EM Update | Vol. 5, Issue 2 | February 2013

In This Issue:

• Former Assistant Secretary Reflects on Career High Point in EM: 'Well Worth the Effort'
• EM Employee Serves Military in Afghanistan, Manages $5.8 Billion Army Task Order
• Waste Shipment Tracking Technology Lowers Costs, Increases Efficiency
• Oak Ridge: Approaching 4 Million Safe Work Hours
• DOE National Analytical Management Program Draws Global Interest

Former Assistant Secretary Reflects on Career High Point Leading EM: 'Well Worth the Effort'

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an occasional EM Update series, we feature interviews with former EM Assistant Secretaries to reflect on their achievements and challenges in the world’s largest nuclear cleanup and to discuss endeavors in life after EM.

   Dr. Carolyn L. Huntoon had a distinguished federal government career of more than 30 years, serving at DOE and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In her later years of federal service, Dr. Huntoon served Presidents George W. Bush and William Clinton as the Assistant Secretary for EM, a U.S. Senate-confirmed position. As Assistant Secretary, Dr. Huntoon oversaw EM’s cleanup of the nation’s nuclear weapons complex at 113 sites in 30 states and one territory. Additionally, she was responsible for the management of seven of the Department’s field offices, including Idaho, Savannah River, Carlsbad, Ohio, Richland, the Office of River Protection and Rocky Flats, which is now closed.

   Dr. Huntoon currently is a member of the Environmental Management Advisory Board, whose mission is to provide independent and external advice, information and recommendations to the EM Assistant Secretary on corporate issues relating to accelerated site cleanup and risk reduction.

Dr. Carolyn L. Huntoon

What are you doing currently for your professional work?

After retirement from the federal government, I began advising DOE and NASA — personally and as a member of various review committees and boards — on subjects of my expertise: specifically, program and project management, nuclear waste and human physiology.

Where do you live now?

I currently live in Barrington, R.I. and Lake Charles, La.

How do you view your term as the EM Assistant Secretary?

My term as the Assistant Secretary for EM remains one of the high points in my career in the federal government. The job was so challenging every day and the tasks so daunting that the work was well worth the effort. One could only compare the technical challenge to the budgetary and political challenges of the job. The people at EM headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Germantown, Md., as well as across the DOE complex, were dedicated, smart and hard-working. They worked with me to try to deal with the issues we were charged to accomplish.

What was your greatest achievement as the EM Assistant Secretary?

I view EM’s job as a continuum and therefore the accomplishments were a moment in time, some of which began years before I became the Assistant Secretary. And many of the accomplishments that occurred after I left were begun under my management. An example would be the opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in 1999. It was quite an honor for me to push the "button" that opened the gates to let the first trucks with waste enter the area. The team that I built to work across the complex and headquarters certainly made me proud. After becoming the Assistant Secretary, I faced the first job of replacing the "stove pipe" organization with one that would work across the entire complex as well as at headquarters. It worked and it was not a stretch for the workers of EM. They were able to work together and use their expertise to solve problems. Putting safety first was my first direction. I know we had an outstanding record of protecting our workers, the public and the environment. The work that I and others did to add rigor to the project and program management effort was important and proved to be essential in getting the most work done for the taxpayer's dollars. The effort to apply innovative contracting strategies to provide reasonable incentives to reduce costs and schedules and reduce contractor overhead and administrative costs contributed greatly to our successes. The emphasis on science and technology has paid off on a continuing basis. We engaged the best scientific and technological expertise to help with the cleanup challenges. In addition, our commitment to long-term stewardship, improving public confidence and keeping our promises kept us on a steady course.

What differences do you see in EM now and when you were the EM Assistant Secretary?

Many things are about the same. I believe the Assistant Secretaries who followed me did a terrific job building on the things that I and those before me accomplished. Since there have been so many accomplishments, the remaining work is really difficult, but not impossible. Because of what has been done in the past, the budget and the technical workforce can be more focused.

Is there anything that you would change?

I am sure there are things that I would change in hindsight. Unfortunately, we don't get to turn back the clock and have do-overs.

What misperceptions do people generally have about the program and about the EM Assistant Secretary?

I believe the biggest misperception about EM comes from those people who do not have nuclear waste in their home states. The budget and manpower requirements seem to be large if one doesn't understand the technical challenges. 

How has your experience as the EM Assistant Secretary helped you in subsequent endeavors?

Of course, each thing one does adds experience, which helps with the future. After serving most of my career at a NASA field center, the whole experience of managing a headquarters office, dealing with a large complex of sites and interacting with Congress was extremely beneficial to my personal growth.

Did you take any interesting trips while you were EM Assistant Secretary?

The travel that I did around the complex was terrific. I went to all of the sites, some of them many times, and I saw things that I had only read about. The trips were not necessarily easy, but it was very informative to see the sites and meet the super workforce. 

EM Employee Serves Military in Afghanistan, Manages $5.8 Billion Army Task Order 

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – EM employee James Hawkins is currently serving the U.S. military in Afghanistan, where he is administering a $5.8 billion task order for the Army.

   A major in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, Hawkins is an administrative contracting officer for the Defense Contract Management Agency, a component of the Defense Department that directly contributes to the military readiness of the U.S. and its allies.

   Hawkins is an acquisition planning manager and procurement analyst in the Office of Procurement Planning in EM’s Office of Acquisition and Project Management. He has vast experience in transportation services, cargo distribution, vehicle fleet operations, logistics planning, network operations, services and construction projects to support military operations that provide deployed soldiers housing, meals, transportation and force protection.

James Hawkins

   He began serving in Afghanistan in November last year. Hawkins and a small staff at Bagram Airfield manage the order, which provides services for food preparation, roads and grounds, vehicle maintenance, laundry services, facilities maintenance, minor construction and other essential supplies and services needed to maintain the bases in that region.

   Hawkins began his career with the Army in 1992, enlisting as a non-commissioned officer. He graduated from the Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama in 2002. He then transferred to the Air Force. 

   Hawkins has completed military assignments throughout the world. In his first, he served as officer in charge at the Aviano Air Base in Italy with the Air Force’s 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron. In 2006, he was stationed in Iraq as the Baghdad Regional Contracting Deputy Chief, responsible for managing 10 contract specialists. Hawkins also has served in Florida, Indiana, Colorado and South Carolina.

   Launching a federal career in 2008, Hawkins began working at the DOE as a senior contracting officer with the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. He provided expert oversight and administration of complex contracts for radioactive liquid waste with unique incentive structures.

   Hawkins plans to return to his position in EM in September.

Waste Shipment Tracking Technology Lowers Costs, Increases Efficiency

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EM's Office of Packaging and Transportation (OPT) has developed award-winning technology that reduces costs and increases the efficiency of tracking and monitoring radioactive material shipments.

   The device uses radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology to transmit continuous, almost real-time information using radiofrequency waves from sensors bolted to the lids of the transportation packages. A remote receiver miles away receives the information for tracking and monitoring packages in transport, in-transit stops and storage. The sensors work in conjunction with the local receiver, secured computer network servers, and satellite- or cellular-based communication channels.

This graphic shows how the radiofrequency identification technology tracks and monitors packages in transport, in-transit stops and storage.

   The EM RFID technology was developed to cut costs of required, periodic leak testing of these shipment packages. The robust containers have seals to prevent leaks that are tested before shipment and replaced at least annually to ensure safety. 

   The new technology developed by the DOE Packaging Certification Program within OPT monitors the temperature of the seals to ensure it does not exceed designated thresholds. As a result, the seals last longer and testing is needed less frequently, which lowers packaging costs complex-wide.

   Other benefits of the system include enhanced safety, safeguards, security and materials accountability. Radiation exposure is reduced by decreasing the need for manned surveillance, and users receive real-time access to data, including continuous monitoring of environmental conditions.

   The safeguard system is undergoing testing for storage and transportation applications at selected DOE sites. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is also evaluating the technology for its Global Threat Reduction Initiative.

   Working with the World Institute for Nuclear Security and the World Nuclear Transport Institute, OPT and Argonne National Laboratory developed guidance for this technology and other electronic systems for tracking radioactive materials in transport. Thomas D’Agostino, who retired this year as Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator, briefed President Obama on the guidance for the Second World Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in March last year.

   The guidance helps stakeholders (government policymakers, regulators, operators, shippers and security personnel) understand the benefits and challenges of electronic tracking systems. It contains questions for stakeholders to assess the effectiveness and need for an electronic tracking system to transport radioactive materials. It also includes metrics defining different levels of organizational success in implementing a security tracking system.

The technology developed by EM’s Office of Packaging and Transportation Packaging Certification Program technology development team was selected by the RFID Journal as the "Most Innovated Use of RFIDs.” Team members pictured here include Dr. John Lee, Dr. Yung Liu, Dr. Jim Shuler, Dr. Hanchung Tsai and John Anderson. Team members not pictured are Brian Craig and Dr. Kun Chen.

   The OPT Packaging Certification Program technology development team won two international technology awards for the system in 2011. The RFID Journal selected the technology as the "Most Innovated Use of RFIDs,” and the World’s Best Technologies (WBT) Innovation Marketplace named the RFID technology among the "100 World's Best Technologies.”

   “To be selected to present at this very prestigious event is quite an honor for the DOE-Argonne team,” DOE Packaging Certification Program Manager Dr. James Shuler said of the annual forum that showcases a collection of undiscovered companies intellectual property from top universities, laboratories and research institutions.

Oak Ridge: Approaching 4 Million Safe Work Hours

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Workers at URS | CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), the prime contractor for EM’s Oak Ridge cleanup, are approaching a milestone of 4 million safe work hours without a lost time away incident.

   “In our line of work, safety accomplishments are never randomly achieved,” said Mark Whitney, Oak Ridge’s EM manager. “Reaching 4 million safe hours requires uniform commitment by employees and continual emphasis by leadership and onsite managers to perform every task, large and small, thoroughly and safely.”

Mike Tidwell performs a leak check and inspection on propane tanks.

    Safety inspections are a key element in a nuclear cleanup environment with large pieces of cleanup equipment. Inspections are essential to continuing safety success and reaching new milestones.

   Committed, focused employees in the field make these accomplishments possible. Mike Tidwell, an Oak Ridge equipment inspector, validates supplies and equipment used at cleanup sites in the East Tennessee Technology Park and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Tidwell inspects items such as High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters. 

Inspections ensure hoisting and rigging equipment performs correctly so employees can safely complete their tasks.

   Tidwell and other contractors ensure worker safety by tracking and inspecting 170 pieces of mobile equipment subject to Occupational Safety and Health Administration and American National Standards Institute requirements. Each year, these contractors inspect 856 pieces of hoisting and rigging equipment and fall protection equipment. They review several hundred compressed gas cylinders, personal protective equipment, safety harnesses, lifts and liners. Cranes, forklifts, and portable eyewash stations are also inspected.

   Because inspections are required before equipment is used, they can impact project schedules considerably. Employees complete the inspections timely and thoroughly, even when challenged by the average 17 delivery trucks that arrive daily at UCOR’s receiving station. Their efforts ensure projects are on schedule and onsite workers have the safest equipment to complete their tasks.

DOE National Analytical Management Program Draws Global Interest

CARLSBAD, N.M. – The National Analytical Management Program (NAMP), which coordinates analytical services and capabilities throughout DOE, has garnered global interest.  

   “NAMP is addressing a vital need to attain the most effective use of technology and resources for U.S. radiological preparedness,” said DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Manager Joe Franco.

   CBFO, which has responsibility for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and the National Transuranic Program, has led NAMP since fall of 2010. The program’s objective is to coordinate analytical capabilities for responding to a national radiological event.

   “We’re very pleased to have CBFO leading the NAMP initiative for the Department in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” Franco said. “NAMP’s synergy in effort provides multiple benefits to the nation’s preparedness by facilitating standardization, training and education.”

Hnin Khaing focuses on her work at WIPP Laboratories near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

   Last year, NAMP took its latest education and training initiative online. Through a series of webinars, the program provides networking and educational advancement opportunities for radiochemistry professionals.

   “The most recent NAMP action offering the webinar series with experts in radiochemistry and fields related to it from major universities has drawn interest from around the globe,” said Franco.

   Oba Vincent, CBFO senior strategist, serves as the program’s director. He expected about 30 people to register for the first free webinar in April 2012. About 150 people signed up.

   “Interest with radiochemistry professionals has accelerated,” said Vincent. “The webinar held in December 2012 had nearly 300 people register.”

   The webinar series includes presenters with doctorates, offering a rare opportunity for continuing education in the field of radiochemistry. Nine webinars have been provided, and a final one on trivalent actinides will be on Thursday. NAMP has ideas for about 20 more webinars, enough to fill the schedule for two more years.

Corey White works at WIPP Laboratories near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

   Twelve laboratories participate in NAMP, including Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, S.C., and WIPP Laboratories. Six of those laboratories joined EPA’s Environmental Response Laboratory Network, doubling the nation’s capacity to respond to a radiological event, according to Vincent. That network connects laboratories from multiple federal agencies.

   In February 2013, WIPP Laboratories received the Certificate of Registration for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA), which permits it to begin radiochemical testing of emergency bioassay — the determination of the relative purity of a substance — samples provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in support of federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

   More information is available at the NAMP website.

Contributors

Mike Antiporda, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Peggy Fuller, EM Office of Procurement Planning

Deborah Locke, EM Office of Procurement Planning

Steve O’Connor, EM Office of Packaging and Transportation

David Sheeley, EM Office of External Affairs

Jim Shuler, EM Office of Packaging and Transportation

Fran Smith, Oak Ridge site

Ben Williams, Oak Ridge site

Visit Us on the Web: http://energy.gov/em