EM Update | Vol. 10, Issue 37 | Sept. 18, 2018

• Under Secretary Dabbar Emphasizes Innovation in Achieving EM Mission
• EM Assistant Secretary White Outlines Plans to Invigorate ‘Completion Mindset’
• Crews Safely Remove West Valley Main Plant Ventilation Stack
• Reducing Risk and Working Together Leads to Cleanup Success, Panelists Say
• EM Assistant Secretary White Joins Twitter
• Panelists Discuss Closure Mindset
• Partnerships Offer Foundation for Excess Contaminated Facilities Success
• Hanford Tank Waste Mission Shifts to Operations, Illustrating Completion Focus
• EM Extends Statement of Intent With Canada’s Nuclear Cleanup Program
• Rep. Fleischmann Shares Insights from House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
• Assistant Secretary White Emphasizes ‘Cleanup Mindset’ to EM Advisory Boards
• ‘Secret Cities’ Then, Cleanup Sites Today

Under Secretary Dabbar Emphasizes Innovation in Achieving EM Mission

DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar speaks during the keynote address at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Serving as the keynote speaker at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop last week, DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar highlighted the importance of innovation and collaborating with communities as EM enters a new chapter energized by a completion mindset. 

   “This Administration is focusing on American innovation through smart investments, streamlined regulations that open up opportunities, collaborative approaches to problem solving, and full utilization of the unmatched resources our national labs have to offer,” Dabbar said. He also noted progress in modernizing the cleanup program, advancements in American energy production, and job growth. 

   About 650 EM stakeholders attended the fourth-annual workshop organized by the Energy Communities Alliance, which represents local communities near DOE sites. EM and the Energy Facility Contractors Group served as cooperating organizations in the event.

   DOE recently grouped EM, the Office of Science, and the national laboratories under Dabbar’s purview. As EM Assistant Secretary Anne White leads the cleanup program with an eye towards project completion and site closure, Dabbar said he’s focused on “maximizing the Department’s capabilities through greater synergy to better manage costs, solve challenges, and ensure the highest level of safety.” 

   The national laboratories envision possibilities, maximize opportunities, and develop smart solutions to the nation’s greatest challenges including the nuclear waste cleanup, he said.

   “Getting to completion and closure requires that we fully utilize our labs in a focused way to tackle remaining technical challenges, shorten schedules, and bring costs in,” Dabbar said. 

   The Under Secretary, who has visited numerous EM sites this year, pointed to progress across the cleanup complex, including the new ventilation system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the new Saltstone Disposal Units at the Savannah River Site.

   “As these individual successes accumulate one after the other, month after month, year after year, cleanup momentum builds and the completion mindset that Anne talks about develops,” he said.  

   Dabbar emphasized the value of engaging the cleanup communities and other key stakeholders to broaden support for the EM mission, achieve shared goals, and lay the groundwork for the next-generation American workforce.   

   “America is getting back to that place where we have the ideas and the confidence to just get things done,” Dabbar said. “We have the commitment to innovation needed to make it possible and we have highly skilled men and women in the field making it happen at our EM sites and beyond.”

-Contributor: Jessica Gleason

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EM Assistant Secretary White Outlines Plans to Invigorate ‘Completion Mindset’

EM Assistant Secretary Anne White addressed this year’s National Cleanup Workshop during a Q&A session titled, “Ensuring Continued Progress at EM Sites.”

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – EM Assistant Secretary Anne White says she is driving the environmental cleanup program forward toward a vision of getting work accomplished safely and completely, and sooner rather than later. 

   From development of 10-year strategic plans that encourage field sites to picture an end to their missions, to regulatory reforms and new emphasis on “end state” contracts that will aim to incentivize projects to conclusion safely and efficiently, White said she is intent on invigorating a “completion mindset” in EM that she experienced performing field work at cleanup sites early in her career.

   “We had clarity and purpose,” White said. “We knew what to do. We were there to get sites off the books, to clean stuff up, to get waste to final disposition. That’s what the mindset looks like. It’s a culture of ‘do.’”

   White discussed her priorities in remarks to this year's National Cleanup Workshop.

EM Assistant Secretary Anne White answers a question from Billy Morrison, chair of the Energy Facility Contractors Group, who served as moderator of the Q&A session.

   White said EM is motivated by the fact that its cleanup mission comprises a major portion of the third largest liability on the government books after the federal debt and entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.  

   “When you keep that in mind, you recognize that the EM program is unique in government in that we actually have an opportunity to save the taxpayers billions of dollars,” she said. “There are not many programs in government where you have that opportunity.

   “If we all keep that in mind, then we are all going to be charging toward the same goal, which is to get the liabilities down, get waste to final disposition, start getting risk reductions and completions.”

   White said there are opportunities for significant near-term accomplishments at the Separations Process Research Unit and the West Valley Demonstration Project, both in New York, and the Energy Technology Engineering Center in California. Key achievements at larger sites like the restart of demolition at the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant and the removal of sludge from K Basin at Hanford also are well in reach. 

   Such near-term “wins” enable EM to show that Congress is justified in approving budget increases for the program, she said. 

   “You need to have some of these things to go ahead and say this is what we’ve done with the plus-ups. Give us more plus-ups and we’ll get more done,” White said. “That’s the importance of these kinds of things. That’s measurable progress that helps EM do better in budget space.” 

   White said she is encouraged by workers at sites she has visited since she was confirmed as Assistant Secretary earlier this year. In particular, she makes it a point to have lunch with early-career workers who are their sites’ future. 

   “When I go to the sites, I see it all the time,” she said. “People want to get the work done. That’s a natural tendency. I see it in the field all the time. It’s enthusiasm.

   “It really makes me understand we can get this done. We can get through these things and have meaningful accomplishments.” 

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Crews Safely Remove West Valley Main Plant Ventilation Stack

A crane moves the ventilation stack to a horizontal position.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Workers recently removed an estimated 20,000-pound ventilation stack from the Main Plant Process Building at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Site.  

   “Once again, the CHBWV team did an excellent job in their pre-planning and execution of this challenging work,” WVDP Director Bryan Bower said referring to cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley. “This work evolution will forever change the landscape of the WVDP site, and will become a reminder of the ongoing progress here.”

A crane lowers the ventilation stack to the ground.

   Crews removed the ventilation stack as part of efforts to dismantle and demolish the Main Plant’s associated facilities. Other work will include demolishing structures such as an office building. 

   “Developing a comprehensive plan and using it with a deliberate approach is a combination for safety and success,” said Scott Anderson, CHBWV president. “Our team continues to complete demolition work at the site in a safe and compliant manner.”

   The stack and other materials removed and packaged during the project will be shipped offsite for disposal.

   The 160-foot-tall cement-reinforced stainless steel stack atop the five-story building was part of the Main Plant’s ventilation exhaust system. 

   Built in the 1960s, the Main Plant Process Building served as a commercial reprocessing facility used to recover reusable plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear reactor fuel. It operated from 1966 to 1972, processing approximately 640 metric tons of irradiated nuclear fuel.

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

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Reducing Risk and Working Together Leads to Cleanup Success, Panelists Say

Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Ken Picha speaks at the National Cleanup Workshop.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A panel of EM and contractor officials from two cleanup sites and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) shared recent achievements during the “Path to EM Successes in 2018” session at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop.

   Ken Picha, acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, moderated the panel. He told the audience there were more than 100 cleanup sites when the EM program began nearly 30 years ago. Only 16 remain, but they are the tough ones, he said.

   EM is focused on risk reduction cleanup activities that are safe, environmentally friendly, and cost effective, Picha said. Key areas include tank waste remediation at the Savannah River, Hanford and Idaho sites, safe receipt and management of special nuclear materials, soil and groundwater remediation, and facility decommissioning, he said. 

   Picha noted recent accomplishments from around the DOE complex, including the Los Alamos Site’s safe treatment of nitrate salt drums and WIPP’s receipt of more than 12,000 shipments. The Oak Ridge Site broke ground for a mercury treatment facility, and EM finished remediating a large burial ground at the Hanford Site, not far from the Columbia River, he said.

Carlsbad Field Office Manager Todd Shrader

   Todd Shrader, manager of the Carlsbad Field Office, and Bruce Covert, president and project manager of WIPP’s management and operations contractor, Nuclear Waste Partnership, discussed a new ventilation system being installed at WIPP. 

   “We realize our mission is different in that we are here for everyone else,” Shrader said. “We want to help enable the closure of all the other sites, and we are looking at ways to streamline our processes going forward.”

   Covert said the ventilation system should be fully operational by 2021.  

Richland Operations Office Manager Doug Shoop

   Doug Shoop, manager of Richland Operations Office, and Ty Blackford, president and CEO of contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company, spoke about recent accomplishments in retrieving sludge from a storage basin located near the Columbia River.  

   Shoop said one of the last challenges in the 220-square-mile River Corridor is the K Reactor. When plutonium production ceased, about 2,100 metric tons of fuel elements were left in the K East and K West basins.

   “Although under water, the deteriorating fuel rods in both basins resulted in the formation of a material called ‘sludge,’ consisting of tiny fuel corrosion particles, fuel rod fragments, other metal fragments, wind-blown sand, and other materials,” he said. 

   Workers processed the 2,100 metric tons of fuel and transferred the sludge in K East Basin to K West Basin because of strong indicators that K East Basin had been leaking and spreading contamination underneath, according to Shoop. Workers dewatered and demolished the K East Basin and cleaned the associated waste site, so now the challenge is dealing with the sludge in the K West Basin, he said.

   “We realized in the transfer of sludge from K East to K West Basin that the sludge was very difficult to move,” Shoop said. “It is very corrosive and has lots of different particle sizes that make it very challenging to deal with.”

   Shoop said it was helpful to use a mock-up building called the Maintenance and Storage Facility (MASF) to test procedures and equipment and train workers in a non-hazardous environment.

   Blackford discussed the logistics of retrieving the sludge from K West Basin, which is being transferred to the T-Plant near the site’s center to await final disposition. 

   He said crews have retrieved three full containers of sludge. Using MASF to prove technology and train workers supported progress in the project, he added.

   “There is still a lot of work to do on this project,” Blackford said. “We will finish removing the sludge and begin deactivating the basin by 2019, then we will remove the basin by 2023, and finish all response actions in the 100 K Area by 2024.”

Savannah River Site Manager Michael Budney

   Michael Budney, manager of the Savannah River Site (SRS), and Stuart MacVean, president and CEO of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the SRS management and operations contractor, talked about the capabilities of the site’s nuclear materials program, which has three unique aspects:

• H Canyon is the only production scale radiochemical processing plant in the U.S.
• K Area is EM’s only Category 1 special nuclear materials storage facility designated for interim safe storage of plutonium and highly enriched uranium.
• L Basin has the capacity to receive, bundle, and store Material Test Reactor type fuels and High Flux Isotope Reactor fuels.

   “As far as challenges, some of these buildings were built 60 years ago, and these missions remain dynamic,” Budney said. “Also, infrastructure needs have been deferred to maintain critical operations, and we’ve got a lot of roof that needs replaced across the site.” 

   MacVean said H Canyon is processing three uranium streams for the first time ever. The work has required additional hiring, he said. SRNS has brought on 2,286 new, full-service employees since fiscal year 2014 and will need about 450 new employees a year for the next four years.

   “I’m really excited to see a lot of materials moving though the plant in this next fiscal year,” MacVean said. “We have a national asset when it comes to nuclear fuel processing. We have a great record, and we are bringing on a new crop of folks who are learning how to achieve the same kinds of results.”

-Contributor: Kris Holmes

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EM Assistant Secretary White Joins Twitter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EM Assistant Secretary Anne White has launched a Twitter page where she will share accomplishments and other news about the cleanup program. Follow her at @EMAssistantSec. White’s Twitter account joins EM’s Facebook page as a social media outlet for communicating cleanup activities and progress. Additionally, you can sign up for the weekly EM Update newsletter here. Back to Top

Panelists Discuss Closure Mindset

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Creating a “closure mindset” was the theme of the panel session, “Progress Through Action – Exploring Potential Completion Acceleration,” at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop.

   The panelists, who included EM, contractor, and community representatives from across the DOE complex, discussed how they can accelerate cleanup and invigorate a closure mindset for EM’s cleanup sites.

   Doug Hintze, manager of the Los Alamos Field Office, said rotating job assignments can keep things fresh. Several panelists agreed with Hintze about creating a mindset that challenges the workforce.

EM Los Alamos Field Office Manager Doug Hintze

John Jones, federal project director for EM’s Energy Technology Engineering Center Site

Ken Armstrong, associate deputy director for the EM Consolidated Business Center

   John Jones, federal project director for EM’s Energy Technology Engineering Center Site, noted the importance of a leader with vision who can empower people to make decisions and set measurable goals.

   Joe Legare, vice president and environmental remediation program manager for Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, the Los Alamos Site legacy cleanup contractor, suggested that a shared vision throughout the complex include the entire EM workforce from top to bottom, as well as regulators and communities. 

   Bob Thompson, mayor of the City of Richland, Washington and Energy Communities Alliance board member, suggested that DOE consider what’s important — the greatest need, the highest risk — and communicate it so it can be accepted by communities and regulators.

   The panelists agreed that appropriate contracting and project management is essential. Greg Meyer, senior vice president of operations at Fluor, said the best use of EM funding is essential to closure success.

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Partnerships Offer Foundation for Excess Contaminated Facilities Success

City of Oak Ridge Councilmember Chuck Hope, far right, speaks during panel discussion. Also pictured are URS|CH2M Oak Ridge President and CEO Ken Rueter and Westinghouse Government Services President Cathy Hickey.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Federal and contractor officials and community members serving on a panel at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop stressed the critical role of partnerships as EM reduces risks to people and the environment by addressing cleanup of contaminated, non-operational buildings with no future missions — otherwise known as excess contaminated facilities.

   “Our goal is to enhance safety and provide opportunities for other DOE programs to continue and grow their research and national security missions,” said Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM). “With the support of DOE headquarters and Congress, we’ve received funding that is allowing us to stabilize these facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, address hazards, and achieve meaningful risk reduction years ahead of schedule.”

Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, speaks during the “Making Progress on Excess Facilities Disposition” panel discussion.

   Nationwide, 2,300-plus non-operational structures represent a $29 billion liability to DOE and its missions, according to Colin Jones, vice president and deputy general manager at Jacob’s North American Nuclear. Jones was the panel’s moderator.

   Oak Ridge is home to more than 200 of these facilities, and the site contains about one quarter of DOE’s high-risk excess contaminated facilities, far more than any other DOE site. The need for communication and integration among owners, tenants, and those executing the work becomes vital to the program’s success, panelists said. 

   For example, OREM is currently deactivating the 1940s-era Biology Complex. Owned by the DOE Office of Science, it sits on the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Y-12 is owned by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

   Ken Rueter, president and CEO of URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), said that relationships with senior leaders from each Oak Ridge site have been key to success. UCOR is EM’s cleanup contractor for the Biology Complex and other excess contaminated facility projects in Oak Ridge.  

   “We created a cleanup advisory council, where senior leaders from each site come together to discuss work and priorities,” Rueter said. “This interface is key.”

   Anna-Marie Trujillo, executive director for the NNSA Office of Enterprise Stewardship, said more than half of NNSA’s properties are 40-plus years old.

   “We are working with DOE-EM to reduce risk, characterize, stabilize, and remove priority facilities,” Trujillo said. 

   Early successes at Y-12 focused on footprint reduction of non-process buildings, noted Cathy Hickey, president of Westinghouse Government Services. She reiterated the value of partnerships, which enabled those accomplishments.

   Chuck Hope, councilmember for the City of Oak Ridge, said he is encouraged by the progress he sees on excess contaminated facilities and the interaction between key parties. 

   Mullis said a working group is developing an update to the 2016 report on excess facilities. The group is considering input from sites and lessons learned from excess facilities projects.

-Contributor: Kelly Rhodes

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Hanford Tank Waste Mission Shifts to Operations, Illustrating Completion Focus

Members of the panel titled, “Progress on Hanford Tanks and Waste Treatment Mission” discuss a shift from construction to operations for portions of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A dramatic physical and cultural transformation is underway at the Hanford Site as portions of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) key to the direct-feed low activity waste (DFLAW) approach to tank waste treatment shift from construction to operations, senior EM and contractor representatives said last week.   

   “We’ve reached a point in this project that we’ve not been at before — we can see the start of tank waste treatment right in front of us,” said Brian Vance, manager of EM’s Office of River Protection, during a panel session at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop. 

   WTP has permanent electricity, water, and power in place at its major facilities. Nearly half of all Balance of Facilities systems and five buildings have been handed over to plant management for commissioning.

   The DFLAW approach will take tank waste from AP Tank Farm, pretreat it through a tank side cesium removal (TSCR) system, transfer it to the WTP Low Activity Waste Facility for vitrification, and dispose of the vitrified waste at Hanford’s Integrated Disposal Facility. 

EM Office of River Protection Manager Brian Vance speaks during a panel session on the Hanford tanks and waste treatment mission at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop.

   “The WTP site is a different place than it was even a year ago, and there’s a new energy to the team. We’re seeing the goal line in the distance,” said Brian Reilly, senior vice president and WTP project director at ORP contractor Bechtel National, Inc., describing the shift from construction to startup and commissioning. “We have strong nuclear safety, industrial, and quality assurance programs in place and a bias for action to bring the plant online in accordance with our contract.” 

   John Eschenberg, deputy project manager of Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, expressed excitement about delivering the TSCR capability.

   “During operations, we’ll be making waste transfers every 23 hours, an operational cadence we’re not accustomed to. This requires a high level of site-wide integration, and we’re all part of that,” Eschenberg said.

   The federal and contractor teams are applying lessons learned from nuclear waste treatment operations across the DOE complex and from international projects.

   “As a result of lessons learned, we’ve set up functional area coordination teams and integrated system planning activities to successfully deliver the project,” said Scott Sax, AECOM’s senior vice president of operations, nuclear and environment. 

   Pam Larsen, who represents Hanford Communities, complimented the team’s approach to making DFLAW work.

   “We’re encouraged that the Washington State Department of Ecology is working well to get permits in place and that DOE’s Richland Operations Office is supporting DFLAW with water, utilities, and the Integrated Disposal Facility,” Larsen said. 

   Vance, Reilly, Sax, and Eschenberg agreed that reaching across site-wide technical, administrative, and management systems to work as one entity is key for DFLAW’s success.

   “It takes great teamwork to deliver a major capital project,” Vance said, “We’re strengthening those relationships across contractors, regulators, federal staff, national laboratories, and our local communities that will enable us to start treating waste as early as 2022.”

-Contributor: Paula Call

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EM Extends Statement of Intent With Canada’s Nuclear Cleanup Program

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – EM Assistant Secretary Anne White and Richard Sexton, president and CEO of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), signed a five-year extension to a Statement of Intent (SOI) that allows EM and Canada’s nuclear cleanup program to exchange information on used fuel and radioactive waste management, decommissioning, and environmental restoration. “The U.S.-Canada relationship is important to the success of establishing an environmental management agenda that focuses on the best technology and practices,” White said. “My office is committed to enhancing and expanding this relationship in the coming months and years.” EM and AECL have collaborated successfully in the areas of tank waste processing, soils and groundwater, deactivation and decommissioning, and nuclear materials. EM and AECL representatives expressed their commitment to continue working together on waste management issues. Read more about the SOI here. 

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Rep. Fleischmann Shares Insights from House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee gives insights from the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus leadership during an address at this year’s National Cleanup Workshop. Fleischmann is chair of the caucus.

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Assistant Secretary White Emphasizes ‘Cleanup Mindset’ to EM Advisory Boards

EM Assistant Secretary Anne White, far right, speaks during the combined meeting of the Environmental Management Advisory Board and the chairs and vice-chairs of the EM Site-Specific Advisory Board. Also pictured, left to right, are Oak Ridge Site-Specific Advisory Board Chair Dennis Wilson, EM Regulatory Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Engagement Director Betsy Connell, and Acting EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Gilbertson.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – EM Assistant Secretary Anne White encouraged EM’s advisory boards last week to have a “completion mindset” toward the cleanup mission and focus on new ways of doing business in the program.

   White met with members of the Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB) and the chairs and vice-chairs of the EM Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) at their combined meeting.

   The advisory board members also heard from:

• DOE Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar, who emphasized the Department’s commitment to stakeholder engagement and the importance of the advisory boards.
• Acting EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Gilbertson, who gave an update on EM’s regulatory and policy affairs.
• Acting EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Ken Picha, who discussed activities at EM sites.
• EM Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services Shari Davenport, who provided a briefing on EM’s budget. 

   Members of both advisory boards discussed their recommendations for EM. The SSAB chairs and vice-chairs discussed the priorities of the EM sites they represent. 

   The EM SSAB is considered a single advisory board. However, eight local boards fall under its charter — one at each major EM cleanup site. These bodies are made up of local citizens, including members of Native American tribes and community and public interest groups.

   Similarly, the EMAB provides independent, external advice and recommendations to EM on corporate issues relating to cleanup and risk reduction. The EMAB’s membership reflects a diversity of views, demographics, expertise, and professional and academic experience.

-Contributor: Alyssa Harris

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‘Secret Cities’ Then, Cleanup Sites Today

The House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus event's panel included, left to right, National Building Museum curator Martin Moeller, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Jay Mullis, EM Los Alamos Field Office Manager Doug Hintze, and Richland Operations Office Manager Doug Shoop.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Before a record audience, the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus hosted a discussion last week of the “secret cities” of the Manhattan Project that today are the focus of EM cleanup efforts. 

   Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, were conceived, built and operated in secrecy as they supported weapons development during World War II. A new exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. tells the story, and the exhibit curator, Martin Moeller, did the same at the caucus event. 

   “There was a great deal of innovation that went into the conception of these communities,” said Moeller. “These were happening at an unprecedented scale and speed. It is a bit of an exaggeration to say they were built overnight, but practically. And they were kept secret for two and a half years, which is now just unfathomable. 

   “I think the ultimate story to me was that, here in a time of undoubted national emergency, really people felt they were fighting for the survival of western civilization. The people who were in charge of the Manhattan Project felt it was critical to create communities that were comfortable and welcoming and pleasant for the people who were going to be working there. 

   “I do think it was interesting how many people who grew up in Oak Ridge and Los Alamos and Hanford-Richland talk about how pleasant places they were to grow up even during the war when they were fenced-in secure communities.” 

   Moeller was joined by the EM field managers of the three sites, where DOE is cleaning up the waste generated by weapons production during the world war and the subsequent Cold War. The officials said they are mindful of the communities and their legacies.

   At Hanford, Doug Shoop, manager of the Richland Operations Office, noted the preservation of the historic B Reactor, the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor and the centerpiece of the Hanford branch of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park that has features at the three sites.  

   “I remember about 15 to 20 years ago we were at a critical juncture with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Ecology at the Hanford Site, and was it to tear down B Reactor or leave the B Reactor so people could enjoy that and learn the story that fundamentally changed our world?” Shoop asked. “So with a lot of support and lot of support from our congressional folks, we were able to save the B Reactor,” he said. 

   Doug Hintze, manager of the EM Los Alamos Field Office, said cleanup will free land for community use, a key aim. 

   “One of the things we make sure we emphasize is that we are part of the community,” he said. “A lot of times folks will say, ‘Wait a minute, you don’t necessarily care about what you’re doing,’ and the answer is no, we do. We have families in there. We drink the water. We communicate with all the folks there. We are the community.”

   Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, said historic preservation is among the missions at the Oak Ridge Site, which also hosts a branch of the park. 

   “What went on out there is very important to us,” Mullis said. “Certainly around Oak Ridge, you have a lot of folks that were still part of the community, and so it is important to us to commemorate that. We are working with our partners in the (DOE Office of) Legacy Management and with our other program offices there to be part of the larger Manhattan Project (park) that will be there.” 

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, chair of the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, speaks prior to the panel discussion.

Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, co-chair of the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, addresses the audience at last week’s caucus event.

   The caucus is composed of U.S. House members who represent cleanup communities and other lawmakers interested in the cleanup mission. Its chairman Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee announced the audience for the “secret cities” program was a record for a caucus event. 

   “It’s tremendous we can come together and work together to clean up legacy wastes,” Fleischmann said. The cleanup mission “is something we can point to and say the federal government is investing in something that is its obligation to fix and cure, and actually having tremendous results.” 

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