A researcher and intern create a filler for contaminant shielding at the Savannah River National Laboratory.

AIKEN, S.C.DOE’s new approach to managing Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) seeks a deeper collaboration among the lab, EM headquarters program offices and cleanup sites. 

   Through a reorganization within EM this summer and a new governance framework formalized by EM Assistant Secretary Monica Regalbuto in October, SRNL now has a direct relationship with EM headquarters after being primarily managed as part of Savannah River Site (SRS) operations. 

   “SRNL is EM’s laboratory and we need to do everything we can to ensure that the unique capabilities of SRNL are fully utilized to bring efficient, innovative solutions to the toughest technical challenges across the complex,” EM Laboratory Policy Office Director Mark Gilbertson said. “This new framework sets our expectations and clear lines of responsibility in managing and utilizing SRNL.”

   Under the framework, the EM Laboratory Policy Office will work with the director of SRNL, the DOE Savannah River Operations Office through its Savannah River Laboratory Office, and the board of SRS contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) to form a single, comprehensive governance system to ensure efficient, effective use of resources to support EM’s mission. 

   The framework enables better coordination with the EM technology development program and Chief Engineer’s Office, and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) policy office, which is charged with strategic planning and stewardship of NNSA national laboratories, including stewardship interests at SRNL.

   “As SRNL expands its impact, it’s more important than ever that we reach into all the necessary parts of the DOE organization to support the lab and make sure we are all aligned,” Gilbertson said.  

   Managed as part of the SRNS contract, SRNL has expanded its impact across the complex in the past decade. The lab led key DOE efforts to assess the management of chemical vapors at the Hanford tank farms and the investigation of the Feb. 14, 2014 breached drum incident at EM's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

   While much of the lab’s non-SRS work focuses on Hanford’s Waste Treatment & Immobilization Plant and tank farms, SRNL also supports the Richland Operations Office at Hanford, sludge processing and mercury support for the Oak Ridge Office of EM, Integrated Waste Treatment Unit research and testing support for EM’s Idaho Site office, and Tc-99 barrier testing for the EM Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.  

   The new management approach seeks to build on that success, making it easier for DOE sites to engage SRNL in solving problems across the complex. SRNL is also working with EM and other national labs to establish an “EM National Laboratory Network” to enable broad national laboratory access and collaboration, helping bring a “best team” approach to national laboratory support for EM cleanup sites.

   “We like to say that at SRNL, we put science to work,” SRNL Director Terry Michalske said. “That is not just a slogan — we are an applied science lab focused on bringing innovative solutions to the DOE complex, our nation’s national security apparatus and across the globe. This closer strategic relationship with DOE will ensure we are as nimble, responsive and efficient as we can be in delivering our mission.”

   Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz prioritized strengthening the relationship between DOE and its network of national laboratories through the congressionally-chartered Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories (CRENEL) and the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) Task Force, which have made specific recommendations to this effect.

   A cornerstone of the CRENEL and SEAB Task Force recommendations was to ensure all national laboratories are governed by DOE; operated within their contracts to maintain a close, strategic relationship with DOE; provide unbiased technical assessment and support to the U.S. government; and be fully defined and transparent in their structure and operations.

   “This really aligns with the Secretary’s priorities in managing our national laboratories,” Gilbertson said. “We have incorporated the external recommendations and our organization and management approach is well positioned to enable success at SRNL.” 

   To support the new structure, SRNL on Oct. 1 began operating as a separate business unit within the existing SRS management and operating (M&O) contract. SRNL is the only national laboratory contained within a larger M&O contract.

   That relationship will continue for the remainder of the SRNS contract, with the changes enabling SRNL to implement business and management processes aligned with the mission needs of the lab and its diversified client base.