Bechtel-led CNS helps raise thousands for Pantex wildfire relief

Pantex to host employee contribution drive April 4

AMARILLO, Texas– Bechtel-led Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, the management and operating contractor of the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has joined with its parent companies to raise money to support wildfire relief efforts in the Texas Panhandle.

A series of fundraising initiatives are underway.

The Bechtel Group Foundation, the charitable arm of CNS parent company Bechtel, has already donated $25,000 to Hutchinson County United Way (Texas) and will match up to $25,000 in additional funds donated by its employees around the world and at an upcoming Pantex fundraiser. Leidos, a CNS parent company, has also donated $10,000 to the United Way of Hutchinson County.

CNS will host a fundraiser at Pantex from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 4. Proceeds from the sales of t-shirts as well a portion of sales from Pantex’s cafeteria and more than a dozen food trucks at the event will go toward the wildfire relief efforts through contributions to the United Way of Hutchinson County and the Amarillo Area Foundation. CNS will match up to $10,000 raised during the Pantex event.

There was no damage to Pantex property and no Pantex employees were injured at the plant as the wildfires abated about 3 miles from the plant’s boundary. However, the Pantex Fire Department built firebreaks, prepared the plant for the fires, and responded to communities near the plant. Several Pantexans suffered property losses and minor injuries as a result of the fires.

“For those of us at CNS, the story hit close to home as we watched while the fires burned close to the Pantex Plant near Amarillo,” CNS President and CEO Rich Tighe said. “We are pleased to support the upcoming Pantex event to help raise funds for Panhandle residents affected by the wildfires.”

“There has been an outpouring of Panhandle pride and spirit through donations, volunteer efforts, and assistance coming in from all over the area and across the state,” CNS Pantex Site Manager Colby Yeary said. “We wanted to show our own support to our communities in need through our own fundraising efforts. Wildfires will always be a part of Texas Panhandle life, but it’s comforting to know that when disaster strikes, we rise united.”

B-roll and site interviews will be made available from the wildfire relief event. Please contact Steve Myers with any questions.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Bechtel National, Inc. is the lead member of CNS; minority members include Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, LLC; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects, and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.