EM's First Weekly EM Update Newsletter Issue: Secretary Perry Tours Portsmouth Site; EM's HAMMER Marks 20 Years as Training Facility; and Much More!

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EM Update | Vol. 9, Issue 19 | Oct. 10, 2017

Editor’s Note: EM Update Goes Weekly to Deliver More Timely News
Secretary Rick Perry Tours Portsmouth Site D&D Projects
DOE Senior Advisor Highlights EM’s Progress in Fiscal Year 2017
HAMMER Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence
Hanford Dedicates Indigenous Restoration Area to Tribal Leaders
WTP Pretreatment Facility Vessel Testing Wraps Up
Paducah Site Gives Public Tours to Nearly 1,000 People
Hanford Site Hosts Public Meeting on Proposed Dry Storage Pad for Capsules
SRNL Chemical Engineer Receives Actinide Separations Award
Thousands of Students Attend SRNS ‘Super Bowl’ of College Recruiting Events
2017 National Cleanup Workshop Support Materials Now Available

Editor’s Note: EM Update Goes Weekly to Deliver More Timely News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Welcome to the first issue of the new weekly EM Update newsletter. We shifted from a twice-monthly publication to a weekly edition to bring our nearly 90,000 newsletter subscribers even more timely news about the EM program’s cleanup progress and accomplishments from across the DOE complex.

Keep an eye out for our new weekly newsletter in your email inbox each Tuesday. We also post all newsletter content to our website.

In addition, “like” EM’s Facebook page for daily updates on the EM cleanup progress, history, and workforce. Special theme days are marked by the hashtags #MeetAMachine, #TeardownTuesday, #WildlifeWednesday, and #FlashBackFriday.

EM continues to expand its publicly accessible YouTube playlist, sharing footage of cleanup achievements across the complex. The playlist features more than 70 videos, from an overview of the Savannah River Site's (SRS) mission to a congratulatory message from several local, state and federal officials to EM’s Oak Ridge program on completing cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

YouTube also is home to EM’s special “Day in the Life” series, taking viewers inside the activities of individual workers as they share their accomplishments and perspectives.

Sign up for EM news here, including communications from SRS, the Nevada National Security Site, Hanford, and the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.

Secretary Rick Perry Tours Portsmouth Site D&D Projects

PIKETON, Ohio – Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently toured EM’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant Site and received updates on deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) of the uranium enrichment process buildings.

During his visit, Secretary Perry emphasized the importance of continuing the site’s D&D project expeditiously and safely. He noted the site’s role in making the U.S. essential to the world’s energy needs and security, and expressed appreciation for its generations of dedicated workers.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson and Brad Wenstrup of Ohio accompanied Secretary Perry on the tour and met with plant officials and workers.

“I was proud to show Secretary Perry the top-notch infrastructure and highly-skilled workforce at Piketon’s biggest employer, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant,” Portman said. “For decades, the workers here provided our military and our energy sector with critical natural resources, including enriched uranium for our country’s nuclear defense system. It now employs nearly 2,000 Ohioans through the cleanup effort, which, when finished, will provide the infrastructure and resources to employ thousands more.”

Left to right, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, contractor Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth’s Connie Martin, Secretary Rick Perry, EM Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Manager Robert Edwards, Fluor-BWXT’s Bob Leonard, and Acting EM Assistant Secretary Jim Owendoff walk through the half-mile-long X-333 Process Building, which is currently being deactivated in preparation for demolition.

Connie Martin (left) and Chris Ashley (center) of Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth, the cleanup contractor for EM’s Portsmouth Site in southern Ohio, explain to U.S. Sen. Portman and Secretary Rick Perry the capabilities of a remote-controlled robotic arm for dismantling large-scale equipment in the X-333 uranium enrichment process building.

EM Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) Manager Robert Edwards emphasized the significance of Secretary Perry’s visit to the site.

“Secretary Perry’s visit with the Ohio congressional delegation is evidence of the administration’s commitment to ensuring cleanup of the Portsmouth site.” Roberts said.

The tour group, which included Acting EM Assistant Secretary Jim Owendoff, visited the X-326 process building. Workers have removed most process gas equipment from that facility — the first of three process buildings to undergo deactivation to prepare for demolition.

The group observed work in the X-333 process building, where EM and cleanup contractor Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth are preparing to remove large equipment. They discussed how some high-tech equipment and techniques will help dismantle and analyze equipment for contamination to determine appropriate disposition.

“We appreciate the Secretary‘s positive statements after seeing the tremendous progress our workforce has made at the Portsmouth Site,” said Joel Bradburne, Portsmouth Site Lead for PPPO.

- Contributors: Jason Lovins, Brad Mitzelfelt

DOE Senior Advisor Highlights EM’s Progress in Fiscal Year 2017

Roger Jarrell, Senior Advisor to the Energy Secretary for EM, speaks at this year’s Energy Technology and Environmental Business Association’s (ETEBA) Business Opportunities Conference.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – EM’s strong record of achievement in fiscal year (FY) 2017 will provide momentum for continued cleanup success, Roger Jarrell, Senior Advisor to the Energy Secretary for EM, said at a conference here last week.

Speaking at this year’s Energy Technology and Environmental Business Association’s (ETEBA) Business Opportunities Conference, Jarrell highlighted cleanup accomplishments in FY 2017, including:

Resuming transuranic waste shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant from several cleanup sites, including Idaho, Savannah River (SRS), and Oak Ridge;
Commissioning and startup of the SRS Salt Waste Processing Facility;
Progress toward completing portions of the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) for the Department’s direct feed low-activity waste approach, intended to begin treating Hanford tank waste as soon as 2022;
Nearing completion of demolition of the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant to slab-on-grade;
Initiating demolition of the Poplar Creek facilities, which are some of the most contaminated facilities remaining at Oak Ridge’s East Tennessee Technology Park; and
Completing retrieval of approximately 65,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project at the Idaho Site.

“It can be cleanup challenges that often get the most attention, but the fact is EM has a proven record of results,” Jarrell said. “We need to continue getting out and sharing the positive accomplishments we are achieving to keep building support and momentum for the EM mission.”

Work is underway at EM headquarters in Washington, D.C. on management initiatives to help streamline decision-making and better foster a sense of urgency in the DOE cleanup program to continue to sustain and build on momentum generated to date, Jarrell said.

“The fact that the cleanup dollars we spend are really taxpayer dollars — earned by hardworking American families — is never far from my mind as we identify opportunities to get the best value possible for every dollar we spend,” he said.

Such initiatives include the 45-day review of the EM program led by Acting EM Assistant Secretary Jim Owendoff and efforts to streamline regulatory requirements. Jarrell noted steps EM has taken to improve procurement practices, such as exploring ways to accelerate procurements, including contract awards; working to reduce the cost of developing proposals; developing more consistency in evaluating past performance in contract bids; and working to ensure meaningful opportunities for small businesses.

“We rely on our contractors — both large firms and small businesses — to perform our mission in a safe and efficient manner so that we continue making steady progress,” Jarrell told the conference’s attendees. “We also rely on you and your companies to help us identify and develop new and innovative solutions to the challenges we face so that we can continuously improve the EM program and continue to serve as good stewards of taxpayer resources.”

“Those who have heard me speak before know I like to say in the end, we in EM have one key stakeholder — the American taxpayer,” he said.

ETEBA is a non-profit trade association representing approximately 170 small, large and mid-sized companies and affiliate members that provide environmental, technology, energy, engineering, construction, and related services to EM and other government and commercial clients.

- Contributor: Michael Nartker

HAMMER Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee addresses the audience during a ceremony celebrating 20 years of excellence of HAMMER.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and other officials gathered last week to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center at the Hanford Site.

The one-of-a-kind facility provides realistic, hands-on, and up-to-date training to site workers, military, national, and international emergency responders, and Department of Homeland Security personnel.

Inslee, who helped establish HAMMER, said it was a great honor to be at the ceremony.

“I really do believe this [HAMMER] is the best safety training in America today,” the governor said. “This has happened due to the commitment to our brothers and sisters, who are doing this great work. I’m glad to have played a small role.”

HAMMER Director Karen McGinnis discusses the growth she’s seen during the past 20 years as HAMMER’s director.

Left to right, Paul Vandervert, HAMMER operations director; Eric Dean, general president, Iron Workers; Glenn Podonsky, director, DOE Office of Enterprise Assessments; Dan Stepano, general president of OPCMIA (Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association of the United States and Canada); Bob Wilkinson, Mission Support Alliance chief operations officer; and Gordon McCleary, retired vice-president, OPCMIA stand near a plaque unveiled for the celebration.

During the ceremony, a plaque was unveiled to commemorate AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s recent recognition of HAMMER as “the single most important partnership between labor and management in the country.”

Nearly 300 people attended the event to show support for HAMMER and to celebrate 20 years of training that has helped people develop and maintain the knowledge and skills to safely complete their work.

“It’s been about asking people to help us build a coalition and a world-class training center that we can use to help clean up Hanford and keep Hanford workers safe,” HAMMER Director Karen McGinnis said.

EM Richland Operations Office’s HAMMER is managed by contractor Mission Support Alliance.

- Contributor: Lori Araujo

Hanford Dedicates Indigenous Restoration Area to Tribal Leaders

People attending the Oct. 3 ceremony gather around a new plaque honoring Tribal leaders.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Richland Operations Office (RL) recently dedicated the Indigenous Restoration Area at the Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center in honor of Tribal leaders.

The Tribes provide critical knowledge and guidance to protect the Hanford Site’s ceded lands. The three Tribal leaders recognized for their commitment, leadership, and support to HAMMER and its partnerships in the Oct. 3 ceremony included Bill Burke, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR); Russell Jim, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation; and the late J. Herman Reuben, Nez Perce Tribe.

“The Tribal leaders have been great friends of HAMMER and were great friends of Sam Volpentest,” HAMMER Director Karen McGinnis said about Volpentest, a long-time community leader and site advocate. “The Tribes are the soul of HAMMER’s partnerships,”

The event, attended by about 70 people, began with a formal invocation by Randy Minthorn, CTUIR, followed by speakers Doug Shoop, RL site manager; McGinnis; Det Wegener, HAMMER program manager; and Ira Matt, RL Tribal Affairs specialist. Burke and family members of Jim and Reuben also spoke.

Attendees visited the Indigenous Restoration Area to view a new plaque and bench dedicated to honor the leaders and recognize the strong Tribal partnerships.

“Working with HAMMER, the Tribes, and DOE…we want to take lessons from the past and continue those efforts into the future.” Matt said.

-Contributor: Lori Araujo

WTP Pretreatment Facility Vessel Testing Wraps Up

Employees from the Office of River Protection, Bechtel National, AECOM, and Atkins Engineering recently celebrated the completion test operations for the final phase of full-scale testing of pulse jet mixed vessels and control systems.

RICHLAND, Wash. – The final phase of full-scale testing has wrapped up for the pulse jet mixer (PJM) vessels and control systems intended for use in the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant’s Pretreatment Facility.

The PJM vessels and control systems are designed to safely mix radioactive tank waste as it moves through the Pretreatment Facility. The results of the recently completed testing will be used to inform the final design of the vessels intended to be used at the facility.

“Addressing the technical questions surrounding PJMs is an important accomplishment on the Pretreatment Facility,” said Bill Hamel, assistant manager for the WTP Project at EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP). “The collaboration among DOE and contractors over the four years of testing should be a model for how we do business.”

The test campaigns began in 2014 to study the PJMs and their control systems on half-scale and then prototypic full‐scale test vessels. Testing used non-radioactive materials that simulate and bound the range of expected waste stream conditions.

The final test campaign used a full-scale prototype of the standard high solids vessel (SHSV) and was completed in two phases. The first phase focused on PJM controls and demonstrated the ability to control the PJMs over the range of waste compositions anticipated. The second phase tested the vessel mixing performance and used tests based on established mixing requirements to produce the data required to support verification of the SHSV design. The SHSV prototype used in testing is integral to an alternative strategy for the Pretreatment Facility to demonstrate a plan to meet DOE’s nuclear quality and safety and performance requirements.

Peggy McCullough, Bechtel National project director for WTP, complimented the test completion team from Bechtel, AECOM, and Atkins Engineering for its strong execution.

“We have produced a result our customer can rely upon and move forward with confidence in the nuclear quality and safety of the Pretreatment Facility,” she said.

-Contributor: Staci West

Paducah Site Gives Public Tours to Nearly 1,000 People

Paducah Site visitors get an up-close look at the C-300 Building’s main control room.

PADUCAH, Ky. – Nearly 1,000 people toured the former gaseous diffusion plant at the Paducah Site during the first two seasons of public tours that began in 2016.

“EM’s mission at the site is to ensure safe and effective cleanup, and the tours help the public understand the challenges involved and the progress being made,” said Jennifer Woodard, Paducah Site Lead with EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO). “We are pleased that the public is benefiting from the tours and learning about the past, present, and future of the Paducah Site.”

The plant first enriched uranium in the 1950s for national security purposes before its mission shifted to enriching uranium for the commercial nuclear industry. Part of the three-hour tour includes entering the C-300 Building Central Control Room to view the thousands of gauges, controls, and lights that monitored the gaseous diffusion process before production operations ceased in 2013. Visitors see the plant’s 2-million-square-foot enrichment process buildings and the C 720 Maintenance Building’s machine shop, which show the magnitude of work required to maintain the operation.

Tour guide Steve Christmas from EM’s deactivation contractor, Fluor Federal Services.

Other than former workers seeing reminders of the plant’s heyday, the tours offer many with local or family ties their first opportunity to see it up close for themselves. Similarly, the tours are a great opportunity for plant neighbors who were unfamiliar with the actual work done there or the size of the plant facilities because of secrecy requirements.

“Awesome information and history,” commented Debbie Stone, who toured in June. “It makes me even more proud to be from Paducah.”

-Contributors: Steve Christmas and Dylan Nichols

Hanford Site Hosts Public Meeting on Proposed Dry Storage Pad for Capsules

Members of the public recently attended an informational meeting to learn about EM’s plans for building a dry storage pad for cesium and strontium capsules currently stored in a water-filled pool.

RICHLAND, Wash. – More than 40 members of the public attended an EM Richland Operations Office (RL) informational meeting recently on the proposed location, construction, and operation of a dry storage pad for 1,936 cesium and strontium capsules submerged in water at an aging Hanford Site facility.

The capsules are stored in the Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility (WESF). The water is needed to protect workers from high levels of radioactivity and to cool the cesium and strontium.

At the meeting, RL Physical Scientist Julie Reddick explained how workers would transfer the capsules from the water to a hot cell in WESF for packaging in new universal capsule sleeves. The sleeves would be placed in new casks and transported to the dry storage pad.

“While the capsules are currently in a safe configuration, WESF is an aging facility,” Reddick said. “Dry storage would significantly reduce the possibility of a release of radioactive material, should an unlikely event cause the loss of pool storage water.”

RL would begin transferring the capsules to dry storage in 2022. Construction of the dry storage pad would begin in 2019 and take about a year. It would be built southwest of WESF, which is more than six miles from the Columbia River.

The site of the proposed capsule storage pad is southwest of the Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility, part of B Plant, and more than six miles from the Columbia River.

The meeting was required as part of an application to the Washington Department of Ecology and a precursor to submittal of a permitting application. It was intended for members of the public to ask questions and learn about proposed waste management activities.

Members of the public can provide comments on the dry storage pad proposal during the waste permit modification process, which includes another public meeting on a yet-to-be determined date.

For questions, contact RL’s Rich Buel at richard.buel@rl.doe.gov, or P.O. Box 550, Richland, WA, 99352, or at (509) 376-3375; and Randy Bradbury with the Washington Department of Ecology, at Hanford@ecy.wa.gov, or 3100 Port of Benton Blvd, Richland, WA, 99354, or at (509) 372-7954.

-Contributors: Dana Gribble, Kristen Holmes

SRNL Chemical Engineer Receives Actinide Separations Award

Savannah River National Laboratory Chemical Engineer Tracy Rudisill has been named the 2017 Glenn T. Seaborg Actinide Separations Award Recipient.

AIKEN, S.C. – Tracy S. Rudisill, a chemical engineer at EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), has received the 2017 Glenn T. Seaborg Actinide Separations Award.

Given by the governing board of the Actinide Separations Conference, the award recognizes a U.S. scientist or engineer who has made outstanding and lasting contributions to the development and application of actinide separations processes and methodology. Rudisill is the fifth SRNL staff member to receive the award.

Rudisill was honored for his three decades of experience in research and development in uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium processing. His many contributions in the area of processing of nuclear materials include developing flowsheets for plutonium metal finishing, scrap recovery, the dissolution of plutonium materials, and the recovery of highly enriched uranium from research reactor fuels.

“I am very honored to receive this award and to be associated with the group of people who have won the Seaborg Award,” said Rudisill. “Winning the Seaborg Award is a reflection of the quality of the separations and nuclear material process developments that take place at Savannah River National Lab.”

Rudisill serves as an advisory engineer in the Separations and Actinide Science Program in the lab’s Environmental Stewardship Directorate, leading a team of engineers and scientists to develop flowsheets for the dissolution of used nuclear fuels and other materials.

He is actively involved in mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers, ensuring the laboratory will continue providing expertise to the DOE complex.

“My career has been one continuous learning experience,” said Rudisill. “I encourage the younger employees that I work with, that are interested in actinide separations, to be inquisitive about things they do not know or understand.”

-Contributor: Jamacia Jimerson

Thousands of Students Attend SRNS ‘Super Bowl’ of College Recruiting Events

Representatives from more than 130 colleges and universities participate in the Central Savannah River Area College Night.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – More than 5,000 area high school students met with representatives from over 130 colleges and universities across the U.S. at a recent event managed by the Savannah River Site management and operations contractor.

The annual Central Savannah River Area College Night allows students to gather information about their top choices at one location, helping limit costly college visits. They also have the opportunity to receive $16,000 in college scholarships.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) funded several buses to provide free transportation to and from the venue to economically disadvantaged students from rural school systems.

“We’re thrilled with the amazing turnout we see year after year,” said Gladys Moore, SRNS program coordinator for the event. “We use virtually every square foot of the James Brown Arena to help recruiters assist the students. One recruiter described it as the ‘Super Bowl of all college recruiting events.’”

Many students view the event as a means to limit costly college visits and obtain scholarships.

At College Night, students and parents can:

Learn about educational opportunities, admission requirements, and tuition;
Attend seminars on scholarships, financial aid, essay writing for college admissions, time management, learning styles, scholarships, and joint enrollment;
Visit a counseling center for advice on the college application process from high school advisors and admissions professionals;
Examine post-college options at the career exploration area; and
Register for a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship.

Most of event’s volunteers are employees at SRS near Aiken, S.C. The DOE-Savannah River Office is a major sponsor.

College Night has connected tens of thousands of students with more than $250,000 in scholarships in its 30-year history.

-Contributor: DT Townsend

2017 National Cleanup Workshop Support Materials Now Available

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Support materials are now available from the 2017 National Cleanup Workshop. The materials include links to videos of the workshop session, speaker presentations and an attendee list.

More than 650 people attended this year’s National Cleanup Workshop, held Sept. 14-15 in Alexandria, Va. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette provided the keynote address. The workshop was hosted by the Energy Communities Alliance, with DOE and the Energy Facility Contractors Group serving as the event’s cooperating organizations.

The National Cleanup Workshop brought together senior DOE executives and site officials, industry executives, and other stakeholders to discuss EM's progress in the cleanup of the environmental legacy of the nation’s Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear weapons program. Topics discussed at this year’s workshop included EM’s efforts to be more timely in decision-making; successful cleanup projects at the Hanford, Los Alamos and Portsmouth sites; high-level waste cleanup at Hanford and Savannah River sites; infrastructure challenges and excess facilities; and future uses for EM sites.

Click here to access the supporting materials on EM's National Cleanup Workshop webpage. Click here to find all of EM Update’s coverage of the 2017 National Cleanup Workshop.

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