OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) has named Brian Henry as its new portfolio federal project director for cleanup at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

As the portfolio federal project director, Henry oversees all of the planning and execution for Y-12’s current and upcoming cleanup projects, including all decontamination, demolition, and disposal operations. In this role, he is also leading preparations for the Mercury Treatment Facility and the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, two of OREM’s largest and most vital near-term capital projects.

The Mercury Treatment Facility will provide a mechanism to control and limit potential increases in mercury migration resulting from the future demolition of Y-12’s large, mercury-contaminated buildings. OREM is also working to finalize plans for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, an engineered facility that will provide the disposal capacity required to complete the remaining cleanup at Y-12 and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“We are very fortunate to have someone of Brian’s caliber and experience lead our cleanup efforts at Y-12,” said OREM Manager Sue Cange. “After we complete cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park, our next major cleanup initiative focuses on Y-12, and we believe Brian will do an excellent job preparing us for success there.”

Oak Ridge is unlike many other Environmental Management (EM) cleanup sites around the country since it employs thousands of non-EM employees and conducts other DOE missions in science and national security. Specifically, cleanup at Y-12 requires special considerations due to its mission, onsite employees, proximity to the City of Oak Ridge, and security requirements.

Prior to his selection, Henry was OREM’s senior project manager for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, and he also served as the interim portfolio federal project director for Y-12. Before joining OREM, Henry served as the chief of the Reservation Management branch at DOE’s Oak Ridge Office, and he also led its Reindustrialization program. He has more than 18 years of federal experience working on complex facility and utility projects, including time he spent as a civilian employee for the Navy and the Air Force. 

Henry holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and he is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Tennessee.