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DOE, NNSA deny alleged risk of ‘catastrophic collapse’ of old Y-12 buildings

Posted at 11:16 pm October 23, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Building 9212

A low-level aerial shot of Building 9212 at the Y-12 National Security Complex, one of the buildings mentioned in a federal lawsuit filed in July over the proposed Uranium Processing Facility.

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:30 a.m.

The plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court in July alleged that there is a risk of a catastrophic collapse of old buildings containing nuclear weapon components at the Y-12 National Security Complex, possibly due to a large earthquake. A catastrophic collapse “would likely” result in the release of nuclear or toxic materials and place the environment and local residents in “extreme peril,” the plaintiffs said.

But federal officials denied that allegation and others in a response filed in late September.

The 44-page civil complaint, which is related to the planned Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12, was filed July 20 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The seven plaintiffs include three public interest organizations—Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, and Natural Resources Defense Council of Washington, D.C.—and four people who live in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

The federal lawsuit asked for an environmental review of the new design for the UPF, where design plans have changed from one building to three. The lawsuit alleged that the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration have violated a federal environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, as they implement the major design change.

Specifically, the plaintiffs have requested a new supplemental environmental impact statement or a new site-wide environmental impact statement for the revised UPF design. They cited the decision to build several new buildings and the plan to continue using existing buildings that the plaintiffs say have significant structural defects. They want the U.S. District Court to vacate, or void, a supplement analysis and an amended record of decision prepared by the NNSA in 2016. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: 9215 Complex, Administrative Procedure Act, Building 9204-2E, Building 9212, catastrophic collapse, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Ed Sullivan, Frank Klotz, Jack Carl Hoefer, lawsuit, Linda Ewald, National Environmental Policy Act, National Nuclear Security Administration, NEPA, NNSA, nuclear materials, Nuclear Watch of New Mexico Natural Resources Defense Council, nuclear weapon components, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, OREPA, Ralph Hutchison, record of decision, Rick Perry, site-wide environmental impact statement, supplement analysis, supplemental environmental impact statement, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, UPF, UPF design, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

Q&A: John Eschenberg on Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12

Posted at 3:53 pm January 21, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Uranium Processing Facility

The proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image courtesy of B&W Y-12)

The following is an edited version of a question-and-answer session with John Eschenberg, federal project director for the proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Federal officials said last fall that the UPF could be larger than originally planned to make sure all the building’s equipment fits inside.

Q: What is the status of the UPF redesign?

A: UPF is currently at 66 percent of design completion. Once 90 percent design completion is achieved, we will submit a Critical Decision-2 (CD-2) package to headquarters for approval that will contain the complete cost and schedule baseline for UPF. This process, which involves both an independent cost estimate and an external independent review, will likely take several weeks to complete.

The cost range for UPF is unchanged: $4.2 billion-$6.5 billion.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: National Nuclear Security Administration, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CD-2, CD-3, critical decision, John Eschenberg, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, site readiness, U.S. Department of Energy, UPF, UPF design, UPF redesign, uranium processing facility, Y-12 National Security Complex

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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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