EM Update | Vol. 10, Issue 11 | March 20, 2018

• DOE Completes Unremediated Nitrate Salts Treatment at LANL
• West Valley Successfully Completes Critical Demolition Activity
• Outgoing SRNL Director Reflects on Tenure
• SRS Begins New Spent Nuclear Fuel Campaign
• DOE Awards the 2018 Project Management Excellence to SRS SDU 6 Project
• EM Facility Representatives Nominated for Award
• WIPP Goes to New 4-10 Schedule to Maximize Availability of Air Flow
• Inventive Employees Build Replica, Tools to Improve Groundwater Cleanup
• EM Focuses on Business Opportunities with Indian Country
• New Hanford Network Operations Center Opens for Business

DOE Completes Unremediated Nitrate Salts Treatment at LANL

A worker manipulates a glove box used to treat unremediated nitrate salt waste.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – DOE’s Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and contractor Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS) collaborated with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to successfully complete treatment of 27 unremediated nitrate salt (UNS) drums at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The drums contained nitrate salt waste that had not previously been treated.

   “Multiple organizations shared the commitment of treating the UNS drums safely,” EM-LA Manager Doug Hintze said. “By establishing clear communication and expectations from the onset and prioritizing safety throughout each step of the process, we were able to reach our goal.”

   Treatment, which began in December, involved removing the UNS waste from drums and mixing it with water and zeolite — an inert material — to render the waste non-reactive. The resulting mixture is in solid form and was repackaged in new drums in accordance with EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) requirements. The treated nitrate salt drums are being stored at LANL, and will eventually be shipped to WIPP for disposal.

Drum liners containing the unremediated nitrate salt waste were pulled from the original containers and repacked into new 55-gallon drums.

   Before treatment, drum liners containing the UNS waste were pulled from the original containers and repacked into new 55-gallon drums to ensure drum integrity for safe transportation from Technical Area 54 to the Waste Characterization, Reduction, and Repackaging Facility. Repackaging the drum liners also ensured the drums were safe to handle and to secure to a glove box.

   The process used to treat the UNS waste closely mirrored the process used to successfully treat 60 remediated nitrate salts (RNS) drums at LANL last year. The RNS drums contained an incompatible combination of nitrate salt waste mixed with an organic absorbent. The organic absorbent was improperly added during repackaging to absorb liquids and to reduce the oxidizing potential of the nitrate salts. As a result, the drums needed to be treated to allow safe disposition of the waste at WIPP.

   “We wanted to capitalize on the momentum gained from processing of the RNS waste and our team did that by processing the UNS waste safely and effectively. All the credit goes to the personnel who executed this treatment. The waste is now ready for disposal at WIPP,” EM-LA Completion of Project Delivery Director Dave Nickless said.

The unremediated nitrate salt waste was mixed with zeolite.

   EM-LA and the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office provided federal oversight during the UNS and RNS treatment to ensure operations were performed safely and per procedure.

   “Having these back-to-back waste treatment programs is a testament to the successful partnership we have between the federal and contractor teams at LANL,” NNSA Los Alamos Field Office Manager Steve Goodrum said. “I look forward to continued progress.”

   LANL Deputy Director Rick Kacich said the successful completion of the RNS and UNS campaigns is a milestone in the laboratory’s 75-year history.

   “The safe and efficient execution of these two campaigns is a testament to the quality of the laboratory’s workforce and the dedicated individuals who made this result possible,” Kacich said.

-Contributor: Steven Horak

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West Valley Successfully Completes Critical Demolition Activity

Four Vitrification Facility hot cell coolers safely removed for packaging and shipment 

Vitrification in-cell cooler boxed and being transferred to storage hardstand onsite.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Four hot cell coolers weighing 7,188 pounds each were successfully removed  from the Vitrification Facility at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) through extensive planning and engineering controls.

   “This work was a significant accomplishment for our team,” said Jeff Bradford, president of CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), EM's cleanup contractor at WVDP. “They completed this work safely and compliantly using a deliberate and methodical approach, along with lessons learned.”

   Workers at WVDP removed in-cell coolers as part of demolition of the Vitrification Facility, one of two main buildings to be taken down at the site. That particular task was the highest remaining hazard associated with the Vitrification  Facility. 

   “The CHBWV Team did an excellent job in their planning and execution of this high-hazard work evolution,” EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower said. “This paves the way for the workforce to continue with the demolition of the Vitrification Facility.”

The first of four in-cell Vitrification Facility coolers is lowered to the floor as part of the removal process. This particular task was the highest remaining hazard associated with the Vitrification Facility project, and is critical to continuing with the demolition of the facility.

The second of four in-cell Vitrification Facility coolers, covered in yellow herculite, is lowered into a waste storage box. The waste box includes contamination controls and cribbing for safe transport and storage. 

   On March 3, crews began lowering and removing the first cooler from the Vitrification Facility ceiling. From above the 50-foot-tall building, the cooler was attached to a 300-ton crane using roof penetrations designed for mechanical and electrical connections. Once connected, the cooler was lowered to the floor, where crews performed general size reductions, and additional contamination controls (fixatives and wrapping) were applied. On March 5, a large excavator was used to pick up the cooler and place it into an approved waste container. 

   The removal of the first cooler was analyzed for lessons learned that were then applied to the task of removing the remaining coolers from the facility and packaging them into waste boxes. 

   The Vitrification Facility produced 278, 10-foot-tall canisters of vitrified high-level waste between 1996 through 2002. It was one of only two vitrification facilities to operate in the United States. The facility’s in-cell cooling system was an integral part of the operation. The coolers removed heat during normal operations and transferred that heat through a chilled water system. 

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

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Outgoing SRNL Director Reflects on Tenure

Dr. Terry A. Michalske served as director of EM's Savannah River National Laboratory.

After a seven-year tenure as director of EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Dr. Terry A. Michalske stepped down on March 15. Under his leadership, the lab greatly expanded its role across the DOE complex, for both the EM and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) missions. In an interview, Michalske talked about his time at SRNL and the changes he has seen.

As you look back on your tenure, where has SRNL made the most impact on EM’s mission?

When you look at the impact of SRNL on the EM mission, it’s important to begin at the Savannah River Site. SRNL continues to provide technically sound, innovative approaches that get put into practice and have accelerated the schedule and reduced the cost of this very important cleanup mission. It’s no mystery why the cleanup work at the Savannah River Site continues to move forward so successfully — the laboratory’s role in working hand in hand with DOE and the contractors every step of the way has been one of the key elements. 

About two years ago, the Department challenged this laboratory to take that basis of experience and expertise and lessons learned and translate that to help build successes across the entire complex. That was a very important turning point for the lab. I think the laboratory has responded quite strongly and capably in that regard. 

We’ve opened an office at the Hanford Site in Washington, where we can have that close connection and collaboration with the site and contractors. We’ve expanded work at sites including WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant), Oak Ridge, Portsmouth, Paducah, Idaho, and Los Alamos. I’m very proud that SRNL is really showing what it means to be the national lab for EM.

How is SRNL different today than when you started as director 7 years ago?

It’s different in a lot of ways. Most notably, the lab has evolved from providing competent technical support to taking a leadership role in bringing the best resources together and working with DOE to provide solutions.

Our leadership of the multi-laboratory and university teams to provide technical assessments of the WIPP release event and Hanford Vapor Study are good examples of SRNL bringing the best team together to address critical issues. 

We do a lot of work in the management of nuclear materials across the world. This is in support of both EM and NNSA. Our laboratory has successfully led important initiatives in countries including Finland, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Jamaica, Chile, and Japan. This is the kind of leadership that extends beyond the national realm, on a global scale. 

That change has been profound for the laboratory and one that is opening doors for significant new programs, such as the high-temperature graphite reactor fuel from Germany. 

One of the very important differences at SRNL from when I started is the relationship between the laboratory and the Department of Energy in the governance of the lab. We now have a formal governance relationship that involves the laboratory, our managing contractor, DOE-EM and NNSA — both at the headquarters and at the site level. This partnership is having a profound impact on the laboratory’s current success.

When I started, the laboratory was an operating unit of the M&O (management and operations contractor), utilizing all of the same business systems and policies. DOE, SRNS (Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the SRS M&O), and the lab worked collectively to stand up the lab as a separate business unit within the M&O. This has made an enormous difference in our ability to put in place business practices and efficiencies that are tailored to the needs of the laboratory. 

As you look to the future, what new opportunities and missions to do you see for SRNL?

The cleanup mission is one of the most important missions of the nation. We have a moral and legal obligation to remedy the enormous environmental legacy, and I see that continuing to be an important focus of this laboratory complex-wide. We are just beginning to see the growth of those activities as we partner with and work more closely with the many EM sites. 

In addition, once a remedy is in place at a site and the site is cleaned up, we have to make sure that the remedy is meeting expectations. At that point, responsibility falls to the DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM). We just recently signed a memorandum of understanding with DOE-LM to position SRNL to be the lead laboratory to bring the science and technology needed to effectively monitor and oversee those remedies going forward. So this is a whole new area where the skills, talents and expertise of the lab will be called upon in a very long-term sense.

SRNL’s role in supporting the nation’s nuclear deterrent, particularly with the tritium mission, is a core mission of our lab and will continue to grow. We are also seeing growing activities in cyber technologies. Likewise, plutonium work at the site is expected to increase. SRNL will play a key role in this work, in terms of legacy materials, international programs, and materials that are important to the current stockpile. 

We have always been a manufacturing site, and the lab has a strong heritage in supporting industrial-scale manufacturing, which I believe will continue to be a growth area for the lab. 

When it comes to growth at SRNL, how important is public-private collaboration?

We have what we call the “iron triangle,” which is the government, private sector industry, and the academic community. It is that partnership across the three that really allows great progress to be made. 

Our recent success in leading the formation of the national manufacturing institute, RAPID, is a good example of using this iron triangle to drive the innovation in chemical manufacturing needed for DOE and NNSA missions as well as U.S. industry.

We are vectored quite strongly to move some of our operations off the site and onto the campus of the University of South Carolina-Aiken, because we think that kind of location allows those three entities — government, industry, and academia — to work shoulder to shoulder in an extremely powerful way. We will always maintain our secure and radiological work on the site, but we feel that building those partnerships and having the ability to work in the same space as those partners is absolutely critical.

What advice would you offer to the next SRNL director?

The next person stepping into the director role will have the benefit of the best leadership team I’ve ever worked with, and a truly committed and focused staff. My advice is not to hesitate to put SRNL in the middle of the nation’s most challenging problems, because the lab will do well, the lab will make you proud, and provide an enormous return on investment. So, don’t be timid — that’s my advice. 

-Contributor: Marty Schneider  

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SRS Begins New Spent Nuclear Fuel Campaign

H Canyon Crane Operator Glenn Bowman lowers a High Flux Isotope Reactor core into the dissolver.

AIKEN, S.C. – The Savannah River Site’s (SRS) H Canyon recently began dissolving spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in eastern Tennessee.

   “This campaign marks the first time H Canyon has dissolved HFIR SNF since 1988, and is essential for the continued mission of HFIR,” DOE-Savannah River Nuclear Materials Programs Manager Maxcine Maxted said. 

   L Area currently stores 120 HFIR cores, which is the maximum capacity for HFIR storage. ORNL will reach its maximum capacity for storing HFIR fuel in fiscal year 2020. To ensure sufficient SNF storage for the HFIR reactor to continue its mission, DOE directed SRS to dissolve HFIR beginning this year.

   “This campaign is also significant in that it marks the first time that there have been three different uranium streams feeding H Canyon simultaneously,” Maxted said. “In addition to HFIR, the other streams are Material Test Reactor spent nuclear fuel and Target Residue Material. Multiple uranium streams allow for better utilization of the canyon capabilities.”

A High Flux Isotope Reactor core is dropped into the H Canyon dissolver.

   The HFIR reactor is the highest flux reactor-based source of neutrons for research in the United States utilizing highly enriched uranium. The fuel elements, inner and outer elements, together form a reactor “core.”  After these cores are used, they are stored at ORNL for eventual shipment to SRS for processing. 

   Once the cores arrive at SRS they are stored in the L Area spent fuel basin underwater to reduce radiation rates while awaiting processing in H Canyon. The HFIR reactor at ORNL operates in support of its neutron scattering and isotope production mission, and SRS will continue to receive fuel cores to support its operation.

   H Canyon’s mission is to blend down highly enriched uranium (HEU) SNF from domestic and foreign research reactor fuel into low enriched uranium (LEU). LEU can be used to make fuel for commercial power reactors and also makes the HEU non-proliferable.

   To begin the chemical processing that turns HEU SNF into LEU, H Canyon reconfigured one dissolver and replaced the second dissolver that contained a failed cooling coil last year. Preparation for the HFIR mission also included revising the safety analysis and procedures, training of personnel, and a lot of practice in both H Canyon and L Area.

   “It took a lot of hard work and dedication to prepare for this campaign,” Maxted said. “However, we knew that the employees of L Area and H Canyon, the only hardened radiochemical separations facility operating in the United States, were up to the task. H Canyon is once again proving that it is a crucial element in enabling other DOE research facilities, such as the DOE national laboratory at Oak Ridge, to continue operation. It is this kind of collaboration that makes the DOE complex effective.”

-Contributor: Lindsey MonBarren     

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DOE Awards the 2018 Project Management Excellence to SRS SDU 6 Project

DOE Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes presents the 2018 Project Management Excellence Award to EM’s Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 6 Project team at the Department’s recent 2018 Project Management Workshop. Pictured, left to right: Soni Blanco, Senior Technical Program Manager for Planning and Coordination, Savannah River Site (SRS); Charles Comeau, accepting award, Deputy Federal Project Director, SDU Project; Menezes; and Thomas Johnson, Associate Deputy Manager, Savannah River Operations Office.

AIKEN, S.C. – DOE recently presented the 2018 Project Management Excellence Award to the EM Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 6 Project team that completed construction on the mega-cell at a cost of about $118 million, more than $25 million below cost, and 18 months ahead of schedule.

   DOE officials announced the award at its 2018 Project Management Workshop, where federal and contractor employees across the complex discussed projects with senior DOE leadership, reviewed best practices, shared lessons learned, and recognized excellence. DOE-Savannah River Deputy Federal Project Director Chuck Comeau received the award for the SDU 6 team.

   The SDU 6 project also won the DOE Project of the Year Award for the Department’s EM sector in November 2017.

Savannah River Site's first mega-volume Saltstone Disposal Unit 6 sits on 2-1/2 acres and will hold about 33 million gallons of saltstone.

   The team successfully designed and constructed SDU 6 to support the Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste program’s objective of managing and safely processing about 35 million gallons of radioactive waste from the site’s remaining 43 waste tanks. Completed in July 2017, SDU 6 is the site’s first mega-volume saltstone disposal unit for grouted low-level radioactive waste.

   The SDUs are being constructed to accommodate the large stream of decontaminated salt solution from the Salt Waste Processing Facility, which is undergoing startup and commissioning activities to prepare for operations.

    With an estimated 32.8-million-gallon capacity, SDU 6 is more than 10 times the size of the previous saltstone disposal units built at SRS. The SDU 6 cell is a reinforced concrete disposal unit 375 feet in diameter and 43 feet in height, and constructed with over 13,000 cubic yards of concrete. The cell is pre-stressed vertically and horizontally with 289 miles of 3/8 inch wire cable wrapped in seven layers.  

   The site projects SDU 6 will generate a lifecycle savings of over $500 million.

   DOE commended the SDU 6 team for its outstanding accomplishment.

-Contributor: Maddie Blair

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EM Facility Representatives Nominated for Award

   DOE created the facility representative position in 1990. Facility representatives are highly trained professionals who provide day-to-day oversight of contractor operations at the Department’s most hazardous facilities. There are approximately 175 facility representatives across the complex providing safety oversight and serving as an on-scene federal presence, monitoring mission accomplishments and worker and public safety.

   The Department has presented the Facility Representative of the Year Award annually since 1995 to recognize exceptional performance. Awards for DOE’s facility representative and safety system oversight personnel will be announced at the 2018 Nuclear and Facility Safety Programs Workshop from May 21 to 24 in Las Vegas. 

   Here are this year’s nominees from EM sites:

Idaho - Trent Neville

Trent Neville, from the Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP), is assigned to the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC), a complex of nine Hazard Category 2 nuclear facilities, and one Hazard Category 3 laboratory.   Neville’s more notable contributions to the success of the ICP included identifying numerous contractor non-compliances with worker safety and health regulations, his effective leadership during an Integrated Safety Management System Phase I Verification review, and his exceptional contributions during a safety culture assist visit to the Los Alamos National Laboratory.   “Trent is an excellent facility representative for the Department; his technical knowledge, experience, and intuitive oversight of contractor operations has directly resulted in improved worker safety and health at his assigned facilities, and has been integral to the success of the Environmental Management mission at the DOE Idaho Site,” according to Mark Brown, an assistant manager with the DOE Idaho Operations Office. Los Alamos - Lisa Salerno-Bush

Lisa Salerno-Bush is the Los Alamos Field Office’s (EM-LA) facility representative for Technical Area 54 and Technical Area 50’s Waste Characterization Reduction and Repackaging Facility. Salerno-Bush’s priorities include verifying that work is performed in accordance with the Safety Basis and DOE requirements and standards, identifying weakness in systems, and noting areas that might have room for improvement. A facility representative since 2013, Salerno-Bush is accustomed to drawing attention to issues that are not always easy to discuss. “Part of my job is to bring up the uncomfortable issues that others may not want to see, address, or talk about. I am a strong believer in, ‘If you see something, say something.’ I am not afraid to pause work or ask those uncomfortable questions. I care about the people out here. I want them to be safe and go home safely.” Salerno-Bush’s dedication to safety is not lost on her colleagues. “Lisa represents EM with a passion for the operations, a genuine care for the workers, and a selflessness that puts the needs of the organization above her own,” said Elizabeth Gilbertson, EM-LA’s director of Safety and Facility Operations. Oak Ridge - Tim Noe

Tim Noe serves as a facility representative in the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) overseeing Building 3019, one of the DOE’s most sensitive and challenging facilities. The building, located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is the world’s oldest operating nuclear facility, and it contains a large inventory of uranium.   Last year, Noe worked with the Isotek Systems, LLC to successfully complete the Uranium-233 Direct Disposition Campaign, which was one of OREM’s highest priorities. Through his support and leadership at the Security Category 1, Hazard Category 2 Nuclear facility, OREM completed the campaign months ahead of schedule and achieved approximately $9 million in savings.   “Tim is a tremendous asset to our program,” said OREM Manager Jay Mullis. “He has all of the technical expertise to manage one of our most complex facilities and ensure compliance with all of its rigorous requirements, and he is also a great team member who communicates well and keeps project members performing at their highest level.”  Office of River Protection - Patrick Swann

Office of River Protection (ORP) facility representative Pat Swann leads oversight of Hanford’s tank farm operations, maintenance, and construction activities. Additionally, Pat is the facility representative assigned to the 222-S Laboratory, overseeing operations of an analytical laboratory which provides analysis of radioactive samples in support of Hanford Site projects.  Swann also recently received ORP’s People’s Recognition Award given to employees who have demonstrated a clear concern for safety, and helped improve safety performance within ORP and the contractor.  “Pat’s leadership in planning oversight of operational activities has significantly improved contractor rigor and safety performance,” said Ron Frink, ORP’s Director for Tank Farm Operations. “His contributions in furthering ORP’s mission are significant, and management relies on him to assess contractor programs and ensure all facilities are operated safely and effectively.” Richland - Ron Johnson

EM’s Richland Operations Office nominated Ron Johnson. Johnson is responsible for all aspects of oversight for the Soil and Groundwater Remediation Project and Central Plateau Surveillance and Maintenance at the Hanford Site.   In addition to his primary duties, Johnson volunteered to be the team leader responsible for all aspects of the integrated safety management system review of the 222-S Laboratory for EM’s Office of River Protection. Johnson also played an integral role in the response to the partial roof collapse of a tunnel at the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant. After the tunnel roof was temporarily secured, Johnson also volunteered to provide oversight of the more thorough tunnel stabilization work using engineered grout.  “Ron is an outstanding facility representative and was integral to the effective response and recovery from the PUREX tunnel site area emergency this spring,” said Assistant Manager for Safety and Environment Brian Stickney. “His willingness to assist another site office with an important review and provide oversight and field presence during the tunnel emergency, as well as his robust day-to-day oversight as a facility representative, demonstrates his remarkable commitment to the DOE mission.”  Savannah River Site - Tom Kohler

Tom Kohler is assigned to the H-Canyon, a Hazard Category 2 nuclear facility. H-Canyon is a production-scale, radiologically-shielded chemical separations facility which supports a variety of uranium, plutonium, and spent reactor fuel missions.  Kohler’s knowledge of his assigned facility, the Technical Safety Requirements, and the Criticality Safety Requirements drove the identification and safe resolution of operations with (then-unknown) degraded safety equipment and a potential criticality safety violation. Kohler also provided leadership and support in the disposition of highly enriched Target Residue Material from Canadian Nuclear Laboratories.   Building on 25 years of experience in contractor training and qualification, Kohler has provided expertise in various ways including coauthoring a major portion of the revision to DOE O 426.2, Personnel Selection, Training, Qualification, and Certification Requirements for DOE Nuclear Facilities; assisting NNSA in performing its Triennial Contractor Training Assessment; and creating and implementing a Continuing Training Plan for facility representatives. Carlsbad Field Office - Kenneth Princen

Ken Princen is the 2017 Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Facility Representative (FR) of the year. Arriving during the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) recovery effort in 2015, he quickly became part of a new FR program and oversight model as he gained his FR qualifications and shortly thereafter was selected as the Acting Facility Oversight Division Director.   Throughout 2017, Princen led the effort to rewrite FR program documents, and implemented improvements found necessary following the restart of WIPP operations, He created an FR watch bill to ensure coverage of functional areas, and make sure that all surveillances and assessments were planned, conducted and documented. He has qualified one new FR to the program, mentored a developmental position, and trained numerous individuals on performing WIPP readiness activities.   “Ken continues to set very high standards for himself, the WIPP contractor, and the CBFO FR program, I enthusiastically nominate him as the DOE FR of the Year,” said Ed Garza, Assistant Manager Office of WIPP, Carlsbad Field Office.  -Contributors: Mark Brown, Dieter Bohrmann, Kristen Holmes Back to Top

WIPP Goes to New 4-10 Schedule to Maximize Availability of Air Flow

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s new 4-10 schedule allows mining activities during the day while waste emplacement activities take place on the back shift so there is no competition for airflow.

CARLSBAD, N.M. – The resumption of mining at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) earlier this year was a major milestone for the project and necessary for WIPP to continue operations into the future.

   Adding mining to the mix of activities already occurring underground has required a significant amount of coordination.

   Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP), the WIPP management and operations contractor, made work schedule changes to conduct mining and waste emplacement on separate shifts. This ensures sufficient underground airflow for worker safety. Also, most site personnel have moved to a 10-hour schedule of either 4/10s or 7/10s, with additional personnel remaining on 12-hour shifts.       

   “The schedule change allows us to balance ground control (mine maintenance) and mining with waste emplacement,” said Tammy Reynolds, NWP deputy project manager and chief operating officer. “Safety will always be the priority.” 

    Since 2014, WIPP’s underground ventilation system has operated in filtration mode. All exhaust is directed through above-ground high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter units, resulting in a lower airflow than without filtration. To address this issue in the long term, a new Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System project has been designed that would replace the existing system and provide pathways for both filtered and unfiltered air. Project completion is estimated by 2022.  

   Since waste emplacement operations resumed last year, WIPP has slowly and safely increased the number of shipments received each week. The site has averaged five to six shipments per week. The week of Feb. 19th was WIPP’s first eight-shipment week. 

-Contributor: Victoria Parker

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Inventive Employees Build Replica, Tools to Improve Groundwater Cleanup

Workers built a replica water treatment vessel and fabricated special tools before they could make adjustments in a vessel at one of Hanford’s five pump-and-treat facilities.  

RICHLAND, Wash. – More than 2 billion gallons of groundwater are treated at the Hanford Site each year to remove contaminants and protect the nearby Columbia River. Treating a large volume of groundwater requires workers with EM Richland Operations Office contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company to maintain and improve the function of equipment at five pump-and-treat facilities. This video explains how workers used their ingenuity to build a replica, or “mockup,” of a treatment vessel and fabricate the tools needed to make adjustments in a tight space. The adjustments allow for more groundwater to be treated, more contaminants — like hexavalent chromium — to be removed from the groundwater, and more protection for the river.   

-Contributor: Tania Reyes Mills

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EM Focuses on Business Opportunities with Indian Country

EM Consolidated Business Center Small Business Program Manager Anne Marie Bird, left, talks with National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development Executive Director Chris James, center, at EM's exhibit during the tradeshow. Norb Doyle, EM Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Project Management, is at right.

LAS VEGAS – Expanding outreach to Indian Country companies, EM officials discussed business opportunities in the cleanup program and greater DOE at the National Reservation Economic Summit (RES) 2018 this month held by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED).

   “DOE’s continued presence at these very important economic summits has been welcomed and acknowledged by many participants at RES and NCAIED leadership. It firmly demonstrates EM’s sincere desire to engage Indian Country at all levels, including the business realm,” EM Tribal Affairs Director Albert Brandt Petrasek said of the summit in Las Vegas.

   As the largest national Indian-specific business organization in the U.S., NCAIED is a non-profit that assists American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development. The summit served to connect Indian-owned businesses with government and other opportunities.

   "We are very excited about the strong partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development,” NCAIED President and CEO Chris James said. "This is particularly true for DOE’s Environmental Management program and its strong presence at our Reservation Economic Summits. The Department’s environmental cleanup responsibilities are of great interest to our community because they often take place in the heart of Indian Country. Tribes and Tribal members are a big part of the story of the United States' nuclear legacy, and just as importantly, its future. We look forward to continued collaboration with DOE as we seek to find solutions to our most pressing energy challenges, including how Native Americans and Alaska Natives can be a major part of a growing energy economy."   

   Several of EM’s cleanup sites are located close or adjacent to sovereign Tribal nations and impact Indian lands and resources. Consistent with the Department's American Indian and Alaska Natives Tribal Government Policy, EM maintains cooperative agreements with Tribal nations to enhance their involvement in cleanup decisions while protecting relevant Tribal rights and resources.

EM's participation in the National Reservation Economic Summit 2018 “matchmaking" session yielded at least 14 Tribal businesses interested in contracting opportunities with EM. Here, Don Chapman and Heather Collins of Cayuse Technologies, a Tribal-owned business of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, discuss their interest in contracting with EM.

    The summit offered EM multiple ways to connect with the Indian Country businesses. In addition to having an exhibitor booth in the tradeshow, where EM officials met with dozens of summit participants, EM conducted a “matchmaking” session for company representatives to meet one on one with EM Consolidated Business Center Small Business Program Manager Anne Marie Bird and Norbert Doyle, EM Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Project Management. Building off of last year’s summit participation, Bird and Doyle met with representatives from 14 different companies.

   “The Office of Environmental Management has been successful in its matchmaking endeavors with Tribal-owned businesses and Alaska Native Corporations for the work going on at our sites,” Bird said. “Our participation in the Reservation Economic Summit events is worthwhile in assisting Tribal enterprises in understanding how to do business with the Office of Environmental Management and where to look for opportunities.”

   The Department’s offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), Economic Impact and Diversity, and Indian Energy Policy and Programs took part in the summit. Officials from EM and OSDBU joined officials from the U.S. Army and Air Force in a panel discussion on federal contracting opportunities and challenges across government for Tribal enterprises. Doyle and OSDBU Director Charles R. Smith discussed DOE’s diverse mission and how businesses can navigate DOE’s overall $24 billion procurement base.

   “This is a terrific event. It’s exciting to meet with so many dynamic and capable small business leaders seeking opportunities to work with the Department,” Smith said.

Charles R. Smith, director of DOE’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, third from left, listens to Norb Doyle, EM Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Project Management, far right, talk during a panel discussion at the National Reservation Economic Summit 2018.

   Representatives from a range of Indian Country businesses — from those with experience working for EM to others that had never held contracts with the federal government — sought to learn about the federal procurement process and the variety of business opportunities to support EM and other DOE program offices. Audience members asked DOE officials many questions, including how to navigate security clearance designations and which contract vehicles to seek to secure DOE contracts. 

   EM officials detailed potential opportunities, including subcontracting under several large, recently-awarded prime contracts at EM’s Hanford and Los Alamos sites. They also discussed the potential that applying for 8(a) status can have for Native-owned businesses seeking contracting opportunities with the government. 

   “It’s always a great pleasure and very rewarding personally to work with Indian Country as we help to foster economic development of the Tribes,” Doyle said. “Having participated in several RES events, I’m more convinced each time that it’s a classic win-win situation. We have needs, and they have capabilities. We look forward to exploring additional ways we can reach Indian Country, and our partnership with Chris James and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development can only further enhance our efforts.”

-Contributor: Jared Bierbach

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New Hanford Network Operations Center Opens for Business

Mission Support Alliance President Bob Wilkinson and Chief Operations Officer Amy Basche tour the Network Operations Center to view the new layout and design. 

RICHLAND, Wash. – Earlier this year, EM Richland Operations Office contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) celebrated the completed remodel of Hanford’s Network Operations Center.

   The center operates as the main hub for monitoring the health of Hanford’s computer network and is the location where potential cybersecurity threats are identified. 

   “The Network Operations Center is the lifeline for protecting the Hanford network,” MSA Enterprise Customer Support Services Manager Debbie Strankman said. “These upgrades will make our job easier and more efficient.” 

   The upgrades include replacing computer equipment more than 20 years old, improving ergonomics for employees monitoring the network, and providing for a new, open layout for improved efficiency in identifying and diagnosing issues on the network. The operations center is staffed continuously by a team of nine people who monitor the site’s cybersecurity, servers, applications like Outlook and financial systems, and telephone and radio systems.

   MSA president Bob Wilkinson and Chief Operations Officer Amy Basche toured the center and learned firsthand how the upgrades will improve the monitoring and protection of Hanford’s computer network.

-Contributor: Patrick Conrad

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