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EM Update | Vol. 11, Issue 48 | Dec. 17, 2019

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SRS Employees Have Donated 400,000 Toys to Children Since 1991

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EM contractor employees at the Savannah River Site contributed more than 20,000 toys to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program this year.

AIKEN, S.C.EM contractor employees at the Savannah River Site (SRS) this year donated more than 20,000 toys and 600 bikes to the Toys for Tots campaign, and gave 730 area children in need toys and clothing.

These contributions brought the total amount of toys donated to children through the site’s Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots and Salvation Army Angel Tree campaigns to more than 400,000 since 1991. Employees sponsored the 730 children through the Angel Tree Program.

“It warms my heart to see the expression of love for the children in our community,” said Danielle Elliott, chair of the SRS Toys for Tots effort. “It is truly an act of showing someone you care for them.”


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For the 19th year, Savannah River Site workers provided 730 area children with toys and clothing through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program.


Each year, at the close of the SRS Toys for Tots celebration, trucks full of presents leave the site in parade formation, led by Santa Claus and his helpers. The Toys for Tots drive has occurred each year at SRS since 1991 and the site’s annual Angel Tree campaign began in 2000.

“Christmas is a magical time for kids. Every child should experience the excitement of opening a gift on Christmas morning,” Elliott said. “Without the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, so many children wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas. This program also gives the person sponsoring an angel the personal experience of fulfilling the child’s Christmas wish, and knowing they are a part of their joy on Christmas morning.”

The annual giving campaigns are managed by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the SRS management and operations contractor. They also are supported by DOE-Savannah River; National Nuclear Security Administration-Savannah River; liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation; security contractor Centerra Group; and others through donations, including monetary contributions.

-Contributor: DT Townsend



Idaho Site Contractor Employees Donated 202 Units of Blood in 2019

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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The American Red Cross has received 202 units of blood from employees with Fluor Idaho, EM’s cleanup contractor at the DOE Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site, in blood drives at INL Site facilities this year. The company ranks third among government-sector companies in the state for giving blood. Since 2016, Fluor Idaho employees have given enough blood to save 1,000 lives. Kristy McCandless, Anna Thinnes, Kasey Archer, Vicki Hooper, Teresa Steffler, and other Fluor Idaho employees have volunteered for the blood drives. “There are people who consistently donate and I find that impressive,” McCandless said. Pictured are Patrick Holmes with Fluor Idaho and Beverly Hunter with the Red Cross.

-Contributor: Erik Simpson



SRS Employee is First FPD to Receive Level IV Certification in Three Years

AIKEN, S.C.DOE recently presented a Level IV federal project director (FPD) certification to an employee for the first time in three years.

Shayne Farrell is the DOE-Savannah River (DOE-SR) deputy FPD for the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) project, and FPD for the construction of saltstone disposal units (SDUs) 7-12. Farrell completed the requirements of the Project Management Career Development Program (PMCDP) and was designated a Level IV FPD by the DOE Certification Review Board Dec 4.

Prior to Farrell’s achievement, it had been three years since the last Level IV was awarded by the Department and eight years since the last EM Level IV certification.

“Obtaining my FPD Level IV is a very important milestone in my DOE career. This achievement is the culmination of over 25 years of project management experience and work at DOE-SR and the DOE complex and provides me the opportunity to take on larger projects in the future,” said Farrell. “I join an extremely qualified group of colleagues who I have looked up to and learned much from over the years.”


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Shayne Farrell, DOE-Savannah River deputy federal project director for the Salt Waste Processing Facility project, and federal project director for the construction of saltstone disposal units.


The PMCDP establishes requirements for four certification levels that correspond to progressively more project responsibility and experience. The PMCDP is critical to the success of DOE's capital asset project goals. FPD certification is mandatory for those persons formally appointed to manage, direct, and execute projects.

With over 31 years of experience with DOE and the U.S. Department of Defense, Farrell has worked in a variety of program areas. He has been with DOE-SR since November 1990 and served in a number of positions, including special assistant to the EM Assistant Secretary for more than a year.

The PMCDP, in the DOE Office of Project Management Oversight and Assessments, was established in 2001 by a congressional mandate to ensure DOE has well qualified and experienced FPDs to oversee the agency’s diverse portfolio of highly-technical construction, experimental equipment, and environmental cleanup projects.

The primary goal of the program is to provide FPDs with the tools and training necessary to deliver projects that meet pre-defined scope, schedule, and budgetary requirements, while maintaining the safety and security of these capital assets.

SWPF will be key to accelerating the disposition of low-level salt waste, which accounts for 90 percent of tank waste volume at the Savannah River Site. The SDUs are being constructed to safely and permanently store the large volume of decontaminated salt solution to be generated at SWPF.



Commission Awards SRS Contractor for Improving Waste Management

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Savannah River Remediation successfully processed low-level salt waste at the Actinide Removal Process/Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit facilities for 11 years. These facilities served as the pilot process for future Salt Waste Processing Facility operations.


AIKEN, S.C. – An EM contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is the recipient of an award presented by a regional commission for low-level radioactive waste management.
Savannah River Remediation (SRR), EM’s liquid waste contractor at SRS, was awarded the 2020 Richard S. Hodes, M.D. Honor Lecture Award from the Southeast Compact Commission (SCC). The six-state group helps ensure low-level radioactive waste generated in the southeast region of the U.S. can be safely managed in an efficient and environmentally responsible manner.
SCC presents the award annually in honor of its late chairman, who was a strong proponent of innovative approaches to improve the management of low-level radioactive waste in the U.S. 
The award is given to an individual, company, or organization that contributes in a significant way to improving the technology, policy, or practices of low-level radioactive waste management in the U.S.
SRR innovations, particularly in the areas of salt waste processing, contributed to this award. SRR successfully operated first-of-its-kind, pilot salt processing facilities for 11 years. These facilities, called the Actinide Removal Process/Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (ARP/MCU), treated 7 million gallons of salt waste and proved the technology to be used in future operations of a new EM facility, the Salt Waste Processing Facility. In 2015, SRR implemented a unique and more effective solvent in ARP/MCU operations, which significantly reduced the contamination in the waste stream.
“Savannah River Remediation has proven itself as a leader in the field of radioactive waste management,” said Ted Buckner, SCC executive director. “We thank SRR for being a strong proponent and a key player in continuing to drive this mission forward.”
Tom Foster, SRR president and project manager, said it’s a privilege to be recognized for the important work SRR employees complete in support of Cold War legacy cleanup.
“I am pleased that Savannah River Remediation has been honored by the Southeast Compact Commission for our leadership and innovative regulatory, technical, and engineering solutions to remediate what state regulators have identified as the single greatest environmental risk to the state of South Carolina,” Foster said.
-Contributor: Colleen Hart

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