INL replaces nuclear chief

IDAHO FALLS – One of the top spots at the Idaho National Laboratory is changing hands, but officials are not offering any explanations for the change.

Phillip J. Finck, a nuclear engineer at the Argonne National Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago, will soon lead many nuclear operations at eastern Idaho’s national lab.

He replaces Jim Lake, the longtime associate laboratory director for nuclear programs. The position reports directly to lab director John Grossenbacher.

Idaho National Laboratory contractor Battelle Energy Alliance announced the change but provided no more information.

Battelle’s release did not even mention Lake’s name, though he has held the post since the Columbus, Ohio-based contractor took over research operations at the laboratory after winning a $4.8 billion federal bid in 2004. Lake also led nuclear operations under the previous contractor, San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp.