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EM Update | Vol. 13, Issue 42 | Oct. 26, 2021

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Hanford Leaders Engage Public to Shape Future Cleanup

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The Hanford Site's 5-Year Plan outlines cleanup work at the site, including waste vitrification at the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility, pictured. The LAW Facility is integral to the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program, a critical process achieving tank waste treatment at Hanford.

RICHLAND, Wash. – As part of a continuing commitment to public involvement, EM leaders at the Hanford Site are engaging the public to help shape cleanup priorities in the site’s 5-Year Plan.

“The Department prioritizes projects based on assessed risk, legal requirements, and public priority input,” EM Hanford Site Manager Brian Vance said. “Public input is vital to our prioritization process, reflecting the values of those living and working around the site, with vested interests in safe, effective, and timely cleanup progress. The goal of this approach is to engage more members of the public who are affected by our cleanup effort, and who are not currently participating in the process.”

Hanford focuses on safe cleanup every day by delivering risk reduction, conducting environmental remediation, and preparing for the start of treating tank waste. While the 5-Year Plan outlines the cleanup work to be initiated or completed during fiscal years 2022 to 2026, the focus of public input is fiscal years 2024-2026, the three fiscal years in the 5-Year Plan in which budgets have not yet been formulated or submitted.

The EM Richland Operations Office (RL) and Office of River Protection (ORP) have implemented a dedicated website as part of their public involvement strategy for the Hanford Site. The website includes the draft 5-Year Plan update, fact sheets relevant to the priorities defined in the update, and a survey for input.

Through this engagement, RL and ORP are focused on increasing awareness of Hanford cleanup priorities and gathering input on priorities that can influence the budget formulation process for fiscal years 2024-2026. The budget for fiscal year 2022 is already in the appropriations process, and the budget for fiscal year 2023 is already in the formulation process.

RL and ORP leaders briefed Tribal Nation staff on the draft 5-Year Plan on Oct. 19. The following day, they briefed members of the Hanford Advisory Board and greater public. The Oct. 20 briefing was recorded and posted to the 5-Year Plan engagement website. In addition to establishing a dedicated website and using social media platforms and mailing lists to solicit input, RL and ORP also worked with community leaders and stakeholder organizations to expand their reach to more people.

RL and ORP are soliciting public input through Nov. 22.

-Contributor: Jennifer Colborn



‘Excess Express’ Helps Savannah River Site Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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Excess Express Services team members from EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions prepare to relocate excess materials and equipment to a facility where they will be processed and permanently removed from the Savannah River Site’s inventory. From left are Wendy Koster, Rick Webb, and Scott Houck.


AIKEN, S.C. – An EM team at Savannah River Site (SRS) has significantly improved the system for picking up, transporting, and processing excess materials and equipment for reuse, reducing the average number of days to complete such tasks from 45 to only a few.

Individual departments or facilities had performed these tasks before the creation of Excess Express Services in 2017. That team, with EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), has implemented a cost-effective, efficient process for thousands of employees working in hundreds of buildings across the 310-square-mile site.

Excess Express, which includes subject-matter experts in reusing excess property, has distributed more than $17 million in materials and equipment for reuse to date.

Craig Martin, SRNS manager of property management, excess, and disposition, noted that the team places importance on good stewardship of government assets and the safe disposition of materials and equipment no longer needed. Some items made with metal go to the site's Salvage Excess Yard for recycling, while other items are disposed.

Excess equipment can be reused by SRS, off-site state and federal government agencies, and nearby community organizations, such as the Savannah River Community Reuse Organization (SRCRO). SRCRO’s mission is to create an environment conducive to technology-based startups, business expansion, and new ventures in a five-county region around SRS in South Carolina and Georgia.

“The success of the Excess Express team has been outstanding,” Martin said. “This team has taken on excess related tasks that most employees find difficult and tedious, such as preparing disposition forms and gathering items for placement on pallets. I admire their dedication and excellent work ethic.”

Excess Express Program Lead Marcus Sanders describes it as a “soup-to-nuts,” turnkey operation.

“We do nearly everything for our customers, and it’s been wildly successful,” he said. “At times, we can barely keep up with the demand and often face short deadlines. The items we pick up include just about anything you would normally find at an industrial site and some items that are a bit unusual.”

Martin said the Excess Express team puts materials that may be unwanted by some employees in the hands of those who need it, while helping employees get rid of unneeded materials and equipment so they can use building space more efficiently.

“Better utilization of space within a building and providing unwanted materials to those who need it at SRS or other DOE sites is important in many ways,” Martin said. “Performing the tasks that we do best, through Excess Express Services, permits others to dedicate more time and energy into what they do best.”

-Contributor: DT Townsend


EM, Agencies From U.S., U.K., and Canada Focus on Stakeholder Engagement

EM joined other government organizations from the U.S., U.K., and Canada last week for a virtual exchange focused on lessons learned and best practices for stakeholder engagement.

“The shared experience across our programs shows that stakeholder engagement is central to decision-making during the cleanup process,” EM Acting Director for Regulatory Intergovernmental & Stakeholder Engagement Kristen Ellis said. “Effective communication with stakeholders and regulators is key to a successful implementation of the EM program.”

Senior public affairs officials and stakeholder engagement experts from EM headquarters and field sites, the U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) took part in the Oct. 20 meeting.

Participants learned about stakeholders from the U.S., U.K., and Canada and the role they play in advancing cleanup missions. They also discussed stakeholder engagement challenges and opportunities, and shared lessons learned to improve engagement with members of the public. Meeting participants will continue working together to exchange best practices in coming months.

The exchange resulted from the Statement of Intent (SOI) for Exchange of Information Concerning Management of Radioactive Waste signed by EM, NDA, and AECL in March last year.

Representatives from EM, NDA, and AECL have held collaborative activities under the SOI focused on advancing sustainability goals and providing expertise in project peer reviews.

They also took part in a virtual workshop on in situ decommissioning. That term has historically been equated with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) term “entombment,” which in IAEA’s safety requirements and guides is considered an approach to decommissioning that is to be used only in “exceptional circumstances.” However, the term ISD is used colloquially by different countries to describe a range of acceptable and protective decommissioning end states.

-Contributor: Rosa Elmetti

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