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Printer FriendlyDOE NEWS RELEASE
Release date: August 21, 1998News Media Contacts:
Mike Talbot (509) 376-5632
DOE ANNOUNCES CONTRACT AGREEMENT FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY
The Department of Energy (DOE) and Battelle have agreed to a contract extension for management and operations of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) at Hanford. The contract extension means Battelle of Columbus, Ohio, will operate the laboratory through September 30, 2002. Battelle has held the PNNL contract since 1965.
"Performance at the National Laboratory has been excellent since Battelle started at Hanford and we expect that performance to continue," said Martha Krebs, DOE's Director of the Office of Energy Research. "PNNL is a multi-program laboratory that is helping to meet the challenges of cleaning up the legacy of nuclear weapons production at Hanford while providing outstanding leadership in science and technology worldwide," she said.
PNNL's basic mission is to deliver environmental science and technology to solve environmental problems. Other Laboratory work includes minimizing the impacts of energy production on the environment and promoting national security with an emphasis on nonproliferation technologies.
The laboratory employs about 3,300 staff members and has an annual budget of more than $500 million. In addition to its main Richland complex, PNNL operates a marine sciences laboratory in Sequim, Washington, and has offices in Portland, Oregon; Tacoma, Washington; and Washington, D.C.
"We have worked to incorporate very positive contract reform initiatives into the contract and that has taken some time," said DOE's Richland Operations Office Manager John Wagoner. "The contract features performance-based incentives which should lead to even stronger performance in all areas."
"This contract extension was made possible through the hard work and commitment of our staff," said PNNL Director, Dr. William Madia. "Our staff has made a difference in the world by making major contributions to some of our nation's most pressing scientific and technology challenges, and have made us a leader in the national laboratory system in the areas of operational excellence and administrative support."
During the first year of the contract extension (Fiscal Year 1998) which ends on September 30, 1998, Battelle will be compensated through an available fixed-fee of $5.6 million. For Fiscal Year 1999, Battelle can earn a potential $7.1 million available in performance-based fee. The actual fee amount earned will be based on a series of critical outcomes that are focused on performance areas important to the Department. The outcomes are associated with science and technology excellence, operational excellence, leadership and management, and community relations.
Historical Note: The U.S. Department of Energy's Richland Operations Office manages the 560-square-mile Hanford Site in Southeastern Washington State. Hanford was established during the Second World War as part of the secret Manhattan Project to produce plutonium for the United States' nuclear weapons. Weapons material production stopped in the late 1980s, and the site is now engaged in the world's largest environmental cleanup effort to deal with the legacy of radioactive and hazardous wastes that resulted from the plutonium production era.
RL 98-094
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