July 10, 2017: We’re hearing turnover amongst workers at the MOX debacle remains high…they come…they get trained…they leave for higher-paying jobs where they can earn overtime = a formula for poor performance as termination of the project closes in. But workers will still be needed to finish up some things inside the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) , close up “Temporary Construction Openings” into the building and mothball it.
Meanwhile, as we await results of an investigation into contractor compliance with DOE regulations, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 passes U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee – lays out path to termination of the MOX boondoggle at the U.S. DOE’s Savannah River Site, June 29, 2017
House Armed Services authorizes only $270 million for the MOX debacle – the termination level of funding requested in President Trump’s request to Congress for DOE funding in Fiscal Year 2018 (linked here) – and authorizes the Secretary of Energy to terminate the mismanaged MOX mistake:
Section 3119—Disposition of Weapons-Usable Plutonium
This section would require the Secretary of Energy to carry out
construction and project support activities for the Mixed Oxide Fuel
Fabrication Facility with any funds authorized to be appropriated
or otherwise made available for such purposes for fiscal year 2018.
The Secretary would be allowed to waive this requirement if the
Secretary submits certain matters, notifications, and certifications
to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House
of Representatives.