The 216-U-10 Pond, commonly referred to as the U Pond, was a part of the Hanford Site, which is a decommissioned nuclear production complex in the state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The Hanford Site was established during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, and it played a crucial role in the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. The 216-U-10 Pond was one of the many waste sites within the Hanford Site.

The U Pond was constructed in 1943 and was originally used as a settling basin for the U Plant, a uranium recovery facility at the Hanford Site. The pond received both liquid and solid waste from the U Plant, as well as from other facilities within the site. Over the years, the pond received a variety of waste materials, including radioactive isotopes, hazardous chemicals, and organic compounds.

The pond covers an area of approximately 3.7 acres and is located in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site. It consists of a main pond and a series of adjacent trenches and ditches. The main pond is approximately 600 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 10 feet deep. The trenches and ditches were used for the disposal of solid waste, while the main pond was used for the disposal of liquid waste.

The disposal of waste into the U Pond continued until 1974 when it was officially closed. After its closure, the pond was covered with soil, and efforts were made to stabilize the site and prevent the migration of contaminants into the surrounding environment. However, due to the nature of the waste disposed of in the pond and the historical practices of waste management at the Hanford Site, there have been concerns about the potential for groundwater contamination and other environmental impacts.

Over the years, the U Pond has been the subject of various investigations and remediation efforts. The site has been monitored regularly to assess the levels of radioactivity and other contaminants in the soil, groundwater, and surface water. Various remediation options have been considered, including the removal of contaminated soil, the installation of barriers to contain the contaminants, and the treatment of contaminated groundwater.

The 216-U-10 Pond is one of many waste sites at the Hanford Site that are managed as part of the Hanford Site Cleanup Program. This program is overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with input from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Department of Ecology. The cleanup of the Hanford Site, including the 216-U-10 Pond, is a complex and ongoing process that is expected to take many years to complete.

Hanford has a public document release site at https://www.hanford.gov/ but below you will find documents not released to the public.

Document Archive

The 216-U-10 Pond [69 Pages, 2.5MB]

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The post The 216-U-10 Pond first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mismanaged the distribution of commodities in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. FEMA lost visibility of about 38 percent of its commodity shipments to Puerto Rico, worth an estimated $257 million. Commodities successfully delivered to Puerto Rico took an average of 69 days to reach their final destinations. Inadequate FEMA contractor oversight contributed to the lost visibility and delayed commodity shipments. FEMA did not use its Global Positioning System transponders to track commodity shipments, allowed the contractor to break inventory seals, and did not ensure documented proof of commodity deliveries. Given the lost visibility and delayed shipments, FEMA cannot ensure it provided commodities to Puerto Rico disaster survivors as needed to sustain life and alleviate suffering as part of its response and recovery mission.

Document Archive

FEMA Mismanaged the Commodity Distribution Process in Response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, September 25, 2020 [48 Pages, 3MB]

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The post FEMA Mismanaged the Commodity Distribution Process in Response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, September 25, 2020 first appeared on The Black Vault.

In 2017, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) produced a report called Federal Fumbles Vol. 3: 100 Ways The Government Dropped The Ball. The report lists lists $473.6 billion in wasteful and inefficient federal spending.

In this report, Senator Lankford outlined $30,000 by the NEA to grant a production of “Doggie Hamlet.” According to Senator Lankford:

“As evidenced in previous editions of Federal Fumbles, the American public’s love for William Shakespeare has sometimes translated into unusual and unnecessary federal expenditures. For instance, tens of thousands were spent to support a production of Silent Shakespeare in 2015.18 However, the strangeness of those fumbles pales in comparison to a $30,000 NEA grant to support a production of Doggie Hamlet.

Doggie Hamlet actually includes humans yelling or running toward very confused sheep and dogs.20 The production, which does not include any actual lines from Hamlet, is conducted outdoors in a 30-by-50-foot field in New Hampshire. The play is described as “a beautiful and dreamlike spectacle weaving instinct, mystery, and movement into an unusual performance event.”

Many people view art subjectively, and there are likely many who would enjoy watching this play. However, with $20 trillion in national debt, it is difficult to explain to taxpayers in Oklahoma or Montana—even the people who work with sheep daily—why $30,000 was spent for a few people to run around a field yelling at sheep. The NEA should refocus its efforts and its support on grants that advance the arts and our national interests.”

In December of 2018, I filed a FOIA request for records relating to this grant. Below, you will find the records that came back under the FOIA.

Document Archive

Doggie Hamlet – $30,000 Production by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) [26 Pages, 1MB] – This was NEA FOIA Case F19-008.

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The post Doggie Hamlet – $30,000 Production by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) first appeared on The Black Vault.

In October of 2016, I read the following article written by Muira McCammon, which was published on SLATE:

Generally, when we hear about undersea fiber-optic cables, it’s because some sharks are trying to shut down the Internet with their teeth. But there’s more to them than that. Right now, there is a kind of magic at work beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Xtera Communications Inc. is in the midst of building an undersea fiber-optic cable from Dania Beach, Florida, to Guantánamo Bay. The $35 million project, which the Defense Department awarded to the Texas-based firm in May 2014, hasn’t been much publicized, for obvious strategic reasons. Not many people are talking about the cable—certainly not President Obama or Cuban President Raúl Castro.

But the cable is critically important—not least because of the effects it could have on the ever-evolving diplomatic talks between Cuba and the United States. As more and more people urge the U.S. government to shut down the Naval Station at Guantánamo, it’s important to remember that Gitmo is no longer just a surface structure. This subterranean submarine cable, predicted to be 950 miles in length, represents a substantial investment in the future of the base. And the real question: Who will benefit from it?

The world first got wind of it in July 2012, when Navy Capt. Kirk R. Hibbert revealed in an interview with Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald that U.S. officials had sent a diplomatic note to Havana explaining the fiber-optic project and that he’d received no opposition from his Cuban military counterparts.  * Click on the above link for the rest of the article.

There are many questions that arise from the approval of such a project, let alone the existence of the cable.

I originally requested the documents from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which informed me that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) would be the controlling agency. So I refiled the request to them, and asked for the following:

I respectfully request a copy of records, electronic or otherwise, of the contract between DISA, and Xtera Communications Inc., to build an undersea internet fiber-optic cable, that stretches from Dania Beach, Florida to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

I please ask that you not only include the contract, but please also include any and all reports, designs or summaries on what the cable will be used for and what it’s purpose will be. This would include, but not be limited to, letters, memos, reports, etc.

Much of my request was denied.  By  closing letter dated February 8, 2017, they stated in part:

With regard to your request for a copies of the reports, designs and additional documents requested FOIA Exemption 3 (5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(3), protects matters that a statute specifically exempts from disclosure. Contract source selection documentation is protected by 41 U.S.C § 2102(a)(1) and DoD contractor proposals is protected by 10 USC § 2305(g). Additionally, FOIA Exemption 5 (5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5), protects “internal advice, recommendations, and subjective evaluations, as contrasted with factual matters, that are reflected in deliberative records pertaining to the decision-making process of an Agency, whether within or among Agencies (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 552(e) (reference (a)), or within or among DoD Components.” Therefore, the reports, designs and additional documents are denied.

For your information, redactions were applied to pricing under FOIA Exemption 4 (5 U.S.C. § 552 (b) (4)). Exemption 4 protects trade secrets or commercial or financial information received from outside of the Government, the disclosure of which would likely cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the source providing the information or impairment to a Government interest.

Redactions have also been made to phone numbers, email addresses, and signatures pursuant to FOIA Exemption 6 (5 U.S.C. §552 (b)(6). Exemption 6 protects personnel information.

Despite much of the request being denied, I was able to get the original “Solicitation Offer and Award” contract issued to XTerra Communications, which I have archived below.

Declassified Documents

 Solicitation Offer and Award [91 Pages, 9.3MB]

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The post Fiber Optic Internet Cable from Dania Bay, Florida to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba first appeared on The Black Vault.

Under its contract for the Idaho Cleanup Project, CH2M-WG Idaho LLC was to design, construct, and operate the Sodium-Bearing Waste Treatment Facility (SBWTF) to treat 900,000 gallons of radioactive liquid waste that is currently stored in underground waste tanks at the Idaho National Laboratory.

The 1995 Settlement Agreement required the Department to complete processing of the sodium-bearing waste by December 31, 2012. Following treatment, as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the waste tanks were to be removed from service by December 2014.

However, the project had cost and schedule issues, leading the Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations Office to delay the planned start of operations a number of times. In December 2010, to address cost overruns, the Department implemented a contract modification where it placed a cost cap of $571 million for the construction of the facility. Any construction costs above that amount were to be borne by the contractor. Operating costs are fully reimbursable, are not subject to the cost cap, and begin after construction is complete.

In April 2012, the Department declared construction complete, beginning the project’s operation phase, and in June 2012, CH2M-WG Idaho LLC initiated comprehensive performance testing, which involved operating the plant at high temperature with a nonradioactive simulant to prove full performance of the facility. On June 16, 2012, during testing, the facility experienced a “system pressure event” which led to the shutdown of the facility.

The Department’s investigation into the event revealed both operational and design deficiencies and the facility has been shut down since the event for modifications and repairs to the facility and process. We initiated this audit to determine whether the Department effectively managed the startup of the SBWTF.

Management of the Startup of the Sodium-Bearing Waste Treatment Facility, March 2016

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/doe/DOE-OIG-16-09.pdf

The post Feds Spend Over $700 Million On A Radioactive Waste Plant That Doesn’t Work first appeared on The Black Vault.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific awarded a contract to Pacific Energy Solutions LLC, for the procurement of electricity produced from renewable energy generation systems.

 

Pacific Energy Solutions, based out of Boca Raton, Florida, will design, construct, own, operate and maintain various solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems that will provide renewable electricity to Navy and Marine Corps bases on Oahu, Hawaii. The total amount of power generated is anticipated to be about 17 megawatts of alternating current that will be shared between the Navy and Marine Corps.

 

“This is a large project with 10 roof top photovoltaic systems and four ground-based or elevated systems, built on three different bases,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “In the first year alone we expect that these systems will save the taxpayers $1.6 million. That’s the equivalent of the electricity that can be generated from 54,000 barrels of oil here in Hawaii. It’s the amount of electricity needed to power more than 5,000 average homes here. And that’s just in the first year. This program will be generating those savings for decades. The work we are doing here will serve as a model for other projects around the world.”

The big question, is how did they calculate the “savings” of $1.6 million per year for the American taxpayer?  $334,135,534 spent to save $1,600,000 a year, for a system that will only last 25 years?  That’s a grand total savings of $40 million.  $334,135,534 to save $40,000,000?  Something doesn’t add up.

I quickly filed a FOIA request for all records pertaining to the determination of how this array would save money, the research that was done to see if it would be effective, etc.

 Records released under the FOIA from NAVFAC PAC, September 20, 2014 [ 5 Pages, 0.9MB ]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/controversies/DON-NAVY-2014-008036.pdf

The post Navy Goes Green In Hawaii – But Is It Worth It? first appeared on The Black Vault.

U.S. taxpayers have to foot the bill $486 million dollars worth of aircraft the Defense Department decided to destroy, according to interim research conducted by the inspector general.

While all 20 of the G222 military transport planes purchased from Italy were supposed to see combat in Afghanistan, 16 of them are now being sold for scrap to an Afghan construction company for the total sum of $32,000, amounting to 6 cents per pound. The other 4 planes are sitting dormant at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The program to purchase planes for the Afghan Air Force ended in 2013 after it was determined that the planes had serious performance and maintenance problems.

Inspector general John Sopko for reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan expressed frustration at the sudden decision to destroy the planes, writing in a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel that the Secretary must inform him first before similar plans are made to scrap the remaining 4 planes.

Sopko’s investigation is ongoing, but sent the interim letters to try and prevent kneejerk decisions from being made. He additionally requested the Air Force Secretary Deborah James to turn over documentation relevant to the decision-making process involved in scrapping the 16 planes and also asked for proof of whether any alternative plans were considered for the planes, such as pursuing refunds under warranty.

“We value the oversight provided by inspectors general and audit agencies, and incorporate their findings and recommendations into subsequent efforts,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Brad Avots said in response to the concerns Sopko highlighted. “Working in a wartime environment such as Afghanistan brings with it many challenges, and we continually seek to improve our processes. The point of the destroying the planes, Maj. Avots added, was to minimize impact on drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.”

The following are documents relating to this Inspector General report, and incident. More FOIA requests have been filed, and will be posted when available.

Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Records

 October 3, 2014 Letter from SIGAR to the Secretary of the Air Force [ 4 Pages, 0.6MB ]

 October 3, 2014 Letter from SIGAR to the Secretary of Defense [ 9 Pages, 1.2MB ]

The post Half a Billion Dollars Lost After 20 G222 Cargo Planes Scrapped first appeared on The Black Vault.