Wrap up: EnergySec visits Oak Ridge; North Korea rejects call to ‘abandon’ nuclear weapons; Obituaries

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright recently visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he toured cleanup projects and the Y-12 National Security Complex, a DOE press release said Tuesday.

“As a fan of history, this is a critical area for the Manhattan Project, it’s a critical area for winning WWII and it will be a critical area for our future,” Wright said. “Seeing the people, seeing the buildings, seeing the infrastructure, and hearing the bold plans, I’m energized.”

Wright added that he thinks the “nuclear renaissance” could begin at Oak Ridge and Y-12.

North Korea reportedly vowed on Monday to reject the G7’s call to “abandon” its nuclear ambitions and instead “steadily update and strengthen” its nuclear capabilities.

“Nuclear armed forces will exist forever as a powerful means of justice which defends the sovereignty of the state, territorial integrity and fundamental interests,” state-run media outlet Korean Central News Agency said North Korea’s Foreign Ministry claimed. State media also said the country is building a nuclear-powered submarine.

This statement by North Korea follows a meeting with G7 foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where they called for North Korea to abandon all nuclear weapons of mass destruction “as well as ballistic missile programs.”

Obituaries

Former U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), the first woman to control Congressional purse strings, died last weekend at age 87 after a battle with breast cancer, major news outlets reported over the weekend.

Lowey, a former chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, spent several terms in Congress, but decided not to seek re-election in 2020.

“Nita didn’t wait for history — she made it,” current House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK), said in a Monday statement. “As the first woman to lead the House Appropriations Committee, she trailblazed a path of leadership defined by integrity, hard work, and an unyielding dedication to public service.” 

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) who served on the House Natural Resources Committee has died at age 77 apparently from complications from lung cancer treatments, media outlets reported recently.

“Representative Grijalva was like no other — an exceptional, unforgettable human being shaped by hardscrabble economic struggle long before he ever was elected to Congress,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) said in a March 13 statement.  

Grijalva’s service was also praised by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D), who served with Grijalva in Congress. The Arizona representative is the second Democratic member of the House to die in the past two weeks. A week earlier, Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas), died at age 70.