OAK RIDGE (WATE) - Nuclear operations are allowed to resume at the Y-12 National Security Complex, the National Nuclear Security Administration said Wednesday.
B&W Y-12, which operates Y-12 for NNSA, will begin the nuclear operations under additional and enhanced federal oversight of contractor operations.
The authorization was made possible when numerous improvements in security were put into place at Y-12, along with completion of security training.
B&W Y-12 ordered a temporary security stand down on August 1 after an internal review of Y-12 security operations. It followed a security breach when protesters got inside the plant's highest security area on July 28.
Michael Walli, 63, Sister Megan Rice, 82, and Gregory Boertje-Obed, 57, are accused of cutting fences at Y-12, painting and defacing property. They're scheduled to stand trial in federal court in October.
During the stand down, all special nuclear materials at Y-12 were moved to vault-type facilities onsite. NNSA said it fully supported this action by the contractor.
Since August 1, all personnel onsite at Y-12 have had additional security training. NNSA also said more tactical and security-related training continued for members of the Y-12 Proforce during this period.
The WSI-Oak Ridge contract is now a subcontract under B&W Y-12. "This action was taken to strengthen the chain of command, to reduce layers of management, and to improve the span of control between contractor management and members of the Y-12 Proforce," NNSA said.
More reviews of security operations are underway or scheduled to begin in August.
