CINCINNATI – EM Assistant Secretary Monica Regalbuto emphasized her commitment to provide to the field sites the support and focus required to achieve cleanup success in a speech to employees at EM’s Consolidated Business Center (CBC) Aug. 25.

   “I am excited to be at the CBC,” Regalbuto told the employees. “This is a great place to be and I appreciate the work you do.”

   Regalbuto said CBC contributes significantly to the EM mission. Pointing to the center’s work helping to manage and oversee EM’s smaller sites, she noted that while some EM sites may be smaller in size, they often have complexities and challenges similar to the larger sites. She highlighted several EM accomplishments:

• The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) team has reached the halfway point in relocating casks of vitrified waste to an interim storage pad, which is crucial to preparing the site’s Main Plant Process Building and Vitrification Facility for demolition, which is ahead of schedule.
• Open-air demolition of Building G2 began in June at the Separations Process Research Unit (SPRU). Building G2 is one of two SPRU buildings that supported improvements in the chemical separation of plutonium for the nation’s strategic defense early in the Cold War.
• The Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project reached a milestone this past year after moving 80 million tons of tailings to the disposal site near Crescent Junction.

   Regalbuto also recognized CBC employees for their significant contributions to advancing DOE’s vision for EM management of the Los Alamos National Laboratory cleanup.

   EM’s efforts to strengthen safety across the cleanup program and Regalbuto’s science of safety initiative were also discussed at the meeting.  

   Expressing appreciation for the employees’ work supporting the EM mission, Regalbuto welcomed feedback on how EM can further improve safety, adding that employees directly involved in EM’s work often provide the best suggestions for improvements.

   In what Regalbuto called “encouraging progress,” a review concluded WVDP has an effective Integrated Safety Management System.

   “Safety is an ongoing process,” she said. “Safety is like exercise. You stop doing it and you lose the benefits. We need to practice it always.” 

   EM is taking a broader view of safety and how technology development can be maximized to make cleanup safer for workers, and more effective and cost effective. EM’s science of safety initiative aims to increase collaborations within DOE, other federal agencies and in the private non-nuclear sector to gain expertise in advanced robotics to enhance safety and quality of life for workers.  

   “The use of robotics could limit the exposure workers have to high-hazard or intensely repetitive work,” Regalbuto said.

   During her visit, Regalbuto also toured CBC and met with the center’s leadership team.

   “The CBC is preparing themselves for a bright future,” Regalbuto said.