LLNL - The True Story -

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/danl-mls121718.php

Based on "business need", why doesn't the NNSA rebid the contract to run LLNL now in favor of the non-profit Triad model? A rebid to a non-profit contractor would preserve millions of federal dollars annually for LLNL programmatic missions. Isn't this cost savings measure precisely what NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty wants? "In a late Monday email to Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, Burgess affirmed he received his information directly from NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty during a September meeting in Washington, D.C. Gordon-Hagerty’s office believes Triad is required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation to seek any cost savings possible, including 501(c)(3) status, Burgess said."

What is "bringing star power to Earth", Ed Moses doing these days?

Can anyone explain how this works? The lawsuit was lost by LANS, which doesn't exit anymore. However, the quote is from Roark, and credited to LANL now operated by Triad. Seriously, does Triad now have to pay the verdict? If not, then why is Roark giving a statement?  http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/jury-sides-with-ex-lanl-official-who-was-forced-to/article_bd5e13ca-7ef8-53a9-b7f0-c98f5be0db41.html

Interesting and reassuring for many people . https://www.ladailypost.com/content/lans-pension-it-safe

Feds Sue to Quash State Hanford Workers’ Compensation Law "The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday sued the state of Washington over a new law that eases state workers’ compensation requirements for claims from employees of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site." https://www.exchangemonitor.com/feds-sue-quash-state-hanford-workers-compensation-law/

I would like to reflect on the blog's 11 years. Not an editorial because I am not an editor. More like a moderatorial. Created on 12/11/2007, this blog was intended to be an outlet for LLNL folks to give their opinion on the newly-privatized Livermore lab . Many thought the for-profit model was a recipe for disaster. A few thought it was the end of the UC good old boys club. Most LLNL folks felt they were paying for LANL mistakes. I saw outraged, distressed, even depressed posts, occasionally interspersed with optimistic ones. Meanwhile, while we all barked, the for-profit DOE/NNSA caravan kept moving. Gradually,  blog readers became focused on relevant issues,  such as waste of resources, cost increase, rising number of security and industrial incidents.  It was becoming obvious that the privatization was a bad idea! LLNL folks had the chance to be represented by SPSE but declined with so much rationalization and holy than thou comments! Whi...

Articles like this need to be discussed given the mission impacts https://www.aikenstandard.com/news/nnsa-chief-of-staff-some-srs-plutonium-needed-for-national/article_ffbce672-f89d-11e8-9c07-5f7c82000947.html The whole MOX issue also needs some discussion given the NNSA management and the idea of pit manufacturing. Just a thought...

https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-idaho-nuclear-waste-20181208-story.html?outputType=amp

Lawsuit Possible to Regain UC Health Care" "Those who were hired at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before 1990 appear to have a “viable claim” to be reinstated to University of California health programs, according to attorneys for the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Retiree Group." Many UC/LLNL employees were hired well before 1990, and had 20 years or more service credit with UC/LLNL before LLNS took over. If these lab employees retired after 2007, they too were placed into the more expensive LLNS health programs. Have these lab retirees reached out to the UCLRG attorneys to possibly join forces?  http://llnlretiree.com/news_articles/09_12_17_independent.htm

LLNL Daffodil Days. The award is given to outstanding corporations and organizations who demonstrate a commitment to furthering the mission of the American Cancer Society,” explained Kristen Ogdon, American Cancer Society corporate relations manager for the Greater Bay Area... Ogdon cited three specific reasons for the award: LLNL’s exemplary work in educating employees about cancer and chronic disease prevention and care; being the largest contributor to the Daffodil Days campaign, not only in the Bay Area but also in Northern California (raising nearly $32,000 last year and a total of more than $133,000 over the past five years); and providing a presence in both the Livermore and Tracy Relay for Life events for several years, raising thousands of dollars, as well as helping to increase community awareness in the fight against cancer. moderator's note to contributor : This was submitted  as a comment on a post with a totally unrelated topic. I normally delete such c...

Ill nuclear workers’ benefits petitions have to be reviewed within 6 months. Some have languished about a decade." "Facilities around the country continue to be fined for failing to limit radiation exposure and monitor workers, he said. “I am not going to take it on blind faith” that Los Alamos is following federal rules just because officials say they are...What has happened to Evaskovich’s petition is playing out at nuclear labs across the country. At the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, a petition has languished for 11 years. At Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, workers have been waiting seven years for a final decision." https://nmpolitics.net/index/2018/12/ill-nuclear-workers-benefits-petitions-have-to-be-reviewed-within-6-months-some-have-languished-about-a-decade/

"Workforce Magazine Announces LLNL As Winner of Two 2018 Optimas Awards" “Being recognized with these two high-level awards will only further showcase LLNL’s dedication to its mission and values,” said Breyer. “By embracing our community and valuing the diversity and inclusiveness of our scientific endeavors, the Lab will further show world-class scientists that our institution is committed to advancing science and technology while providing work/life programs that employees desire.” http://www.independentnews.com/news/workforce-magazine-announcesz-llnl-as-winner-of-two-optimas-awards/article_306d9ce8-f354-11e8-87f6-733bfa303896.html?mode=jqm

Must be logged in to Google to access file . https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9eIrcyRIQxyWFVMcXRwTURmQ0huMDFCTjV1RkpfUDBfR3Rz/view?usp=drivesdk

https://www.ladailypost.com/content/lanl-0

Bechtel Faces Two Lawsuits from Former Employees at Hanford "Two former workers at the Hanford Site Waste Treatment Plant are accusing contractor Bechtel National in separate lawsuits of laying them off after they raised safety concerns...In millwright Ford’s case, the Department of Labor ruled in 2015 that his role as a whistleblower during his 35-year career at Hanford contributed to Bechtel’s decision to lay him off in November 2011. He was scrutinized and treated more harshly than other employees, the agency found."  https://www.exchangemonitor.com/bechtel-faces-two-lawsuits-former-employees-hanford/

Below is the link to the DOE R&D 100 winners. Thoughts? What labs were winners and what labs failed to show up? https://www.energy.gov/articles/department-energy-announces-32-rd-100-award-winners

As a non-profit "public service organization", will Triad employees at LANL  request an annual release of all Triad employee salaries and raises?

"Terry Wallace, who was briefly director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the waning days of Los Alamos National Security’s management contract, is still with the lab in an emeritus role, a Los Alamos spokesperson told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing" https://www.exchangemonitor.com/stopgap-lanl-director-wallace-remains-lab-emeritus-role/

Well I guess this related to the labs, at least will give a new use for a NWs  "Social media erupted after California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell suggested that the government could use the threat of nuclear weapons to force gun confiscation upon Americans." https://www.dailywire.com/news/38451/democrat-calls-gun-confiscation-suggests-nuking-ryan-saavedra Democrat Calls For Gun Confiscation, Suggests Nuking Americans Who Fight Back Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) caused a firestorm on Friday when he suggested using nuclear weapons against American citizens who oppose his far-left gun control agenda, which includes forcing Americans to give up their semi-automatic weapons. Swalwell made the comment in response to a May news article on his radical plan that was widely recirculated on Twitter on Friday in which he called for a $15 billion government program to confiscate millions of guns from Americans. Now, now I know what you all thinking, which labs nukes would be better...

'Nuclear fallout: $15.5 billion in compensation and counting They built our atomic bombs; now they’re dying of cancer" "...InvestigateTV found workers with medical issues struggling to get compensated from a program that has ballooned ten times original cost estimates. More than 6,000 workers from Los Alamos alone have filed to get money for their medical problems, with around 53 percent of claims approved." http://www.mysuncoast.com/2018/11/12/nuclear-fallout-billion-compensation-counting/

At LLNL, I am curious who to speak to when dealing with staffing & payroll inadequacy issues. I've had a good performance track record, my 30 years, but have been stagnant in pay structure the past 20. There has to be some recourse, as I watch others float on by.

Where is Waldo (Terry Wallace)?

Blatantly PC talk at the start of a contract with so many questions and concerns among the workforce is a cop-out and a slap in the face of the employees who want real leadership and real answers, not PC garbage. This guy is not a serious professional manager of a premier US nuclear weapons laboratory. Very sad beginning.

So Mason gave a introduction talk today. Basically changing the culture means changing the operations side of the lab. The question focused a lot on increasing diversity. (Why do we need to increase diversity? We should maximize equality of opportunity for everyone but not equality in outcome). Mason said sure diversity is ra ra we need it whatever but we cannot sacrifice quality just for the sake of diversity. I think some people did not like that response. Of course we can alway redefine what quality is and make it social construct or something. 

Relating to the recent Elizabeth Warren DNA story, are employees hired and promoted at LANL and LLNL that state they are Native American, actually have their Native American status verified by the Labs? If not, how do the Labs prevent opportunistic fraud during the application and hiring process? Typically, there are minimum % DNA requirements, and tribal affiliation requirements, to officially claim Native American status.  "Liz Warren a minority hire, really? University should have verified"  http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/hillary_chabot/2018/10/liz_warren_a_minority_hire_really_university_should_have

How long has it been since a post drew more than 100 comments? That used to be the standard for a "hot topic." Apparently not anymore ! What has happened? Has a fairy swooped over sprinkling the labs with wuss-dust? Has everyone at the labs signed a "no comment" agreement applying to every outrageous news release?  I don't think it's the fault of the moderators. The blog denizens need to grow a pair and speak up.

I have always been amazed reading this blog. I have one question, how is LANL this arrogant? I don't get that impression from LLNL. Why are they so impressed with themselves when the dialog points to one messed up place.

How long before the LANL labbies try to tear down this new management team from Oak Ridge.. I give it two months.

"LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — A former Los Alamos National Laboratory worker is suing the lab, saying he was used as a scapegoat after an accident with plutonium." https://www.koat.com/article/fired-los-alamos-lab-worker-suing-after-plutonium-incident/24416358

"Advocacy Trio Presses Administration to Fully Fund NNSA Laser Facilities in 2020"  "The ICF program encompasses three major NNSA-funded laser research facilities: the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif.; the Z Facility at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M.; and the OMEGA Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y." https://www.exchangemonitor.com/advocacy-trio-presses-administration-fully-fund-nnsas-major-laser-facilities-2020/

"NNSA Won’t Rule Out Forcing LANL Manager to File for Tax-Exempt Status" "In a late Monday email to Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, Burgess affirmed he received his information directly from NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty during a September meeting in Washington, D.C. Gordon-Hagerty’s office believes Triad is required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation to seek any cost savings possible, including 501(c)(3) status, Burgess said." https://www.exchangemonitor.com/nnsa-wont-rule-forcing-lanl-manager-file-tax-exempt-status/

I just want to know if we'll have a winter shutdown for December 2019? The new LANL calendars were printed up and noticed there is no winter closure that we normally have.

I guess the opera isn't over until the fat lady sings: https://www.abqjournal.com/1235462/lanl-tax-status-now-in-question.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/20/trump-us-nuclear-arms-treaty-russia Trump says US will withdraw from nuclear arms treaty with Russia Experts warn of ‘most severe crisis in nuclear arms control since the 1980s’ as Trump confirms US will leave INF agreement

I guess all the new "rules" have driven this blog to near-zero contributions. Just as the moderators want, I guess? Less work for them. Controversy is not allowed, only placid, pleasant, agreeable discourse among people who all agree with each other. But, as Hillary and Holder stated, civility is overrated. I wonder how the moderators missed that?

Well it is almost time for the new contract. TRIAD is coming in and LANS is going out. You see lots of hopeful faces at LANL, and a small number of very sad faces mixed with disdain. Lots of high end housing is for sale in the town. A few Santa Fe trolls are still in utter shock, but that is how the cookie crumbles. Lets make LANL great again. MLGA!

DOE and Trump administration gives up on MOX, plans further WIPP internment of waste: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-plutonium-mox/trump-administration-kills-contract-for-plutonium-to-fuel-plant-idUSKCN1MM2N0

OST Fatal Accident - RIP and speedy recovery to the others. http://www.newson6.com/story/39250455/ohp-identifies-victims-in-fatal-crash-on-i-40-near-okemah

What is the reason behind the recent LANL injuries? One worker is being treated for internal radiation exposure, after a subcutaneous injection was missed on the initial look. Another worker was sent to the hospital following injury in a chemical explosion. Is this normal LANL accident rates, or it is caused by the upheaval of the contract transition and workers become distracted from their jobs?

Employee was injured worse than Wallace indicated  It is good news that the accident was not fatal, but the new report adds a higher level of severity to the event. https://www.lamonitor.com/content/radiation-found-lab-worker’s-wound

I’ve decided I’m not going to look at the blog anymore. Why? It provides no more information on the labs than a google search. It is dominated by LANL people who, probably due to their isolation and separation up on the hill, have zero inside information. I suspect, evidenced by some recent grammar errors of a poster who claims 25% of his division went to lucrative jobs in Silicon Valley, that the educational level of the viewship is very low.

Mason's numbers just do not add up Mason claimed that Triad had sent out 10,200 offer letters to LANS employees, yet LANS only has about 8,200 employees of record. Even if you throw in the postdocs you still get only about 400 more. The students are mostly only summer, and gone by now, but even if you throw them in as well that's only 1,100 more.  Even if Mason was confused and mistakenly counted students and postdocs in his math, it still doesn't add up. There are unionized crafts and guards that are not LANS employees, but are employees of the specific subcontractor, and there are COMPA and other contractors on-site as well that are not LANS employees. All in that is just under 12,000 and still doesn't explain Mason's flaky math.

The full video of Mason presentation to the UC regents is worth watching. He has a subtle different org chart for the regents from the one that is public posted on the Triad website, but mostly had non answers to the regents questions. There was again his categorical claim that every job in Triad is for a Triad employee and that there are no jobs that are not Triad. Also claimed that every job is for the best player and that no jobs were for partner specific filling. Unfortunately his claims are not supported by the facts. Need to look no more than the capital projects area, where Fluor has advertised for Fluor hired employees to work for Fluor in the AD office at LANL. http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/videos/sept2018/sept2018.html

Thomas Mason, who will also be lab director, reaffirmed his stance that restoring Los Alamos to nonprofit management — the status quo for most of the storied nuclear-weapon lab’s 75-year history — will be crucial to avoiding the sort of mistakes that prompted the Department of Energy to yank the for-profit incumbent’s contract..., I think, the most important element: is making sure that we do everything we can to have the team function as a team without being pulled apart by conflicting corporate allegiances,”  https://www.exchangemonitor.com/triad-still-track-take-los-alamos-nov-1/

The federal money to support the local lobbying organization has continued This group has had one bad story after another in the past six months and yet they still hang on. https://www.abqjournal.com/1223432/embattled-coalition-says-its-a-powerful-voice-ex-one-critic-calls-the-claim-selfaggrandizing-bs.html

Has anyone heard whether LANL's TRIAD will offer a traditional pension (rather than 401k matching) to stop the constant early career brain drain?? A pension was explicitly allowed in the newest RFP. Since DOE encourages benefits to trend together, both LANL and LLNL would be affected eventually. California has lots of Representatives to amend the LLNL operating contract fairly quickly....

"LANL worker hurt by chemical reaction" https://www.abqjournal.com/1224908/lanl-worker-hurt-by-chemical-reaction.XHTML 

LANL explosion sends one to hospital and results in "imminent and substantial endangerment to human health" An explosion in a densely staffed sector of Los Alamos National Laboratory on Sept. 14 left one employee with multiple cuts and prompted lab officials to request emergency approval from the New Mexico Environment Department to safely detonate two compromised vessels containing highly explosive hazardous waste. Both of the approximately 1.7-ounce containers were "unstable due to heat exposure and the presence of etching on the vessel exterior," an incident report said. "This condition posed an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment," the report reads https://taosnews.com/stories/explosive-accidentally-detonates-at-lanl,52007

Incoming LANL Director to Give Update on Lab Transition  "The head of Triad National Security is slated Wednesday to brief the University of California Board of Regents’ National Laboratories Subcommittee about the company’s progress in assuming the management and operations contract for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico." https://www.exchangemonitor.com/incoming-lanl-lab-director-give-update-lab-transition-today/

What the what? Half a billion bucks for heating of "residential spaces" and other at LANL. Siemens‘ U.S. government subsidiary has received a potential $554.6M energy savings performance contract to update power generation and heating systems within an administrative area at the Energy Department‘s Los Alamos National Laboratory. DOE announced the award of the three-phase LANL Steam Plant Replacement Project to Siemens Government Technologies through a FedBizOpps notice posted Thursday. SGT will replace the TA-3 Steam Plant’s aging steam distribution system, as well as repair or rebuild natural gas high-pressure pipelines at the facility. The building includes residential space for LANL employees and multiple laboratories for experimental sciences, biological and nuclear research, materials synthesis and metallic and ceramic processing efforts. The project is expected to be completed in 2021. https://www.govconwire.com/2018/09/siemens-receives-555m-contract-for-repair-work-at...

"If you stopped moderating comments altogether the stale blog would improve. Few care any longer." A little harsh. The blog moderator needs to operate the blog as he deems appropriate, but he has been open to helpers. Are you interested? By the way, employees and retirees are still interested in value of this blog and have been since its inception, when LLNS took over operational management of LLNL.

September 12, 2018 DOE Office of Enforcement FNOV against Bechtel for a November 4, 2016 Hanford Waste Treatment event, involving injury, improper injury record keeping, improper training, and other violations  https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/09/f55/Final%20Notice%20of%20Violation%20Bechtel%20National%20Inc.pdf June 2018 DOE Office of Enterprise Assessments Assessment of Occupational Injury and Illness Record Keeping and Reporting by Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS) for CY 2015-2017 involving a number of work related injuries that were improperly reported as not work related https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/06/f52/Assessment%20of%20OII%20Recordkeeping%20and%20Reporting%20at%20LLNL.pdf

WFO is not a big deal to the Labs For years this was the unstated policy and now it is becoming more of a firm stance. After the new SNL team came in there was a big change because under L-M the leadership was always pro WFO and they had very experienced and well respected WFO leadership. The new SNL team doesn't have much in this regard, at least compared to the L-M team. At LANL the WFO is an undesired fit in any location. They had in under weapons, then made it a stand alone and now Triad has pushed it way down under STE. Hard to see that it matters much to them when the numbers have dropped sharply over the recent several years. It winds up that maybe the projects just aren't all that important to the Labs after all.

Two significant issues in nuc facility in same week DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD August 24, 2018  SUBJECT: Los Alamos Activity Report for Week Ending August 24, 2018 MEMORANDUM FOR: Christopher J. Roscetti, Technical Director  FROM: J.W. Plaue and D. Gutowski, Resident Inspectors Plutonium Facility–Infrastructure: On Saturday, a worker replacing degraded braided wire cable for a glovebox door counterbalance received a skin contamination due to a glovebox glove breach. The skin was not damaged and was successfully decontaminated. There is a substantial effort to replace these cables in plutonium-238 gloveboxes; one cable failed during use earlier this year. The sharps review process had not been used for this work package. During recent construction activities, workers received permission to cut a lock on a position controller for the Zone 1 ventilation system because the key could not be found. Following a cut, they accidentally dropped the bolt cutters, which impac...

DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD August 24, 2018  SUBJECT: Los Alamos Activity Report for Week Ending August 24, 2018 MEMORANDUM FOR: Christopher J. Roscetti, Technical Director  FROM: J.W. Plaue and D. Gutowski, Resident Inspectors Plutonium Facility–Infrastructure: On Saturday, a worker replacing degraded braided wire cable for a glovebox door counterbalance received a skin contamination due to a glovebox glove breach. The skin was not damaged and was successfully decontaminated. There is a substantial effort to replace these cables in plutonium-238 gloveboxes; one cable failed during use earlier this year. The sharps review process had not been used for this work package. During recent construction activities, workers received permission to cut a lock on a position controller for the Zone 1 ventilation system because the key could not be found. Following a cut, they accidentally dropped the bolt cutters, which impacted a glovebox window. The window cracked, but conta...

"NM senators use budget bill to protect nuke safety board"  https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.abqjournal.com/1219536/nm-senators-use-budget-bill-to-protect-nuke-safety-board.html/amp

How do staff feel about the future of LANL with Triad? Seems like it could put things on a slow, but upward trajectory. Sure, the labs still lack a mission and they don't command the respect or secure funding they had during the Cold War. But I'm thinking about going back to the labs in an R&D role once I cash out in Silicon Valley and can buy a nice house in Santa Fe mortgage free. Now seems like the right time since they are non-profit again, and the economy is likely to enter recession in 1-2 years.

  "You will be responsible for the effective management and leadership of a large and diverse workforce consisting of electronics, mechanical, and operations technical personnel who support the National Ignition Facility & Photon Science (NIF&PS) Principal Directorate and the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF)." https://careers-llnl.ttcportals.com/jobs/3114667-lseo-division-superintendent

LANS/LLNS is overseen by a Board of Governors while Triad has a Board of Directors. Years ago I was told by the Lab Directors Office when the DD was reviewing a presentation I had prepared, not to refer to the LLNS Board of Governors as the Board of Directors. So is there any real significance to this difference in names? Does a Board of Directors have more legal authority/responsibility than a Board of Governors?

Triad benefit package approved. LANL employees getting two paid Holidays stripped from their benefit package. Retirement, insurance remains the same as presently offered.

I found out recently that apparently US State Department and DOD employees with security clearances automatically get access to the TSA Pre-Check expedited airport screening lines. As far as I'm aware, that's not the case for LLNL employees with clearances and, presumably, not the case for cleared LANL employees, either. Anyone know what the story here is? The only thing that I can think of is that we're not directly employed by the US government. Still seems that we should be automatically eligible for TSA access if we have clearances, though. -Doug

UNPAID INVOICE_FRAUD CASE Not sure if this is the right place but I am posting this out of desperation with the Accounts Payable department at LLNL.  I am a small contractor who performed work for the lab earlier this year and am still waiting to be paid. The date on the invoice is 05-29-18. To be brief, my email account was hacked and fraud was committed against me. The hacker signed a EFT form in my name and had the invoice payment deposited to his bank account. I have since been fighting with AP at LLN to be paid. It is my hope that this post will find its way to the right person who can resolve this issue, as I would be happy to send them all the documentation I have. Tony Tonon Tonon Electrical & Controls Inc San Francisco Bay Area land 650-873-4962 cell 650-224-1269 tonytonon@sbcglobal.net A GE-Zenith Authorized Service Station Since 1988 Working With Zenith Controls Since 1977 The Transfer Switch People

Triad has released the membership of the governing board and it is on their website. Can anyone recall ever having a lobbyist on the governing board of any other National Laboratory?

"There were some LANL people sitting behind us" Maybe the scandal of using GRT to fund this lobbying effort is not yet over, if the investigation uncovers the 'LANL people' that were at the baseball game paid for by taxpayer funds! The game was listed as a nighttime activity on the RCLC board’s itinerary for a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., last September to meet with government officials and attend a workshop on nuclear waste cleanup put on by the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA). Gonzales is not even a baseball fan. He doesn’t recall what teams were playing, just that he was among a loose group of mostly New Mexicans at Nationals Park. “(Then-Española Mayor) Alice Lucero was there with her husband. There were some LANL people sitting behind us,” he said. https://www.abqjournal.com/1215296/new-group-takes-over-embattled-regional-coalition-of-lanl-communities-ex-connections-to-former-executive-director-andrea-romero-include-an-ostrich-farm.html

So I guess enough time has passed but people are talking a bit about the LANL bid. One thing I heard it was not as close as people thought. This would go along with the rumor that way back in Feb that UC had essentially won may have been right. The other is that Bechtel was not thrilled about bidding but a cadre of LANL people pushed them to put in a bid, what is surprising is that these where not former Bechtel people at all but some long term "older" LANL crew, pre LANS people. It is not hard to figure out who these people are since there seems to be a slow burn of these people out of management if you know what I mean. Also think of the most sleazy, cut throat or dumb and it is exactly who you would guess, not to mention that all of their names have been brought up numerous times on this blog. The Bechtel bid was seen as simply not competitive. Not sure about the Texas people but they seem to be seen in a better light.