Stimulus $$$$

[Eric_Bartlett]

                                                                 Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Energy Secretary Chu Announces $6 Billion in Recovery Act Funding for Environmental Cleanup
New Funding Will Create Jobs and Accelerate Cleanup Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC -- Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $6 billion in new funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate environmental cleanup work and create thousands of jobs across 12 states.  Projects identified for funding will focus on accelerating cleanup of soil and groundwater, transportation and disposal of waste, and cleaning and demolishing former weapons complex facilities.
"These investments will put Americans to work while cleaning up contamination from the cold war era," said Secretary Chu.  "It reflects our commitment to future generations as well as to help local economies get moving again." 

These projects and the new funding are managed by the Department's Office of Environmental Management, which is responsible for the risk reduction and cleanup of the environmental legacy from the nation's nuclear weapons program, one of the largest, most diverse and technically complex environmental programs in the world.

The states and DOE sites that will receive this funding include:
·        Washington (Total funding $1.961 billion)

Richland Operations Office ($1.635 billion) - Demolish nuclear facilities and support facilities, remediate waste sites, remediate contaminated groundwater, and retrieve solid waste from burial grounds. Accelerate cleanup of facilities, waste sites, and groundwater along the Columbia River to support shrinking the active area of cleanup at the 586-square-mile Hanford Site to 75 square miles or less by 2015.

Office of River Protection ($326 million) - Accelerate design and construction of infrastructure and systems to transfer radioactive liquid waste from aging underground tanks to a waste treatment facility for immobilization and disposal. Accelerate design for the high level waste storage facility. Upgrade the effluent treatment facility to continue waste volume reduction operations and the 222-S Analytical Laboratory to allow continued retrieval of waste from aging single-shell tanks. Develop single-shell tank integrity programs for safe storage of waste.

·        South Carolina (Total funding $1.615 billion)

Savannah River Site ($1.615 billion) - Accelerate decommissioning of nuclear facilities and contaminated areas throughout the Site, including in-place decommissioning of two nuclear materials production reactors. Recovery Act work includes shipping more than 4,500 cubic meters of waste out of South Carolina and will reduce the site's industrial area by 40 percent, or 79,000 acres, by September 2011.

·        Tennessee (Total funding $755 million)

Oak Ridge ($755 million) - At the East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 sites, accelerate demolition and disposal of remaining uranium enrichment plant buildings, surplus Manhattan Project era buildings, and highly contaminated uranium processing buildings, and perform soil remediation to protect area groundwater.  Accelerate cleanup of the most significant sources of off-site mercury release to East Fork Poplar Creek to prevent further contamination of the area. 

·           Idaho (Total funding $468 million)

Idaho National Laboratory ($468 million) - Accelerate demolition of excess nuclear and radiological facilities resulting in a footprint reduction of more than 800,000 square feet.  Retrieve targeted waste per the Agreement with the state of Idaho and accelerate the shipment of waste offsite for disposal.

·        New Mexico (Total funding $384 million)

Carlsbad (WIPP-$172 million) - Accelerate completion of legacy transuranic waste shipment preparation and shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository from one large quantity site and seven small quantity sites. Accelerate shipments from four other large quantity sites. 

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL-$212M) - Demolish 35 buildings and structures across the complex, reducing the footprint by more than 260,000 square feet. 

          New York (Total funding $148 million)
Brookhaven ($42 million) - Demolish surplus ancillary structures associated with a nuclear research reactor. Remove contaminated soil and buried pipelines and dispose of off-site, protecting the surrounding soil and groundwater.

Separations Process Research Unit (SPRU) ($32 million) – Cleanup the North Field Land Area removing contaminated soil for off-site disposal, performing sampling to confirm cleanup results and re-grading and re-seeding the area.

West Valley ($74 million) - Design and construct a storage system for high-level waste canisters and move high-level waste canisters from the former waste treatment facility to the new system, allowing the former treatment facility to be decontaminated and demolished earlier than planned.  Begin demolition of former process buildings and install a system to prevent migration of groundwater contamination. Accelerate radioactive waste treatment and disposal activities to shrink the area of site contamination.

Ohio (Total funding $138 million)
Miamisburg ($20 million) - Complete remediation of Operable Unit 1 (historic landfill).

Portsmouth ($118 million) - Demolish surplus facilities, including electrical switchyard structures, cooling towers, and one pump house, and clean up 65 acres of contaminated soils.  Remove the source of the highest contaminant concentration groundwater plume on site, preventing further potential groundwater contamination.

·        Utah (Total funding $108 million)

Moab ($108 million) - Accelerate removal of uranium mill tailings away from the Colorado River and dispose of an additional two million tons of mill tailings by 2011, accelerating site cleanup by several years. The Recovery Act work will be accomplished by increasing the number of railcars and shipments.

·        Illinois (Total funding $99 million)

Argonne National Laboratory ($99 million) - Accelerate demolition of excess contaminated facilities and waste cleanout activities several years early.

·        Kentucky (Total funding $79 million)

Paducah ($79 million) - Remove and dispose of large process equipment and demolish surplus chemical processing facilities, shrinking the area of contamination prior.

·        California (Total funding $62 million)

ETEC ($54 million) -Provide funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct radiological assessments necessary to complete an environmental impact statement and enable completion of site cleanup. 

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) ($8 million) - Accelerate excavation and disposal of contaminated soil and accelerate installation of groundwater treatment systems.

·        Nevada (Total funding $44 million)

Nevada Test Site ($44 million) - Identify waste characteristics within the soil at three corrective action sites and install groundwater monitoring wells to provide additional data on groundwater contamination to support future cleanup work. Demolish three major facilities and two smaller structures, removing contaminated materials.

·        Multiple States (Total funding $69 million)

Uranium Thorium Payments, Statutory Reimbursement ($69 million) - Reimburse cleanup costs to companies that formerly processed uranium and thorium for sale to the federal government.  These payments may allow companies to accelerate completion of site cleanup work.

·        Management & Oversight/Reserve at Headquarters and Sites (Total funding $70 million)

For more information on the Department's Environmental Management activities, visit http://www.em.doe.gov/pages/emhome.aspx. For regular updates on Department of Energy's efforts to implement the President's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, visit energy.gov/recovery.





-DOE

[Dave Warren]

So Bartlett is opening up several positions at which DOE sites???........

[RAD-GHOST]

EB........Been a While, Where you Been?

I'm figuring somewhere between the middle of May and the end of July, before the peak of the manpower feeding frenzy. 

The unofficial number, look something like around 300 to 450 techs to support the new DOE cleanup missions.

That could prove to be a very stimulating event for the Commercial Industries Fall line-up?

Later, RG!

[Eric_Bartlett]

So Bartlett is opening up several positions at which DOE sites???........

Hey Dave -
as of today we have been asked to supplement the workforce at both Idaho and Hanford.  As more start feeding us their requests I'll make sure they are posted.

Eric

EB........Been a While, Where you Been?
I'm figuring somewhere between the middle of May and the end of July, before the peak of the manpower feeding frenzy. 
The unofficial number, look something like around 300 to 450 techs to support the new DOE cleanup missions.
That could prove to be a very stimulating event for the Commercial Industries Fall line-up?
Later, RG!

Been here plodding along trying to get the spring season wrapped up and preparing for the DOE assault.  You figure the same as i do - sometime in the next month to 3 the floodgates will open. 

[jowlman]

Hey Eric,

I know that this is off topic and has been asked already, but how about commenting on the unemployment changes and how they will effect us, if you know. Thanks in advance.

[Lorrie Henson]

Hi Eric,

Are Jr. HPs being considered for any of the positions?

Thanks,
Lorrie

[Eric_Bartlett]

Hey Eric,

I know that this is off topic and has been asked already, but how about commenting on the unemployment changes and how they will effect us, if you know. Thanks in advance.

To be honest with you I'm not all that up on the unemployment changes - i will look into everything and let you know what I find out.

Hi Eric,

Are Jr. HPs being considered for any of the positions?

Thanks,
Lorrie

we are pushing hard for these sites to consider JHP's - Right now INL is only interested in JHP's from thier local area that are going thru an RCT program at thier local college - Hanford hasnt requested but we are pushing the issue - I'll update you as i get additional requests and information.

Eric

[namlive]

If SRS can't staff with 3.1 senior techs, Stafford said they would be looking at 18.1s.

[RAD-GHOST]

EB, looks like the frenzy has started!

To date, I'm seeing about 200+ openings across the country and about 12 companies attempting to staff them.

I'm wondering what:

20 years Commercial...
10 years DOE/DOD...
10 D&D Projects...
NUF Current...
CORE Current...
NRRPT Current...
Hazwhopper Current...
Shipping Certs...
MCA & ISOCS Operator...
MARSSIM/RESRAD/FSS...

........is worth?

I'm thinking at least a buck over minimim wage...........RG!   

[Eric_Bartlett]

EB, looks like the frenzy has started!

To date, I'm seeing about 200+ openings across the country and about 12 companies attempting to staff them.

I'm wondering what:

20 years Commercial...
10 years DOE/DOD...
10 D&D Projects...
NUF Current...
CORE Current...
NRRPT Current...
Hazwhopper Current...
Shipping Certs...
MCA & ISOCS Operator...
MARSSIM/RESRAD/FSS...

........is worth?

I'm thinking at least a buck over minimim wage...........RG!   

For you RG?  An internship!

[Marlin]

For you RG?  An internship!

OOOHHH!! That's just plain mean (I like it) 

[HydroDave63]

For you RG?  An internship!

Ahhh, almost sounds like an "Eric_Broadzilla" post 

[RAD-GHOST]

Isn't that what I'm doing now?

RG..........


 

[BetaAnt]

EB,

Just a note. SRS is scaling back its work teams from 20 to just 8.  RPD and planners are POd at management for being soooo shortsighted and S-T-U-P-I-D!!!!!!!!!!! SRNS (old WSRP holdovers) Management are positioning themselves for OBonuses out of the Obama Bucks.   

Hey, skimming $1.4Billion over 4 years wasn't hard. Especially when you can edit purchase orders 3 years after the fact. $1.6 Billion in 30 months, the SRS Dairy is open for business.

BA

[RAD-GHOST]

OH STOP IT!

Scaling back? 

Everybody under the sun is advertizing for the place and have been for months!  I've answered hundreds of question, for umteen RP type individuals who contemplated sending a resume....NONE HAVE!  Hell, I even like the place, had a half a dozen offers and still haven't considered applying.  I hate to point out the obvious, but if people don't show up, they aren't scaling back!  I'm figuring that some of the old management techniques and tactics may be coming back to bite them in the butt! 
 
The existing mass of managers can consume the majority of that money just in the planning phase!  From a business aspect, if your company could make $100.00/hr by an employee sitting behind a desk, vs. $10.00/hr by a guy slugging away in the field, which venue would you be sell? 

I didn't read that the Obama Bucks had any condition of productivity! 

I believe the venue was to creat jobs!

Anybody who has been to SRS, knows they are very good at creating jobs....and titles.... 

Have a Great day, RG!

[BetaAnt]

Last hired, first fired. Need not apply if over 45yrs. Need not apply if not a local (unless your CHEAP, graduate of U of GA, GA Tech, U of SC or - God Forbid - U of TN). That's the way it is at SRS (Golden Rule - We have the gold, we make the rules.

SRS sucks the life out of you.

BA

[Dave Warren]

(Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, TN, USA, 08/27/09)
Oak Ridge manager said the influx of Recovery Act money has created more than 600 jobs so far, and he said he's pleased with the first four months of the program.
For complete article, visit http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/aug/27/does-oak-ridge-manager-says-600-recovery-act-jobs-/.