Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Sue Cange, center, listens to Atomic Trades and Labor Council President Mike Thompson Mike Thompson speak at the Waste Management Conference. Betsy Child, chief of staff and regulatory officer for URS|CH2M Oak Ridge, is at left.

PHOENIX – The Waste Management Conference this month dedicated a day to highlighting the work of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) with the theme, “Purpose. Progress. Partnership.”

   Oak Ridge federal and contractor leadership hosted four sessions that explored how each part of that theme assists in the site’s cleanup efforts. OREM Manager Sue Cange, who credits partnerships for the site’s success, was joined onstage by representatives from organizations that serve as the site’s partners — community organizations, prime contractors, labor unions, regulators, and the local advisory board.

   “I’m a firm believer in the power of partnerships. We will always accomplish more with strong partnerships, and Oak Ridge has some of the best in the complex.” Cange said. “With our contractors, we have great communication, a shared vision, and a commitment to completing work in a timely and fiscally-responsible manner. And with the community, we have advocates that understand the value of what we are trying to accomplish.”

   OREM leaders explained how the organization strives to make progress despite obstacles at the 33,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation. 

   For example, OREM found a way to continue processing and storing higher-level radioactive transuranic waste until normal waste disposal operations resume at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. OREM and its contractors designed new containers to encase the normal inner vessel and outer cask packaging for processed waste. These overpacks add more protection and enable safe and secure long-term storage until shipments resume, allowing OREM to maintain progress towards meeting its cleanup schedule. 

   Discussions also focused on OREM’s effort to address risks and hazards in facilities not scheduled for near-term demolition. In fiscal year 2016, OREM and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) received funding to reduce risks and stabilize the Manhattan Project and Cold War structures onsite until they can be removed. In part, this was made possible by the site’s proactive approach years earlier to evaluate future needs and have a plan in place if funding was made available. 

   OREM, NNSA, and DOE’s Office of Science are developing an integrated approach to address the immediate needs in and around the high-risk facilities. This year, OREM is using its portion of the funding to characterize and abate hazards and stabilize the condition of seven excess, contaminated facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory while they await demolition. These actions will improve worker safety and reduce the cost and complexity of future cleanup by reducing risk and helping prevent further migration of contaminants.     

   Oak Ridge Day ended with a panel discussion about reindustrialization, a prominent Oak Ridge success. With this year’s launch of the Building K-27 demolition at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), the site continues to remove unneeded facilities and make clean land available for future use as a private sector industrial park. Oak Ridge’s Vision 2016, which involves removing all gaseous diffusion plants by the end of this year, is within reach. Now, federal and contractor staff are looking forward to Vision 2020: complete cleanup and transfer the entire ETTP site. 

   ETTP’s reindustrialization reveals the importance of OREM’s work — not just in safety but also economically. Through OREM’s cleanup and land and facility transfers to the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee and the City of Oak Ridge, the site is home to numerous companies and new, sustainable energy projects.

   With cleanup advancing at the site, the future holds even more opportunity. Since OREM completed demolition of K-33 and K-31, a 200-acre parcel of flat land will be available, allowing the program to attract new industry to the site.

   Whether through developing partnerships, effectively planning future work, or preparing land for reuse to accomplish a regional impact, OREM is driven by three principals to enhance Oak Ridge — purpose, progress, and partnership.