Chris Wright, the newly confirmed Secretary of Energy, visited Los Alamos National Laboratory this week on his nationwide tour of the national laboratories and touted artificial intelligence as “the next Manhattan project” in a post on the website X.
“More than 70 years ago, the Manhattan Project brought together the world’s greatest scientists and engineers here in Los Alamos for a patriotic effort that changed the world,” Wright said. “The next Manhattan Project has arrived,” he added, “we will win this critical race.”
Corey Hinderstein, former deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration, joined Washington doveish nonprofit Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as the vice president for studies, the organization announced on LinkedIn this week.
According to Carnegie, Hinderstein will focus on nuclear strategy, security and nonproliferation issues in her new role.
Jennifer Granholm, former secretary of energy for President Joe Biden, is joining the boards of directors for Edison International and its regulated electric utility, Southern California Edison, the companies said last week in a press release.
Granholm, who is also a former governor of Michigan (D), will join the boards for both companies effective April 1, according to a Feb. 20 press release. In the release, Edison International, the public utility holding company, lauded Granholm’s Department of Energy experience, especially when it comes to cyber security and clean energy.
“Jennifer has an excellent background in energy technology, energy policy, safety and sustainability,” said Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro in the release. Southern California Edison ran the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which is undergoing decommissioning.
The prime contractor for the Department of Energy’s Pantex nuclear weapons plant near Amarillo, Texas is in the market for a subcontractor to provide three “canine detection teams” capable of sniffing out explosives, according to an online procurement notice.
BWX Technologies-led PanTeXas Deterrence, the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) management contractor, posted the notice Wednesday via the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov). The winning subcontractor would provide the canine teams for a one- year period with the option to extend in one year increments up to four option years, according to the notice.
“The canine detection team will consist of one handler and one canine that are certified together,” according to the solicitation. “The team will conduct explosive detection searches at fixed posts and other locations as designated by Pantex Security.”
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees and the lab’s joint venture prime contractor Lawrence Livermore National Security raised over $82,000 for Southern California residents impacted by the wildfires at the beginning of this year, local paper The Independent said Thursday.
The campaign ran from Jan. 16 to Feb. 14, and raised the money for 21 charities that responded in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires, including American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity-Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and United Policyholders.
Lab employees raised over $41,000, and LLNS – who received an extension on its contract in the fall, the lab’s director Kim Budil told the Monitor at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit in January – matched the donation, totalling $82,101.38.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory posted a notice of intent in January on a federal registry website informing on the lab’s plan to increase using, storing and transporting plutonium.
The public comment period ends March 3, according to the NNSA website.
