SC

SRS Layoffs Just The Beginning

A contractor which provides radioactive waste services to the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) is laying off 465 employees at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken County, South Carolina. And that could be a prelude to much bigger layoffs in the near future … According to an internal memo…

A contractor which provides radioactive waste services to the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) is laying off 465 employees at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken County, South Carolina. And that could be a prelude to much bigger layoffs in the near future …

According to an internal memo obtained by The Augusta Chronicle, Savannah River Remedi­ation blamed the layoffs on “continuing fiscal challenges” at SRS.

Those challenges are likely to continue. Back in March, more than 2,000 SRS employees were furloughed – ostensibly as a result of federal budget cuts. These employees may soon lose their jobs, too, although with thousands of other contract employees on the facility’s “mixed oxide fuel” (MOX) project.

After spending untold hundreds of millions of dollars (including $500 million this year) on a plan to turn weapons grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear reactors, the federal government is now on the verge of abandoning the MOX program – which is 60 percent complete.

Plagued by cost overruns, the facility was supposed to have been completed in 2007 at a cost of $1.6 billion to taxpayers.

That didn’t happen, though.

“Today the plant’s completion is expected in 2019 at a cost of $7.7 billion, plus annual operation costs of approximately $500 million, up from an estimated $156 million in just 2010,” a taxpayer watchdog group noted in April.

But will the project ever be completed? It’s not looking likely. U.S. President Barack Obama is scaling back funding for the program and has expressed doubts regarding its viability and affordability – even as he pumped another half-billion into it in his most recent budget.

Crazy, huh?

South Carolina should expect to see major job losses coming out of the Savannah River Site in the coming months. Meanwhile taxpayers should expect to eat another multi-billion dollar bill.

 

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15 comments

Just me September 13, 2013 at 9:18 am

Seriously, I’ve never seen a larger grouping of government paid do nothings any where else in the state than this place. It is a giant, constantly flushing toilet bowl for tax payer dollars.

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CNSYD September 13, 2013 at 10:33 am

This is, of course, based upon your personal observation. You have complete access to the site including all records. Correct?

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Smirks September 13, 2013 at 10:39 am

What does he look like, an NSA agent?

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Plutonium Porkbarrel September 14, 2013 at 11:08 am

SRS would be chagrinned to FINISH anything. That’s when the money stops.
But they are hoist on their own petard this time around.

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GrandTango September 13, 2013 at 9:20 am

LMAO….When I was a regular, this site was still a bit of a laughingstock, for the serious at which it takes itself.

For a gravy-train bred, establishment fed, yuppie guy, who screwed the pooch when he had the power…FITS as a now-pontificating wind-bag, was humorous.

At least FITS attracted attention, when I was here to reveal who, and what, he really is…

Now that I’ve left…I see the comment numbers at a fraction of before, and FITS all over the place w/ his editorial content. And Lizenby has become irrelevant, and quit, I guess, w/ me not here to point out the trite, lockstep-liberal voice she is.

Goes to show you fakes do not sell…

I’m guess the SCDP is pumping up this site, and maybe even some well-heeled nihilist Liberal-Tarians…

That said: If FITS wants to pay my price, I’ll be glad to come back and crack the $#!* out of him and his idiot minions…because, let’s be honest, w/o me you are an ignorant-looking, no-talent wannbe, who is a bit lost….

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southmauldin September 13, 2013 at 10:24 am

He’s baaaacccckkkk!

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Smirks September 13, 2013 at 10:38 am

And with a patriotic ‘Murican flag to boot. All that’s missing from that picture is a bald eagle shedding a tear that has a reflection of the twin towers.

T, we’d love to pay the price, but we already sent our money to help Ford get back from the Philippines. Help us out here bruddah! lol…

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John Boy September 13, 2013 at 11:35 am

If we paid your price, Biggie, you would have a job. Speaking of, are you going to ask for money from The State for those 100+ clichéd weekly comments? BigT on big pimpin’!

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GrandTango September 13, 2013 at 12:00 pm

More pertinent: Are you going to go to the ‘crescent and star’ now…or the ‘hammer and sickle’???…..Dumb@$$…Hahahaha…

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John Boy September 13, 2013 at 12:14 pm

“Dumb@$$”

Oh, how I miss those terms of endearment.

About my avatar, no need to flatter yourself…I think it sums up my HATRED (like that, Biggs?) of today’s GOP. I’m voting for REVENGE, REVENGE GODDAMNIT! My OWN mother was a TYPICAL WHITE WOMAN!! WRIGHT, SHARPTON, OBAMA’S SATAN!!! WHOO! We love you man!

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Philip Branton September 13, 2013 at 10:04 am

Well, Mr. Folks, you may be right that this is just the beginning of further layoffs; but why do you not offer your readers an option to let these workers know that their fellow FITSNEWS readers realize just how important ENERGY is to our local economy and the WAR effort. The comment by GRAND TANGO might just have some very soft truth to it

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Jim September 13, 2013 at 6:31 pm

Mr Folks. this cannot be true. Nikki Haley makes job announcements and she has not said a word.

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IVEBEENHACKED September 13, 2013 at 11:10 pm

Strom Thurmond would have never let this happen. We have Lindsey GRAHAM THE WIMP TO THANK..

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Jethro September 14, 2013 at 12:17 am

Blame Obama.

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Amused September 14, 2013 at 6:53 pm

Continuing a failing program just puts good money after bad. Save the plutonium for future warheads.

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