Tennessee

‘Novel’ deal puts $42M into Tennessee accounts for Manhattan Project cleanup projects

Published

4 days ago

July 12, 2024

‘Novel’ deal puts $42M into Tennessee accounts for Manhattan Project cleanup projects

After 15 years of negotiations between the state of Tennessee and the U.S. Department of Energy over the price tag of environmental damages stemming from the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, the two have signed a $42 million agreement to pay for restoration projects.

The money, set to be deposited by the Department of Energy into a Tennessee state account over the next several years, will be given to nonprofits and public entities to fund projects like building public trails and planting native species.

“The city is putting together a list of projects and will be applying for funding,” Oak Ridge City Manager Randy Hemann said. “We have no shortage of projects.”

The projects, which could receive millions of dollars each, must fall into one of five categories: habitat creation, habitat restoration or enhancement, habitat preservation, groundwater or recreation. Eligible projects cover Anderson and Roane counties, as well as parts of Loudon and Knox counties.

The agreement is part of a process to restore Oak Ridge and surrounding waterways to the state there were in before the Department of Energy released contaminants, including radioactive waste, while enriching uranium for the first atomic bomb. The $42 million helps the federal government settle its liabilities.

Energy Department redirects Tennessee funds

The Oak Ridge Reservation, a federally owned tract of 32,260 acres that includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, was designated a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989.

Trustees to negotiate the damages owed to the state are:

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Tennessee Valley Authority
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior

Representatives of the trustees sit on a council that will select projects.

The council put together a novel plan to settle the disagreement between the state and the DOE shortly after Gov. Bill Lee took office.

What makes the plan unique is the source of the $42 million, said Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

Half of the money has already been given from the DOE to Tennessee through an agreement dating back to the 1990s. The DOE agreed to give the state $1 million each year in a perpetual care fund for the landfill it uses in Oak Ridge today. Typically, the state would use the fund to care for the landfill after it closes, Mullis said.

But the state will not bear the responsibility to care for the DOE’s landfill, set to be replaced in 2029, so the money has accrued with no clear purpose.

Now, it will be repurposed for restoration projects after the DOE agreed to match the funds.

“I had to put a decent amount of pressure on the DOE feds at headquarters to move this along, because it was so novel,” Mullis told Knox News. “Bureaucracies hate anything that’s novel. But if we’re going to get anything novel done, Oak Ridge is the place to do it.”

How Oak Ridge compares to other Manhattan Project sites

Between the 1940s and 1970s, the DOE buried around 6 million cubic feet of radioactive and other waste in shallow burial sites. It also discharged waste directly into the East Fork Poplar Creek. Since 1986, when remedial activities began, it has removed contaminated soil into landfills and cleaned up waterways.

Cleanup leaders in Oak Ridge, who direct part of the largest environmental cleanup project in the world, often tout their work as the most efficient, innovative and cost-effective of all Manhattan Project sites.

Other sites, particularly the quagmire of radioactive waste in Hanover, Washington, have spent tens of millions of dollars just assessing environmental damages.

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its cleanup contractor UCOR tore down all buildings at the K-25 site, once home to the world’s largest building, and will finish cleaning its soil of radioactive material this year.

They also have found unique ways to reuse radioactive material, like giving a Cold War-era generator to a company that will reuse it to create power in the deep sea and space.

Mullis and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers held a signing ceremony in Oak Ridge for the new agreement July 11.

“This funding will protect the natural resources in the area as well as go toward outdoor recreational opportunities for Tennesseans, creating a more balanced and healthy environment for all,” Salyers said in a press release.

DOE to host public meetings on the application process

The first phase of the restoration process focused on the Watts Bar Reservoir. To compensate for damage to the waterway, the DOE established the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement in 2009, a 3,000-acre natural habitat and recreational area managed in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The second phase, focused on other Oak Ridge land and the Clinch River, will be restored through community projects funded by the agreement. The projects are separate from the DOE’s risk-based cleanup, such as demolition of Manhattan Project-era nuclear reactors.

Nonprofits and public entities that want to apply for funding can find more information about the grant application process in a draft procedure document.

The state will receive public comments at ORRrestoration@tn.gov until Aug. 12.

The trustee council will post the final document online later this summer and will host public meetings in the community to help organizations understand the application process.

Oak Ridger news editor Donna Smith contributed to this reporting.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Source link

Click to comment

Tennessee

It’s time for Amazon Prime Day! And we found some of the best deals for Tennessee

Published

1 hour ago

July 16, 2024

Press Room

It’s time for Amazon Prime Day! And we found some of the best deals for Tennessee

It’s finally here. It’s time for Amazon’s 48-hour mega sale.

Amazon Prime Day started at 12:01 a.m. PT on Tuesday, July 16. For Tennessee, deals began rolling out at 2:01 a.m. CT/ 3:01 a.m. ET and will continue until 2:01 a.m. CT/3:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 18 (which is 12:01 a.m. PT on Thursday, July 18). Don’t worry, the hottest deals on tech items, kitchen gadgets and beauty supplies are still coming out every minute.

Will the first day of 2024 beat out 2023 as the company’s largest sales day ever? In 2023, more than 375 million items were purchased and customers saved $2.5 billion through the deals, according to Amazon.

With so many deals available and the rotating lightning deals, it can be hard to find the biggest and best deals of the two-day sale. Here’s what to know about Amazon Prime Day and the best deals for Arizonans.

Shop Prime Day deals

Best Amazon Prime Day deals

Many hot tech items, kitchen gadgets and more are on sale for Amazon Prime Day. Here are a few of the best deals for shoppers:

Don’t miss out when Prime Day begins: Follow live updates on the deals our partner Reviewed finds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Survive the heatwaves hitting Tennessee this summer with these deals

Heatwaves have made Tennessee a hot box this summer. Take a look at some deals from Amazon Prime Day that could help you to stay cool:

Check out the deals that will help you explore Tennessee’s great outdoors

With mountains, waterfalls, beautiful hiking trails and riverfronts, Tennessee has everything a nature lover could want. Take a look at these Amazon Prime Day deals for outdoor lovers including many types of travel water bottles, bug zappers, water filters and apparel.

More deals: Sign up for Reviewed newsletters to get the latest in your inbox

What time does Amazon Prime Day 2024 end?

After the start time, shoppers have 48 hours, meaning Arizonans can grab deals until midnight on Thursday, July 18.

Is Amazon Prime Day only for members?

Yes, you must be a Prime member to access the special Amazon Prime Day deals. However, it’s not too late to join.

How much does Amazon Prime cost?

A standard membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 for a one-year subscription. Students and those who qualify for government assistance can receive a 50% discount.

Benefits of the Prime membership include free same-day, one-day or two-day delivery, discounts at Amazon Fresh stores, books on Prime Reading, access to shows and movies on the Amazon Prime streaming app and ad-free music and podcasts on Amazon Music.

— Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Source link

Tennessee

Neo-Nazi group demonstrates on Tennessee overpass

Published

8 hours ago

July 16, 2024

Press Room

Neo-Nazi group demonstrates on Tennessee overpass

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A neo-Nazi group demonstrated on an overpass overlooking Interstate 65 on Monday afternoon.

The group identified themselves as the Goyim Defense League, which, according to the Anti-Defamation League is, “…is a loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism.”

An officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department said several officers responded to the area after multiple 911 calls. The group then hung a banner/sign on the overpass.

The group began packing up to leave as officers went to respond.

Over the weekend, two people were arrested after a protestor carrying a Nazi flag used his flagpole to strike a downtown bar employee, according to MNPD. Police arrested 29-year-old Ryan Scott McCann of Ontario, Canada. He was charged with felony aggravated assault after using his flagpole to hit the bartender, 19-year-old Deago Buck.

Police said Buck had just been involved in a fight with members of a presumed Neo-Nazi protest group.

McCann was part of the group who carried Nazi flags and “spread white supremacist rhetoric” on Broadway and 3rd Avenue on Sunday afternoon, police said.

The group left Broadway and headed south on 3rd Avenue. As they walked, Buck got into a fight with one of the protestors, police said.

As the parties became separated, McCann hit Buck in the face and ribs with the flagpole.

“Chief John Drake condemned the hate being spread by the Neo-Nazi group,” MNPD said in a press release. “He expressed his appreciation to the MNPD officers who spent their late afternoon/early evening monitoring the group’s activities.”

A week ago, a hate group of white supremacists took over parts of downtown Nashville with what’s being called a ‘disturbing’ march.

The group that marched past city hall is called Patriot Front. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the group as a white nationalist hate group. The Anti-Defamation League also said its members believe their ancestors conquered America and left it for only them.

Around 200 members wearing masks walked across Lower Broadway and through downtown Nashville on Saturday carrying confederate flags and upside-down American flags. Metro Nashville government officials said they did not have a permit but proceeded to block off roads on their own.

Source link

Tennessee

Tegan Kuhns will pitch for Tennessee baseball, turn down MLB Draft

Published

16 hours ago

July 15, 2024

Press Room

Tegan Kuhns will pitch for Tennessee baseball, turn down MLB Draft

Tegan Kuhns is going to pitch for Tennessee baseball, the heralded prep pitcher told Knox News on Monday.

The 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher from Gettysburg Area High School in Pennsylvania was ranked the No. 96 prospect going into the draft by MLB.com. Kuhns indicated to Knox News he will come to school after the second day of the 2024 MLB Draft on Monday at which point he had not been picked.

He will be eligible for 2026 draft as a draft-eligible sophomore.

Infielders Ty Southisene and Trey Snyder were the lone two Tennessee commits picked in the first 10 rounds. Southisene was picked in the fourth round by the Chicago Cubs with pick No. 120. Snyder was drafted No. 144 by the New York Mets as a fifth-round pick.

The Vols had seven signees ranked in the top-200 prospects, including Kuhns and fellow pitcher Anson Siebert who was ranked No. 108.

Tennessee had a program-record four players taken in the first two rounds.

Second baseman Christian Moore became the highest-drafted UT player under coach Tony Vitello when he was picked No. 8 overall by the Los Angeles Angels. First baseman Blake Burke was selected No. 34 by the Milwaukee Brewers in the competitive balance portion of the first round. Third baseman Billy Amick was picked No. 60 overall as the second-round pick of the Minnesota Twins. Outfielder Dylan Dreiling was No. 65 as the Texas Rangers’ second-round pick.

The Vols had four picks Monday. Pitcher Drew Beam was picked in the third round by the Kansas City Royals with pick No. 76. Outfielder Kavares Tears was selected in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres with pick No. 134. Pitcher AJ Causey was taken in the fifth round by the Kansas City Royals with pick No. 138. Pitcher Aaron Combs rounded out the group as the eight-round pick of the Chicago White Sox.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

Source link