What did the Office of Inspector General find out?

 Department of Energy Office of Inspector General Bechtel National, Inc.'s Cost Proposal Estimates for Baseline Change Proposal 02 and Its Contract Modification 384 Counterpart for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (DOE-OIG-23-34)

What Did the OIG Find?

We found that Bechtel did not utilize reasonable cost proposal estimates for baseline change proposal 02 and its contract modification 384 counterpart at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. First, Bechtel did not always use adequate estimating practices. Second, Bechtel was unable to reconcile management reserve amounts to identified risks and demonstrate how estimates reconciled to the Risk Management Plan. Finally, Bechtel's use of its Monte Carlo simulation was not consistent with industry practice, which resulted in overstated hours and costs. We attributed these issues to inadequacies in Bechtel's estimating system and Department oversight. We identified several weaknesses related to Bechtel's labor hour estimates. The labor hour estimates account for approximately $1.8 billion of the total proposed $4.5 billion.

What Is the Impact?

These issues resulted in estimates that were likely unreasonable, could not be adequately supported, and potentially benefited Bechtel improperly and disadvantaged the taxpayer. In addition, the issues identified indicate an inadequate estimating system could impact every future estimate Bechtel makes on this project. We identified over 1 million direct labor hours added through Bechtel's questionable application of Monte Carlo.

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/DOE-OIG-23-34.pdf

10/31/2023 8:38 AM

Modern variant of the B61

 The Department of Defense (DoD) announced that the United States will pursue a modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, designated the B61-13, pending Congressional authorization and appropriation. 

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3571660/department-of-defense-announces-pursuit-of-b61-gravity-bomb-variant/

U.S. announces new NUCLEAR weapon 24 times the power of one dropped on Hiroshima

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12688663/Nuclear-Hiroshima-bomb-Biden-Xi-Taiwan-Putin-Pentagon.html

B61-13s will have less than one third the power of the biggest U.S. nuclear weapon - the B83 - which has a yield of 1.2 megatons, 80 times the Hiroshima bomb.

Barack Obama tried to retire the B83 but Donald Trump ended that effort.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico 3,300 workers have been hired in the last two years, with the workforce now numbering more than 17,000.

Workers are producing plutonium cores which are key components for nuclear weapons.

Does China really invest any other country

 It seems surprising that China invests more than any country in renewable energy. These 2019 statistics by statista, a reliable and often source cited in academic research.

Is my surprise justified?

https://www.statista.com/statistics/799098/global-clean-energy-investment-by-country/

China’s nuclear arsenal on track to double by 2030

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-s-nuclear-arsenal-on-track-to-double-by-2030-pentagon-reports/ar-AA1ix2i5

China has developed an arsenal of more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and is set to double that number by the end of the decade, exceeding previous Pentagon estimates, according to a Defense Department report.

Former Sandía Lab in Livermore is suing

 9th Circuit panel considers if Sandia scientist’s retirement was voluntary

https://www.exchangemonitor.com/9th-circuit-panel-considers-if-sandia-scientists-retirement-was-voluntary/

January 2022 (background)

Former Sandia Lab Director Robert Hwang Files Suit For Racism

https://www.independentnews.com/news/livermore_news/former-sandia-lab-director-robert-hwang-files-suit-for-racism/article_93b308d4-7a05-11ec-8516-77578a6fb89e.html

Mello said.....

 Greg Mello posted this

Good morning Khal. One senate staffer, when asked what the post-PF-4 plan for pit production at LANL was, said to me, "Savannah River." That is, pit production at LANL is meant to be temporary. The idea is apparently what LANL's Bob Webster (I think it was) said to a large group of managers, "Interview 50, hire all 50, and sort them out later." All these people being hired will be "sorted out" later. LANL hopes there will be a new "Bit Thing," or continuing "Big Thing(s)" down the road. Dear developers: don't bet on the pit market forever.

It does not sound like Webster but I have to admit the new hires are horrible. Not everyone but they seem to have no quality control and just hiring everyone. I can understand that maybe in the PIT part of the lab you just need to hire, however what I cannot figure out is why is this attitude in other parts of the lab?

Building Nuclear Bomb Cores Again

 https://time.com/6296743/los-alamos-lab-plutonium-pits-nuclear-weapons/

In the Lab Oppenheimer Built, the U.S. Is Building Nuclear Bomb Cores Again

The effort to restart America’s nuclear-weapons manufacturing program in response represents the biggest test since the Manhattan Project. A wide range of arms-control experts and nuclear watchdogs, as well as a handful of lawmakers, are frantically sounding the alarms, warning of the existential risks of the course that leaders in both parties have taken. Critics say the U.S. is repeating the mistakes of the Cold War by funneling billions of taxpayer dollars into weapons that will hopefully never be used and haven’t been tested in more than a generation.

The picturesque setting for Oppenheimer’s pursuit of an atomic bomb contributed to the sense of insularity. Outsiders were not welcome. The people who worked and lived at Los Alamos were bound by secrecy and, with few exceptions, unable to leave. To this day, the people on this isolated plateau say they’re “on the hill,” which by default means that everyone else in the world is “off” it.



That last part is kind of funny. "someone tried to escape the hill but was caught" because no one "leaves the hill". The article is just crap. (1) 95% of anyone working at LANL could easily find a job elsewhere, no one is trapped on "the hill". (2) in the last 20 years the lab has had about 50% turnover rate, people get offers all the time. Anyone I know who said they wanted to leave, because of a spouse, new area, or what they are doing at the lab was shrinking got an offer in short order. Less than half the workers at LANL even live on "the hill". Also you could this about anything, people who work in DC say "we work in DC" which by default means everyone else "does not work in DC". Ok that is just stupid.

Are we ready?

 WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-must-be-ready-simultaneous-wars-with-china-russia-report-says-2023-10-12/

Putin threatens the West

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12598295/Putin-vows-create-new-world-Russian-insists-Western-arrogance-started-war-Ukraine-trying-end-ranting-anti-speech.html

Putin threatens the West with total nuclear destruction leaving 'no chance of survival' in the event of a strike on Russia as he warns his 'Satan-2' and 'Flying Chernobyl' missiles are ready for use in ranting anti-US speech.

This is a lot of talk. What I want to know is what happens if Putin tests a nuke. Would this really put fear into the west that this is serious or would it just make the west want to take out Russia even faster. Also what if the test is a failure? Would we test?

Things could be getting very interesting in the next 14 months, as we could have ww3, a civil war or both. Well at least NIF works. Maybe a Nobel next year.

Water desalinisation

MIT water desalinisation system yields fresh water cheaper than tap water!

 https://scitechdaily.com/mits-new-desalination-system-produces-freshwater-that-is-cheaper-than-tap-water/

Pivotal discovery

 This discovery holds promise for the advancement of fusion energy, with potential implications for the ongoing ITER project in France.

https://scitechdaily.com/pivotal-discovery-signals-a-huge-leap-forward-in-fusion-energy-reactor-progress/