URS NAMES BOB MCQUINN AS NEW HEAD OF WIPP CONTRACTOR

URS yesterday named Bob McQuinn as the new president and project manager of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership, demoting NWP head Farok Sharif to project manager of the TRU Waste Program. The management change was in response to recent incidents at WIPP, including a fire and radiation release last month. "To strengthen our recovery efforts, I am announcing the realignment of the NWP leadership team," URS Global Management and Operations Services General Manager James Taylor said in a message to employees yesterday. 

URS is also planning to create a new position called WIPP Recovery Manager, which will be announced within several days. Both the new post and Sharif will report to McQuinn, who most recently served as GMOS Vice President of Performance Assurance. "Farok will focus on transitioning waste to other locations while WIPP is not operational, and working with other DOE waste generator sites to develop plans for the temporary storage of their waste," Taylor said. URS did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.