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City Council, DOE manager to discuss relations, hiring, housing; water rates also on agenda

Posted at 1:30 pm September 19, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kenneth R. Tarcza

Kenneth R. Tarcza (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

 

Some members of the Oak Ridge City Council and some residents have had a few concerns related to the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, including whether the DOE sites are doing enough to encourage new employees to live in Oak Ridge and whether DOE is paying enough on its payments in lieu of taxes to the City of Oak Ridge.

A more recent concern is whether DOE is paying enough for water supplied by the city to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, which are both federal sites.

On Tuesday, the Oak Ridge City Council could discuss these issues as it meets in a non-voting work session with Kenneth R. Tarcza, manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Operations. The work session, which is open to the public, starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane (behind the Kmart shopping center).

Among the DOE-related items on the agenda are a discussion and review of city-DOE relations, local hiring for DOE projects, housing, and “other related issues.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Central Services Complex, Chris Mitchell, Chuck Hope, City of Oak Ridge, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Janice McGinnis, Kenneth R. Tarcza, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Operations, ORNL, payments in lieu of taxes, retail rate, sewer rates, U.S. Department of Energy, water and sewer rates, water consumption, water rate, work session, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Council wants to roughly triple proposed water rate at ORNL, Y-12

Posted at 5:39 pm September 13, 2016
By John Huotari 3 Comments

Oak-Ridge-Water-Treatment-Plant-2009-1

The Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant is pictured on Pine Ridge above the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Note: This story was updated at 6:50 p.m.

Some Oak Ridge City Council members have questioned whether the federal government is paying enough for municipal water at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, and on Monday, four of them proposed roughly tripling a potential new high-volume water rate at the two federal sites in 2017.

The new water rate would apply to water consumption over 20 million gallons per month, which would limit it to ORNL and Y-12. The two sites use a total of more than 100 million gallons of water per month.

The new rate is expected to go into effect in April 2017 only if Oak Ridge and the U.S. Department of Energy aren’t able to agree on a contract for water at ORNL and Y-12 by the end of March. Those two federal sites now pay a flat annual rate but could default to what is known as a retail rate if the contract lapses.

The city staff had proposed a new default rate of $1.08 per thousand gallons for consumption over 20 million gallons starting January 1, 2017. The following year, in 2018, the staff had proposed a $1.35 rate.

But four City Council members—Rick Chinn, Charlie Hensley, Trina Baughn, and Chuck Hope—voted to raise the $1.08 rate in 2017 to $3 per 1,000 gallons. Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith, and Council member Kelly Callison voted against the increase. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Ellen Smith, Janice McGinnis, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant, ORNL, Pine Ridge, rate increases, Rick Chinn, Trina Baughn, U.S. Department of Energy, Warren Gooch, water, water and wastewater rate increases, water consumption, water contract, water rate, water system, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

ORISE recognized by EPA as Federal Green Challenge award winner

Posted at 1:19 pm June 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Associated Universities Leave a Comment

ORISE Logo

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education received a 2014 Federal Green Challenge award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for improving its water consumption levels and its electronic sustainability and recycling efforts in 2013 by the highest percentage increase compared to the previous year in the Southeast region. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to the EPA website, the 2014 Federal Green Challenge award winners are recognized “for their outstanding efforts and for their leadership in reducing the environmental footprint of federal government activities.”

“ORISE reduced its water consumption by 60 percent in 2013 with the majority of the improvement resulting from a more efficient, automated sprinkler system with a moisture sensor used for some of its landscaping, which would only irrigate when the soil was dry,” said Tom Wantland, director of ORAU’s environment, safety, and health programs. “If moisture from rain was present, the irrigation system would automatically detect it, and the system would not operate.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: award, electronic sustainability, environmentally friendly, EPA, Federal Green Challenge, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ORISE, recycling, Southeast, sprinkler system, Tom Wantland, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, water consumption

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Classifieds

Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Lithium Production Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

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

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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