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Secretary of State Rubio, Paraguayan Foreign Minister Lezcano at Signing of MOU for Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following remarks on Aug. 4, 2026, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano at the signing of a memorandum of understanding for strategic civil nuclear cooperation:
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SECRETARY RUBIO: Before we sign it I just want to say a few words in English and Spanish. I think this is just another step in the continued growth of our relationship between our two countries. I think this MOU reflects that continued cooperation. In fact, as we were commenting in our meeting a moment ago, we've always
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following remarks on Aug. 4, 2026, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano at the signing of a memorandum of understanding for strategic civil nuclear cooperation:
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SECRETARY RUBIO: Before we sign it I just want to say a few words in English and Spanish. I think this is just another step in the continued growth of our relationship between our two countries. I think this MOU reflects that continued cooperation. In fact, as we were commenting in our meeting a moment ago, we've alwayshad strong links between the United States and Paraguay; those links have only grown stronger.
And agreements like this and others that I hope will happen in the future will begin to create real concrete progress, institutionalize the deep ties between our two countries moving forward so that they're not just the product of one administration or one era but they become enduring and can survive the shifts in political winds that happen in democracies and in - from time to time. But nonetheless, the underpinnings in the foundation remain firm and strong. So very proud to be a part of this today and I think it's a testament to that.
SECRETARY RUBIO: (Via interpreter) In Spanish, what I mean is that clearly the relationship between the United States and Paraguay has always been very close, and very, very strong. But what we have seen in the past year and a half has been incredible. The relationship between both countries has grown on a historic scale and today's agreement is simply evidence of that. What we are aiming for is to establish a relationship that not only continues to grow, but that also becomes part of something permanent, so that regardless of the changes in government that may occur in the future --for example, in our system we see changes every 4 or 8 years--, the basis, the foundation of the relationship between both countries can survive any of the political changes that may take place in the future.
I can tell you that we --obviously when I was a senator, I was very interested in the relationship between our country and Paraguay. But now in my role as Secretary of State, it is even easier for me to contribute to this effort. Based on what we can achieve in the next year and a half, and what we have achieved together over the past year and a half, which are not only bilateral issues but also regional issues, I think the relationship between the United States and Paraguay will change forever, in an extraordinary way. And today is evidence of that and represents one more step on that path that we have, that goal that we have in common.
FOREIGN MINISTER LEZCANO: Really brilliant. I will start in English. Thank you so much, Marco, because we are working so close. Our strategic alliance is quite important for both countries. We are working on security, trade, investment. We are working not only at the level of bilateral cooperation and security, we are working the whole month on the security cooperating in our region but also globally. That is that we share values and principles - freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law - that allow us to work very close together.
I would like to think, through this agreement today, we are still deepening our cooperation. And thank you so much, Marco, because your work is quite hard for us.
(In Spanish.)
SECRETARY RUBIO: Okay.
FOREIGN MINISTER LEZCANO: Let's sign.
(The Memorandum of Understanding was signed.)
(Applause.)
SECRETARY RUBIO: Do I leave it here?
STAFF: Yes.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, quick question. I'm sure you saw a Newsweek cover saying what Trump got right in Venezuela. And we want to know when we expect elections in Venezuela.
SECRETARY RUBIO: It's a process, and they have to have them. Obviously, there's a lot of work that has to happen to lay the groundwork for an election. As I said, you have to have true freedom of the press. You have to have multiparty participation. You have to have national reconciliation. I mean, you have to have an electoral commission that will accurately count the votes. So it has to happen and it's a work in progress, but again, it's been about six months since Maduro was removed, and there's a lot going on at the same time with economics and so forth.
So I think we're moving on two tracks. We want to improve the daily lives - help improve the daily lives of Venezuelans economically so that they're better off, they're more prosperous. I think that helps as well facilitate the political transition. And you also have to have a process where every element of political society in Venezuela has a role to play, not just in constructing elections but constructing the government and future of the country.
So I think it's going to require some persistence and a little bit of patience - not years, but certainly months and weeks. It's going to take some time to get there. You're dealing with a system that's been in place now for almost three decades, so it's not going to be from one day to the next. If you look at the transitions in Eastern Europe, after the fall of the Iron Curtain; if you look at Paraguay, a country that undertook a transition from authoritarianism to democracy, it took them almost three and a half years to complete that process.
These things are difficult. They don't happen - I know we are - I know we are all used to instant results or at least expectations of instant results, but if you want to do it right, what you want to have is a democratic transition that happens that brings society together, where there's a national reconciliation, where you have political parties that are able to openly and freely participate, where you have an electoral count but you also have an economy and a country whose institutions are functioning so that they're not inheriting a disaster, they're not inheriting the reconstruction process, they're inheriting a functional state.
So all of that is to say that these things don't happen from one day to the next, but the needle is pointing in the right direction. And even though the progress is probably slower than all of us would want, there is progress and progress will happen, and we're committed to it.
Okay? Thank you.
QUESTION: Secretary, can you speak about the latest on Iran and whether we're close to reaching a deal? We've seen the messaging from the Qataris about their mediation. Do you - how do you see the possibilities of a deal with Iran and with their talks --
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think there's two things to talk about when there's a deal. There's the big deal, which is the one that has to do with their nuclear ambitions. They can never have a nuclear weapon; the President's been clear about that. So the denuclearization of Iran is the ultimate deal. I think the immediate deal and the one that you've seen a lot of focus on is the straits. The straits - there are ships moving through the straits, there are oil - there is oil moving right now through the straits. So the straits are open.
Nonetheless, I think that there is a conversation and a negotiation that we are involved in between Oman and Iran on how more ships can be able to go through their safely in the short term as we move towards these longer-term talks about denuclearization. And suffice it to say there's been progress made in those talks but not finality yet. We're hoping that will happen very shortly.
Okay? Thank you guys.
FOREIGN MINISTER LEZCANO: Thank you so much.
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Original text here: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-and-paraguayan-foreign-minister-ruben-ramirez-lezcano-at-the-signing-of-a-memorandum-of-understanding-for-strategic-civil-nuclear-cooperation/
SBA Announces First-Ever Critical Suppliers Prize Competition to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing and Supply Chains
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2026:
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SBA Announces First-Ever Critical Suppliers Prize Competition to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing and Supply Chains
Competition Offers $20 Million in Capital to Small Businesses That Will Scale Domestic Production
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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced its first-ever Critical Suppliers Prize Competition, a national contest to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and critical industry supply chains by expanding capacity at key chokepoints. The competition will award up to
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2026:
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SBA Announces First-Ever Critical Suppliers Prize Competition to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing and Supply Chains
Competition Offers $20 Million in Capital to Small Businesses That Will Scale Domestic Production
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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced its first-ever Critical Suppliers Prize Competition, a national contest to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and critical industry supply chains by expanding capacity at key chokepoints. The competition will award up to$20 million in non dilutive capital, including as many as six prizes with a maximum of $6 million each, to small businesses that demonstrate the capacity to rapidly scale domestic production through measurable, enduring supply chain solutions.
"For decades, bad policy hollowed out America's industrial base and shifted our reliance toward foreign producers and fragile overseas supply chains. Thanks to President Trump, those days are over," said Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "The Critical Suppliers Prize Competition will unleash promising solutions to supply chain vulnerabilities, bring capacity and jobs back home, and rebuild strategic sectors like advanced materials, metals, and energy production. By backing innovators to deliver at scale, the Trump SBA is targeting the critical industries that will anchor America's economic strength and national security for decades to come."
Contestants must have an aligned business strategy that provides tangible deliverables on one of the following critical industry supply chain priorities:
* Advanced Metals Manufacturing, including rapid tooling, precision casting and forging, heat treated components, strategic and critical minerals, and rare earth element recovery and magnet production.
* Advanced Materials Manufacturing, including large format additive manufacturing and materials transformation.
* Energy Systems, Energetics and Components, including nuclear energy, battery energy storage systems and standardization efforts.
Eligible competition contestants must meet the following criteria:
* Private entities or teams that meet SBA's definition of a small business.
* Individuals submitting responses to this opportunity, including individuals representing organizations partnering with the small business applicant, must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are at least 18 years of age at the time of their submission of an entry.
* An individual cannot belong to more than one entry in this competition.
* Contestants must be current and in good standing on any federal obligations.
* Contestants must be in good standing in the jurisdiction of their state of organization.
* Contestants must be an entity organized in and maintaining a primary place of business in the U.S. and/or its territories.
* Contestants must be profitable and demonstrate creditworthiness.
* Contestants must demonstrate the ability to deploy funds rapidly (within six months) and demonstrate the ability to achieve measurable increases in production or ability to implement a solution to support efficiencies in production to deliver near-term supply chain impact.
* All members of the senior management team of a contestant must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and over the age of 18.
The SBA has committed to rebuilding American supply chains and domestic manufacturing through a series of targeted initiatives. This year, the agency waived loan fees for manufacturing NAICS codes, established the first-ever loan program dedicated to American manufacturers, and modernized the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program so more private capital flows into critical, supply chain sensitive industries. The agency also announced a new 90% Made in America Loan Guarantee for small manufacturers and continues to promote existing programs such as the asset-based 7(a) Working Capital Pilot (WCP) Program. Through its ongoing Supplier Matchmaking Expo series and its Make Onshoring Great Again Portal, the agency has also played an active role in helping large companies source small suppliers to onshore supply chains across industries.
Contestants must submit proposals electronically to investinnovate@sba.gov. Proposals may be in the form of a company pitch deck. More information can be found at https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/priorities/sba-initiatives/critical-suppliers-prize-competition/. The deadline for submission is Aug. 21 by 11:59 p.m. ET.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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About SBA Office of Investment and Innovation
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation (OII) leads programs to support U.S. growth-oriented small businesses and startups. These programs provide access to capital, assistance, and networks to support the success of innovation-driven small businesses. OII's work is bolstered by public-private partnerships that drive small business growth from idea to impact. To learn more, visit https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/headquarters-offices/office-investment-innovation.
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Original text here: https://legacy.sba.gov/article/2026/08/06/sba-announces-first-ever-critical-suppliers-prize-competition-strengthen-us-manufacturing-supply
NIH: Human Cancer Models to Accelerate Research and Precision Therapies
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health issued the following news release:
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Human cancer models to accelerate research and precision therapies
NIH-funded international research collaboration catalogues 25 tumor types from thousands of patient donors.
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A research project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with collaborators around the country and the world, has generated one of the most extensive and diverse collections of patient-derived tumor models. Tumor tissue from hundreds of cancer patients contributed
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health issued the following news release:
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Human cancer models to accelerate research and precision therapies
NIH-funded international research collaboration catalogues 25 tumor types from thousands of patient donors.
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A research project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with collaborators around the country and the world, has generated one of the most extensive and diverse collections of patient-derived tumor models. Tumor tissue from hundreds of cancer patients contributedto the compendium of tumor models that will enhance the study of tumor biology and be an asset in accelerating the development of cancer therapies while guiding future research directions.
The Human Cancer Models Initiative (HMCI), a decade-long effort is now an internationally accessible resource of models and data. It is a collection that includes 665 next-generation laboratory models representing 25 types of cancer from 2,780 donors. HCMI has developed models for all the common subtypes of cancer, including most of the predominant genetic alterations within each subtype.
"By linking patient-derived models with detailed molecular and clinical data, HCMI has established a framework for advancing both our understanding of cancer and outcomes for patients," said Anthony Letai, M.D., Ph.D., director of NIH's National Cancer Institute (NCI). "HCMI will distribute those models to cancer researchers to amass in-depth knowledge about cancer."
Patient-derived cancer models are fundamental tools for understanding how tumors develop and respond to treatment. However, existing collections captured only a limited portion of the biological diversity seen in human cancer. The extent to which such models preserved molecular features of their original tumors has been unclear. HCMI has addressed this gap by generating a large, well-characterized repository of models that match their parental tumors closely, sharing both genetic alterations and gene expression signatures that define the malignancy processes in each patient's cancer.
"These validated models are a step closer to providing the experimental base needed for us to better understanding of the complexities of cancer biology," said Dan Gallahan, Ph.D., director of NCI's Division of Cancer Biology.
The lab-grown research models include organoids with similar cellular composition as natural organs, such as neurosphere cell clusters from brain cancers that have characteristics of neural stem cells. Each enables studies to explore tumor evolution and diversity, as well as studies relating to genetic features of the cancer models with drug sensitivity.
"The HCMI resource provides researchers with unprecedented access to models that closely reflect the complexity of human tumors," said Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research at NCI. "This valuable tool lays the groundwork for preclinical studies that we hope will advance precision oncology."
A fundamental question in the field of cancer modeling is whether laboratory-grown models retain key biological features of the tumors from which they are derived. Scientists participating in the HCMI analyzed 421 sets of tumors paired with their models. They found that the tumors and models retained molecular characteristics even after extended growth in laboratory conditions. The analysis found 97.8% agreement in genetic alterations, 95% concordance in epigenetic features that regulate genome activity, and 92% similarity in RNA expression patterns that reflect the cellular origin of each tumor and its malignant behavior.
Genomic features of the models make them useful for the study of therapeutic resistance, which occurs when a cancer does not respond to initial treatment or when a treatment loses its intended effect over time, causing the cancer to relapse. In glioblastoma models, for example, researchers detected various genetic features associated with resistance to the chemotherapy drug temozolomide, including inherited genetic abnormalities, acquired amplification of oncogenes, and mutational signatures of prior temozolomide exposure.
"The culture conditions for growth of the organoids did not skew their genetic makeup or biological phenotypes, such as their differentiation state and proliferation rate," Staudt said. "The hope and expectation are that the close similarity between a patient's tumor and the derived organoid model means that researchers can use them to discover vulnerabilities that can be exploited therapeutically."
The HCMI tumor compendium includes 522 models with detailed clinical data, 153 models of rare cancers, and 71 models from individuals of non-European ancestry. All are being made broadly available to the scientific community in partnership with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), along with associated genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, and clinical information data. Available models can be searched and filtered based on cancer type, therapeutic history, demographic information, and more via the HCMI Searchable Catalog. Published in Nature, this study is accompanied by companion papers led by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, United Kingdom, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.
This project was supported in part by the NCI Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) and multiple grants from NIH/NCI. A full list of funders is provided in the paper.
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About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH's efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI's contact center, the Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
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About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health(R)
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Reference
D ElHarouni, M Al-Jazrawe, S Choi, et al. A compendium of next-generation patient-derived models for diverse cancers. Nature. August 5, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10806-y
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Original text here: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/human-cancer-models-accelerate-research-precision-therapies
FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Issues Public Notice: Consumer Protection & Accessibility Advisory Committee Fourth Meeting Date
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The Federal Communications Commission Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau issued the following public notice (Docket No. DA 26-820):
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By this Public Notice,/1 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) announces the next meeting of the Commission's Consumer Protection and Accessibility Advisory Committee (CPAAC or Committee) to be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (EDT). This will be an in-person meeting taking place in the FCC's Commission Meeting Room located at 45 L Street NE in Washington, DC.
At this meeting, CPAAC members
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The Federal Communications Commission Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau issued the following public notice (Docket No. DA 26-820):
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By this Public Notice,/1 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) announces the next meeting of the Commission's Consumer Protection and Accessibility Advisory Committee (CPAAC or Committee) to be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (EDT). This will be an in-person meeting taking place in the FCC's Commission Meeting Room located at 45 L Street NE in Washington, DC.
At this meeting, CPAAC membersare expected to: (i) receive updates or reports from the Advancements in Accessible Communications Technologies Working Group (AACTWG) and the Protecting Consumers through Advancements in Robocall Mitigation Efforts Working Group (RMWG); (ii) consider and may vote on recommendations presented by the RMWG; and (iii) discuss any other topics relevant to the CPAAC's work. The meeting agenda will be available at fcc.gov/cpaac and may be modified at the discretion of the Committee Designated Federal Officers (DFOs).
The Committee meeting will be open to the public. It will be streamed with audio and video coverage at fcc.gov/live. During the meeting, members of the public may submit questions and comments to the Committee via email: livequestions@fcc.gov. These comments or questions may be addressed during the public comment period.
Open captioning and sign language interpreters will be provided for this event. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or by calling the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice). Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed and specify how the FCC should contact the requester if more information is needed to fill the request. Please provide at least five business days' advance notice of accommodation requests; last-minute requests will be accepted but may not be possible to accommodate.
For more information about the Committee, visit fcc.gov/cpaac, or contact Committee DFOs David M. Perez at (202) 418-0664 or Joshua Mendelsohn at 202-559-7304 (videophone/voice) or email CPAAC@fcc.gov.
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Footnote:
1/ This Public Notice is released consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 1001 et seq.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-820A1.pdf
Energy Secretary Keeps Guam Power On
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2026:
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Energy Secretary Keeps Guam Power On
Emergency order increases grid stability and minimizes the risk of energy shortfalls in Guam.
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U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today issued an emergency order to mitigate the risk of blackouts for hardworking families and businesses in Guam.
The emergency order permits the Guam Power Authority (GPA) to operate specified generation units to meet anticipated electricity demand and maintain reliability. The order follows a request from GPA.
"President
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2026:
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Energy Secretary Keeps Guam Power On
Emergency order increases grid stability and minimizes the risk of energy shortfalls in Guam.
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U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today issued an emergency order to mitigate the risk of blackouts for hardworking families and businesses in Guam.
The emergency order permits the Guam Power Authority (GPA) to operate specified generation units to meet anticipated electricity demand and maintain reliability. The order follows a request from GPA.
"PresidentTrump and the Department of Energy remain committed to using every available tool to reduce the risk of power outages and lower energy costs for hardworking families and businesses," said Secretary Wright. "Today's order responds to the urgent need to strengthen grid reliability while ensuring the people of Guam have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity."
GPA has limited generation options to meet demand due to limitations, including but not limited to, constraints with the Ukudu steam turbine going offline for emergency repairs.
This order is effective 10:00 AM Guam Standard Time on August 6, 2026, through 11:59 PM Guam Standard Time on November 4, 2026.
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Original text here: energy.gov/search?page=0&sort_by=date&f%5B0%5D=article_type%3A1&f%5B1%5D=offices_rest%3AEnergy.gov
DOE Office of Environmental Management: Hanford Marks 24th Tank Retrieval, Continuing Momentum Toward Accelerated Cleanup
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release:
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Hanford Marks 24th Tank Retrieval, Continuing Momentum Toward Accelerated Cleanup
RICHLAND, Wash. - The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management Hanford team continues advancing the cleanup mission, with radioactive waste now removed from the 24th underground storage tank.
"We're not just emptying tanks, we're creating momentum," said Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer. "Every completed retrieval reduces the risk in the single-shell tanks
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release:
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Hanford Marks 24th Tank Retrieval, Continuing Momentum Toward Accelerated Cleanup
RICHLAND, Wash. - The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management Hanford team continues advancing the cleanup mission, with radioactive waste now removed from the 24th underground storage tank.
"We're not just emptying tanks, we're creating momentum," said Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer. "Every completed retrieval reduces the risk in the single-shell tanksand positions more waste for treatment through our dual glass-plus-grout strategy, allowing us to safely increase the pace of progress."
In under seven months, Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure (H2C) workers transferred about 79,000 gallons of decades-old waste from Single-Shell Tank A-106 to a double-shell tank for continued safe storage. The contractorinitially used water to dissolve the surface salt-based waste, then reutilized transferred liquid waste to mobilize sludge -- a method last used nearly 10 years ago.
From 1944 to 1989, Hanford produced 74 tons of plutonium for the country's nuclear weapons program. To store the radioactive and chemical byproducts, the site built thick, reinforced concrete tanks lined inside with steel and buried under several feet of soil to shield workers from radiation. The tanks held up to a million gallons each, and when production stopped at the end of the Cold War, 56 million gallons of waste was in 177 of the large tanks.
The Energy Department and its contractors have completed retrieval operations in two of the Site's tank farms. A Tank Farm is the third farm to have waste moved out of the older tanks with a single steel liner into newer tanks that have a second liner for added leak protection. To date, about 3.5 million gallons of waste have been removed from
24 single-shell tanks.
"This achievement reflects the expertise and determination of the H2C workforce, who continue to push the limits of available technology to safely retrieve this challenging waste," said Phil Breidenbach, H2C's chief operating officer. "We're proud to support DOE in making steady, measurable strides toward a cleaner Hanford for future generations."
Next up is Hanford's 25th single-shell tank, A-103, with retrieval activities scheduled to begin in October and continue as long as double-shell tanks space allows. With space in the double-shell tanks currently at capacity, the Department's science backed dual glass-plus-grout approach would protect the ability to continue retrieving waste from aging single shell tanks, enable tank waste treatment to resume and maximize opportunities to speed up the Hanford tank waste mission.
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Original text here: https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/hanford-marks-24th-tank-retrieval-continuing-momentum-toward-accelerated-cleanup
BLS Mountain-Plains Region Issues Report on Occupational Employment and Wages in Cheyenne May 2025
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Aug. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Cheyenne May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Mountain-Plains Region - Aug. 5, 2026
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Workers in the Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $30.33 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that higher paying major occupational groups included healthcare practitioners and technical ($55.50), management ($54.72), and
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri, Aug. 6 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Cheyenne May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Mountain-Plains Region - Aug. 5, 2026
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Workers in the Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $30.33 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that higher paying major occupational groups included healthcare practitioners and technical ($55.50), management ($54.72), andarchitecture and engineering ($48.42). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($15.43), personal care and service ($17.06), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($18.26). (See table A.)
Occupational groups with the highest employment shares in the Cheyenne area included transportation and material moving (10.7 percent), office and administrative support (10.6 percent), and food preparation and serving related (8.6 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (0.8 percent); legal (1.2 percent); and life, physical, and social science (1.4 percent).
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Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Cheyenne metropolitan area, May 2025
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One occupational group--transportation and material moving--was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Cheyenne had 5,170 jobs in transportation and material moving, accounting for 10.7 percent of local area employment, compared to the 8.8-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $25.45, compared to the national wage of $23.96.
Some of the larger detailed occupations within the transportation and material moving group included stockers and order fillers (1,720), heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1,060), and hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers (490). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors ($33.02) and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers ($32.81). At the lower end of the wage scale were hand packers and packagers ($15.47) and shuttle drivers and chauffeurs ($15.72). (Detailed data for the transportation and material moving occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0016940/2025.)
Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Cheyenne area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the transportation and material moving group. For instance, stockers and order fillers were employed at 1.94 times the national rate in Cheyenne, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, at 1.64 times the U.S. average. School bus drivers had a location quotient of 0.93 in Cheyenne, indicating that this particular occupation's local and national employment shares were similar.
The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.
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Federal Government Shutdown
Because of the lapse in federal appropriations from October 1 through November 12, 2025, additional collection and processing time were required for the May 2025 OEWS survey panel once appropriations resumed. The response rate for the May 2025 survey panel was within the normal range and no additional modifications to the OEWS methodology and procedures were necessary as a result of the shutdown.
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Technical Note
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 530 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm) are available online.
Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology is available in the national Technical Notes (https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_tec.htm). The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 66.2 percent based on establishments and 67.2 percent based on weighted sampled employment. Sample sizes and response rates by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area are available on the Additional OEWS data sets (https://www.bls.gov/oes/additional.htm) page.
Metropolitan area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Laramie County.
For more information
Answers to frequently asked questions (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm) about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm), are available on the OEWS website (https://www.bls.gov/oes/).
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Employment and wage data for transportation and material moving occupations, Cheyenne metropolitan area, May 2025
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/news-release/2026/occupationalemploymentandwages_cheyenne_20260805.htm
