Office of Environmental Management (2020 Presidential transition)

Book 3 - Organization Overview
Entire 2020 DOE Transition book As of October 2020

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) directly supports DOE’s Strategic Objective to continue cleanup of radioactive and chemical waste resulting from the Manhattan Project and Cold War activities. Successful cleanup depends on overcoming technical, quality assurance, schedule, regulatory, budgetary, and management challenges.

Mission Statement

EM’s mission is to address the nation’s Cold War environmental legacy resulting from nuclear weapons production and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.

Budget

Fiscal Year	Budget
FY 2019 enacted	$7,175,129,000
FY 2020 enacted	$7,455,200,000
FY 2021 requested	$6,065,672,000

Human Resources

FY 2020 authorized Federal full-time equivalents (FTEs): 1350

History

The Office of Environmental Management was established in 1989 to address the significant environmental liability that resulted from decades of nuclear weapons production and government- sponsored nuclear energy research that played a key role in domestic security and prosperity. This environmental legacy included millions of gallons of liquid radioactive waste, millions of cubic meters of solid radioactive wastes, and thousands of tons of used nuclear fuel and special nuclear material, along with huge quantities of contaminated soil and water. Over the past 30 years, EM has made significant progress in its mission, driving down environmental risks to the federal government. Out of an original 107 sites, cleanup activities have been completed at 91 sites in 30 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. EM is currently responsible for cleanup activities at 16 sites in 11 states

Significant events that have occurred in the EM mission to date include:

Opening the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina in 1996. The DWPF is used to convert radioactive liquid waste currently stored at Savannah River into a solid glass form (through a process called vitrification) for safe long-term storage and ultimate disposal. The DWPF is currently the largest vitrification facility in the world.
Opening the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico in 1999. WIPP is the only operating deep geological repository in the world and is used for disposal of defense-generated transuranic (TRU) waste. WIPP plays an integral role in the overall EM and NNSA missions, supporting cleanup efforts across the complex and national defense needs.
Completing cleanup of the former Rocky Flats site in Colorado in 2005.
Completing cleanup of the former Ashtabula and Fernald sites in Ohio in 2007, and the former Mound site in Ohio in 2008.
Placing 6 of 9 former defense reactors at the Hanford Site in Washington state in an interim stabilized configuration (cocooning). A seventh reactor at Hanford, B Reactor, has been preserved as part of the Manhattan Project National Park .
Completing in-situ decommissioning of the P and R reactors at Savannah River in 2011.
Completing the bulk of planned cleanup activities along the Columbia River corridor at the Hanford site in 2015
Completing the demolition and removal of the gaseous diffusion plant complex at Oak Ridge in 2020

Functions

Waste Management

EM is responsible for the safe and effective management, treatment, and disposal of a variety of types of radioactive waste, special nuclear materials, and spent nuclear fuel. Waste present at EM sites includes tank waste that was produced through plutonium production activities; TRU waste, which consists of clothing, tools, rags, soil, debris, and other items contaminated with small amounts of plutonium or other man-made radioactive materials; low-level and mixed low-level radioactive waste; and hazardous waste.

Facility Deactivation and Decommissioning (D&D)

EM is responsible for facility deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) to ensure facilities are in a safe configuration, followed by demolition or interim stabilization.

Soil and Groundwater Remediation

EM deploys a number of strategies to remediate soil and groundwater including soil removal, soil cap installation, and groundwater pump and treat.

Recent Organization Accomplishments

Finalizing and implementing DOE’s interpretation of the term “high-level waste.” This interpretation represents a science-driven approach that enables EM to more appropriately manage tank waste in a risk-based and more cost-effective manner.

Completing physical demolition of Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant, which produced two- thirds of the plutonium metal used in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Approving the start of operation of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at Savannah River , which will significantly ramp-up EM’s ability to address tank waste at the site. SWPF construction was completed approximately eight months ahead of schedule, and $60 million under budget.

Completing a multi-year deactivation and decommissioning effort at the Oak Ridge East Tennessee Technology Park in Tennessee. This marks the first time a uranium enrichment complex has been removed. This effort was completed four years ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers $500 million.

Completing the TRU waste treatment mission at Idaho’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, which involved processing this waste for off-site disposal.

Completing the transfer of radioactive sludge at Hanford’s K basins away from the Columbia River to safer longer-term storage at Hanford’s Central Plateau. This project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

Leadership Challenges

Environmental Liability

The EM mission is a significant contributor to the federal government’s environmental liabilities, which are one of the largest costs the government faces. As of FY19, EM’s liability is $402 billion. EM’s efforts to address tank waste, primarily located at the Hanford and Savannah River sites, account for approximately 60 percent of the overall liability, as well as approximately 40 percent of the program’s annual budget. With completion of the Salt Waste Processing Facility, Savannah River now has all of the planned facilities to address tank waste there. EM believes the bulk of the tank waste mission at that site could be completed in a decade, reducing liabilities. However, at Hanford, the liability is anticipated to continue to increase as EM works to develop a comprehensive strategy to address tank waste.

Regulatory Agreements

EM has approximately 40 agreements in place with EPA and State regulatory agencies that oversee EM’s cleanup mission at virtually all sites across the DOE complex. The types of agreements include Federal Facility Agreements for sites on the EPA National Priority List; RCRA Consent Orders and Site Treatment Plans; Court-ordered Consent Decrees; and Court-enforceable Settlement Agreements. These agreements vary significantly in terms of how cleanup progress is addressed, such as by the number of milestones and level of detail in requirements.

Procurement/End State Contract Model

EM is working to implement a new acquisition approach for its major cleanup contracts called, the “End-State Contracting Model.” This approach utilizes a single award Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite- Quantity contract structure. This model seeks to provide EM with flexibility to task its contractors with discrete scopes of work for site closure or end- states. This model will allow for more realistic and reliable pricing from contractors. EM has started transitioning to end-state contracts for cleanup activities at Hanford and the Nevada National Security Site and is in the process of competing end-state contracts at several major sites, including Savannah River, Oak Ridge, and Idaho.

Workforce Management/Recruitment

EM’s workforce is critical to the success of the Department of Energy’s cleanup mission. Approximately half of the current EM workforce will be eligible to retire by FY 2026. As part of its Human Capital Management Plan, EM commissioned the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to review its current workload requirements versus the number of employees needed to accomplish the assigned workload. The results of this pending study will further assist EM to determine the necessary number of personnel, enhance its succession planning efforts, and contribute to an external recruitment strategy to meet mission objectives. In addition, as with much of the government, EM is currently in a maximum telework posture and is exploring the use of long-term telework options for its staff.

Critical Events and Action Items

Ongoing Procurements/Contract Transitions

In early 2021, EM anticipates awarding and launching transition activities for two major contracts at the Hanford and Savannah River sites. These include:

New Management-and-Operating Contract for Savannah River National Laboratory

EM is in the final stage of competing a new, stand- alone management-and-operations contract for the Savannah River National Laboratory, EM’s corporate laboratory. This new contract is expected to enhance the ability of the laboratory to pursue its enduring mission by focusing the contractor on its research and development (R&D) missions, increasing SRNL’s flexibility to pursue more diversified R&D projects and attracting additional expertise in the operation of R&D facilities. EM anticipates awarding the new contract by the first quarter of FY 2021, with transition expected to begin soon after.

Hanford Tank Closure Contract

In May 2020, EM awarded a new end-state contract for tank waste activities at Hanford (the Hanford Tank Closure Contract). However, in response to protests unsuccessful offerors filed with the Government Accountability Office, EM has decided to take corrective action on the procurement. This corrective action is ongoing and a schedule for a new award decision has not yet been finalized.

Hanford Holistic Negotiations

Currently, the tank waste mission at the Hanford site is driven by requirements in the Tri-Party Agreement among DOE, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the 2016 Amended Consent Decree between DOE and the states of Washington and Oregon. EM is on track to meet an Amended Consent Decree milestone to begin low-activity waste treatment by the end of 2023. However, a more comprehensive approach to the tank waste mission is needed. As a result, DOE, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the EPA have entered into holistic negotiations which are expected to continue through FY 2021.

Los Alamos National Laboratory Transuranic Waste Interim Storage at Waste Control Specialists, LLC

EM is working to finalize a disposition path for TRU waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory currently stored at the Waste Control Specialists commercial radioactive waste disposal site in Texas. The state of Texas has requested EM remove the TRU waste by the end of 2020. EM is actively pursuing options for removal. DOE will continue to closely work with state and regulatory officials on the path forward.