Gone Fission Nuclear Report

Officials have taken another step forward in preserving the history of the K-25 site in Oak Ridge, breaking ground for a new viewing platform that will provide a bird’s eye view of the former gaseous diffusion plant’s footprint. A nearby K-25 History Center focuses on the men and women who built and operated the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant during the Manhattan Project and Cold War. In this week’s episode, we learn how the new viewing platform and associated exhibits--part of the Manhattan Project National Park--will help visitors understand the scope and magnitude of K-25 while they learn about the personal stories of the workforce. 

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

Ensuring an adequate workforce for the Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program is a continuing concern and a high priority. There are decades of cleanup work left to do, and much of the current workforce is approaching retirement age. EM is now engaged in an aggressive program to hire more professionals.  In this week's episode, we examine the need for workers and what EM is doing to make sure there are enough qualified employees now and in the decades ahead.

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

This week, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report celebrates with employees of Idaho National Laboratory, INL management, the Department of Energy and state leaders. Crews have completed transfer of Experimental Breeder Reactor-2 spent fuel from wet to the dry storage, meeting a key milestone in a settlement agreement between the Department of Energy and the state. Employees exceeded expectations, completing the project nine months ahead of schedule. EBR-2 was an historic reactor experiment, capable of producing more fuel than it consumed. Join Governor Brad Little, DOE Assistant Secretary Dr. Kathryn Huff, and Senior EM Advisor Ike White as we celebrate this Idaho milestone in this week's episode. 

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

Every Department of Energy field site has a landlord—a DOE programmatic office that oversees the real estate, utilities, security and other day-to-day operations. Every now and then a new landlord is installed to reflect the site’s changing missions and programmatic responsibilities. It’s happening now at Savannah River as NNSA prepares to take over landlord responsibilities from Environmental Management. Learn more about this transition in this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast. 

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site is engaged in a comprehensive cleanup program for liquid radioactive waste. 51 underground carbon-steel tanks were built to hold radioactive liquid waste from Cold War-era nuclear weapons production. Eight of the tanks have been emptied and closed. The remaining 43 tanks contain about 34 million gallons of liquid waste. In this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, we interview Charles Comeau, SRS Federal Project Director for Saltstone Disposal Unit Construction. We discuss the SRS waste cleanup program, focusing on the critical importance of mega-volume Saltstone Disposal Units now under construction and their central role in successful mission completion.

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

In observance of Women's History Month, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report this week features Carolyn Leach Huntoon, the first woman Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management at the Department of Energy. She was the first of six women to hold this important DOE post. Dr. Huntoon had a distinguished federal career, having also served as the first woman Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Meet this impressive woman in this week’s episode. 

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

In support of its Department of Energy client, United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) has entered the next chapter of environmental cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. With the historic Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant fully demolished and significant portions of land turned over to the community for economic development, UCOR is now focused on new cleanup projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. In this week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter talks about the accomplishments and the new challenges that lie ahead in one of the country's largest nuclear cleanup programs. 

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

The Department of Energy’s Hanford site in Washington State is engaged in one of the largest and most complex environmental cleanup challenges on the planet. Multiple contractors are performing various parts of a decades-long mission that will ultimately result in 56 million gallons of radioactive waste being converted to a solid glass form for ultimate disposal. In this week’s episode, Brian Vance, Manager of DOE’s Office of River Protection and the Richland Operations Office, discusses the One Hanford approach and the vital importance of seamless teamwork to mission success.

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

The longest serving Community Reuse Organization (CRO) leader in the Department of Energy complex has retired. He is Rick McLeod, president and CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization. Rick held the post for 15 years, nearly half of the CRO's existence. Since he took the job in 2008, Rick has worked with DOE and the community in two states to make sure community interests are addressed, new SRS missions are promoted, and the community has a unified voice in Washington. In this week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, Rick looks back on the CRO's challenges and accomplishments and has some advice for his successor.

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.

Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023, is an aspiring nuclear engineer preparing to graduate from the University of Wisconsin. She is a smart, articulate advocate of nuclear energy, who believes this safe and reliable energy source should grow from its current 20 percent of U.S. electrical energy supply to as much as 60 percent. She also wants to use her platform to counter fears and misconceptions about nuclear energy. Meet Miss America in this week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast.

Visit the Gone Fission Nuclear Report channel on youtube.com for a videocast of  episodes since November 7, 2022.