomb, Atomic Heritage Foundation, atomic weapons, B Reactor, Barack Obama, Ben Ray Lujan, Beta-3 Calutrons, Bob Corker, Building 9204-3, Building 9731, Chuck Fleischmann, Clark Bunting, Cynthia C. Kelly, Department of Interior, Doc Hastings, East Tennessee Economic Council, Energy Communities Alliance, Enrico Fermi, Ernest O. Lawrence, Guest House, Gun Site, Hanford, Jeff Bingaman, K-25 Building, Lamar Alexander, Leslie Groves, Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Manhattan Project park, Maria Cantwell, Mark Watson, Martin Heinrich, National Defense Authorization Act, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, NDAA, NPCA, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, Patty Murray, Pete Domenici, Pilot Plant, The Gun Site, Tom Beehan, Tom Udall, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, uranium, V Site, Warren Gooch, World War II, X-10 Graphite Reactor, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

U.S. House passes Manhattan Project park bill that includes Oak Ridge

Posted at 3:01 pm December 4, 2014
By John Huotari 2 Comments

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Note: This story was last updated at 8:30 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would create a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge, federal officials said Thursday afternoon.

Passage of the bill, pursued for years by historic preservationists, was announced by U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and Representative Chuck Fleischmann, both Tennessee Republicans. It was an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which passed in a 300-119 vote.

The bill would designate three sites that were part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. Besides Oak Ridge, the sites include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. The U.S. Senate is expected to pass the 2015 NDAA legislation without amendments before adjourning for the Christmas recess, perhaps as early as next week, according to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has helped lead efforts to establish the park for more than a decade.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs. Oak Ridge sites that would be included in the park are the Beta-3 racetracks and Alpha Calutron magnets at Y-12 National Security Complex and the K-25 Building site at the East Tennessee Technology Park. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Federal, Government, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: AHF, Alpha Calutron magnets, atomic bomb, Atomic Heritage Foundation, B Reactor, Ben Ray Lujan, Beta-3 racetracks, Bob Corker, Chuck Fleischmann, Cindy Kelly, D. Ray Smith, Doc Hastings, DOE, Don Barger, East Tennessee Technology Park, Energy Communities Alliance, Gary Petersen, Hanford, Heather McClenahan, historic preservation, historic properties, Interior, Jeff Bingaman, K-25 Building, Lamar Alexander, Los Alamos, Los Alamos Historical Society, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, National Defense Authorization Act, national park, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, NDAA, NPCA, Oak Ridge, Patty Murray, Pete Domenici, Stephanie Toothman, Tom Udall, Tri-City Development Council, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, World War II, Y-12 National Security Complex

OREA has ‘Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators’ at ORHS today

Posted at 9:01 am October 22, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Education Association is having a “Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators” event at the high school this afternoon.

It’s scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, October 22) at the Oak Ridge High School amphitheater.

“Because of the plethora of candidate forums in recent weeks (and the number of candidates), our event will not be so much a traditional candidate forum as much as a ‘conversation’ about public education,” a press release said. “Each candidate will have the opportunity to speak for three-five minutes on their views on educational issues pertinent to the office that he/she is seeking. Once each candidate has spoken, the event will transition into a ‘meet and greet,’ during which you can chat with individual candidates about questions that you have. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Education, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: candidates, educators, General Assembly, meet and greet, Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge High School, OREA, public education, U.S. House

Forum to feature candidates for school board, TN House, Congress

Posted at 11:27 am September 16, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Vote Logo

A Wednesday evening forum will feature candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education, U.S. Congressional District 3, and Tennessee House District 32.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It’s been organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education have been invited to speak and answer questions. They include  incumbent Bob Eby and seven other candidates: Jean Hiser, Andrew Howe, Mike Mahathy, A. Paige Marshall, Laura McLean, Laurie Paine, and Aaron Wells.

There are three school board seats available in the November 4 municipal election. Eby is the only incumbent seeking re-election; Dan DiGregorio and Jenny Richter are not.

Candidates with opposition in the state and federal general election have also been invited to speak and answer questions. In the U.S. House, Republican Representative Chuck Fleischmann of District 3, which includes Oak Ridge, faces challenges from Democrat Mary M. Headrick, who also ran two years ago, and Independent Cassandra J. Mitchell. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Education, Federal, Government, K-12, State, Top Stories Tagged With: A. Paige Marshall, Aaron Wells, Anderson, Bob Eby, candidate forum, candidates, Cassandra J. Mitchell, Chuck Fleischmann, Dan DiGregorio, Democrat, District 3, District 32, Emily Jernigan, forum, Independent, Jean Hiser, Jenny Richter, Joe Kneiser, John Ragan, Kent Calfee, Laura McLean, Laurie Paine, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Loudon, Mary M. Headrick, Matt Shafer Powell, Melinda Hillman, Mike Mahathy, municipal election, November 4, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge High School, Randy McNally, Republican, Roane, Tennessee House, U.S. House

Candidate forums this month for Council, school board, state, federal offices

Posted at 7:45 pm September 9, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 5 Comments

There will be two forums this month for candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education, and for Tennessee House and Senate and the U.S. House.

The forums are scheduled for September 17 and September 25. Both are in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater and are free and open to the public.

They’re sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge and are in preparation of the November 4 state, federal, and local general election.

The first forum, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, will first feature candidates for House District 32 and House District 33, Tennessee 5th Senatorial District, and Tennessee 3rd Congressional District. Then, the double forum will feature candidates running for the Oak Ridge Board of Education. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, 2014 Election, Education, Federal, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Slider, State, Top Stories Tagged With: 3rd Congressional District, 5th Senatorial District, candidate forums, House District 32, House District 33, Kathy Edwards, League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Matt Shafer Powell, Melinda Hillman, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge High School, Tennessee House, Tennessee Senate, U.S. House

Weston Wamp will oppose Fleischmann again in U.S. House race

Posted at 3:49 pm January 13, 2014
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Weston Wamp

Weston Wamp

Weston Wamp announced on Monday that he will oppose U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann again.

Wamp, the son of former Congressman Zach Wamp, is a Chattanooga Republican who ran against Fleischmann in the 2012 election. Fleischmann is now in his second term, and he represents Tennessee’s Third District, which includes Oak Ridge.

Fleischmann replaced Zach Wamp, Weston’s father, in 2010, when Zach Wamp unsuccessfully ran for Tennessee governor.

In a campaign announcement, Weston Wamp took aim at federal legislators in general and Fleischmann in particular. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, Jordan Powell, Republican, Tennessee, Third District, U.S. House, Weston Wamp, Zach Wamp

Guest column: Applauds House, Senate support for Manhattan Project park

Posted at 9:41 pm May 2, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: National Parks supporters last week applauded the unanimous approval by a House committee of a bill to set up a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge. Here are statements from two supporters.

Ron Tipton, senior vice president of policy for the National Parks Conservation Association

The National Parks Conservation Association applauds the bipartisan House and Senate support for preserving of our country’s history, through the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act. Today’s announcement provides another positive step forward, as the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the bipartisan bill introduced by Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, Congressman Ben Lujan, and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann.

These national park sites will provide unparalleled opportunities to improve public understanding of the Manhattan Project, the legacy of the United States’ splitting of the atom, and the national and global impacts associated with harnessing the atom. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association, Clarence Moriwaki, Hanford, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, national park, National Park Service, National Park System, National Parks Conservation Association, Oak Ridge, Ron Tipton, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House, U.S. Senate

Mayor to testify to Congress: Manhattan Project park would honor most significant event of last century

Posted at 1:39 am April 12, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Tom Beehan

Tom Beehan

A new national historical park that could include Oak Ridge would honor the history of the Manhattan Project, the most significant event of the 20th Century, Mayor Tom Beehan will tell a U.S. House subcommittee in testimony this morning.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret U.S. program to build the world’s first atomic weapons. The three Manhattan Project sites that could be included in the new park are Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash.

Despite what some detractors might say, the proposed park is not about weapons, Beehan wrote in prepared testimony.

“I believe this historical park is about scientific and engineering accomplishments at a time when our country was defending itself, both during World War II and the Cold War,” he said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: atomic weapons, B Reactor, Chuck Fleischmann, Energy Communities Alliance, Graphite Reactor, Gun Site, Hanford, House Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation, Lamar Alexander, legislation, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, New Hope Center, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Secret City, testimony, Tom Beehan, U.S. House, V Site, Y-12 National Security Complex

Energy Communities Alliance supports Manhattan Project park bill

Posted at 2:47 pm March 12, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Tom Beehan

Tom Beehan

A group of local governments associated with U.S. Department of Energy sites has reaffirmed its support for a Manhattan Project national park.

Proposed through legislation in the U.S. Congress, the park would commemorate the Manhattan Project, the top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. The park would include Oak Ridge; Los Alamos, N.M.; and Hanford, Wash.

“We are thrilled to see this step toward making the new national park a reality,” said Steve Young, secretary of the nonprofit Energy Communities Alliance and mayor of Kennewick, Wash. “There’s no question that the story of the Manhattan Project and the contributions of the men and women who supported it are of high interest to the American public. This creates a real opportunity for our communities to share our collective history while realizing the benefits of the heritage tourism industry a national park is likely to create.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: atomic weapons, DOE, ECA, Energy Communities Alliance, Hanford, Lamar Alexander, local government, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, Maria Cantwell, national park, Steve Young, Tom Beehan, U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, World War II

Fleischmann votes for ‘No Budget, No Pay’; Corker co-sponsors

Posted at 11:39 pm January 23, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann voted for a bill that passed the House on Wednesday that temporarily increases the nation’s debt ceiling and requires each house of Congress to pass a budget.

Known as the “No Budget, No Pay” Act, the bill would withhold pay for legislative members if they fail to pass a budget.

“Not having a budget wouldn’t fly for hardworking Americans at home or at work, and it shouldn’t be allowed in Congress,” said Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge. “We cannot ever truly constrain spending if the Senate will not pass a budget. With the passage of this bill, the Senate Democrats will finally be obligated to produce a path to get our fiscal house in order.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Bob Corker, budget, Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, debt ceiling, legislation, No Budget No Pay, U.S. House, U.S. Senate

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

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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