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August 2011
Is DOE Oak Ridge about to take a fall?
There have been concerns raised for months about the impact of restructuring the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Operations, and the union representing some of the white-collar workers at the Oak Ridge office says those concerns are justified.
Max Smith, DOE Shop Chair for the Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 2001, said there are reasons to believe that DOE's Oak Ridge office will take the lion's share of share of funding reductions being planned for Fiscal Year 2012 (which begins Oct. 1). In fact, Smith said the Oak Ridge federal office could receive almost half of the total reductions being planned among DOE's Office of Science field offices.
Problems with mercury project at Y-12
It's probably too early to declare the Recovery Act-funded West End Mercury Area (WEMA) project a failure or success, but there clearly have been some problems. Unlike several of the stimulus projects at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, which have been completed ahead of schedule and under budget, the WEMA project is still in the works.
The project is supposed to reduce the mercury discharges from Y-12, but it's not clear that's taken place so far. In fact, there have been some increases in mercury levels early on, but there's still hope that the long term results will be positive.
Pushing for progress on Molten Salt
Earlier this summer, the Dept. of Energy's Site Specific Advisory Board passed a recommendation that DOE "promptly" begin an effort to find a path or paths for getting rid of the tons of radioactive fuel salts stored in the basement of the Molten Salt Reactor (an experimental reactor last operated in the 1960s) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The board was reacting in part, to an Engineering Evaluation, that recommended in part that the storage tanks be left "as is" for 50 years. That recommendation, the advisory board said, "appears to ignore the possibility that there may be no path for disposal after 50 years other than permanent residence on the Oak Ridge reservation."
A K-25 breakthrough (literally)
Workers on the K-25 demolition project achieved a significant progress point this week when they completed cutting through the East Wing of the old uranium-enrichment building. By bringing down the sections all the way across the wing, they were able to clearly separate the future work areas. The southern portion of the wing (to the left in the photo) will require additional preparation before demolition because of the particularly hazardous presence of radioactive technetium-99 in five of the six sections there. But the demolition work on the northern part of the East Wing will continue apace.
DOE preservation plans in Oak Ridge
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge office, which once upon a time committed to preserving the North Tower of K-25 until realizing just how deteriorated it was after years of sitting idle, is reportedly moving ahead with some type of preservation plan -- not just for K-25 but for DOE Oak Ridge-wide.
Plans have been in some form of development for the past couple of years, but no triggers have been pulled so far. DOE spokesman Mike Koento said the agency plans to finalize a "draft mitigation plan" and distribute it to historic preservation groups and other consulting parties by the middle of September.
Pantex breaks ground on new $65M High Explosives Pressing Facility
There was a construction groundbreaking this week for a new $65 million High Explosives Pressing Facility at the Pantex Plant (which could be Y-12's sister plant as part of a new management consolidation contract) near Amarillo, Texas.
The new facility will replace old facilities, some of them World War II vintage, at the plant.
Continue reading "Pantex breaks ground on new $65M High Explosives Pressing Facility"
No layoffs at Y-12
Given the situation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where 29 positions were eliminated last week, I asked the folks at the Y-12 National Security Complex if any layoffs were being planned there.
Plant spokesman David Keim responded today, "We're not anticipating any reductions in force at Y-12 at this time."
26 Cray XE6 cabinets arrive at ORNL; will be part of NOAA system for climate research
ORNL photo/Ron Walli
Jay Young of Cray works on installation of a Cray XE6 cabinet, part of the second phase of a supercomputing system used for climate research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Twenty-six of the cabinets arrived this week at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where the NOAA machine is housed.
Twenty-six Cray XE6 cabinets arrived this week at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where they'll be installed and operated as part of NOAA's supercomputing system used for climate research.
According to ORNL, the Cray XE6 cabinets will be configured with the Gemini
interconnect and the AMD 16-core Interlagos processors. The processors haven't arrived yet and won't be installed for a few weeks, the lab said.
"This single partition will provide an additional peak computing capability of more than 720 teraflops with an electrical cost per floating point operation that is just 40 percent of the equivalent FLOP on a Cray XT5," Jim Rogers of ORNL's National Center for Computational Sciences said in a statement.
Continue reading "26 Cray XE6 cabinets arrive at ORNL; will be part of NOAA system for climate research"
Mixed results on Los Alamos audit
The Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General today released an audit of Recovery Act EM work at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The audit included positive findings, in that a couple of the proejcts were completed ahead of schedule and under budget, and auditors generally found that Los Alamos complied with the rules of the Recovery Act. However, one of the projects, known as the MDA-B (or Material Disposal Area B) project, had a bunch of issues. Here's a link to the IG report on Los Alamos' Environmental Management work with stimulus money.
A different kind of diploma
ORNL archives
Research librarian and history enthusiast Tim Gawne came across this funny little artifact in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory archives. It's certainly a different kind of diploma for the "onery" degree of Atom Buster. It gives a bit of the flavor of working on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge. (Click on image to make it larger.)
Securing substations against copper thieves
I did a couple of posts about copper thefts at Department of Energy sites, which were highlighted in an Inspector General report, including some in Oak Ridge. One of the examples involved 1,400 pounds of copper stolen from the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has information on its web site about a project designed to bring security to vulnerable electrical substations.
DOE responds to state of Tennessee proposal: Thanks, but no thanks
While negotiations have been going on for a new Tennessee Oversight Agreement between the U.S. Dept. of Energy and the Tenn. Dept. of Environment and Conservation, the Local Oversight Committee has been left out in the cold, so to speak. That's partly due to tight federal budgets and maybe other things, too.
Anyway, the TDEC suggested a possible solution to the financial crunch. The state, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fined the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge office earlier this summer for failing to meet milestones under the Federal Facility Agreement for some groundwater work at the East Tennessee Technology Park (site of the former K-25 uranium-enrichment operations). The fines would have been about $150,000, split between EPA and TDEC.
Continue reading "DOE responds to state of Tennessee proposal: Thanks, but no thanks"
Thom Mason talks about ITER
So, with excruciatingly tight federal budgets expected in the future, what's going on with the U.S. involvement in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor? The American work on the big multi-national (Japan, Russia, Europe, China, India and South Korea are the other partners) fusion project is based in Oak Ridge.
I talked a bit with Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason last week and asked him about ITER. Mason noted there's a $105 million funding request from the Obama administration before Congress, and it received full funding in the House budget bill. "We'll have to see what the Senate does," he said.
The swirl
A lot of attention/rumor is swirling around negotiations on the Tennessee Oversight Agreement, which in its various iterations has funded the state's environmental monitoring of the U.S. DOE's Oak Ridge operations for the past 20 years and other stuff, too.
DOE earlier this year decided not to renew the existing agreement, admitting that it hoped to reduce the funding, and has been in negotiations with the state of Tennessee since then. There's a lot of fallout from this issue, including the possible extinction of the Local Oversight Committee (which has been funded through the TOA).
Challenge to nuke weapons production in KC
Peace activists are trying to get a measure on the ballot that would ban production of nuclear weapons parts in Kansas City. Here's a report in the Kansas City Star. Another story about the new production plant in Mother Jones.
NNSA responds to critical report
Here's a statement from National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Steven Wyatt on the DNFSB report critical of Y-12's conduct of operations:
B&W Y-12's response to DNFSB report
B&W Y-12 this evening released a response to the report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board that criticized the plant's conduct of operations and said the situation has the potential to jeopardize the safety of workers and possibly the public and the environment.
The statement is attributed to Darrel Kohlhorst, president of B&W Y-12 and general manager of Y-12:
"The safety of Y-12 workers, the public and the environment is our top priority. The 4,700 people who work here every day and live in this community know it, and their commitment is to do the job right, every time. Operations at Y-12 are safe. Adherence to procedures and processes is essential. When work is not completed to our standards, we evaluate the cause and implement corrective actions, but we have consistently completed our work without harm to our workers, the public and the environment.
Federal safety board slams Y-12 for not following procedures
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is again criticizing Y-12's adherence to technical procedures, citing broad and persistent shortcomings that could undermine the safety of nuclear operations at the Oak Ridge weapons facility.
Much of the report is based on an April review by staff of the safety board who evaluated B&W Y-12's implementation of procedures. According to an Aug. 25 letter from DNFSB Chairman Peter Winokur to Tom D'Agostino, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, "A strong conduct of operations program requires a sound set of technical procedures and strict adherence by the users to ensure that safe operation of the facility is maintained."
The problems at Y-12 are potentially dangerous, Winokur wrote: "During the review, the staff identified additional examples of weaknesses in procedures and their use by B&W personnel that have the potential to jeopardize the safety of workers and possibly that of the public and the environment."
Continue reading "Federal safety board slams Y-12 for not following procedures"
Oak Ridge boosts nuclear fuel supply
The Department of Energy and its subcomponent, the National Nuclear Security Administration, announced announced that a reserve stockpile of low-enriched uranium was being made available for use in the commercial nuclear power industry. The LEU was made available from the down-blending of weapons-grade uranium from the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.
Accorindg to the info released by NNSA, the American Assured Fuel Supply "creates a vehicle for promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy without exacerbating nuclear proliferation risks."
Y-12 helps feed the hungry
Federal and contractor folks at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant delivered 9,000 pounds of food and $7,400 in cash donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Bravo.
The combined effort was from the B&W Y-12 employees' United Way "Days of Caring" program and the National Nuclear Security Administration's "Feds Feed Families" campaign.
ORNL, Dow push foward lithium ion batteries
Oak Ridge National Laboratory has announced a parnership with Dow Kokam to bolster the advancement and commercialization of lithium ion batteries. Under a newly signed $5.5 million agreement, the national lab will work with the Michigan-based company to move research developments more quickly to the marketplace.
In a statement, Ravi Shanker of Dow Kokam said, "Our partnership with ORNL reinforces Dow Kokam's commitment to focus its R&D efforts directly on performance improving advancements that have rapid commercial utility for our customers and their end users, primarily in the highly demanding transportation, utility and defense markets. By augmenting our direct R&D capabilities and investments with access to the most state-of-the-art resources and expertise in the industry, Dow Kokam aims to set the new standard for advanced battery performance."
Continue reading "ORNL, Dow push foward lithium ion batteries"
Libya and Y-12
Earlier this year, I posted a rather lengthy chronology of events, both reported and speculated, about the links between Oak Ridge and Libya -- including the delivery in early 2004 of Libya's cache of centrifuge machines and other remnants of that country's nuclear program to the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. After about six months of waiting for a response to the disposition of those centrifuge machines, etc., from the National Nuclear Security Adminstration, I got a "no comment" in early February.
The impact of cyber attack on ORNL pensions
The big hacking event of the year at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was characterized as an Advanced Persistent Threat, could have an impact on how much money UT-Battelle, the government's managing contractor, contributes to the lab's pension fund.
ORNL Director Thom Mason said the plan, the goal, was to contribute $58 million to the fund this year and that was budgeted. But that may not prove to be feasible if there's insufficient money available at the end of the fiscal year, he said.
The lab last year split from the previously shared pension fund with Y-12.
Continue reading "The impact of cyber attack on ORNL pensions"
ORAU awarding $36K in education grants
On Tuesday (Aug. 30), Oak Ridge Associated Universities will hold its 10th annual ceremony for awarding education grants. This year, ORAU will award a total of $36,000 to 22 teachers and administrators from 13 East Tennessee schools/school systems. The grants will be used for various purposes, including the purchase of equipment such as iPads, interactive white boards, computers, etc.
Since 2002, ORAU has awarded more than $275,000 to East Tennessee schools.
Congressman at Y-12
B&W Y-12 photo
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, the Chattanooga Republican who represents Tennessee's Third District in Congress, was at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant on Friday. In this photo, he and Y-12 General Manager Darrel Kohlhorst, right, listen to a briefing from Colin Ickes in the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency's mobile command center. The mobile unit was at Y-12 as part of an emergency exercise at the Nuclear and Radiological Field Training Center on Chestnut Ridge.
A national security concern?
In an earlier post, I noted reports about a gap in Y-12's ability to meet its future requirements for producing a purified form of enriched uranium metal for nuclear weapons and nuclear fuel for the U.S. Navy. A story, which included some of the response from the National Nuclear Security Administration, was published today at Knoxnews.com.
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said B&W Y-12, the government's managing contractor at Y-12, had reported it could not meet the uranium quotas for 2019 as things stand now. Here's what the NNSA said in response to that report:
Oak Ridge union chief gives a nod to John Eschenberg as DOE manager
Max Smith, the DOE Shop Chair for the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), Local 2001, in Oak Ridge, elaborated on his view of the pending manager's position at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office. As noted in an earlier post, Smith interpreted comments by Bill Brinkman (director of DOE's Office of Science) as an invitation to participate in the selection process of a new Oak Ridge manager.
In a follow-up email, Smith emphasized the importance of the Oak Ridge manager's position and the union's concerns about the lengthy process since Gerald Boyd retired in early spring.
Continue reading "Oak Ridge union chief gives a nod to John Eschenberg as DOE manager"
Ambassador Brooks coming back to town
Ambassador Linton Brooks, who was chief negotiator for START I and once headed the National Nuclear Security Adminstration, was in town about a year ago to push for ratification of the New START Treaty. He's coming back on Sept. 19 to speak at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee. He'll be talking about 21st Century Nuclear Challenges.
Brooks is a fascinating man who's done a lot in his career.
Monster copperhead at ORNL
They grow 'em big at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In the photograph above, ORNL Wildlife Coordinator Neil Giffen holds a 45-inch copperhead that was killed earlier this week just outside the lab's East Portal on Bethel Valley Road. (Near the station where deer hunters bring their deer to be checked for radioactivity.) The big snake fell victim Wednesday to a mower, and folks in the lab's facilities and operations group contacted Giffen and his group in the environmental sciences to check it out. "Usually they're around 3 feet or so. That's the biggest one I've seen," Giffen said. So, what'd they do with the oversized copperhead? "We've got it in the freezer right now," Giffen said.
Special board meeting to discuss LOC's future
With the Local Oversight Committee's future in doubt because of funding, a special meeting of the LOC Board of Directors has been called to discuss the issues.
Anderson County Mayor Myron Iwanski and Roane County Executive Ron Woody, both members of the board, called the meeting for 3 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Roane Alliance Building in Kingston. According to the notice, the meeting will be held "to discuss the financial status and future direction of the LOC."
Continue reading "Special board meeting to discuss LOC's future"
ORNL's support for Summitt
A bunch of Oak Ridge National Lab employees wore orange today in support of Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, who recently announced she has been diagnosed with early onset dementia. These employees took a few minutes out of their lunch break to be a part of this photograph.
29 layoffs at ORNL
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Thom Mason today confirmed that layoffs are taking place this week at ORNL, with a total of 29 jobs being cut. Mason said the reductions are the result of funding shortage in multiple program areas, not just one place, and affect jobs of all types, including scientific staff, administrative personnel, and technicians.
"As you know, the overall budget is under a pretty tight squeeze," Mason said.
The 'other' 32 percent of Y-12's HEU
Earlier this week, the National Nuclear Security Administration announced that the loading of the new high-security storehouse for bomb-grade uranium had been completed at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. According to the NNSA, that project represented 68 percent of Y-12's total inventory of highly enriched uranium. The actual amount of that inventory is classified.
The other 32 percent of the highly enriched uranium at Y-12 includes nuclear material that is "in-process or in other storage locations as it is needed for our near-term mission execution," Y-12 spokesman David Keim said.
Taking down K-25's East Wing
UCOR photo
This photo, facing west, shows the demolition underway on the East Wing of the K-25 uranium-enrichment plant. The work is being done by URS/CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), the Department of Energy's new cleanup manager. To the left is the buffer zone that's separating the demolition work from the K-25 units contaminated with radioactive technetium-99. Demolition of the West Wing of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 plant was completed in January 2010, following a two-year effort by the previous contractor, Bechtel Jacobs. All told, the decommissioning and demolition project is costing taxpayers more than $1 billion.
UCOR moving forward with K-25 demolition
The Department of Energy's new contractor has a new approach for demolishing the historic K-25 uranium-enrichment plant, and that plan is gradually gaining momentum.
"We paused on Day 1 (Aug. 1) to take a deep breath and to make sure everyone was on board with our approach and that everyone understood that safety was the primary consideration before work resumed," said Dennis Hill, a spokesman for URS/CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), which replaced Bechtel Jacobs as DOE's environmental manager in Oak Ridge.
One of the first acts was to establish a buffer zone between the units (at the southern end of the East Wing of K-25) that are contaminated with radioactive technetium-99, and the rest of the big building that's being demolished. The Tc-99 area is of special concern, requires additional precautions for workers, and the waste is segregated because much of it will have to be shipped off site for disposal at the Nevada National Security Site.
IG audits ARPA-E
The Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General today released an audit of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (which was created as part of DOE by the America COMPETES Act in 2007).
Y-12, mercury and NPDES permit options
As noted earlier, the National Nuclear Security Administration objects to the state's including a requirement for multiple cleanup projects (to, ultimately, reduce mercury discharges) as part of the new NPDES water discharge permit at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. The NNSA said those types of cleanup activities should be enforced under CERCLA, not the Clean Water Act, and have traditionally been a part of the Federal Facilities Agreement (among DOE, the state of Tenn., and EPA).
A public hearing on the draft permit is being held tonight at 6 at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Oak Ridge Oversight office, 761 Emory Valley Rd. If the Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control maintains its current path and includes those provisions in the final permit, the NNSA can appeal to the Water Pollution Control Board.
DOE union 'accepts' Brinkman's 'gracious offer'
Last month, during his visit to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I asked Bill Brinkman, director of the Dept. of Energy's Office of Science, about the status of finding a permanent manager for DOE's Oak Ridge office. Brinkman noted that it was taking much longer than expected.
"It turns out there's a lot more bureacracy to it than we thought," Brinkman said. Asked what was the hold-up, he said, "Well, it has to go through the mill at the DOE and has to go through the unions and things like that, and it all takes more time than we expected, But we're going to get that done and advertise the job and poll as broad base of a community of people as we can. I think that's important."
Continue reading "DOE union 'accepts' Brinkman's 'gracious offer'"
With federal funds under pressure in Oak Ridge, what's going to happen to the Local Oversight Committee? Is it doomed?
The Local Oversight Committee, which was created 20 years ago to represent the counties and communites affected by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge operations, could be struggling for its very existence.
Susan Gawarecki, the LOC's executive director, said the organization -- which traditionally has received funding as part of the state's Tennesee Oversight Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy -- has not been able to pay its rent for the past couple of months. Other bills are coming due, she said, because the LOC is receiving no funding. DOE, which is strapped for money as are other federal agencies, is reconsidering its support of the TOA and is in negotiations with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation about the possible extension of the agreement. At this time, DOE has continued payments to TDEC and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency on a month-to-month basis, but there's no money allotted for the LOC and that spells trouble.
Continue reading "With federal funds under pressure in Oak Ridge, what's going to happen to the Local Oversight Committee? Is it doomed?"
Good wishes, Coach Summitt
Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt with Sens. Lamar Alexander, left, and Bob Corker in this February 2009 photograph in Oak Ridge.
Y-12 completes loading of uranium fortress
The National Nuclear Security Administration today announced that loading of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility is now complete at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. At least, all of the nuclear material originally targeted for the new high-security facility has been loaded.
According to information released today, the material loaded into HEUMF represents 68 percent of Y-12's total inventory of highly enriched uranium. The amount of that inventory is classified. That material was transferred from other storage sites at Y-12, including Building 9720-5 -- known historically as The Warehouse.
As for the other 32 percent of the HEU at Y-12, plant spokesman David Keim said that material is "in-process or in other storage locations as it is needed for our near-term mission execution." He added, "Some material is in broken metal form, other intermediate processing forms such as oxides or still in weapons component form."
Continue reading "Y-12 completes loading of uranium fortress"
State putting pressure on mercury cleanup in Oak Ridge; new Y-12 permit requires 5 projects
The state of Tennessee is using a new discharge permit at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant as a way to spur cleanup actions and reduce the amount of mercury -- a toxic legacy of Cold War operations -- that's entering the East Fork Poplar Creek.
Because Y-12 has long been out of compliance with water-quality standards for mercury and cannot realistically achieve compliance within the five-year term of the new permit, the state is requiring completion of five projects -- some of which are already under way -- to guarantee the Oak Ridge plant makes environmental progress.
Federal officials, however, aren't happy with the tactic, arguing that it's "inappropriate" to use a permit under the Clean Water Act to enforce cleanup projects that are the purview of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act -- commonly known as Superfund.
Continue reading "State putting pressure on mercury cleanup in Oak Ridge; new Y-12 permit requires 5 projects"
DOE's Golan: 'I'm not unhappy'
Paul Golan, the Dept. of Energy's interim manager in Oak Ridge since April, doesn't tend to gush about things. In fact, he's pretty doggone cautious. I'm not sure if that's just his nature or a reaction to the backlash he received earlier this year when he began his not-so-popular restructuring of the Oak Ridge Operations.
Last week, Golan announced that Energy Secretary Steven Chu had approved the restructuring plan. He balked, however, at giving specific goals on his cost-cutting initiatives, saying he didn't want to upset folks by posting target numbers.
Information security, circa 1945
EPRI to work with Japanese institute
The Electric Power Research Institute announced a 3-year agreement with Japan's Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry. They will work together on nuclear power plant issues "related to materials science, plant component performance and radiation safety," the announcement said.
Everybody needs an ally in Washington
Here's a little follow-up information on Dr. Gavi Begtrup's visit last week to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Begtrup is policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who is a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, among other assignments. According to info provided by ORNL, Begtrup handles issues for Giffords' Science Committee work, including the full range of energy and energy efficiency topics, with a particular focus on renewables, both electricity & fuels. He came to ORNL following a visit to Nashville for a solar solutions conference. Begtrup's Ph.D. is reportedly in nanotechnology, so the lab officials showed him the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences and discussed the lab's commercialization and technology-transfer initiatives. He also toured the High Flux Isotope Reactor, the high-performance computing center, the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center and some other research labs. ORNL Director Thom Mason was available for a one-on-one discussion.
Terror test with real radioactive materials
This picture was shot by Y-12 photographer Brett Pate through a respirator mask of one of the participants at a radiation emergency drill last week at the Oak Ridge nuclear weapons plant. According to info provided by Y-12, the exercise scenario involved a disgruntled worker from a bus company who left radioactive material on a bus for three days before informing the company of its presence. In the picture, rad survey specialists from the 52nd Civil Support Team of Ohio adjust their equipment before entering the bus. The team took readings from a bus that had real radiological material on it. Pictured, from left to right, are Alphonso Mariweather, Dan Henderson and Gabriel Taylor.
Oak Ridge museum's Sept. events
Here's the September calendar of events at the American Museum of Science and Energy, 300 South Tulane Ave., in Oak Ridge. The museum is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sundays, the hours are 1-5 p.m.
Sept. 1 & 2 "Department of Energy Public Bus Tour" with guide commentary for U. S. citizens. This seasonal Bus Tour is offered from 12 noon to 3 pm, one time a day, Monday through Friday. Tour participants can register at AMSE beginning at 9 am. Participants must be U.S. citizens (10 years+). Photo ID required. Seating limited. First come, first served. Off-the-bus stops include Y-12 New Hope Visitor Center; Spallation Neutron Source lobby and Graphite Reactor, National Historic Landmark, both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and K-25 Overlook. AMSE admission includes Bus Tour, when visitor signs the DOE BUS Tour Registration Sheet. No advance reservations. AMSE Lobby.
Neutron history
Ernie Wollan, left, with Arthur Compton in this historic photo, reportedly from the late 1930s.
Ernie Wollan was a pioneer in neutron-scattering techniques and, had he lived to see the day, undoubtedly would have shared the 1994 Nobel Prize for Physics with his old research partner at Oak Ridge, Cliff Shull.
Wollan also was reportedly a great dancer and quite a character. He's shown here with another of the physics greats, Arthur Compton. The photo was provided to me by Tim Gawne, who's been doing keen research in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory archives.
Here's what Gawne wrote:
Sprucing up ORNL
ORNL photo/Ron Walli
On Friday, Mark Corley applies coats of varnish to the handrails of pedestrian bridge that crosses pond near entrance to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Maintenance is a year-round job.
Fed employment at DOE's Oak Ridge office
As has been apparent for months, the Department of Energy is looking to cut costs at its Oak Ridge field office. That appears to have been Mission No. 1 for Paul Golan, who has been interim manager at Oak Ridge since early April and will be departing (to go back to his position at the SLAC National Accelerator Lab in California) at the end of September.
Support service contractors are reportedly in the cross-hairs, and the number of employees have already been cut there from about about 375 to 326. It looks like entire contracts could be eliminated if there's not a proven need in the future.
Alaska, climate change & Oak Ridge National Lab
Last year, I wrote that Stan Wullschleger, distinguished research scientist in ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division, was heading up a new project in Alaska that ultimately will evaluate the effects of global warming on areas with layers of permanently frozen soil (permafrost).
That work is underway, and researchers have created a blog to keep tabs on what's going on in Alaska.
Continue reading "Alaska, climate change & Oak Ridge National Lab"
DOE's historic preservation plans in Oak Ridge: decisionmaking still in flux
There was big news earlier this year when the U.S. Interior Department announced that it was backing a multi-site (including Oak Ridge) national park to commemorate the World War II Manhattan Project. But there's still a bunch of stuff to be decided aside from that, including the Dept. of Energy's overall approach to historic preservation in Oak Ridge and -- more specifically -- what the federal agency plans to do with the North Tower of the historic K-25 uranium-enrichment facility.
DOE has received a couple of consultant reports on historic issues, one from Degenkolb Engineers out of San Franciso, and another from Mac West out of Washington, D.C.
Continue reading "DOE's historic preservation plans in Oak Ridge: decisionmaking still in flux"
Whittling down Oak Ridge's Superfund site
The Department of Energy's citizens advisory board on environmental matters earlier this year recommended reducing the boundaries of the Oak Ridge property on CERCLA's National Priorities List. The Site Specific Advisory Board said the area should be reduced to those areas actually contaminated to a significant degree. Currently, the entire DOE reservation in Oak Ridge is on the NPL.
DOE agreed with the recommendation.
The advisory board noted that in 1989, all 34,000 acres of the federal reservation were placed on the Superfund's National Priorities List. "However, only about 20 percent of the reservation has contamination from work conducted since the 1940s," the panel said.
Continue reading "Whittling down Oak Ridge's Superfund site"
Partnership with Brazil
Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman is in Brazil, where today he helped launch what's being termed a partnership that provides "an overarching framework to deepen energy cooperation between the two nations' energy sectors."
"Through a series of concrete initiatives led by agencies from across both governments, the Strategic Energy Dialogue will help the United States and Brazil strengthen their mutual energy security, create new jobs and new industries, and reduce carbon pollution," DOE said in a widely distributed announcement.
Labor Dept. defends Rachel Leiton
Earlier this year, the Alliance of Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups called for the Department of Labor to remove Rachel Leiton as director of the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation. The group, in a letter signed by David Manuta, said it was shocked and disappointed by "shameful public statements" reportedly made by Leiton at a May 25 meeting of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health. According to the letter, Leiton raised questions about the potential use of affidavits from claimants to determine eligibility for a Special Exposure Cohort, which speeds the path in seeking compensation, and suggested that such affidavits would be self-serving.
Terrie Barrie of ANWAG recently passed along the response from DOL's Gary A. Steinberg, acting director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, who said that Leiton's comments had been misinterpeted.
Recovery Act milestones at Oak Ridge
The Department of Energy announced today that five Recovery Act-funded projects and tasks had been completed in Oak Ridge, and the agency's cleanup chief praised employees for doing a "fantastic job" in moving projects forward as planned.
Two landfills have been expanded on DOE's Oak Ridge property, including a sanitary landfill near Y-12 and the agency's major CERCLA landfill for cleanup wastes contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials. Those expansions will allow DOE to dispose of waste locally and avoid the high cost of sending those wastes to other disposal sites, the agency said.
Energy Secretary approves Oak Ridge reorganization plan; Golan says there'll be 'no surprises'
Paul Golan, the Department of Energy's interim Oak Ridge manager, today said Energy Secretary Steven Chu had given his blessing to a reorganization plan at DOE's Oak Ridge Operations. Chu's approval came Aug. 15, he said.
A key part of the plan is a change in reporting requirements, with Oak Ridge officials in charge of Science, Nuclear Fuels Services, and Environmental Management reporting directly to their program bosses at DOE HQ in Washington rather than DOE's Oak Ridge manager.
Golan said DOE would bargain with the Office and Professional Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, Local 2001, on implementation of the Oak Ridge restructuring and change in work conditions. DOE's interim chief said the plans do not call for any federal employees to lose their job, be transferred or suffer a change in pay grade. The plan has been in the works for months, creating a bit of controversy in the community and angst among employees.
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Sens. Alexander, Corker support TVA's plans for Bellefonte Nuclear Plant
U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., today issued statements following the TVA board's decision to move forward on construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Alabama.
Here's what they said:
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Who said alternative financing was dead?
Third-party financing projects, in which private developers build facilities on Department of Energy property and then lease them back to DOE's managing contractors, have been a staple of modernization efforts over the past decade at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. But in recent times, Oak Ridge projects proposed to use alternative financing -- a new Complex Command Center at Y-12 and new supercomputing center at ORNL -- have been rejected, with word that the U.S. Office of Management and Budget was fed up with those type of building proposals.
This week, however, Idaho National Laboratory announced a $50 million project that appears to fit the mold, so maybe the concept isn't dead after all.
Copper theft at Y-12
Steven Wyatt, a federal spokesman at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, today confirmed that copper was taken from the site "without authorization" about a year ago. The incident, which was referenced in an Inspector General report released today, reportedly involved about 1,400 pounds of copper stolen from a demolition site.
Wyatt said Radiological Assistance Program team was later dispatched to an off-site location (he wouldn't specify the location or county) where the material was stored and determined that it was not radioactive, contaminated or otherwise posed a danger. He would not comment on whether the National Nuclear Security Administration and B&W Y-12 are participating in the prosecution of a criminal case.
Stealing copper from DOE sites
The Dept. of Energy's Office of Inspector General today released a brief report on the impact of copper thefts at DOE sites, including Oak Ridge.
Here's a reference to the Oak Ridge incidents:
NNSA's road show
It's been a long courtship already, and now it's going cross-country.
The National Nuclear Security Administration announced early last year that it planned to consolidate the management contracts at Y-12 and Pantex (and possibly include the tritium work done at Savannah River). After holding site visits last year, NNSA mulled a path forward and sought industry input more than once on how to best do the deal. And, more than a year after announcing its intent, the federal agency last month released the draft Request for Proposals. That was followed by a pre-bid conference last week in Washington, D.C., for the would-be contracting teams and hangers-on, and now the NNSA plans to host another shindig the week of Aug. 29 -- this one in Albuquerque, N.M. (where there'll be chance for industry participants to have one-on-one meetings and share their thoughts on the draft RFP).
The workhorse of science
Buddy Bland, project director for the Leadership Computing Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, passed along a cool report on results of the Department of Energy's INCITE (Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment) program -- much of which is carried out at ORNL. As he noted by email, whenever there's a story about new and ever-more-powerful computers, some folks invariably question the worth and want to know what taxpayers are getting for their money.
Well, this report addresses that to a degree, with detailed descriptions of several INCITE projects over the years and what they produced.
Y-12 gets a jump on B53 dismantlement
Usually, when there's a change of schedule in government, it involves a delay that stretches out the timetable for getting work done. That apparently wasn't the case with Y-12's role in dismantling second-stage components of B53 bombs, some of the biggest nuclear weapons ever put into play.
Steven Wyatt, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, today confirmed that workers at the Oak Ridge plant dismantled their first B53 unit in December 2010. That was far in advance of an earlier schedule, which indicated Y-12 wouldn't begin the work until late FY 2011 or early FY 2012.
Nuclear scientists gather at Michigan State
An Associated Press report out of East Lansing, Mich., says about 220 nuclear scientists from around the world are gathering this week at Michigan State University to discuss nuclear physics research. It's reported to be the first joint user meeting of researchers at the nation's four leading nuclear science facilites -- including the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Here's the AP story:
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South Africa returns U.S.-origin HEU fuel (spent); nuclear material stored at Savannah River
About 6.3 kilograms of HEU (highly enriched uranium) spent fuel from a nuclear research facility in South Africa has been returned to the U.S., where it originated, according to an announcement by the National Nuclear Security Administration.
NNSA spokesman Steven Wyatt said the material was sent to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina for secure storage. The agency has not yet responded to questions about the ultimate disposition of the material.
Continue reading "South Africa returns U.S.-origin HEU fuel (spent); nuclear material stored at Savannah River"
Time running short for USEC
Today's column over at Knoxnews.com is about USEC and its long-running, almost desperate effort to get a $2 billion federal loan guarantee for the American Centrifuge Project. The conclusion could have a significant economic impact on Oak Ridge.
3 fed agencies ante up $510M for biofuels
The Obama administration today announced that three agencies -- Departments of Energy, Agriculture and Navy -- would invest up to $510 million over the next three years to help produce "advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to power military and commercial transportation." Here's the outline for the multi-agency agreement.
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More equipment woes at 9212
In a recent report that identified potential issues in production of enriched uranium metal at Y-12, staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board noted there were "numerous" equipment problems during the past year at Building 9212 -- the plant's main complex for processing highly enriched uranium. Parts of the 9212 complex are more than 60 years old and significantly deteriorated.
The report said the equipment problems "significantly hampered operations."
Uranium gap at Y-12?
One of the government's drivers for pushing forward with plans to construct a multi-billion-dollar Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 is the deteriorated condition of the plant's 9212 complex, where workers currently process bomb-grade uranium. Millions of dollars have been spent trying to upgrade the 60-year-old production facility, and other investments are planned as the National Nuclear Security Administration attempts to stretch the operational lifetime at 9212 until UPF comes online to replace it sometime after 2020 (with full operations not anticipated until 2024 or later).
However, according to a July 22 report by staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, there could be a gap in the plant's ability to meet its requirements for producing and purifying enriched uranium metal. A shortfall could come as early as 2019, the report indicated.
More info on Y-12/Pantex/Savannah River
The National Nuclear Security Administration has released the presentation that was made at last week's pre-bid conference in Washington for the Y-12/Pantex consolidation contract (which may include the tritium work done at Savannah River). The 132-page slide presentation is at the M&O contract website.
Even for those not interested in bidding, the presentation has a lot of useful information about the three sites in the nuclear weapons complex (a.k.a., nuclear security enterprise).
Y-12's state history marker
This marker from the Tennessee Historical Commission stands near the entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.
How will NNSA budget fare this time around?
Stephen Young, senior analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, takes a look at the how the nation's nuclear weapons program may fare under new budget controls. He doesn't have all the answers, but he tries to provide a bit of clarity at a time when there are lots of open questions. Here's an excerpt from his piece on the All Things Nuclear blog:
"A second question is whether the exemption that was applied to funding for NNSA in FY11 will continue. Under the exemption, funding for the NNSA was allowed to increase even though the rest of the budget was CR(Continuing Resolution)-limited to FY10 levels. The exemption came about because the administration and leading Republicans, in particular Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), argued that the funding was essential. This was part of the deal that allowed the Senate to support the New START arms control agreement. Will that agreement continue in the new budget environment?"
Rep. Giffords' advisor at ORNL
Gavi Begtrup, policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory last week. Giffords is a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. In the photo here, Begtrup holds a prosthetic device that was engineered in Lonnie Love's robotics research group at ORNL. According to info from the lab, the device is equipped with sensors that will allow the remotely controlled "hands" to have the same dexterity as a human hand. ORNL said the device was developed "through a combination of additive manufacturing and mesofluidics, the application of millimeter- and centimeter-sized hydraulics to problems that require substantial amounts of power to be generated and applied in a limited space."(ORNL photo)
Toshiba, B&W give USEC a little more time
According to info released today by USEC, strategic investors Toshiba and Babcock & Wilcox have extended their standstill agreement through Sept. 30.
"The amended agreement provides a limited additional period of time for USEC to finalize and enter into a conditional commitment with the U.S. Department of Energy for a $2 billion loan guarantee to support the construction of the American Centrifuge Plant and achieve the closing of the second phase of Toshiba and B&W's investment in USEC," the company said in the announcement.
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Recovery Act cleanup funds may be shifted to security fence at Y-12, prepping for big demolitions
The Department of Energy is apparently on the verge of shifting funds (reported to be $20 million) from the agency's Recovery Act pool of money to build a new security fence at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. The fence would segregate old, surplus facilities from the highest-security zone at Y-12 and make it easier to bring in workers without top security clearance to do the demolition work.
Michael Koentop, a spokesman in Oak Ridge office, confirmed that the security fence would segregate about 70 acres and include Beta-4 and Alpha-5 -- two of the original Y-12 facilities that also are key areas of mercury contamination, which is a focus of future cleanup efforts. He would not confirm the funding level for the project.
Continue reading "Recovery Act cleanup funds may be shifted to security fence at Y-12, prepping for big demolitions"
Lee Brooks states WSI's case for keeping security as a separate contract at Y-12
If the National Nuclear Security Administration sticks by its guns and keeps protective services as part of the combined management contract for Y-12 and Pantex, WSI (previously known as Wackenhut) will definitely try to link up with one of the teams bidding on the big contract.
That's according to Lee Brooks, the general manager of WSI-Oak Ridge, which currently provides security at the Y-12 nuclear plant.
However, Brooks was emphatic, when I talked with him last week, that it's in the best interests of the government to keep security as a separate contract at Y-12. WSI is doing everything it can to convince the NNSA of that. "We are pushing to keep it separate in Oak Ridge," he said.
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Hey, Buddy, wanna go to grad school?
More than 100 college students who participated in research programs over the summer in Oak Ridge gathered this week for a poster session at Oak Ridge Associated Universities' Pollard Technology and Conference Center. It was part of a poster session and recruitment fair. Representatives from some of the nation's premier graduate programs were on hand, giving students a chance to discuss their future educational opportunities. In the photograph, Cody Chadwell, an undergrad student at Tennessee Tech University who spent the summer working with a prototype reactor control system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, enters his information into the Michigan Tech database system.
ORNL Director Thom Mason to discuss cyber safety in the 21st century
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Thom Mason, whose lab has experienced major cyber attacks in recent years (including an Advanced Persistent Threat in April), will deliver a community lecture on Aug. 25. The title of his talk is, "Staying Safe on the Cyber Frontier."
The lecture sponsored by Friends of ORNL will be held at the American Museum of Science and Energy. It begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mason's talk at 7.
ORAU's Beryllium Lab recertified
Oak Ridge Associated Universities said its Beryllium Lab has been recertified by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists. The Oak Ridge lab is reportedly one of only four in the U.S. that performs the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test to determine if a person has become sensitized to beryllium. Sensitization is often a precursor to development of chronic beryllium disease -- an incurable respiratory disease.
According to ORAU, the lab processed nearly 5,100 tests last year without a single error.
The past tense of SING
As noted in an earlier post, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has completed a $68.5 million project known as SING (SNS Instruments -- Next Generation) that involved five neutron-scattering instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source. The headline wrongly suggested that all of the instruments were new, when in fact they were installed over several years -- with the last of the new instruments coming online earlier this month.
ORNL spokesman Bill Cabage provided a timeline for those research instruments at SNS:
Nuke security in paradise
The National Nuclear Security Adminstration today praised Hawaii -- and the city of Honolulu -- for a "momentous achievement" in comprehensively upgrading nuclear security and protection of radiological materials.
According to the NNSA, the enhancements will dramatically increase rad security (and reduce the threat of dirty bombs, etc.) prior to the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Summit that will bring world leaders to Hawaii in November.
British nuke counterparts visit Y-12
A team from the Atomic Weapons Establishment in the United Kingdom visited the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge this week. Steven Wyatt, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration at Y-12, confirmed this visit. Wyatt said it was "part of a continuing series of exchanges between AWE and NNSA. Such exchanges are part of long-term mutual defense agreements with the UK that go back to the 1950s."
Legal challenge on UPF?
Ever since the National Nuclear Security Adminstration issued its Record of Decision on the Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for continued operations at Y-12 and construction of a new multi-billion-dollar Uranium Processing Facilty, there has been an open question whether opponents of the plan would file a lawsuit challenging the government's new nuclear weapons production facility.
Over the weekend, during events on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, I asked Ralph Hutchison -- coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance -- if his group planned to challenge the UPF project in court.
Oak Ridge museum celebrates WWII's end
An exhibition opening this week at the American Museum of Science & Energy is titled, "The Spirit of '45," and it celebrates the end of the World War II and Japan's surrender on Aug. 14, 1945.
"There were 16.1 million Americans that served in the military during World War II and today there are currently 3 million surviving," the museum said in its announcement. "Through artifacts from the AMSE Archives, museum visitors can learn more about the everyday heroes, including Graydon Whitman, Special Engineer Detachment member (pictured at right in his military overcoat); Jack Beers, inventor; Daniel Stern, communicator; Edna Best Hunter, secretary; Pete and Mavis Kohler, Coast Guard and WAVE pharmacy mate; and William Coffman, Stone & Webster employee. Military uniforms, photographs, and memorabilia of these everyday heroes with Oak Ridge connections are highlighted in the "Spirit of 45" exhibit in the museum lobby through September 15."
'Missing link' for biofuels
Among a number of Dept. of Energy announcements this weeks on biofuels was that researchers with Oak Ridge-based BioEnergy Science Center had identified a gene that controls ethanol production in a microorganism called Clostridium thermocellum." According to DOE, the work could be the "missing link" in developing crops that produce higher levels of ethanol at -- yes -- lower costs.
Here's a statement distributed by DOE and attributed to Energy Secretary Steven Chu: "The Department of Energy relies on the scientific discoveries of its labs and research centers to improve the production of clean energy sources. This discovery is an important step in developing biomass crops that could increase yield of ethanol, lower production costs and help reduce our reliance on imported oil."
5 new instruments at Spallation Neutron Source
Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced the completion of a long-running, $68.5 million project that added five neutron-scattering research instruments to the Spallation Neutron Source.
The project, known as SING (SNS Instruments -- Next Generation), was approved last week by Harriet Kung, the director of the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, according to information released by ORNL.
The five instruments were identified as Spallation Neutrons and Pressure Diffractometer (SNAP); the Fine-Resolution Fermi Chopper Spectrometer (SEQUOIA); the Single-Crystal Diffractometer (TOPAZ), which is shown in photograph here; the Nanoscale-Ordered Materials Diffractometer (NOMAD); and the Hybrid Spectrometer (HYSPEC).
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Last call for Oak Ridge bus tours
The summer season for the Department of Energy's public bus tours in Oak Ridge is coming to a close. The last day for the daily tours will be Friday, Sept. 2. The three-hour tour, which begins at noon Monday-Friday, includes stops at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex and the East Tennessee Technology Park. Guides includes historical commentary. The bus tour begins at the American Museum of Science & Energy (300 South Tulane Ave.) and seats are available on first-come basis. Registration at the museum begins daily at 9 a.m.
UCOR's board
Members of the UCOR (URS CH2M Oak Ridge) Board of Managers were in Oak Ridge this week and reportedly got a tour of things at the East Tennessee Technology Park. At least one of the board members, Jim Hall, is pretty familiar with the Oak Ridge site that once housed the nation's primary uranium-enrichment operation.
Hall is former manager of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Operations and at once time served as assistant manager for enrichement operations as well as chief counsel and probably a few other positions. He currently is director of business development for URS.
Other members of the UCOR board are:
New Corporate Fellows at ORNL
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Thom Mason, left, poses with new Corporate Fellows Budhendra Bhaduri, center, and Sheng Dai at a dinner earlier this week to recognize their appointment to the elite group of research scientists and engineers at the lab.
Yvonne Bishop named to ES&H role at Y-12
Yvonne Bishop has been named senior director and deputy manager for environment, safety and health at B&W Y-12, the government's managing contractor at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Bishop also will serve as acting vice president for ES&H, a position that was vacated when Michelle Reichert joined Babcock & Wilcox Conversion Services LLC. (Paul Wasilko, a senior technical advisor, had been serving as acting VP until recently.)
ORNL gets $1.2M to develop new lubricants
Oak Ridge National Laboratory was among the research facilities to share $174 million in Dept. of Energy funding over the next few years to work on advanced vehicle technologies. ORNL is getting $1.2 million for a project to evaluate new types of lubricant additives. According to info released by DOE, ORNL will "investigate the use of ionic liquids as a new class of multi-functional (anti-wear and friction modifier) lubricant additives to allow the use of lower-viscosity engine oils to improve engine efficiency."
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UCOR awards 4 sole-source subcontracts; only one identified so far
So far in its early tenure as the Dept. of Energy's environmental manager in Oak Ridge, URS CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) has awarded four sole-source subcontracts, according to UCOR contracting officer Pat Timbes.
The EM contractor, however, will only identify one of those subcontracts -- the waste transportation contract awarded to TOPS, as reported earlier. The other contracts, their estimated value and performance period cannot be released at this point, UCOR said in response to questions.
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Radiological safety concerns at Y-12
It's never a good thing in the nuclear industry when the boss is raising concerns about your "radiological control practices." Even more so when a safety board takes notice. That's the situation at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.
According to a June 24 report by on-site staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, federal overseers at Y-12 raised a number of issues over a two-month period. The report said the Y-12 Site Office had identified five instances in which RWPs (radiological work permits) had not been used appropriately. Those included instances where permits weren't used at all for work that required them, work done with an expired permit, and work in which a permit's requirements -- such as using the proper protective equipment -- weren't followed.
UCOR awards waste-transport subcontract to TOPS; sole-source pact valued at $14M
URS CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) today confirmed that it had awarded a sole-source subcontract for waste-transportation services to Transportation, Operations and Professional Services Inc. TOPS is a woman-owned, HUBZone-certified small business based in Oliver Springs.
UCOR also has established a mentor-protege relationship with TOPS via a Department of Energy program, the company said. If TOPS' work continues through the five years of UCOR's initial contract as DOE's environmental manager in Oak Ridge, it has a potential value estimated at $14 million, according to information released by UCOR.
Continue reading "UCOR awards waste-transport subcontract to TOPS; sole-source pact valued at $14M"
UT gets $1.38M in nuke research grants
The University of Tennessee was among the grant winners announced today by the U.S. Department of Energy, with UT expected to receive up to $1.38 million for work on new reactor concepts and other nuclear-related research.
The awards are part of DOE's Nuclear Energy University Programs. All told, up to $39 million in grants will support more than 50 projects at U.S. colleges and universities, the federal agency said.
Complicated situation for security force in Oak Ridge
I talked this morning with Randy Lawson, president of the International Guards Union of America, Local 3, in Oak Ridge, about the pending contract merger at Y-12 and Pantex, which -- based on the draft Request for Proposals -- would make the protective force at the sites part of the M&O (management and operations) contract.
Currently, at Y-12, protective force services comes under a separate prime contract (held by WSI-Oak Ridge since 1999) with the National Nuclear Security Administration. At Pantex, the protective force is already part of the management contract.
Lawson, who also is president of the National Council of Security Police, an umbrella labor organization representing the interest of security guards at all Dept. of Energy sites, said the situation is particularly complicated in Oak Ridge.
Continue reading "Complicated situation for security force in Oak Ridge"
Britt, Mays elected fellows of ACS
Phillip Britt and Jimmy Mays of Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected fellows of the American Chemical Society.
Britt is director of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division, and Mays is a Distinguished Scientist, with joint appointments at the Oak Ridge lab and the University of Tennessee.
Citizens' Advisory Panel meets Tuesday
The Local Oversight Committee Citzens' Advisory Panel will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the Midtown Community Center (Wildcat Den) in Oak Ridge. The meeting starts at 5:15 p.m. and is open to the public.
Here's the agenda:
ORNL's Dan Ingersoll to talk on modular reactors
Dan Ingersoll, a senior program manager in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Reactors and Nuclear Systems Division, will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of Friends of ORNL. The lunch meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the UT Resource Center, 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Continue reading "ORNL's Dan Ingersoll to talk on modular reactors"
Environmental risks at Oak Ridge and the battle for federal cleanup funds
In a meeting last month with top state officials, including Gov. Bill Haslam and Bob Martineau, the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, DOE environmental chief John Eschenberg said Oak Ridge has the "highest risk profile" of any Department of Energy cleanup site. And, he added, "Mercury (associated with discharges from Cold War production of thermonuclear weapons) is our No. 1 environmental threat on this site, and then you look at that in close proximity to the residents. Oak Ridge is a high-risk site."
His comments, of course, were all in the context of competing with other sites to acquire the needed funding to get the Oak Ridge job done. Oak Ridge, he said, is unique among the DOE cleanup sites and that should be emphasized.
Continue reading "Environmental risks at Oak Ridge and the battle for federal cleanup funds"
Hiroshima Day at Y-12
Y-12 security had a mobile command post set up a couple of hundred yards inside the plant's boundary for today's protest on the anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. Y-12 produced the enriched uranium for the "Little Boy" atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
Missing a friend, partner in peace
Sister Denise Laffan, OREPA coordinator Ralph Hutchison, and Brother Gyoshu Utsumi send well wishes to Judith Hallock, co-founder of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance who is seriously ill in Asheville, N.C., and could not attend today's Hiroshima remembrance.
Hiroshima remembrance in Oak Ridge; a peaceful gathering at the Y-12 weapons plant
Protesters tie paper peace cranes to the boundary fence at Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.
It was simple and -- most of all -- peaceful.
About 75 peace activists gathered this afternoon near the entrance to the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant to recall the Aug. 6, 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan and repeat their vow of "Never Again."
Like protests of past years, participants marched across town, sang songs and tied paper peace cranes to the boundary fence at Y-12 (which produced the enriched uranium for the "Little Boy" bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and continues to refurbish parts for the U.S. nuclear arsenal). However, unlike many past demonstrations in Oak Ridge, none of the protesters trespassed on federal property and nobody left the scene in handcuffs.
Continue reading "Hiroshima remembrance in Oak Ridge; a peaceful gathering at the Y-12 weapons plant"
More secrecy at Y-12; this time it's non-nuclear
As the National Nuclear Security Administration prepares to consolidate the management contracts at the Y-12 and Pantex nuclear weapons facilities (and possibly include some operations at the Savannah River Site), there is a great attention on potential cost savings for the federal government. In fact, NNSA deputy Neile Miller recently said if there wasn't sufficient evidence of projected cost savings ($895 million over 10 years) from would-be bidders that the federal agency might consider just scrapping the plan.
In order to determine whether cost savings are possible and to what extent, you have to figure out how money is being spent currently. That information is presumably being made available to potential bidders. But the NNSA and its Oak Ridge contractor, B&W Y-12, are refusing to release information on how much taxpayer money -- millions of dollars annually -- is spent leasing space for the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant.
Continue reading "More secrecy at Y-12; this time it's non-nuclear"
Boeing to send its pilots to space
Boeing is revealing more about its plans for a major entry into space, with plans for its pilots to take a vessel to the space station in 2015, according to a BBC report.
Tearing down the Forrestal Building
Bill Brinkman, director of the Department of Energy's Office of Science, has a certain professorial charisma and charm that comes across when he talks, softly rambling from topic to topic. He was in town a few weeks ago for dedication of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's new $95 million Chemical and Materials Sciences Building. Brinkman gushed about the design and construction of the building and said he'd love to work in such a pretty place. He said the building where he works in Washington, D.C., is so bad they want to tear it down to improve the sight lines on the National Mall.
His remarks, of course, drew laughter from the folks assembled in the bright and airy lobby. I laughed, too, and made a mental note to check on his comments and find out if he was talking about the Forrestal Building -- DOE's headquarters in Washington.
Indeed, Brinkman was talking about the Forrestal, but when I started asking questions about his reference to possibly tearing it down the folks at DOE didn't really want to talk about it.
Scanning for nukes in Bangladesh
The National Nuclear Security Administration this week announced that radiation detection equipment had been successfully installed at the Port of Chittagong in Bangladesh. The U.S. agency called it a "significant milestone in cooperative efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism."
According to the NNSA, Bangladesh now has the capability to can more than 80 percent of all export and import containers at one of the highest-volume ports in South Asia.
Steven Wyatt is the federal spokesman at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, which produced the enriched uranium for the "Little Boy" atomic bomb dropped on HIroshima, Japan, near the end of World War II. Wyatt's birthday is Aug. 6. As usual, he'll be working on his birthday Saturday, when peace activists stage their annual "HIroshima Day" protest at the Oak Ridge plant.
Gone fission in the kitchen
A Swedish guy reportedly tried to build a stove-top nuclear reactor in his kitchen. Here's the report by Reuters on the Swede, who said, "I was just curious . . . "
Zoweeee: Nuclear weapons in 3-D
Using its best supercomputing capability with a Cray system called Cielo, the National Nuclear Security Administration said it had begun performing high-resolution 3-D simulations of nuclear weapons.
According to info released by NNSA, "The simulations will be used to ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile while maintaining the moratorium on underground nuclear explosive testing."
Steve Penrod named USEC's enrichment chief
On the same day that USEC Inc. announced its quarterly losses and tried to put a semi-happy face on its American Centrifuge Project, the company named Steve Penrod as head of enrichment operations. The new job will combine management of all enrichment work, including plans for commercial centrifuge operations, under Penrod -- who has served as general manager of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant since 2005 (and VP since early 2010).
Continue reading "Steve Penrod named USEC's enrichment chief"
Fed manager says incorporating tritium work into Y-12/Pantex contract wouldn't impact modernization at Savannah River
After releasing info touting plans for modernizing the tritium operations at the Savannah River Site, the National Nuclear Security Administration's site manager at SRS -- Doug Dearolph -- was available for questions this afternoon in a teleconference with reporters.
NNSA's press release indicated that the plan will lead to a combined savings and cost avoidance of "hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two decades." Dearolph was reluctant to provide detailed cost figures for the program, indicating they are far from firm at this point, but he said officials were anticipating savings or efficiencies in the range of $20 million a year. He would not state an overall figure on the government's proposed investment in the program, but said he anticipates a "fairly short payback" -- somewhere between 6 and 9 years. The big ticket for the program, a line item for a new manufacturing facility, would likely be in the range of $40M to $50M, but Dearolph again emphasized those numbers haven't been sanctioned at this point.
Continue reading "Fed manager says incorporating tritium work into Y-12/Pantex contract wouldn't impact modernization at Savannah River"
USEC reports quarterly loss of $21.2M; reviewing 'structuring options' on American Centrifuge
USEC Inc. today announced a net loss of $21.2 million (18 cents a share) for the quarter ending June 30, and net loss of $37.8 million (31 cents per share) for the first six months of 2011.
The company in a statement: "The financial results for the quarter and six-month period . . . . reflect the anticipated decline in the gross profit margin and higher advanced technology costs associated with the American Centrifuge project year-over-year that were not offset by a cost-sharing program that was in place in 2010 with the Department of Energy."
The company's application for a $2 billion loan guarantee for American Centrifuge from DOE remains in limbo, and USEC John K. Welch attempted to address some of the questions, financial issues and concerns, in a statement about USEC and the big uranium-enrichment project. He seemed to acknowledge that some folks are running out of patience.
Continue reading "USEC reports quarterly loss of $21.2M; reviewing 'structuring options' on American Centrifuge"
On second thought . . .
Kim Bergier, a peace activist in Michigan who's become a regular at protests at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge, is apparently planning to be in town for events surrounding the 66th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
In a post earlier this year on the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance's website, Bergier had a suggestion for the Hiroshima Day demonstration. "What do you think about a suggestion that people wear black clothes? It would add an element of somber drama, like Women In Black do (& thus in solidarity with them)."
Six elected to EPRI board
The Electric Power Research Institute today announced the election of six people to four-year terms on the EPRI board of directors: James Kerr II, a partner with McGuireWoods LLP and former commissioner on the North Carolina Utilities Commission; John Bohn, a former commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission; Benjamin Fowke III, president and CEO of Xcel Energy; Jong-shin Kim, CEO of KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power); W. Terry Boston, president and CEO of PJM; and James Lash, president and chief nuclear officer of First Energy Generation.
NNSA touts plan for modernizing the tritium operations at Savannah River
The National Nuclear Security Administration is touting plans to modernize and consolidate the tritium operations at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. (The tritium work could be melded into the Y-12/Pantex management contract, although that decision hasn't been made yet.)
According to NNSA, the modernization project at Savannah River, which is called Tritium Responsive Infrastructure Modifications (TRIM), would ultimately save money. "The plan will lead to a combined cost savings and cost avoidance of hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two decades," the NNSA announcement said.
There was no cost estimate immediately available on the project.
Continue reading "NNSA touts plan for modernizing the tritium operations at Savannah River"
Honor for ORNL's Camden Hubbard
Camden Hubbard of Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been elected a 2011 fellow of ASM
International. Hubbard heads the Diffraction and Thermophysical Properties research group in ORNL's Materials Science & Technology Division.
According to info released by the laboratory, the citation from ASM International reads, "For exceptional leadership and innovation in applying X-ray and neutron diffraction methods in materials science, and for developing a world-class neutron residual stress capability at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source."
REACTS helps Mexico prepare for potential rad terrorism at Pan American Games
The National Nuclear Security Administration said it conducted a four-day workshop last week in Mexico that was based on radiological contamination and accident casualties. The workshop, in coordination with the Mexican government, was to help authorities prepare for accidents and radiological terrorism. The timing was also due, in part, to Mexico's hosting of the 2011 Pan American Games (to be held in Guadalajara in October).
A team from Oak Ridge-based Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REACTS) conducted the training for 220 physicians, nurses, hospital administrators, emergency personnel, and representatives of the Mexican Red Cross. The training focused on response and treatment of radiation casualties, the NNSA said.
Continue reading "REACTS helps Mexico prepare for potential rad terrorism at Pan American Games"
Peace activists plan Hiroshima events in Oak Ridge, including 'Remembrance Ceremony' at dawn
The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance will stage a number of events around the anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. That will include a 6 a.m. Saturday "Remembrance Ceremony" near the entrance to the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant (where the enriched uranium for the 'Little Boy' bomb was produced).
"During the ceremony, names of victims of the Hiroshima bombing will be read, along with firsthand accounts and other reports of the bomb and its effects," the peace group said on its website. The ceremony will pause at 8:15 a.m. to mark the time the atomic bomb was dropped in Japan.
Continue reading "Peace activists plan Hiroshima events in Oak Ridge, including 'Remembrance Ceremony' at dawn"
Labor leaders to meet with DOE's Poneman on Y-12/Pantex draft RFP
Steve Jones, president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, said he's going to Washington, D.C., on Friday to join Metal Trades Department chief Ron Ault for a meeting with Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman.
The meeting, not surprisingly, will be on the draft Request for Proposals on the consolidated Y-12/Pantex contract. "Of course, our concerns are the protection of the incumbent workforce," Jones said today.
Continue reading "Labor leaders to meet with DOE's Poneman on Y-12/Pantex draft RFP"
Gregory Woods to be DOE's top lawyer
President Obama has nominated Gregory H. Woods as general counsel of the Department of Energy. He currently is deputy general counsel of the Dept. of Transportation. From 2004 to 2009, Woods was a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York. He holds a bachelors degree from Williams College and received his law degree from Yale.
Fantastic historical Oak Ridge stuff
Earlier this year, a post of video of the earliest construction of the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge got a bunch of attention, and rightly so, because for many people it was the first time they'd ever seen what it really looked like during the World War II work.
Now, Y-12 Historian Ray Smith and his teammates (including photographer Ed Westcott and Oak Ridge Historian Bill Wilcox) have posted some of the film, as well as some additional material, along with captions to help viewers better understand what they're seeing in this amazing historical footage. Bravo, Mr. Smith!
Shaking hands with bomb-grade uranium
B&W Y-12 photo
A Y-12 worker holds a "button" of bomb-grade uranium, which weighs something north of 8 pounds.
Road trip
DOE's Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board will hold its annual planning meeting Aug. 20 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at the Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston. That means there won't be the regular monthy meeting at the Dept. of Energy Information Center in Oak Ridge.
Y-12 feds support food drive
So far this summer, federal employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex have donated more than 5,000 pounds of food to the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. The Y-12 Site Office is participating in the "Feds Feed Families" Campaign that is a big deal on a national basis. According to information released by the National Nuclear Security Administration, the campaign is designed to the fill the gap during the summer months when food banks often suffer shortages because people are on vacation and unable to make normal donations. Second Harvest serves an 18-county area of East Tennessee. The campaign runs through August, NNSA said.
'An incredible accomplishment'
The Dept. of Energy and contractors gathered today at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center in Oak Ridge to celebrate 3 million work hours without a lost-time accident.
John Eschenberg, DOE's environmental manager called it an "incredible accomplishment" that was "further magnified when you consider employees are working daily with some of the most hazardous waste on site."
Spallation Neutron Source nears restart; Anderson says second Target still in the plans
Workers are wrapping up a maintenance period at the Spallation Neutron Source, with the restart of the accelerator to get under way Tuesday, according to Ian Anderson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's associate lab director for neutron sciences.
Anderson said the plan is to restart at 850 kW and stay at that power level through December, when it's time for another change of the target. Then, the accelerator will be ramped up to 1 MW, he said.
Continue reading "Spallation Neutron Source nears restart; Anderson says second Target still in the plans"
HFIR restarts; next outage a biggie
The High Flux Isotope Reactor restarted today following a maintenance period, achieving full power shortly before 10 a.m.
Ron Crone, director of the reactors division, said the HFIR operated at lower power for about three hours while surveys were done on two neutron-scattering instruments that underwent work during the maintenance outage.
UCOR takes over
Today is the first day officially on the job for the URS/CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) contracting team, which takes over management of the Dept. of Energy's environmental cleanup program in Oak Ridge. UCOR replaces Bechtel Jacobs Co., which held the job for the past 13 years.
According to Fran Poda, UCOR's public affairs chief in Oak Ridge, only about 100 people didn't receive jobs offers during the transition of contractors. She said UCOR hired about 250 salaried workers from BJC and another 400 crafts workers. In addition, more than 200 BJC employees went to work for UCOR subcontracors, Poda said.
Think about it
Thomas Zacharia, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's deputy director for science and technology and former scientific computing chief, was instrumental in the lab's rise to world leadership in high performance computing. He took note of the changing world in a conversation the other days. "The iPad that people carry around is more powerful than the computer I did my thesis on."


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Fang Wei
Shuttered Hammond massage parlor to stay closed
HAMMOND | City officials have rejected an appeal by owners of a Woodmar-area massage parlor raided by police last month to reopen their establishment.
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Results 1 to 4 of 4
23rd October 2013, 11:48 AM #1
Nice wave sailing conditions in "La Torche" for the French championship (aff)
For once in a while, the AFF (french BWA) has been blessed with big wave sailing condition, in the world reknown spot of La Torche.
Not so much wind, but big punchy waves in the little bay of Pors carn (la torche). I wonder how the top Pwa stars would have score those conditions.
Day 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5L45wfOCQ0
Day 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29iQBrljLB4
Day 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhUCbtMx8Wc
19th November 2013, 12:54 AM #2
this event will probably be a pwa event for 2014!!
19th November 2013, 12:11 PM #3
"probably"?? - after recent events I'd go with "possibly"!! Although it does seem to have a bit of budget behind it already.
Its a great spot with lots of different conditions possible. It'd be brilliant if the PWA do go and they get decent conditions. When I was there it was *board tack cross on with solid wind and good size waves - really good jumping conditions and good riding too.
22nd November 2013, 11:22 AM #4
Looks like they got a great event in. Some crumbly monsters there.
Can't wait to see the PWA return there.Got an opinion? Great. Guess what, so's everyone else!


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Cabbie Ramon Estevez's routine call quickly turned into a crime scene he will never forget.
"I heard screaming. I was still on the road, I was doing a U-turn," the Tampa cab driver said Tuesday.
He was going to pick up a customer, around 2 a.m. Monday from a laundromat on Hillsborough Avenue. As soon as he pulled up, she dashed to his window, crying hysterically.
"I tried to calm her down. I said, 'It's ok. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you,' " Estevez said.
Tampa police say a man, caught on surveillance video without any pants on, stalked the woman from a behind a dumpster as she smoked a cigarette while her clothes finished drying. He then darted out, tackled her to the ground inside the empty Laundromat and attempted to rape her.
Estevez's Crown Victoria cab rolled up right in time to scare the armed suspect away.
"From a far, at night, they confuse us for cops all the time," Estevez said.
Estevez, who recently moved to Tampa from the Bronx, got out his baseball bat, locked the woman inside the cab, collected her laundry, and called 911.
Tampa police are still trying to track down the suspect.
"Fortunately, she's ok. He was not able to sexually batter her. But someone who's this brazen and bold, we certainly want to get him off the streets before he does hurt someone, and it's only a matter of time before he does," said Tampa Police Department's Andrea Davis.
The woman called Estevez her hero. He says it was just part of his job of getting her home safe and sound.
"I'm just glad I got there at the right time. God forbid if I got there five minutes late. I guess God sees everything, huh?" he said.
The suspect is dangerous and police want him off the streets. If you know who he is, call Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130 or you can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.
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I think lost in the drop and the celebration has been the fact that over two games, Stevie Johnson has 11 catches for 159 yards against Revis. I wish there was a way to easily look up all receivers' production against Revis, but Revis routinely shuts down the best in the game and those are remarkable numbers. I see a lot of comments like "Stevie's not a number one receiver" (lots of these before the Jets game in fact) but I think his performances against Revis have shown that he absolutely can be.
Not only is succeeding against Revis a measuring stick for Stevie's abilties, but it's especially important because the Bills need to start beating the Jets. Part of the Jets' defensive success (not that they've had it this year so much) is relying on Revis to shut down the opponent's best receiver and Stevie's shown this year that Revis can't shut him down. I think this will be huge in the next few seasons and it was great to see on Sunday.


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Post by Steve Farrelly @ 01:43pm 31/01/13 | 0 Comments
Injustice: Gods Among Us is the studio's bold, powerful reimagining of the DC Universe and features names such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Joker and Harley Quinn amongst its already impressive playable character manifest (with more yet to be revealed). Warner Bros. invited AusGamers out to get hands-on with a playable build of the game to see if not only has the team nailed yet another solid fighting game, but one with some of the most iconic characters in comics, fully reimagined.
Click here for our full hands-on preview.
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Trey Eric Sesler was a big fan of anime, Japanese-made animated films. Living with his parents in Waller, Texas, his life seemed to have stalled, but the young man won a modest amount of Internet fame for a series of reviews he posted on YouTube as "Mr. Anime." Though he devoted countless hours online sharing his love of the genre, he had other things on his mind.
Sesler was quietly obsessed with violence and mass murder. In 2012, at the age of 22, he killed his family.
A Gruesome Scene
On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, a ranch house on the 1600 block of Farr in Waller, Texas, was recast as a startling crime scene. The property was a junkyard of broken glass, rifle casings and bullets, along with a number of assault rifles and handguns.
Scrawled in black marker on the front door was a message: "I will never forgive myself. I don't know why I did this. God help me."
Similar messages were written on or carved into multiple walls and cabinets throughout the house: "Why did I do this?" "I love my mom, dad and brother." "God forgive me, because I cannot forgive myself."
Police found Rhonda Wyse Sesler, 57, a journalist, dead in the garage. She'd been shot with a high-powered rifle. Her son, Mark Alan Sesler, 26, died in the bathroom of wounds from the same gun. Her husband, Lawton Ray Sesler Jr., 58, a teacher at nearby Robinson Elementary School, was shot too, found dead in the couple's bedroom. Investigators say their bodies' positions suggested that they had tried to escape their gunman.
The family's second son, Trey Sesler, was missing. The Texas Rangers and a SWAT unit found him in his black Thunderbird in front of a friend's house in Magnolia.
They brought him into the Waller County Jail and quickly got a confession. "If anyone was going to hurt them, it was going to be me," Sesler explained.
He'd been drinking when he called his mother into the garage and shot her in the chest. Watching her die, he started having second thoughts—but he concluded that there was no turning back after killing her. He shot his brother, and that gunshot woke his father, whom he then killed. Sesler made another bloody circuit through the house, shooting each family member one more time to make sure they were dead. He also killed the family's two cats and their dog and rabbit that night.
A Missing Act
Trey Sesler told investigators led by Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith and Waller Police Chief Phil Rehak that he had killed his family in order to spare them from what he was plotting next. He was planning to bring an assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition to Waller Junior High the very next morning. His goal was to kill 70 people there, and later to best himself by shooting up Waller High School's homecoming game.
The idea was inspired by the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres. He explained that he'd been studying serial killers and mass murderers, methodically evaluating and ranking their work. He had given a lot of thought, he admitted, to figuring out what scenario could potentially rack up the highest body count. He admitted that two or three days never passed without him contemplating a large-scale violent act. He had practiced by killing pets, setting fires and shooting at empty buildings, including Waller High.
Rangers later found evidence supporting Sesler's violent claims. They collected aerial photographs that he seems to have used to compare potential locations for massacres—a strip mall and grocery store were among the sites he had considered. Police also confiscated more than half a dozen weapons and assorted ammunition from not only Sesler's Waller home, but from the house where he was arrested in Magnolia, as well as his grandparents' house in Hempstead, where he had lived for a time.
Before he killed his family, Sesler had only minimal—if weird—contact with local law enforcement. He once called the police to ask whether it would be legal for him to own body armor, and, only a week before the killing, he told a police operator that a bullet had just gone past him, but that he had his guns and was ready for it.
Authorities suspect Sesler had been plotting a large-scale attack for three or four years, but, as he said, "Maybe what happened was too real"—after he killed his family, the obsession disappeared, and the law caught him anyway.
A judge set his bail at $5 million. Sesler remained in jail on suicide watch, awaiting trial.
Anime Critic
After graduating from Waller High School in 2007—he hadn't been one of the popular kids, but wasn't friendless either—Trey Sesler took some classes at Blinn College in Brenham. At one point he lived with his grandparents while selling Google ads, he told friends. Despite a difficult relationship with his father, who demanded that his son work harder to be more like his older brother Mark (who earned a degree in business from Sam Houston State University), in 2012 Sesler was again living in his parents' house.
By then he had started working as a pizza delivery driver, but his real focus was his YouTube channel, where he billed himself as "Mr. Anime" and commented on the genre. At its peak, the channel had 4000 subscribers. The videos are still available online, as is the Facebook page that hosts mostly his car videos, along with a photo of Sesler posing with a gun (ominous as that looks now, it was just a prop gun that he had used in a video).
In most of the videos, especially the earlier ones, he seemed like an ordinary young man. He was self-effacing and displayed a sense of humor about himself. His review of the anime classic Cowboy Bebop was typical of his short clips.
Many of his videos show a fascination with violence, but the violence was often cartoonish or part of a fantastical narrative, as in a video in which he shot his alter ego. Later, he used his channel to demonstrate how to use special-effects make-up to mimic a gunshot wound to the head. He also tested out a 9mm rifle. In the latter video, Sesler's speech is muddled, and it has led viewers to speculate that he was drunk or under—or over—medicated in that episode.
Whether he was on—or needed—psychiatric medications has never been disclosed, but his videos may indeed prove to be a record of the young man's disintegration.
A Mind Unspooled?
A number of the "Mr. Anime" videos highlighted Sesler's heavy drinking. "Is Mr. Anime Drunk?", for example, might be a joke displaying merely the sort of bad judgment that isn't terribly unusual for a college-age kid. Yet somehow it inspired a commentator to write, "What's worse is he has guns in his home."
When Sesler posted a video announcing that he'd been in an accident but couldn't divulge the details for legal and insurance reasons, another commentator suggested that the lacerations on Sesler's face were inflicted by a cat that he had tried to kill.
Another video referred to health problems. There Sesler reported that he'd been suffering from shortness of breath and not sleeping; he'd been diagnosed with pneumothorax and was worried that his lungs might collapse. He sounded extremely disturbed—understandably, or maybe there was more going on.
A video announcing that he was planning a break has been picked up by some as a clue foreshadowing his dastardly acts, but many feel it's too vague, also his final video doesn't mesh with this theory. In that video, he announces that he has a new job in film, and that he'll still record anime reviews.
More telling perhaps is "My Thoughts on NEETs," a video he posted March 8, 2012. It's one of the videos that shows Sesler slurring his words. Inspired by the references to the phenomenon in the manga series "Welcome to the NHK," Sesler contemplates NEETs, or those young people not involved in employment, education, or training. Sesler says he doesn't think that NEETs are "losers" and that he doesn't consider himself a NEET. . . yet it sounds like he does. He wants to make a living as an anime reviewer but it's not working out for him. And he seems upset.
It's not just a few online commentators who seem to have thought he was a troubled young man. His great aunt told the press that she found him "peculiar." An older neighbor told the Houston chronicle that Sesler struck him as "a strange fella," a young man with an unhealthy fascination with guns—guns that the neighbor says he always expected would end up pointed at another human being.
Trey Sesler seems to be as disturbed as everyone else is by his crimes. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole in August 2012. He says he's relieved to be imprisoned.
Sources on next page