Gone Fission Nuclear Report

Department of Energy cleanup sites across the country depend on on-site disposal facilities to handle contaminated waste and debris from demolished buildings and soil remediation. At one site--Oak Ridge, where a massive gaseous diffusion complex was completely demolished for the first time ever--more disposal capacity is needed to finish cleanup work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex. In this week's episode, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report talks with Roger Petrie, DOE Regulatory Affairs Specialist, about what's involved in siting a second on-site disposal facility and the outlook for this vital resource being available when needed. Plus, see how one college nuclear engineering major has made it big on the national stage.

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

The Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast launches its third season this week with a look back at the major milestones and achievements in the Department of Energy's environmental cleanup program during 2022.  From New Mexico to Washington State, Tennessee, South Carolina and beyond, the achievements were many and consequential. Then we look ahead -- to the future of energy with the latest breakthrough in the development of fusion energy.  This episode gets the year off to a good start with reflection and high expectations. 

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

56 million gallons of liquid radioactive waste are stored in 177 underground tanks at the Department of Energy's Hanford site in Washington state. One of the Department's highest priorities is to treat this waste and convert it into a solid glass form for permanent disposal. But a local citizens group in Richland, WA, says an alternative method--known as grouting--can take care of the bulk of the waste faster, cheaper and safely compared to turning it into glass through vitrification. In this week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, we reprise an interview from our audio series last Spring featuring Gary Petersen and Duane Schmoker of Clean Up Hanford Now, who make the case that grouting is the best route for the vast portion of the Hanford tank waste

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

Community involvement is a central element in the success of the Department of Energy's environmental cleanup program. Local community leaders, elected officials and the public at-large are encouraged to take a seat at the table to provide input and participate in discussions about cleanup priorities. The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) in Washington, DC, is the designated organization for advocacy and support for communities around DOE sites. In this episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, we talk with ECA Executive Director Seth Kirshenberg about a new Community Guide to Environmental Cleanup. This interactive guide is designed to help communities and other interested parties in developing an effective and collaborative approach in working with DOE toward accomplishment of mutual cleanup goals at DOE sites. 

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

The Department of Energy's Environmental Management office has opened a new exhibit at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. The museum recounts the history of U.S. nuclear weapons testing in the Nevada desert.  The new EM exhibit tells the story of environmental cleanup in Nevada and at other DOE sites around the nation. In this episode, we talk to Joe Kent, Director of Curation, Programming and Exhibits at the Museum, and Anita Iacaruso, EM Director of Communications Services at DOE HQ in Washington. Learn more about the DOE cleanup program in this informative episode.

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

Potential leaks in underground radioactive tanks is a priority concern with the Department of Energy's Environmental Management office. Many of these tanks are single-shell containment and were constructed during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Today, they are aging and subject to leaks, more so than the double-shell tanks also now in use. Two tanks are currently leaking at DOE's Hanford site in Washington state. DOE and the Washington Department of the Ecology, the state regulator, have reached agreement on how these tanks should be managed.  In this episode, Delmar Noyes, Assistant Manager of Tank Farms for DOE's Hanford office, discusses the settlement and what is being done to ensure the safety of the public and the environment. 

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

This week, the nation observes Veterans Day, celebrating those that worn the uniform in service of our country.  In this week's episode sponsored by Fluor, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report visits DOE Headquarters in Washington where we talk with three EM managers about what EM is doing to add more veterans to the workforce. Hear this interview with Junita Turner, a Navy veteran and Director of the Office of Workforce Management; Damoeone Ferguson, EM Diversity Manager; and Lee Tucker, an Air Force veteran with the EM Office of External Affairs.

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

Who may take over from EM as landlord at SRS?  What was the Big News in Waste Treatment at Hanford last week? What did Ike White see when he visited Oak Ridge?  And what was on the Senior EM Advisor's mind at the Nuclear Cleanup Workshop recently? Get the answers to these questions and more 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 potential for leaks in aging underground radioactive waste tanks is a constant concern for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management program. After more than a  year of negotiation, DOE and the Washington State Department of Ecology have reached an accord on handling waste from two leaking underground tanks at the Hanford site. In this week's episode, Michael Butler, host of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, talks to David Bowen,  Ecology's Nuclear Waste Program Manager,  about the agreement and how his Department is carrying out its regulatory responsibilities with respect to the Hanford waste tanks.

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

Ask any DOE environmental cleanup contractor what their top priority is, and you will undoubtedly get the same answer: SAFETY.  It's written into procedures; It's preached; It's practiced, and for most workers it becomes second nature--a natural part of the way they perform at work. One key component of every safety culture is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  In today's episode, we talk to two executives of The Bullard Company in Lexington, KY, a major supplier of PPE to DOE's environmental cleanup program.  Edward W. Bullard, great-grandfather of Wells Bullard, the company's current CEO, has been installed in the National Inventor's Hall of Fame for his invention of the hard hat in 1919. It's a great story about every DOE cleanup contractor's biggest concern.  Plus get all the latest news about environmental cleanup around the complex.

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