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There's been a lot of megatons-to-megawatts activity in recent years, but some folks aren't too sure if that's going to continue to be a big factor in the downsizing of the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Of course, a lot of folks are skeptical, period, about a nuclear renaissance. Darrel Kohlhorst isn't one of them. I've had a couple of opportunities in recent weeks to talk to the general manager at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. During a conversation at a hearing for Y-12's Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement, he offered some views on nuclear power. Here's what he said:

There's been a lot of megatons-to-megawatts activity in recent years, but some folks aren't too sure if that's going to continue to be a big factor in the downsizing of the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Of course, a lot of folks are skeptical, period, about a nuclear renaissance. Darrel Kohlhorst isn't one of them. I've had a couple of opportunities in recent weeks to talk to the general manager at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. During a conversation at a hearing for Y-12's Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement, he offered some views on nuclear power. Here's what he said:

Department of Energy Manager Gerald Boyd said it's "sort of doubtful" that Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, will complete the demolition of K-25 by the end 2011 - when the company's contract is due to expire - and federal officials are starting to make other plans. Last year, DOE extended and modified the BJC contract, valued at $1.48 billion, to allow the contractor to finish work on the mile-long and massively contaminated building that once processed uranium for the nation's Cold War arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Department of Energy Manager Gerald Boyd said it's "sort of doubtful" that Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, will complete the demolition of K-25 by the end 2011 - when the company's contract is due to expire - and federal officials are starting to make other plans. Last year, DOE extended and modified the BJC contract, valued at $1.48 billion, to allow the contractor to finish work on the mile-long and massively contaminated building that once processed uranium for the nation's Cold War arsenal of nuclear weapons.

While Oak Ridge, Tenn., would make U-235, the fuel for the Hiroshima atomic bomb, Groves looked for a site in the West that was far from population centers. It also needed a generous supply of electricity to run the bomb factories and water to cool the reactors. Hanford, Wash., downriver from the just-completed Grand Coulee Dam and adjacent to the Columbia River, fit the bill. To develop plutonium, the Hanford Site in Benton County in south central Washington was carefully chosen in December 1942 as the perfect place.

While Oak Ridge, Tenn., would make U-235, the fuel for the Hiroshima atomic bomb, Groves looked for a site in the West that was far from population centers. It also needed a generous supply of electricity to run the bomb factories and water to cool the reactors. Hanford, Wash., downriver from the just-completed Grand Coulee Dam and adjacent to the Columbia River, fit the bill. To develop plutonium, the Hanford Site in Benton County in south central Washington was carefully chosen in December 1942 as the perfect place.

I've written on multiple occasions about the projects underway, with much of the money coming from the Recovery Act, to expand the Department of Energy's nuclear landfill in Oak Ridge. Less attention, however, has been given to the work to expand the sanitary landfills on Chestnut Ridge not far from the Y-12 National Security Complex. According to Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's environmental manager in Oak Ridge, a request for proposals (RFP) is to be issued by the end of December, seeking bids for the landfill expansion and related projects. Dennis Hill, a spokesman for BJC, said there are three active landfills on Chestnut Ridge -- Landfiill IV (industrial waste); V (sanitary waste) and VII (construction/demolition waste)

I've written on multiple occasions about the projects underway, with much of the money coming from the Recovery Act, to expand the Department of Energy's nuclear landfill in Oak Ridge. Less attention, however, has been given to the work to expand the sanitary landfills on Chestnut Ridge not far from the Y-12 National Security Complex. According to Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's environmental manager in Oak Ridge, a request for proposals (RFP) is to be issued by the end of December, seeking bids for the landfill expansion and related projects. Dennis Hill, a spokesman for BJC, said there are three active landfills on Chestnut Ridge -- Landfiill IV (industrial waste); V (sanitary waste) and VII (construction/demolition waste)

Babcock & Wilcox today announced that its parent company, McDermott International, is planning to separate its operating subsidiaries -- B&W and J. Ray McDermott -- into "two independent, publicly traded companies." B&W has mutliple Oak Ridge interests, co-managing the Y-12 site in partnership with Bechtel National, and working a manufacturing contractor for USEC's American Centrifuge Project.

Babcock & Wilcox today announced that its parent company, McDermott International, is planning to separate its operating subsidiaries -- B&W and J. Ray McDermott -- into "two independent, publicly traded companies." B&W has mutliple Oak Ridge interests, co-managing the Y-12 site in partnership with Bechtel National, and working a manufacturing contractor for USEC's American Centrifuge Project.

Bricks and mortar and other materials that built Cold War success are now filling up Oak Ridge landfills, which is why those landfills keep getting bigger. A major expansion is under way at the Department of Energy's nuclear landfill, with similar projects getting started at a series of sanitary landfills -- which receive construction rubble and other non-radioactive wastes generated during demolition and cleanup projects. Bechtel Jacobs, DOE's cleanup manager, said a significant milestone was achieved in December when the construction team completed installation of a high-density geomembrane on Cell 5 -- a new cell that's supposed to add 465,000 cubic yards of disposal space at the landfill for low-level radioactive waste and other hazardous materials, bringing the total to 1.7 million cubic yards.

Bricks and mortar and other materials that built Cold War success are now filling up Oak Ridge landfills, which is why those landfills keep getting bigger. A major expansion is under way at the Department of Energy's nuclear landfill, with similar projects getting started at a series of sanitary landfills -- which receive construction rubble and other non-radioactive wastes generated during demolition and cleanup projects. Bechtel Jacobs, DOE's cleanup manager, said a significant milestone was achieved in December when the construction team completed installation of a high-density geomembrane on Cell 5 -- a new cell that's supposed to add 465,000 cubic yards of disposal space at the landfill for low-level radioactive waste and other hazardous materials, bringing the total to 1.7 million cubic yards.

The Department of Energy is drilling a series of wells south of the Clinch River to ensure no nuclear waste from Oak Ridge has migrated underground into its neighbors' backyards along Jones Road. "We have not found any evidence of any contamination south of the river," said David Adler with the Department of Energy. "This is completely a precautionary measure." North of the Clinch River on DOE property is where nuclear waste was buried from the 1940s until the '80s. The groundwater in this area is known to be contaminated from the hazardous materials. However, recently there were signs that the material may be moving towards the river.

The Department of Energy is drilling a series of wells south of the Clinch River to ensure no nuclear waste from Oak Ridge has migrated underground into its neighbors' backyards along Jones Road. "We have not found any evidence of any contamination south of the river," said David Adler with the Department of Energy. "This is completely a precautionary measure." North of the Clinch River on DOE property is where nuclear waste was buried from the 1940s until the '80s. The groundwater in this area is known to be contaminated from the hazardous materials. However, recently there were signs that the material may be moving towards the river.

Loading of the government's new storehouse for bomb-grade uranium is expected to begin in mid-February, according to the latest projections. Construction of the $549 million Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility was essentially completed in late 2008, and since then, workers have been installing equipment, applying finishing touches to the high-security structure and conducting test operations. B&W Technical Services, the managing contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, recently completed its "operational readiness review" and is resolving some of the issues that were identified during that review, B&W spokesman David Keim said.

Loading of the government's new storehouse for bomb-grade uranium is expected to begin in mid-February, according to the latest projections. Construction of the $549 million Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility was essentially completed in late 2008, and since then, workers have been installing equipment, applying finishing touches to the high-security structure and conducting test operations. B&W Technical Services, the managing contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, recently completed its "operational readiness review" and is resolving some of the issues that were identified during that review, B&W spokesman David Keim said.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has signed the designation that adds the 1950s employees at Oak Ridge Hospital -- when the hospital was being used for pioneering cancer treatments with radiation -- as a "Special Exposure Cohort" in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program. The SEC status makes it easier for workers with cancer to collect under the compensation program. The designation was forwarded to Congress and will become effective Jan. 9, unless Congress acts on it prior to that date, according to NIOSH spokeswoman Shannon Bradford.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has signed the designation that adds the 1950s employees at Oak Ridge Hospital -- when the hospital was being used for pioneering cancer treatments with radiation -- as a "Special Exposure Cohort" in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program. The SEC status makes it easier for workers with cancer to collect under the compensation program. The designation was forwarded to Congress and will become effective Jan. 9, unless Congress acts on it prior to that date, according to NIOSH spokeswoman Shannon Bradford.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has signed the designation that adds the 1950s employees at Oak Ridge Hospital -- when the hospital was being used for pioneering cancer treatments with radiation -- as a "Special Exposure Cohort" in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program. The SEC status makes it easier for workers with cancer to collect under the compensation program. The designation was forwarded to Congress and will become effective Jan. 9, unless Congress acts on it prior to that date, according to NIOSH spokeswoman Shannon Bradford.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is notifying certain former Oak Ridge Hospital employees about compensation and medical benefits they may be eligible to receive. It involves all former employees who worked at the hospital between May 15, 1950, and December 31, 1959. The Department of Labor says a new class of employees has been added to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act's (EEOICPA) Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). The EEOICPA provides compensation and medical benefits to workers who became ill due to working in the nuclear weapons industry. Survivors of qualified workers may also be entitled to benefits. "

"A spokesman for EnergySolutions said today that most operations at the company's Bear Creek waste-processing plant in Oak Ridge have returned to normal following a Feb. 4 accident in which a worker was seriously injured. But the metal melt facility, where the accident occurred, remains out of operation and won't resume activities until the safety reports have been completed, Mark Walker of EnergySolutions said today. Walker said the two reports, one by an independent team and another in-house review, are due in two weeks. EnergySolutions has had little to say about the accident over the past month, citing the ongoing investigations."

"There's a pending application before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for an export license to ship 160 kilograms of uranium (enriched to 93.5 percent U-235) from the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge to France for use as fuel in the research reactor at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) near Grenoble. According to information from Y-12, it would be the first shipment of highly enriched uranium to France since 1991. Information about the shipment was reported several days ago on the blog maintained by the International Panel on Fissile Materials, which indicated the fuel needs for the French reactor previously had been provided by Russia."

"Bechtel Jacobs Co., a partnership of Bechtel National and Jacobs Engineering (reportedly a 60/40 arrangement), has been the Dept. of Energy's environmental manager in Oak Ridge since 1998 -- when DOE established the cleanup role as part of its contract reform effort. That contracting relationship is coming to an end, with DOE's announced plan to have a new contractor in place July 1, 2011. A request for proposals on the contract is expected to be issued soon by DOE's Oak Ridge office. So, what happens to Bechtel Jacobs?"

"As noted earlier this year, one of ORNL's oldest facilities was demolished in the first phase of Recovery Act cleanup work. After the wooden superstructure was demolished (by Clauss Construction under a subcontract to UT-Battelle), the World War II-era hot cells were "weather-proofed" to prevent the spread of rad contamination until they can be dismantled and removed. In the top photo, you can see that the hot cells -- where materials from the historic Graphite Reactor were once processed -- have been encased in a gray protective sealant, awaiting future work. One lab official reportedly referred to them as ORNL's "Stonehenge." "

"OAK RIDGE - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu was in town Monday to help celebrate a new $549 million storehouse for the nation's supply of bomb-grade uranium - a high-security facility so stout it reportedly could withstand the impact of a commercial aircraft. While Chu had words of praise for the massive structure - known officially as the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility - and those who designed and built it, the secretary's most welcome words at the ceremony were those supporting an even bigger project at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant."

"An estimated 5,600 tons of nickel is being relocated to prepare for the upcoming demolition of the K-33 building in Oak Ridge. LATA-Sharp of Westerville, Ohio, recently won a $51 million contract to demolish 1.4 million-square-foot building at the East Tennessee Technology Park. The large inventory of radioactive nickel is a Cold War legacy of the uranium-enrichment operations. It was extracted from equipment by BNFL Inc., which decommissioned three of the process buildings - including K-33 - as part of a late-1990s contract with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge office. Under the original terms of the contract, BNFL was to take ownership of the nickel and other potentially valuable metals as partial payment for the cleanup work. The company planned to recycle the metals to remove the radioactive constituents and then resell the metal on the commercial market."

"In the run-up to the Nuclear Security Summit, the Project On Government Oversight said cancellation of the Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 should be among the U.S. commitments. Here's what POGO said on UPF: "The U.S. should cancel the construction of the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) at Y-12 National Security Complex, which creates a long-term mission for large stocks of HEU to be available for the production of up to 200 new secondaries per year. The highly-respected JASON group's recent study found that the nation's nuclear warheads, including the HEU secondaries, can continue to be extended safely and certifiably for decades. Without the UPF, the U.S. still has the capacity to manufacture new secondaries. The $3.5 billion estimated cost of UPF can be reallocated towards the downblending budget.""

"A drum of highly enriched uranium ended up at the right place, but it got there the wrong way, according to a report confirmed by a spokeswoman at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. The incident, which involved a violation of technical safety requirements, took place in mid-March during the first phase of loading uranium into the new $549 million Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility. It apparently occurred just a few days before Energy Secretary Steven Chu and other dignitaries arrived to dedicate the new storage facility for bomb-grade uranium. Ellen Boatner, a plant spokeswoman, said workers "inadvertently" shipped a container that was not certified to be on board the SST-E truck -- a high-security vehicle that was being used to transfer the special nuclear materials from the plant's old warehouse to the new storage facility. Boatner said there were plans for the drum of HEU to be transferred to the facility but not aboard the SST-E."

"A spokesman with EnergySolutions today confirmed the management changes at the Oak Ridge-based isotek Systems, the Dept. of Energy contractor heading the project to downblend and disposition the stockpile of Uranium-233 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. EnergySolutions is lead partner in Isotek, joined by Nuclear Fuel Services and Burns and Roe. "We can confirm and are very pleased that Jim Bolon will lead the Isotek project," EnergySolutions spokesman Mark Walker said by e-mail. Bolon is replacing Ron Shaffer as president of the Oak Ridge contractor organization."

"Anderson County commissioners want federal and state help in cleaning up a radioactive blight, tearing it down and turning the site into a parking lot for a planned recreational complex next door. Commissioners Monday passed a resolution seeking federal and state financial assistance in the remediation of the abandoned American Nuclear Corp. facility. Located on Blockhouse Valley Road, the contaminated property is adjacent to county-owned land that includes a former landfill that's been cleaned up."