 
Project was final endeavor for team member who worked at Idaho Site for 40 years before retiring
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) crews recently completed a significant achievement by successfully transferring 40 spent nuclear fuel baskets into safer, long term storage vaults.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) finished the final transfer — moving spent nuclear fuel from older, first-generation vaults to new, second-generation vaults — several months ahead of schedule.
Former IEC Senior Project Director Ken Brewer, who retired late last month, attributed this achievement to the project’s highly skilled and experienced workforce. He also noted the team’s ability to work efficiently and at a well-managed pace, helping ensure worker safety.
“I am incredibly proud of our team for completing this project. Their professionalism, technical skill and relentless commitment to safety made all the difference,” Brewer said. “By completing these transfers, they have fulfilled a vital commitment to the DOE and add to a legacy of stewardship that Idahoans can be proud of.”
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Ken Brewer retired late last month after working at the Idaho National Laboratory Site for 40 years. He was involved in the Peach Bottom transfer project since its inception. |
The baskets contain spent nuclear fuel from the Peach Bottom Atomic Station, Unit 1, which was shipped to the Idaho National Laboratory Site from Pennsylvania following the station’s closure in 1974.
The Peach Bottom transfer project was Brewer’s final endeavor at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). He worked there for 40 years before retiring and was involved in the Peach Bottom transfer project from its inception.
“The completion of this project continues to demonstrate the Department’s commitment to the state of Idaho and our ability to be a leader in President Trump and Secretary Wright’s mission to reinvigorate the nuclear industrial base,” ICP acting Manager Nicholas Balsmeier said. “Mr. Brewer completed his career at INTEC, leaving behind a culture focused on safety and progress that will continue well beyond his retirement.”
EM initiated the transfers in 2021 after routine monitoring of the fuel revealed elevated hydrogen levels in the first-generation vaults, raising concerns about potential corrosion to the fuel baskets.
The second-generation vaults mitigate that risk through engineered improvements, including sumps that purge water and a support rod-and-plate system that reinforces the fuel baskets. The result is a more stable and controlled long term storage configuration that enhances safety.
The Peach Bottom fuel will remain in dry storage until it is packaged and shipped from Idaho for permanent disposal.
-Contributor: Carter Harrison
 From left, U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Erik Olds, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers sign a record of decision on the completion of soil cleanup at a 1,400-acre portion of land at the East Tennessee Technology Park.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Federal and state leaders recently signed a record of decision confirming cleanup of soil is complete at a portion of the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) at Oak Ridge, enabling the reuse of land for continuing economic development.
In his first visit to Oak Ridge, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber joined leaders from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) to sign the document.
The record confirms OREM has finished all necessary soil cleanup work for Zone 1 at ETTP. This accomplishment comes after EPA, TDEC and OREM signed two other records of decision last year focused on groundwater remediation at ETTP.
“I am in awe of the scope of this project and the incredible work of three partner agencies in cleaning up and redeveloping such a complex site,” McOmber said. “We have a long way to go, and EPA looks forward to continuing our work with the DOE and TDEC to realize the ambitious vision for the Oak Ridge Reservation.”
 A recent view of the East Tennessee Technology Park, where major field work is complete after decades of cleanup. The site is now home to more than 25 private businesses, with more set to arrive in the future.
ETTP is formerly known as the K-25 Site or Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which operated from the mid-1940s until 1985. The plant was originally used to enrich uranium as part of the Manhattan Project, but it continued operations after World War II to produce enriched uranium for defense missions and commercial power.
Zone 1 is a 1,400-acre area immediately surrounding the main plant area of ETTP. It includes a portion of land that previously housed electrical powerhouse facilities, a scrap yard and waste burial grounds. The soil, surface water and groundwater in this area was impacted by previous operations.
Part of that acreage also includes a natural resource management area that was created in 2006 through a partnership between OREM and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
 The 1,400-acre Zone 1 surrounds the main plant area of the East Tennessee Technology Park. Soil remediation is now complete there.
OREM and its contractor, UCOR, excavated the impacted soil in Zone 1 that could pose risks to human health or the environment. In total, crews removed 67,000 cubic yards of soil — enough to fill about 5,500 dump trucks. This cleanup enables reuse of land for economic development and improves the quality of the ecosystem to support animal habitats.
The state of Tennessee has worked closely with EPA, DOE and DOE's federal contractors to determine effective pathways to clean old Manhattan Project-era contamination, protect human health and prepare sites for new industrial use, according to TDEC Commissioner David Salyers.
“The record of decision signed today by EPA, DOE and TDEC is the culmination of more than 20 years of collaboration and tri-party efforts behind the cleanup of this site to make beneficial reuse possible,” Salyers said. “Much more work needs to be done, so we can’t rest on past achievements, but I’m proud and confident of the three-way partnership framework that has been established to enable future success for the Oak Ridge Reservation and the thriving region it supports.”
Decades of cleanup by OREM and its contractors have transformed the former uranium enrichment complex into a multiuse industrial center, historical park and conservation area that benefit the community. ETTP is the recipient of EPA’s 2024 National Federal Facility Excellence in Reuse Award.
To date, OREM has transferred more than 1,800 acres at ETTP for economic development. That land has attracted more than 25 businesses that have announced billions of dollars in capital investments, and more developments are expected in the years ahead.
OREM is honored to have top leadership from EPA and TDEC visit the Oak Ridge Reservation to mark the completion of one phase of cleanup and witness the progress already underway on the next, according to OREM Manager Erik Olds.
“Our projects are creating economic opportunities on a new scale for the region and paving the way for crucial modernization of research and national security infrastructure,” Olds said. “The pace of our cleanup is only possible through outstanding collaboration and strong partnerships with our regulators.”
With major field work complete at ETTP, OREM is now focused on large-scale cleanup operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
-Contributor: Ryan Getsi
 Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership Information Technology Specialist and Drone Pilot Jim Reason, left, and Public Affairs Manager Dylan Nichols pose with their Gold Telly Awards. The duo was responsible for the production of last year’s water tower demolition video.
PADUCAH, Ky. — A video featuring last year’s safe and successful demolition of a 300-foot water tower at the Paducah Site was recognized as a Gold Telly Award winner for excellence in video production out of more than 13,000 entries from across the globe.
“This award reflects many hours of very specific project planning and precise execution by our talented public affairs team,” U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Paducah Site Lead April Ladd said. “Award-winning videos like these are incredibly visual and powerful tools for connecting with our stakeholders.”
Removal of the water tower, with its iconic red and white checkerboard pattern, was a significant step in EM’s ongoing efforts to remove unused facilities and further the cleanup mission conducted in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, preparing the site for potential reuse and economic development.
“The Gold Telly Award recognizes our team’s commitment to communicating progress at the site with our community,” Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP) Program Manager Myrna Redfield said. “We’re proud to support DOE’s mission by sharing the story of safe and effective cleanup progress at the Paducah Site through videos like these.”
FRNP is the deactivation and remediation contractor at the Paducah Site.
This year’s Telly Awards were selected and judged by a panel of more than 250 industry professionals. The 2025 theme, “Stories Take Shape,” celebrates innovative storytelling that helps audiences understand complex challenges and solutions.
It wasn’t the first time EM team members have been honored with a Telly Award. Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth, the deactivation and demolition contractor at the Portsmouth Site, earned a Bronze Telly Award for non-broadcast video production in 2023. The company received the award for showcasing photography and video drone footage of the demolition of X-326 Process Building. That demolition marked the most significant cleanup milestone to date at the site.
And in 2021, the Communications & Media Services Department for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) at the Savannah River Site won a Gold Telly for “Savannah River Site Overview” in the non-broadcast, corporate image category, and a Bronze Telly for “SRNS Now: September 2020” in the non-broadcast, employee communications category.
Founded in 1979 to honor television commercials, with non-broadcast video and television programming added soon after, the awards have evolved with the rise of digital video to include branded content, documentary, social media, immersive and more.
-Contributor: Dylan Nichols
 Members of the National Governors Association Federal Facilities Task Force stop at Overlook Park in White Rock, New Mexico, as part of a tour led by the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and legacy cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT- Los Alamos LLC. The tour highlighted water quality protection, legacy waste operations and hexavalent chromium plume interim measures at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — Members from the National Governors Association (NGA) Federal Facilities Task Force toured Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) sites to learn about the environmental legacy cleanup mission led by the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and its contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT- Los Alamos LLC (N3B). The tour highlighted key projects, including a comprehensive water protection program, legacy waste operations and upcoming work across the site. Attendees were introduced to the region’s rich cultural heritage and the importance of protecting cultural resources during cleanup.
 During a stop at cultural sites in Mortandad Canyon, Sarah Voorhees, community outreach adviser, fourth from right, with the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA), discusses how EM-LA regularly engages with the four Accord Pueblos to honor its trust responsibility and maintain strong government-to-government relationships. A representative with Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B) spoke about N3B’s protection of cultural resources through active site monitoring, coordination with regulators, and compliance with federal preservation laws, and by supporting EM-LA’s engagement with the four Accord Pueblos.
 In Mortandad Canyon, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC acting Environmental Remediation Program Manager Vince Rodriguez, center front, briefs the tour group on interim measures to prevent migration of a hexavalent chromium plume from the Los Alamos National Laboratory boundary and to treat contaminated groundwater. The group also saw the chromium treatment system and received insights about a recent chromium expert technical review.
 Inside Dome 231 at Technical Area 54 (TA-54), Area G, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC senior Waste Operations staff provided an overview of key activities. Attendees learned about the restoration of a pit after the retrieval of corrugated metal pipes containing cemented transuranic waste, waste characterization and certification, operations to remove items from transuranic waste drums that do not meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s waste acceptance criteria, and future cleanup work at TA-54.
 At Overlook Park in White Rock, New Mexico, tour participants heard from Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC acting Environmental Remediation Program Manager Vince Rodriguez about efforts to protect vital groundwater resources, manage stormwater through engineered systems and monitor seven major watersheds across the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The expansive view of White Rock Canyon and the Rio Grande from the park offered a striking perspective on the proximity of the laboratory to surrounding communities, including pueblos and Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties.
-Contributor: Sarah Jimenez
 Workers with Hanford Field Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company recently demolished a long-serving mobile office complex near the Columbia River. The effort is part of a broader push to remove or relocate outdated facilities near the former K East and K West reactors.
RICHLAND, Wash. – A large office complex that served as a hub for Hanford cleanup efforts for more than 20 years has been torn down as part of the site's ongoing risk-reduction work.
The complex, made up of 16 single-wide trailers, stood near the Columbia River in Hanford’s 100K Area. It was one of the largest mobile structures in the 580-square-mile site and supported hundreds of engineers, planners and project staff since 2000.
 GONE IN A FLASH: Watch this time-lapse video of the trailer coming down.
Its removal marks another step in a broader effort to clean up and modernize areas no longer needed to support active work. Demolishing the trailers clears the way for continued progress near the former K East and K West reactors.
Over the years, staff based in the complex led major cleanup projects, including cocooning of the K East Reactor and removing radioactive sludge from the K West Reactor's spent fuel basin. The basin was drained and stabilized last summer.
 Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) control room operator Garrett Jarnagin works at a distributed control system console at the Defense Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site. SRMC recently completed a major upgrade to the software and hardware for this control system in all four major operating facilities.
AIKEN, S.C. — The contractor cleaning up radioactive tank waste for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has successfully upgraded the complex control system used to monitor and operate nuclear facilities.
In a yearslong, multidiscipline effort, Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) has completed the physical and digital modernization of the distributed control systems (DCS) in the Defense Waste Processing Facility, Salt Waste Processing Facility, Tank Farms, and End Stream Delivery control rooms.
SRMC is EM’s liquid waste contractor responsible for safely treating and disposing of the millions of gallons of waste remaining in the underground tanks at SRS, as well as closing the tanks.
The upgrade included a complete overhaul of the software and hardware used in the DCS. The DCS is the automated computer system and physical controls used to operate most of the facility processes, all connected by a communications network. SRMC operators use the DCS to monitor instrumentation and control equipment, such as pumps and valves, for transfers and other evolutions.
Across the four major operating facilities, 18 total control systems were upgraded, which included the replacement or upgrade of 125 servers, 195 workstations and 236 controllers.
Mirwaise Aurah, SRMC chief information and operational technology officer, said this project was critical to SRMC’s mission to prevent the control rooms from becoming obsolete.
“The operating system that SRMC uses for the DCS will not be supported after October 2026, and inherent cybersecurity risks increase with older operating systems,” Aurah said. “The physical workstations, servers and hardware technology that support the control system in the field were also becoming obsolete. By investing in this upgrade effort, SRMC is positioned to accelerate the mission, confident that our operating systems are safe, secure and efficient.”
The final DCS upgrades were completed during a planned system-wide outage in May to minimize production or facility impacts.
Tony Robinson, DOE-Savannah River acting assistant manager for waste disposition, said ensuring operations remain safe and secure is a priority for EM.
“Completing such a significant and complex upgrade to a system-wide control system validates the Department’s commitment to equipping the program with robust and reliable infrastructure for both near-term and long-term success,” Robinson said.
-Contributor: Colleen Hart
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