LLNL - The True Story -

Happy 2017! May the new DOE chief remember the name of his department!  Best wishes for health and prosperity! 

Thought you might find this editorial bungle of interest.  Or, maybe it’s buried in the fine print along with language re taking over NNSS and nobody’s found it yet? The editorial was in the print edition, but apparently has been pulled from the on-line edition. All eyes will be on the new manager of Sandia Labs ·           Albuquerque Journal – Editorial Page ·           24 Dec 2016 ·             As of June 1, Sandia National Laboratories — a huge driver of the local and state economies — comes under new management. National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, a subsidiary of Honeywell International, won a $2.6 billion contract to take over management of Sandia, one of the nation’s three nuclear weapons labs. For the past 23 years, Sandia has been operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin compan...

WIPP looks to open The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant has been closed since February 2014 when a radiation release contaminated a significant portion of the repository, where disposal rooms are carved out of a thick salt formation deep underground. The shutdown put shipments from around the country on indefinite hold as the federal government poured hundreds of millions of dollars into recovery efforts and policy overhauls. New Mexico regulators cited the government and the contractor for numerous permit violations related to the radiation release and an unrelated fire involving a mining truck weeks earlier. That resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement with the state. Los Alamos National Laboratory, in northern New Mexico, also was cited because the breached container of waste from 2014 had been inappropriately packed there before being shipped to the repository. Investigators said the incident could have been avoided had managers not ignored existing policies and procedures for hand...

Starting to look like Leidos has won against NNSA for pulling back the NNSS contract. Onto the next phase of hiring employees to run the place as soon as NesTEC gets out of there. http://jobs.leidos.com/ShowJob/Id/1057155/Electronic-Security-Systems-Manager/

New nuclear arms race in the cards President-elect Donald Trump on Friday morning escalated his calls for a stronger U.S. nuclear arsenal, saying he was fine with an “arms race” if it puts the U.S. in a stronger position against foreign adversaries. “Let it be an arms race … we will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all,” Trump told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” during an off-air conversation on Friday. The attempt at a clarification came after Trump alarmed some with a vague tweet on Thursday that said, “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-nuclear-arms-race-russia-232944

Ex-Lawrence Livermore Lab scientist sentenced to prison over faking research to get U.S. grants  http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/12/20/former-lawrence-livermore-lab-research-scientist-sentenced-to-prison/ I'm curious how is it that no managers are involved in this? It is not possible to bring in work-for-others projects without many layers of management approval, once once projects come in they are frequently (e.g. quarterly) reviewed by management.

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday pledged his commitment to the U.S. nuclear arsenal, saying the country must “greatly strengthen” its capabilities, at least for now. “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” Trump said in a tweet on Thursday http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-us-nuclear-capability-232920

How much does removing the word "limited" affect LLNL mission and projected funding. See article in LA times. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-missile-defense-unlimited-20161221-snap-20161221-story.html

According to this story almost all of the companies that operate one of the nuclear weapons sites have paid large sums to settle federal cases. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/12/21/nuclear-weapon-firms-pay-settle-illegal-lobbying-cases/95609254/

Still NOT prepared to win. Per the last two sentences of Sec J Amd 1, the new SNL manager needs to claim it is ready to assume full responsibility for NNSS before it can also take over SNL. https://nnsa.energy.gov/aboutus/ouroperations/apm/majcontrsolicitation/snlcomp/final-solicitation-document-de-sol-0008470 https://nnsa.energy.gov/sites/default/files/nnsa/multiplefiles/SEC%20J_Appendix%20J%20-%20Transition%20Plan%20Amd%201.pdf Seems a little strange to have such a requirement.

Now this is interesting that NNSA just posted a job opening today for the contract administrator in Albuquerque to be in charge of the Sandia M&O effort. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/460356700/ Comment: Anonymous December 21, 2016 at 6:56 PM Why does a contract administrator make as much as an SMTS with a PhD working at SNL?? Drain the swamp.

I love how Obama has this morally self-righteous high-ground, holier than thou persona, and criticizes Trump for wanting to suppress climate change science, but then he secretly manipulates scientists in just the same slime ball manner. What a joke. So glad to see him out of the WH.

10:30 AM on December 21 has come. Where is the announcement of the new SNL leadership team that was supposed to happen??

DOE fires scientist for talking to Congress about research "A top DoE scientist who liaised with Congress on the matter was fired by the Obama administration for being too forthright with lawmakers, according to the report, which provides an in-depth look at the White House’s efforts to ensure senior staffers toe the administration’s line." http://freebeacon.com/politics/congress-obama-admin-fired-top-scientist-advance-climate-change-plans/

Former LANL manager sues lab for wrongful termination: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/former-lanl-manager-sues-lab-for-wrongful-termination/article_55706719-010f-586c-8950-b0d52ee7b6a5.html

Swalwell protests transition questions to energy labs https://swalwell.house.gov/sites/swalwell.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Letter%20to%20Trump%20re%20DOE%20Nat%20Labs.pdf Reply Anonymous December 19, 2016 at 11:26 PM News flash for Swalwell: Perry and Trump don't give a rat's behind.

So when do they disclose the new SNL leadership names? Answer: Anonymous December 18, 2016 at 5:31 PM Dec. 21 at 10:30 am.

During this new Administration. In retrospect, a majority believes in some type of Climate Change. I am not sure a majority believe it is man made or if it then is mankind has a small, small part in Climate Change. Yes the media and Academia would say they have a majority and also that Hillary was up 10 points! So don't believe them. So again in retrospect Climate Change has been rammed down America's throat (very similar to Obamacare being rammed through) and at the cost of midwest JOBS. So the point is (in retrospect) if there was a softer and more moderate approach to Climate Change and trying to get some agreement then now during another Administration there might be more agreement and more would get done. But no, not only was Climate Change rammed down our throat (America) if anyone disagreed (like on this Blog) "Oh THEY ARE CLIMATE DENIERS" So now people like me are saying it is unproductive to continue a large effort toward this (like Paris Acco...

Anonymous December 17, 2016 at 6:48 PM It is mind boggling that KCP gets the top scores every year considering their level of incompetence. They have downsized themselves so much that it would be impossible to make the schedule for one program, yet we are trying to do four at once. They have no control over the quality of their outsourced vendors, and have forgotten how to make anything on their own. They are beholden to an ERP system which no one at the plant understands or can control. It tells people that it should take >1 year to do a group build, when someone can buy and build the parts in 2 months. Reply Delete Anonymous December 17, 2016 at 7:06 PM Guess they weren't prepared to win, ntessllc.com wasn't registered until 12/16/16 and ntessllc.org/.net are still available. ntess.com is available for $3495 and ntess.org/.net are available

Why do some lab employees seem to find the SNL decision hard to understand? NNSA brags about how well run the KC plant is, and Honeywell has that contract. So it is no surprise to award more contracts to a company that does a good job with what they already have. For the same reason, NNSA is doubtful to consider any team in the near future that has UC on it. Comments: Anonymous December 17, 2016 at 11:00 AM Getting rid of UC was the whole reason for privatizing in the first place. Maybe the DC hacks will finally giterdon. Anonymous December 17, 2016 at 1:53 PM "Why do some lab employees seem to find the SNL decision hard to understand? NNSA brags about how well run the KC plant is, and Honeywell has that contract. So it is no surprise to award more contracts to a company that does a good job with what they already have." This is exactly the point but the KC plant is just that a plant, no science and no cutting edge engineering, I would add ...

The LANL bid team will have to have a university partner in it. This was not necessary for SNL, as it is seen historically as an engineering first lab. Remember this was the whole reason it was spun off (Z Division) from LANL after WWII.  Btw, I keep hearing rumors that Bechtel and UC are not playing well together on the LLNL operations. I can see a divorce coming in the future, especially if LANS breaks up.

If the NNSA decision on SNL holds up, and there are lots of reasons why it may not, what does this say about the current SNL leadership team? The first sitting Lab Director to lead a losing M&O contract bid. Wow! Maybe Jill wasn't qualified to be in that chair after all?

The Sandia contract going to Honeywell/Northrup indicates that the incumbent at LANL is unavoidably on a path to losing. UC, Bechtel, AECOM, B&W all will be certain losers at LANL. Who is left? Batelle? Honeywell? Northrop? Universities are only going to be minor league partners in the LLC teams. 

Lockheed Out at Sandia After the Lockheed scandal on lobbying to extend the contract, it was not likely going to be a Lockheed contract win. http://time.com/3948974/sandia-national-laboratories-lobbying/ Until the winning team members and organization are revealed we can only speculate, but Honeywell winning rather than Batelle likely means that cost, programs, manufacturing and management were more highly valued than discovery science by NNSA. Not very surprising. Lockheed is now only a minor player in the complex and may soon exit. They apparently already sold off the bid for Nevada National Security Site to Leidos and are a smaller player in CNS Pantex and Y12. Batelle is not much of a presence in the complex with only a minor role in LLNL. What all this means for LLNL and LANL is not clear. Comments: Anonymous December 16, 2016 at 6:52 PM What all this means for LLNL and LANL is not clear. December 16, 2016 at 4:32 PM LLNL will stay with Bechtel ...

NNSA NEWS: WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) announced today it has awarded National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS) with the management and operating contract for Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). NTESS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International. Northrup Grumman and Universities Research Association will support NTESS in the performance of this contract. The award is valued at $2.6 billion annually over 10 years, if all options are exercised. Comment: Anonymous December 16, 2016 at 12:38 PM I encourage everybody to look up some basic information regarding employee benefits, satisfaction and management quality for Honeywell. https://www.thelayoff.com/honeywell-international

What it’s like to work at the US Department of Energy as Donald Trump takes over?  http://qz.com/864098/what-its-like-to-work-at-the-us-department-of-energy-as-donald-trump-takes-over/ The Department of Energy is in turmoil as US president-elect Donald Trump’s team moves in to take over. “Our career staff is made up of scientists and engineers who follow the science as part of their daily jobs,” says a senior DoE employee who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the transition. “And what they see on the horizon here is doing that exact thing, following the science, could lead to repercussions on their livelihood.” Beyond the personal concerns of scientists who don’t want to be punished for doing their jobs, the transition process so far has made clear that major cuts are coming for clean energy programs. The questions asked which programs, jobs, and standards are mandated by law rather than implemented by political appointees. The transition team is also seeking to s...

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team on Wednesday disavowed a survey sent to the U.S. Department of Energy that requested the names of people working on climate change in the agency. “The questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol,” Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said. “The person who sent it has been properly counseled.”

What is the impact of the incoming Administration on the contract change dates for the nuclear weapons labs?

Is the current administration setting DOE up for failure in the next administration? WH press secretary cracks joke about Perry's qualifications White House press secretary Josh Earnest expressed concern that the move by Mr. Trump “could have been an attempt to target civil servants, career federal government employees.” “If we had to replace the entire Department of Energy every time a new president was elected, that is certainly going to undermine the ability of those at the most senior levels to implement a coherent and effective energy policy,” he said. The president-elect’s transition officials have not explained the inquiry and did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Mr. Earnest seemingly poked fun at the choice of Mr. Perry for Energy secretary, saying the administration’s refusal to turn over a list of agency employees’ names involves defense of the principle that “career civil servants are evaluated based on merit and not on politics.” “And I’m sure that the pres...

Why do employees bother to embrace integrity when our elected leaders don't?

DOE refuses Presidential transition request The Department of Energy will not provide the names of staffers who worked on climate issues to President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, a spokesman for the department told POLITICO Tuesday. The Trump transition team submitted 74 questions to DOE last week, including two which asked for identities of staffers who worked on Obama administration climate policy efforts. "We will be forthcoming with all publicly available information with the transition team. We will not be providing any individual names to the transition team," DOE spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said in an email. Burnham-Snyder said questions from Trump's team had "left many in our workforce unsettled." http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/energy-department-staffers-names-list-232566

Dear APS Member, In the wake of our recent U.S. election, we believe that it is timely for us to reiterate that the American Physical Society remains unwavering in its commitment to full participation by everyone — regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, or political affiliation — to ensure that our discipline as well as our Society thrives. We believe that the values that advance the physical sciences necessarily include open scientific discourse, free from discrimination and harassment, and a willingness to consider diverse points of view. We also maintain that our meetings, laboratories, and classrooms must be safe, collaborative environments that promote a collegial and inclusive atmosphere. The diversity of backgrounds that exists throughout the APS membership and the open dialogue fostered by APS journals and meetings are among our greatest strengths. The Society has spent decades developing and advancing programs that s...