WIPP & SRS Contractor Change

[Michael S Ford <MFORD@pantex.com>]

Now for the 63rd slightly different take on WIPP...

<snip>
It finally happened.  The first shipment to WIPP made it this
morning.

The first attempt to move waste from Los Alamos to the WIPP site
began 0001 Thursday morning, 3/25/99, and was stopped before it
started by fog.

The second attempt was scheduled for 1901 Thursday evening.  The
truck left the Los Alamos gate at 1949 to a large cheering crowd.  As
it went through Santa Fe, using the by-pass, a group of protesters
were standing along the side of the road jeering as it passed.

South on US285, at the town of Lamey, NM a protester backed his
car across the road but was promptly removed by the NM State
police before the transport arrived.  (This is the site of a previous
TRANSAX exercise)  The rest of the trip was uneventful all the way to
Carlsbad where a large crown of cheering residents came out to
greet it.  The TRUPACTs arrived at the WIPP site gate at 0345 Friday
morning.
<snip>

Sounds like the 30 or so protesters really do represent all the
concerned and oppressed citizens of New Mexico.  Eh?

Now for those who haven't heard about the changes at Savannah
River (including, apparently, some folks AT SRS):

<snip>

SRS sold to Morrison Knudsen 

The Savannah River Site's contractor was sold  Monday to an
Idaho-based engineering firm. Morrison Knudsen acquired
Westinghouse Savannah River Co. as part of a $1.1 billion
buyout of the SRS contractor's parent, Westinghouse  Electric Co.
Morrison Knudsen and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. purchased
Westinghouse Electric from CBS on Monday after 10 months of
negotiation.

CBS sold Westinghouse Electric to concentrate on its broadcasting  
interests.  "We're delighted that this finally got closed,'' said John
Roberts, a  Morrison Knudsen spokesman, during a telephone
interview. "We are  certainly going to take advantage of the expertise
and experience that  Westinghouse has and move this company
forward.''    Westinghouse Savannah River operates SRS for the U.S.
Department of  Energy, which owns the site. The 310-square-mile
site processes rare  radioactive materials for nuclear weapons, and
treats nuclear waste left  over after the nation's Cold War weapons
buildup.

Many Westinghouse Savannah River employees were not aware of
the  company's sale when it occurred late Monday afternoon, said
Jack  Herrmann, public relations director for the company. Most
employees who did learn of the sale were enthusiastic, he said. 

"The folks who have come into my office are generally excited,
based on the fact that we're now working for a nuclear technology 
company and   not a company that's primarily focused upon
broadcasting,'' Mr.  Herrmann said. 

Westinghouse Savannah River employees should not expect any
major  changes as a result of the sale, Mr. Roberts said.  
Westinghouse Savannah River's current management team will
remain in place, he said. Morrison Knudsen executives also do not
plan to lay off employees or to make immediate changes in their pay
or benefits, although changes in benefits might be made in the long
term, he said.

Mr. Herrmann said he also did not anticipate staff reductions as a
result  of the sale.

"The interesting thing about this merger is that the three companies
involved are pretty complementary,'' he said.  "Unlike some mergers,
you  don't see a lot of redundancy.''

Under CBS, Westinghouse Savannah River was a subsidiary of 
Westinghouse Electric. Under the terms of Monday's buyout, the
SRS contractor will be a subsidiary of a newly formed firm called 
Westinghouse Government Services Company.

Morrison Knudsen will own Westinghouse Government Services,
but    British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. will retain a 40 percent economic
interest through a newly created holding company based in the
United States.

The arrangement was made to please the Energy Department, which
 raised concerns about foreign ownership of firms responsible for
U.S. national security interests, Mr. Roberts said.
<snip>

Have a great weekend!!
v/r
Michael
mford@pantex.com

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