Friday - May 3, 2024
Federal Tipoffs Involving Tennessee Newsletter for Sunday February 18, 2024 ( 19 items )  

APHIS Expands Quarantine Area for the Imported Fire Ant (Solenopis Invicta, S. Richteri, and Hybrids of These Species) in Oklahoma and Tennessee
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued the following program update on Feb. 16, 2024: * * * Subject: APHIS Expands Quarantine Area for the Imported Fire Ant (Solenopis invicta, S. richteri, and hybrids of these species) in Oklahoma and Tennessee To: State, Tribal, and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is issuing a Federal Order that ex  more

BLS - Southeast Region Issues Report Entitled 'Fatal Occupational Injuries in Tennessee - 2022'
ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb. 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Southeast Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 16, 2024, entitled "Fatal Occupational Injuries in Tennessee - 2022": * * * Fatal work injuries totaled 173 in 2022 for Tennessee, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Tennessee was up from the previous year. (See chart 1  more

Chelsea Chen: Breaking barriers in energy storage
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 17 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: For those who dream of driving their electric vehicle long distances to see the world's largest ball of twine, Chelsea Chen is dedicated to making it possible. Chen, a polymer physicist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is studying ion transport in solid electrolytes that could help electric vehicle battery charges last longer. "The chall  more

ERO New Orleans focuses targeted operation on 123 criminal noncitizens
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: NEW ORLEANS -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers in New Orleans arrested 123 fugitives during a monthlong enforcement operation. Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, ERO New Orleans conducted targeted operations with assistance from law enforcement partners in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama an  more

FEMA Posts Public Notice for Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: A public notice has been posted describing available FEMA assistance and proposed FEMA-funded actions, including activities that may affect historic properties, threatened and endangered species, critical habitat, or wetlands and floodplains in Tennessee. FEMA is required by law to provide public notice of its intent to provide federal assistance a  more

FERC Commissioner Clements Issues Statement on Tennessee Gas Pipeline
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the following statement on Feb. 15, 2204, by Commissioner Allison Clements on a decision (Docket No. CP19-7-002) involving Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC: * * * I dissent from Paragraphs 22 and 23 of the Order,[1] which is the so-called "Driftwood compromise" language claiming that the Commission is incapable of assessing the significance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In my concurrence in t  more

Intensive caring: IT specialist, new father sees impact of ORNL's ETCH contributions
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: ORNL IT specialist Ben Mellon and his wife, Ashley, a former ORNL employee, pose with their twins, Bear and Dottie, in the neonatal intensive care unit at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Credit: Ben Mellon Ben Mellon was on his fourth week of sleeping in the East Tennessee Children's Hospital neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, when he learned his Oak Ridge N  more

Justice Department Sues Tennessee for Enforcing State Law That Discriminates Against People With HIV
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 15, 2024: The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department previously notified Tennessee and the TBI that they violated the ADA by enforcing the state's aggravated prostitution statute against people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). That let  more

Moriano awarded early career fellowship for underrepresented groups
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 14 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Pablo Moriano, a research scientist in the Computer Science and Mathematics Division at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was selected as a member of the 2024 Class of MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellows. Moriano is one of just eight new members chosen for their early career achievements, namely the advancement of industrial and applied mathematics,  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Diversified Scientific Services, Nashville, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56948) involving Diversified Scientific Services Inc., Nashville, Tennessee: * * * Rep Org: Tennessee Div of Rad Health Licensee: Diversified Scientific Services Inc Region: 1 City: Nashville State: TN License #: R-73014 Agreement: Y NRC Notified By: Andrew Holcomb HQ OPS Officer: Kerby Scales Notification Date: 02/05/2024 Notification Time: 20:26 [ET] Event Date: 02/05/2024 Event   more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Diversified Scientific Services, Nashville, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56948) involving Diversified Scientific Services Inc., Nashville, Tennessee: * * * Rep Org: Tennessee Div of Rad Health Licensee: Diversified Scientific Services Inc. Region: 1 City: Nashville State: TN License #: R-73014 Agreement: Y NRC Notified By: Andrew Holcomb HQ OPS Officer: Kerby Scales Notification Date: 02/05/2024 Notification Time: 20:26 [ET] Event Date: 02/05/2024 Event  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56963) involving Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Tennessee: * * * Facility: Sequoyah Region: 2 State: TN Unit: [1] [2] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: John Davis Lindley HQ OPS Officer: Natalie Starfish Notification Date: 02/13/2024 Notification Time: 17:10 [ET] Event Date: 02/13/2024 Event Time: 12:26 [EST] Last Update Date: 02/13/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10  more

NRC Issues Event Notification for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Tenn.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 56963) involving Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Tennessee: * * * Facility: Sequoyah Region: 2 State: TN Unit: [1] [2] [] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: John Davis Lindley HQ OPS Officer: Natalie Starfish Notification Date: 02/13/2024 Notification Time: 17:10 [ET] Event Date: 02/13/2024 Event Time: 12:26 [EST] Last Update Date: 02/13/2024 Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10  more

Oak Ridge Project Supports Fight Against Cancer
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management issued the following news release: One of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management's (OREM) highest priority cleanup projects has significantly contributed to the medical world. OREM and contractor Isotek are leading an effort to eliminate the nation's inventory of uranium-233 (U-233) from storage at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). U-233 presents risks and is costly to k  more

ORNL study projects geothermal heat pumps' impact on carbon emissions and electrical grid by 2050
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 14 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: A modeling analysis (https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2224191) led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory gives the first detailed look at how geothermal energy can relieve the electric power system and reduce carbon emissions if widely implemented across the United States within the next few decades. Researchers created a simulation model   more

Tenn. U.S. Attorney: Former Tennessee Department of Corrections Officer Sentenced for Writing False Report to Cover Up Another Officer's Use of Excessive Force
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Feb. 14 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee issued the following news release: A former Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) tactical officer, Sebron Hollands, 33, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years of supervised release for writing a false report in an effort to cover up another officer's use of excessive force on an inmate. He previously pled guilty to the offense on Oct. 2, 2023. His co-defendant, former TDOC tact  more

Tenn. U.S. Attorney: Lewis County Man Sentenced in an 11-Member Drug Trafficking Scheme in Western Tennessee
JACKSON, Tennessee, Feb. 15 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2024: A federal judge has sentenced a Lewis County man to more than 22 years in federal prison for his role in an organized drug trafficking scheme. William Rainey, 46, of Hohenwald, TN was the last of 11 people in western Tennessee to be sentenced in the case. United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson also ordered Rainey to serve 10 year  more

Three FFESD staff members transition to new nuclear energy engagement roles
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Three staff members in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate have moved into newly established roles facilitating communication and program management with partners and DOE sponsors of the directorate's Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division, or NEFCD. "With these new leadership roles, we're strengthening our commitment to   more

UT-ORII selects two new UT-ORNL convergent research initiatives
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Feb. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, or UT-ORII, has selected circular bioeconomy systems and radiopharmaceutical therapies as its two newest Convergent Research Initiatives (CRIs), areas of joint research for UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Over the next five years, UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, or ORNL, will invest $40 million--  more