RW Monitor
5/9/2014
IN EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it has added the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company site in the Ridgewood section of Queens, N.Y., to the federal Superfund list. The soil at the site and nearby sewers were contaminated by radioactive material from the previous activities of the former Wolff-Alport Chemical Company. The company operated the site from the 1920s to 1954, and processed monazite sand for isotopes, which were then sold to commercial buyers. “By placing the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company site on the Superfund list, the EPA can address the contamination to protect people’s health in the long-term,” said Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. The Wolff-Alport Chemical Company also provided materials for the federal nuclear weapon program in the 1940’s and 1950’s. This involvement has led to the Army Corps of Engineers considering possibly adding the location to its Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. Previously, the Corps decided that the site produced more for commercial entities than for the government, thus leaving it off the FUSRAP list, but a letter from the Department of Energy last year showed that the government may have more of a presence than previously thought.
IN THE INDUSTRY
AREVA and ATOX, a Japanese nuclear maintenance service company, announced this week that they have created a joint venture together to work on decommissioning activities at the Fukushima-Daiichi cleanup project. The joint venture, named ANADEC, will “provide solutions and services in the field of decommissioning and dismantling of Japanese nuclear power plants,” AREVA said. The joint venture will offer development in investigative and mapping techniques to better serve the complex Fukushima cleanup, development of robotic solutions, and the ability to join with other local companies to offer other technical solutions. Each company will have a 50 percent stake in the company.
AREVA TN announced this week that it has received a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license for a cask capable of transporting high burnup used nuclear fuel. The NUHOMS MP197HB Transport Package has a heat load capacity of 32 kilowatts and is capable of transporting nine different canister types. “Our MP197HB offers utilities the flexibility to transport used fuel from one site to another, which may be needed as part of decommissioning and interim storage or long-term used fuel management,” said Mike McMahon, senior vice president of AREVA TN Americas. “We are proud to have engineered this safe, innovative transport solution to provide the U.S. nuclear power industry with options to manage used nuclear fuel and to meet future challenges.”
Nuclear Safety Associates announced this week that Elizabeth Saris will become its vice president of operations and strategic development. Saris, formerly of Leidos, will be responsible for instituting NSA’s plan to double its revenues during the next three years and opening the company’s Washington, D.C. office, according to the company. “Liz is a great addition to our leadership team,” NSA President and CEO Robert Frost said in a statement. “She brings experience and a powerful set of skills that will help us expand our footprint and further build our operations. Liz’s breadth of knowledge in running organizations and her proven leadership in bringing about strategic growth will be major factors in contributing to the success of NSA’s strategic plan.”
