Battelle Energy Faces $500K Cut In Funding

The U.S. Department of Energy is warning Battelle Energy Alliance that it faces a $500,000 cut in the funding it receives to manage the Idaho National Laboratory.

The notice comes after 16 employees were exposed to radiation in November.

Rick Provencher, who manages the Idaho Operations Office of the DOE, notified the INL on Jan. 31.

The INL has until September to show improvements in operations and safety performance.

Ethan Huffman, an INL spokesperson, said Friday that it?s a matter of improving performance with handling materials and the safety of employees in those environments, which he said the facility started doing the day after the incident.

Huffman also noted the potential loss is in no way related to the layoffs announced last week.