News

AMARILLO, Texas – A major maintenance and repair project has just begun at Pantex, with road construction that will focus on resurfacing almost 19 miles of roads at Pantex, along with 29,000 square feet of parking lots.

Work will take place across almost every area at the plant. An average of 25 semi-trucks loads a day will carry 58,000 tons of road materials over the course of the project.

Besides the scale of the project, what makes this project unique is the use of the Pantex Mentor-Protégé program, the first of its kind at Pantex for CNS, which operates the plant for The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The program seeks to foster long-term business relationships between small, disadvantaged business entities and DOE prime contractors, and to increase the overall number of small businesses that receive DOE prime and subcontracts.

SAMES (Saul and Samuel Maldonado Engineering and Surveying) out of McAllen, with more than 300 federal projects already completed, will support the Pantex mission by providing surveying and engineering expertise, and in turn, CNS will offer guidance on business management and development.

Michelle Reichert, CNS chief operating officer said, “We value small businesses; partnering with them is essential for us to accomplish our important mission for the nation. I’m excited to see how this relationship will further our infrastructure revitalization efforts.”

“This agreement is mutually beneficial,” said Ryan Johnston, who manages the CNS small business program at Pantex. “SAMES will provide the unique surveying and engineering expertise we need, while gaining the skills necessary to compete for larger DOE subcontracts.”

When possible, resurfacing of the roads and parking lots will take place during the weekend to reduce disruptions for employees. The project is expected to be finished in October of this year.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

AMARILLO, Texas – Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, has expanded its Fellows Program, adding two employees to its group of technical experts. The additions to the program include one employee from each CNS site: the Pantex Plant’s Neil Koone and the Y-12 National Security Complex’s John Prazniak.

Koone was chosen as a new Electromagnetics Fellow, while Prazniak is a Uranium Fellow; he replaces Glenn Pfennigworth, who retired.

The addition of Koone and Prazniak brings the number of CNS fellows to five. The program recognizes technical staff members who have achieved status as a national or international expert in their field. Each fellow serves a renewable two-year term acting as the technical expert in their competency area and will be a mentor to other staff.

The program began in fiscal year 2017, offering highly qualified CNS engineers and scientists the opportunity to focus on future technologies. The program allows the fellows to pursue greater professional growth while helping to ensure CNS’s technical success by focusing on visionary and transformative technologies.

The fellows are chosen by a committee comprising leaders from across CNS. Fellowships are available in each of the CNS core competencies: metallurgy, uranium chemistry, lithium/special nuclear material, explosives, advanced manufacturing, component analysis/surveillance, electromagnetic effects, and nonproliferation.

Koone has more than 17 years of experience at Pantex. He began his career as a physics professor in the University System of Georgia and also taught at the University of Texas at Tyler and worked at Bell Helicopter-Textron Inc. His main focus at Pantex is in lightning protection.

Prazniak is currently supporting the deployment of uranium purification methods through electrorefining and has worked on uranium processing in Oak Ridge for 40 years, first at the Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant. He came to Y-12 in 1985 and helped restart Y-12’s enriched uranium recovery system.

Lorelei Woods (Pantex Component Analysis/Surveillance), Vincent Lamberti (Y-12 Component Analysis/Surveillance), and Alan Moore (Metallurgy) were selected in 2017 and are serving the second year of their fellowships. They may apply to have their terms extended.

“The enduring success of our sites relies on our ability to enhance technology and innovation, specifically in our core capabilities, and the CNS Fellows Program will ensure we remain a leader in technology innovation,” CNS Fellows Program Manager Ashley Stowe said.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573.0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

AMARILLO, Texas – Nonprofits in the Texas Panhandle will be better able to expand or continue their missions thanks to grants from Consolidated Nuclear Security’s (CNS) Pantex Community Investment Fund, administered by the Amarillo Area Foundation.

CNS, which manages the Pantex for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, created an advisory committee to determine distribution of the funds. The committee prioritized the submissions from organizations located and operating in the 12 contiguous counties surrounding Pantex, which includes Armstrong, Carson, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hutchinson, Moore, Oldham, Potter, Randall and Swisher.

Including the latest round of grants, CNS has donated more than $745,000 to area non-profit organizations since 2016 through the Amarillo Area Foundation.

“Our relationship with the Amarillo Area Foundation has enabled our employees to engage in the grant process in such an effective way,” said Jason Bohne, CNS Communications and Public Affairs director. “As a company, we’re happy to partner with community organizations for the betterment of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle—where our employees work, live, and give.”

The advisory committee selected grantee organizations based on the following funding preferences and priorities: Basic Needs, Child and Family Development, Education, Community Development, Financial Literacy, and Health and Wellness.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the absolute priorities of safety, security, quality, mission delivery and cost efficiency.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573-0490
Stephen.Myers@pantex.doe.gov

Pantexan Bruce Phebus with HE Materials and Testing recently presented a demonstration on the Phases of Matter to children at the Canyon Library.

Bruce talked with the children about how gasses expand and cool, the components of air, and how clouds form.

He performed demonstrations such as balloons in the vacuum chamber, the Franklin cup, and touchable clouds for the children whose average age was around 5 years old.

“I think science demos are important because science shouldn’t be abstract. It should be something people and kids realize is a real job and it explains the world,” Bruce said. “I think science without seeing scientists in person and demos is like watching water polo from the Sahara. Any given kid can’t even imagine the pool let alone someone playing in it.”

He said doing these types of demos makes science relevant for children, and explains the world that children touch and see every day.

“It isn’t just ‘facts’ in a book that are untestable and unverifiable on their own, things they just need to accept,” Bruce said. “The key tenant of science is trust but verify! Learn it all for yourself!”

Kimbel Leffew with Pantex Contractor Assurance is a member of the Human Performance Improvement Working Group team that was awarded the HPI Team Award by the Energy Facilities Contractor Operating Group at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Chris Clark, Leffew’s manager, said, “As a fairly new manager in the Contractor Assurance organization, Kimbel has been a quick study of the complex processes and tools we use. With her outstanding contacts across the nuclear enterprise, she reaches out on a regular basis to benchmark other organizations as well as offer benchmark-quality ideas emanating from our two plants.”

Leffew and Chuck Ramsey (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) accepted the award on behalf of their team. The team was recognized for exceptional performance by a group who was instrumental in addressing a key EFCOG issue. The HPI Working Group turned around its team and provided members products that add value, such as a template for building an HPI strategic plan, an HPI business plan, and HPI assessment tools.

This award also recognizes the team’s contributions to the design and implementation of the HPI curriculum with the creation of the HPI Fundamentals and HPI Lead Practitioner Training Courses under the Performance and Reliability Program in DOE.

Kimbel Leffew, Pantex Contractor Assurance, and Chuck Ramsey, ORNL, accept the Human Performance Improvement Team Award from the EFCOG Safety Chair John McDonald. Team members not pictured include: Patricia Allen (Savannah River Remediation), Mike Petrowski (Los Alamos National Laboratory), and Lloyd Keith (Washington River Protection Solution).

1. Protect your health

• Get checked out! An annual physical is a Cigna CNS benefit.
• Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and body mass index.

2. Insist on Pre-Job Briefings

• Identify scope to be performed and how it will be done; discuss location and potential hazards; know what personal protective equipment is required.
• Know what to do if abnormal conditions occur.

3. Perform the DRIVER steps before operating a vehicle

• Do a 360-degree walk-around; Rely on a spotter; Identify the safety features; Verify safe conditions; Eliminate distractions; Report all accidents.
• Ask your supervisor or safety representative if you have questions

4. Set High Standards to avoid falls in the workplace

• Use ladders properly, including keeping three points of contact when climbing, not leaning to one side when on the ladder, setting the ladder at the proper angle, securing the ladder, etc.
• Ensure use of a proper fall arrest system such as full body harness, self-retracting lanyard, and approved anchor point with 100% tie-off.

5. Be Aware of Hazards in the workplace

• As you begin work, ask yourself:
  • Do I have the right tools/equipment for the job?
  • Have I inspected my tools/equipment to make sure they are in good repair?
  • Am I positioning the tool correctly? Are hands and other body parts out of the line of fire?
  • Do I need additional Personal Protective Equipment for the job?

6. Practice Hand Safety

• Our hands are one of our most valuable tools, so protect them.
• Evaluate your work area for potential hand hazards.
• Use the proper tool for the task.
• Wear the right glove for the task.

7. Commute Safely

• Driving to and from work is one of the most dangerous activities we do each day.
• Start SMART
  • Secure your seat belt and adjust your seat.
  • Make adjustments (check mirrors and eliminate blind spots) before putting vehicle in drive.
  • Avoid driving drowsy by getting plenty of rest each night. Lack of sleep causes you to react more slowly, and impairs judgement and vision.
  • Remain focused on driving.
  • Thoroughly check your surroundings for traffic, people, blind spots, and objects.
• Stay SMART
  • Control your Speed.
  • Monitor for excessive speed and road conditions.
  • Avoid distractions. Follow CNS’s Cellular Telephone/Mobile Electronic Device policy to minimize risk during driving.
  • Follow the Rules of the road.
  • Take Time to reach your destination. Plan ahead. Allow for extra time.

8. Walking is Working

• Keep these facts in mind when you consider talking or texting while walking:
  • Texting decreases your situational awareness and limits eyes on path.
  • Five seconds is the average time your eyes are not focused on the path if you are walking while texting.
  • Tripping hazards could be one step ahead.
  • Own the outcome, stop and take time out to talk or text.

9. Think Before You Act

• Report it, don’t ignore it – report near misses and if something doesn’t’ seem safe report it immediately.
• Always look for hidden hazards – be aware of changes around you and pay attention to detail and the task at hand.
• Keep your mind on the task – remind yourself why certain safety policies and best practices are in place and stop to think before you act – keep a safety mindset!

10. Manage Stress

• Focus on the one thing that’s always within your control: you.
• These steps will help you manage job stress:
  • Take responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being.
  • Avoid pitfalls by identifying knee-jerk habits and negative attitudes that add to the stress you experience at work.
  • Learn better communication skills to improve your relationships with managers and coworkers.

Pantexans with POLO recently took part in the annual Engineering Camp held each summer at West Texas A&M University in Canyon.

Milton Guerrero with Pantex Nuclear Procurement Engineering was a guest speaker at the event and spoke on the world of engineering and led students in an activity to help demonstrate how the world of engineering works.

Lance Duncan from Pantex Mission Engineering also presented at the event which was geared towards high school students.

During the presentations students learned about Pantex and Y-12, the different types of engineering (Mechanical, Environmental, Electrical, etc.), salary statistics, and the backgrounds of the guest speakers.

“This event was important to me because it was an opportunity to inspire kids to follow the path to becoming an engineer,” Guerrero said. “I attended this event to not only inspire but to also give back to my alma mater WTAMU.”

Students at several colleges recently had the opportunity to attend a Nuclear Security Enterprise Day to learn more about jobs available to them in an industry often cloaked in secrecy. During March and April, CNS, along with our colleagues from across the NSE, visited Georgia Tech, Purdue, Texas A&M, and the University of California at Merced to communicate the importance of our national security mission and the opportunities we have available for upcoming graduates.

Alexi McCallick of Tooling and Tester Design at Pantex (left) talks with a student at the Texas A&M Nuclear Security Enterprise Day

Human Resources’ Amy Moran, instrumental in recruiting and attracting top talent to CNS, noted, “In the workforce market, there is a war for talent because of our strong global economic environment. Within the NSE, we have the ‘Nuclear Security Enterprise Workforce Recruitment Strategy’ to raise awareness with universities throughout the country of what we do, the NSE mission, and our job openings.”

NSE Days include presentations, panels, and recruiting booths, allowing members of the NSE (including CNS’s Pantex and Y-12) to establish relationships with the universities. “We’re working to develop pipelines for hard-to-fill positions such as cybersecurity and engineering,” Moran said. “Pantex and Y-12 are integral to the NSE’s missions, so it’s important for us to help the enterprise attract a capable workforce to sustain our future nuclear security missions across all sites.”

Charles Herrell of Cyber Operations joined the Purdue NSE Day and thinks these events help potential employers and employees understand one another.

“I enjoyed speaking to the prospective employees for cyber security-related positions. We spoke the same language and shared a passion for protecting cyber assets,” he said. “I have been to recruiting events talking to recruiters about job openings, and they didn’t know the details of what those in my profession do, so it made me left feeling like I could not sell myself because I could see the recruiter’s eyes glaze over quickly.”

Nuclear Security Enterprise Day at Purdue includes
networking time. Mike Ellis (orange shirt) of Functional Engineering and Jason Steward of Metallurgical Engineering and Processing (beside Ellis) attended.

The Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds is pleased to announce the winner of the 2019 Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award. The U. S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Pantex Plant was honored at this year’s Council meeting for their innovative work with Swainson’s Hawks, Purple Martins, and other birds across the Western Hemisphere. The Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award annually recognizes a single project or action conducted by or in partnership with a Federal agency that meets the intent and spirit of Executive Order 13186 by focusing on migratory bird conservation.

Award winners. Pictured (from left to right) are Chris Cantwell, DOE/NNSA Pantex Plant; Beverly Whitehead, DOE; Jerome Ford, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; James Ray, DOE/NNSA Pantex Plant; and Josh Silverman, DOE. Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

About the Winning Project

Project: Pantex-A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Contributing to Migratory Bird Conservation across Hemispheres

Project Lead: Department of Energy /Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (Pantex Plant)

Partners: Texas Tech University (including the USGS Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit), West Texas A&M University, University of Manitoba (Canada), York University (Canada), Purple Martin Conservation Association, Disney World Wide Fund, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and many property owners and volunteers.

Description: The Pantex Plant increased its on-going research, collaborations, and outreach programs in 2017 and 2018. Pantex added an additional partner, the Texas Ornithological Society, which donated geolocators to Pantex staff for deployment on Purple Martins.

Pantex sponsored collaborations continued the monitoring of nine species of concern and other birds in plots associated with wind energy research (West Texas A&M University), transitioned the Swainson’s Hawk research to juveniles (Texas Tech University; including the USGS Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit), and continued with analyses of data gathered on Swainson’s Hawks throughout the Hawk’s annual travels through North, Central and South America. Pantex continued to collaborate with and provide a sixth deployment site for geolocators and G.P.S. data-loggers as part of an international collaboration that has now documented and characterized core stopover regions and durations (Yucatan and Central America) and specific wintering sites of the declining Purple Martin across the Amazon Basin. The collaboration is already visiting roost sites and building relationships with managers and researchers in Brazil.

The Pantex banding and outreach program fostered continued staff participation in a graduate-level class project (Texas Tech University) which has led to a peer-reviewed journal article, the start-up of a legacy Purple Martin housing and research project for the Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society (Texas Tech University), and has now resulted in the banding of more than 12,000 Purple Martins and several publications.

Pantex continued mapping of prairie dog colonies on the facility as part of a management plan that assures preferred prairie dog-manipulated habitat for four previously mentioned special status species, including Western Burrowing Owls. During 2017 and 2018, Pantex collaborations and staff shared findings and management implications from migratory bird projects through 17 technical/conference presentations and posters, four magazine articles, three peer-reviewed journal articles, and two other scholarly articles which are in review or press.

Other agency sites continued to express interest in implementing “the Pantex research model” or collaborating with the site (Las Alamos National Lab, Y-12, Oak Ridge National Lab). As testimony to the success and respect of the Pantex program, there have been three instances of university researchers wanting to include Pantex and staff in applications for grants. Building off the successes of its contributions to migratory bird conservation, Pantex has used this successful model as a springboard for similar collaborations under the national pollinator initiative. Pantex recommendations have led to USDOE/NNSA sponsorship of a Raptor Research Foundation conference and a new purple martin colony at the Amarillo Zoo.

Considering the high-level issues, data collected, shared management implications, and on-site protection strategies, the Pantex partnership may benefit the full suite (442 species) of birds that breed in, migrate through, and winter in the Southern Great Plains. Research plot data include 28 special status species and 26 others have been documented using the site. Multitudes of bird species and individuals fly through, rest, and feed on the Pantex property during migration, and all the while they must navigate through many potential threats and an ever-growing number of wind farms. Students working on projects are graduating well-versed in migratory bird issues and advanced technology. Some, having tracked Swainson’s Hawks and Purple Martins across the Americas have already contributed to migratory bird conservation of hemispheric or global significance.

Full article can be found on the US Fish and Wildlife website.

Pantex Waste Operations has successfully completed its 25th consecutive Annual Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Waste Site Inspection with no violations, weakness or findings identified. The inspection was conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Region 1 on May 13-15.

Pat Moon, Waste Operations Department Manager said, “This is a significant accomplishment that is a result of the day to day attention to detail and implementation of compliance requirements by multiple Pantex organizations and personnel and shows a true commitment to excellence in the management of waste. Vigilance in meeting regulatory requirements and continuous improvement never ends as evidenced by our one self-reported non-compliance during the last 25 years that was related to shipment of waste to an unauthorized facility.”

Pantex’s Hazardous Waste Permit, issued by the State of Texas, authorizes Pantex to store and process hazardous and industrial waste. The inspection confirmed compliance with permit requirements and included facility walk-downs of all hazardous waste permitted locations, all less than 90-day central accumulation areas, all satellite accumulation areas, and various non-hazardous waste accumulation sites in Zone 12 South. The inspection also included a comprehensive records review to ensure compliance documentation met requirements of the Hazardous Waste Permit and applicable State and Federal regulations.

At the same time that the RCRA inspection was occurring, the TCEQ also completed a Texas Tier Two Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA) inspection and a Regulated Petroleum Storage Tank inspection. The EPCRA inspection was conducted to confirm that Pantex has plans and procedures in place to respond to an emergency and alert the public in the case of an event related to hazardous chemicals.

The Regulated Petroleum Storage Tank inspection was conducted to confirm that Pantex’s equipment and compliance demonstration documentation met applicable requirements and that the environment was being protected by comprehensive system monitoring. These inspections were also completed with no issues identified.