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CNS employees were recognized with awards from NNSA’s Office of Safety, Infrastructure, and Operations – or NA-50 – for the exceptional accomplishments made in support of NA-50 efforts to achieve the NNSA mission. At the September 10 Pantex event, Bill Eckroade, Pantex deputy manager for the NNSA Production Office, and NA-50 Associate Administrator Jim McConnell honored employees who worked on the projects. At Y-12 on the same day, NPO Manager Geoff Beausoleil, Y-12 Site Manager Bill Tindal, and Senior Director of Infrastructure Programs Steve Laggis handed out the awards.

“Each of our sites have old infrastructure, and that adds substantial challenges in the workforce and keeping our operations efficient, reliable, and safe,” Eckroade said. “As I’ve seen people trying to manage that infrastructure, you see workers using innovation persistence and sometimes sheer determination for making old infrastructure work to achieve the mission we’ve been assigned. But, the good news is that in recent years, we have seen enhanced allocations of resources to help us with our infrastructure.”

McConnell said Pantex is a good example of the forefront of what NA-50 does considering the combined safety implications of the site and the large amount aging infrastructure. “My job is to help you succeed, and your success is the thing that I then get to feed back into the system to allow people to bring us even more opportunities and more resources, so that the success you did in 2018 turns into the things you’re doing right now,” he said. “It was great seeing all the great work you do here.”

At Y-12, Laggis thanked team members for demonstrating excellence in “doing the right things to the right infrastructure in the right way.”

Tindal told the honorees, “Your insistence on excellence, your tenacity in doing the job right, and your understanding that teamwork is often the best solution on a project, has been recognized by NNSA as the best of the best across the enterprise in 2018.”

Beausoleil’s comments echoed those of McConnell in that CNS’s work has brought success. “Your work in revitalizing our infrastructure will help support missions for years to come. You have my sincere gratitude and congratulations,” he said.

Laggis ended the program by saying each of the winning teams were important ingredients in the success of CNS. “Without your great work,” he said, “we could not reach our goals and complete our mission.”

A combined CNS Enterprise Fire Department Team represented Pantex and Y-12 at the 2019 Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Challenge held at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) recently.

The combined team did an outstanding job representing both sites and were voted by the other teams and operators in the competition as winners of the Sportsmanship Award. This award recognizes a team that embodies the values of working as a team, working with other teams, and being willing to step up wherever a need arises.

“The CNS Enterprise FD Team did an excellent job. It was rewarding to see how they came together the first day operating as one team in the events,” Doug Trout, CNS Senior Director, Enterprise Emergency Services said. “The planning beforehand and collaboration by the team was evident in all of the events. They have ideas for training to take back and are looking forward to next year. This was an excellent event.”

The HAZMAT Challenge has been hosted by the Emergency Management Division of LANL for the past 22 years, and HAZMAT teams network with one another, practice technical skills, and learn new HAZMAT techniques under realistic conditions in a safe environment.

During the Challenge, vehicles, trucks, tankers, and rail cars are used in some of the props to mimic real-life hazardous material situations. Past Challenge scenarios have included drug laboratory or chemical hazard identification, manipulation of complex valve configurations to stop leaks, confined space rescue, compressed gas leaks, a leaking rail car dome, pressurized drum opening, stinger operation responding to damaged tanker trailer, and damming/diking exercise from an overturned tanker.

Lyle Cary, Vice President of Safeguards, Security, and Emergency Services added, “The training value and relationships built during these events strengthens capability across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, and because of the number of teams from federal, state, and municipal departments, it strengthens the Nation”.

Representing Pantex were Firefighters John Sappington, Daniel Sholder, and Cody Steever, and Fire Captains Mark Campbell and Chad Zarbock.

Representing Y-12 were Firefighters Chris Altman, Scot Rose, and Craig Shaver, and Fire Captains Jeremy Maiden and Jim Arnold.

A combined CNS Enterprise Fire Department Team represented Pantex and Y-12 at the 2019 Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Challenge held at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) recently.

The combined team did an outstanding job representing both sites and were voted by the other teams and operators in the competition as winners of the Sportsmanship Award. This award recognizes a team that embodies the values of working as a team, working with other teams, and being willing to step up wherever a need arises.

“The CNS Enterprise FD Team did an excellent job. It was rewarding to see how they came together the first day operating as one team in the events,” Doug Trout, CNS Senior Director, Enterprise Emergency Services said. “The planning beforehand and collaboration by the team was evident in all of the events. They have ideas for training to take back and are looking forward to next year. This was an excellent event.”

The HAZMAT Challenge has been hosted by the Emergency Management Division of LANL for the past 22 years, and HAZMAT teams network with one another, practice technical skills, and learn new HAZMAT techniques under realistic conditions in a safe environment.

During the Challenge, vehicles, trucks, tankers, and rail cars are used in some of the props to mimic real-life hazardous material situations. Past Challenge scenarios have included drug laboratory or chemical hazard identification, manipulation of complex valve configurations to stop leaks, confined space rescue, compressed gas leaks, a leaking rail car dome, pressurized drum opening, stinger operation responding to damaged tanker trailer, and damming/diking exercise from an overturned tanker.

Lyle Cary, Vice President of Safeguards, Security, and Emergency Services added, “The training value and relationships built during these events strengthens capability across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, and because of the number of teams from federal, state, and municipal departments, it strengthens the Nation”.

Representing Pantex were Firefighters John Sappington, Daniel Sholder, and Cody Steever, and Fire Captains Mark Campbell and Chad Zarbock.

Representing Y-12 were Firefighters Chris Altman, Scot Rose, and Craig Shaver, and Fire Captains Jeremy Maiden and Jim Arnold.

Pantex Plant’s Emergency Management Department will conduct an emergency exercise on October 9. During this exercise, people in the vicinity of Pantex may observe emergency personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise.

Emergency exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations, and ensure the public, Pantex employees and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency.

Again, you may observe response personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise, If you observe suspicious activity before October 8 or after October 9, please report your observations to 477-5000.

Members of the Pantex Honor Guard visited Y-12 in June to train their fellow firefighters.

“We received approval to form an honor guard, and we decided who better to train us than our fellow coworkers,” Y-12 Assistant Fire Chief Mari-Kaye Monday said. “Pantex’s Honor Guard was established in 2011.”

Three Pantex members conducted a week of training with the 10 members of the newly formed Y-12 Fire Department Honor Guard.

“We wanted to ensure we were ready to serve as a color guard or perform a variety of events, such as opening ceremonies, parades, and funeral services for fallen fire and emergency services members,” she said.

Monday said their team has worked for years to establish an honor guard within the Y-12 Fire Department. “It is the mission of the fire service honor guard to exemplify honor, respect, and dignity while embracing fire service tradition. We’re continuing the pursuit of excellence by establishing the honor guard, and the Y-12 Fire Department is striving to exhibit pride, professionalism, and teamwork to represent CNS.”

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).