Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials this week are meeting with companies interested in a $1 billion contract to clean up radioactive waste at an eastern Idaho nuclear facility. The Post Register reports (http://www.postregister.com/node/64730) that the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho Cleanup Project Core is a five-year contract that also includes watching over spent nuclear fuel at the Idaho National Laboratory. Events planned this week include an overview conference Monday, a site tour Tuesday, and one-on-one sessions Wednesday. Three other cleanup contracts worth far less will also advance in the coming months. Currently, two companies with contracts that expire Sept. 30, 2015, handle cleanup tasks. But the Department of Energy plans to split those duties four ways with contracts of five to nine years.