EPA awards partnership for creating wildlife refuge from former nuclear plant
EM Update + ECA Staff | 10/4/2021
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The EPA bestowed its 2021 National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award on EM, DOE’s Office of Legacy
Management (LM) headquarters and Westminster, Colorado offices, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and EPA, Region 8 for their work at Rocky Flats just outside of Denver.
Local governments also played a critical role in the cleanup and closure projects' ultimate success.
"Local governments organized under the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments were central to the success of the project and in defining a cleanup that met both federal and local interests," David Abelson, former Executive Director of the Coalition said.
Abelson now serves as the Executive Director of the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council. He went on to state that "federal and local groups were able to successfully develop a future use plan that brought together both interests."
“We’re particularly proud of the work at our Rocky Flats site, one of our largest and most successful cleanups, and now it’s a nature preserve visited by more than 50,000 people per year,” DOE Deputy Secretary David M. Turk said. “It’s a fitting testament to all who have worked at Rocky Flats over the many, many years of its history.”
Turk said EM and LM are at the heart of DOE’s efforts to make sure the Department’s programs help improve the environment.
“Secretary Granholm and I share the belief that these programs are morally the right thing to do in response to a legacy of radioactive and chemical contamination,” Turk said. “But this work is so much more important than just restoring our land. It’s about keeping our promises to the American people. We’re helping more families breathe clean air, drink clean water, and raise children in safe homes and safe communities.”
EM completed the accelerated cleanup and closure of Rocky Flats in 2005. The Cold War site was then transferred to LM, which is responsible for operating and maintaining groundwater collection and treatment systems, groundwater and surface water monitoring, routine inspection and maintenance, records-related activities, and stakeholder support.
The cleanup resulted in a DOE long-term stewardship site and the 5,200-acre federally protected Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, restoring and preserving native ecosystems while providing habitat for migratory and resident wildlife and recreational opportunities for surrounding communities.
Mark Gilbertson, EM's associate principal deputy assistant secretary for regulatory and policy affairs, recalled how he helped assess environmental programs at Rocky Flats in 1989, and continued to support cleanup of the site throughout his management career.
“This is really special for me,” Gilbertson said. “It’s a nice sense of closure for me to see the site recognized by EPA for all the hard work that’s been done over the decades.”
Gilbertson emphasized that the successful cleanup and closure project would not have been possible without EM’s partners, including the community near Rocky Flats, EPA, state regulators, LM, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The Rocky Flats story gives us inspiration as we do our current and future work,” he said. “It started out with more than 800 structures, including about 150 permanent buildings and facilities. After tearing down those buildings and processing 100 tons of high-content plutonium residue waste, we shipped out enough radioactive waste to fill a string of rail cars 100 miles long.”
LM Deputy Director Peter O’Konski also noted the importance of partnerships in the Rocky Flats cleanup and closure.
“Because of the partnerships, because of the folks working together, Rocky Flats has been successful and continues to be successful,” he said. “I am particularly pleased to see that it is getting recognized because it was a hard lift. It was a hard lift for the Office of Environmental Management, and it continues to be a hard lift in the community to keep it relevant, to keep it focused, keep it moving forward.”
Speaking on behalf of LM Director Carmelo Melendez, O’Konski added: “Thank you all for recognizing this great achievement, and we look forward to Rocky Flats being part of the Denver community for years to come and for it to move on to its next chapter of its mission to the nation.”
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"CAPITALIZING ON A NEW ERA OF CLEANUP
SUCCESS"
December 7-9, 2021
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Alexandria, Virginia
If you have already registered for the Workshop, you will not need to re-register. If you need to register, please click here. If you have questions, please contact Autumn Bogus at abogus@la-inc.com or (865)
300-1061.
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Leadership from EM, NNSA listen to ECA members' community priorities
ECA Staff | 10/4/2021
On Friday, September 24, ECA held its September board meeting to discuss how the new Administration is engaging directly with local governments and to discuss community priorities across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. ECA members highlighted their interactions and issues at their sites related to the DOE political leadership, Office of Environmental Management (EM), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of
Science, and Office of Legacy Management. ECA highlighted DOE is still missing many Senate-confirmed leadership nominees.
County Executive Ron Woody, the ECA Chair, introduced Acting Assistant Secretary for EM William "Ike" White at the meeting. Woody highlighted White’s continued commitment to engaging with ECA members – emphasizing the importance of in-person meetings – and expressed appreciation for White’s prioritization of local government partnerships and interactions.
During the meeting, members spotlighted success stories from their communities. These successes include progress on a ventilation project at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a solar farm planned for land near the West Valley Demonstration Project, additional funding for cleanup monitoring at the Portsmouth site, grants for building a diverse capable workforce at the Savannah River Site, momentum on the construction of a runway to complement reindustrialization
at the Oak Ridge Reservation, involvement in broadening discussions about a state-level net-zero emissions portfolio at the Idaho National Laboratory, the restoration of PILT funding for Tri-Cities area local governments, and progress made on the Middle DP Road Site in Los Alamos County.
Speaking on this last project, Incorporated County of Los Alamos Council Chair Randall Ryti noted his appreciation for “the engagement with the Los Alamos County Council by DOE and their efforts to characterize and mitigate contamination at this site discovered in February 2020. DOE staff have been available to make regular presentations and answer questions.”
Although the project is not yet complete, “the recent status report provided to the Council was promising,” according to Ryti.
Meeting attendees also participated in a Q&A session with White, where he noted he was "happy to work with communities" on subjects including predictable land transfer timelines, improving communication methods between DOE and local governments, the interpretation of high-level waste and its practical application, and the implementation of end-state contracts.
White also highlighted that EM would value ECA members' feedback on a draft Strategic Vision being formed for 2022-2032, noting the importance of hearing and understanding community priorities. He also noted his gratitude for the continuing successful partnerships between EM and local governments.
"I want to express my appreciation for your continued dedication to the EM mission, particularly during these challenging times," White told ECA members.
Communities also had the opportunity to hear from Associate Principal Deputy Administrator of NNSA David Huizenga, who highlighted the initiatives and action items of NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby.
"The Administrator believes in the mission of both DOE and NNSA, and also the importance of talking with communities," Huizenga said. "She believes deeply in the need for partnerships, and in strengthening partnerships both inside and outside of the agency."
Huizenga noted that ECA members are included in such partnerships, and that NNSA leadership values communicating transparently and consistently with host communities about both their short- and long-term goals.
The next ECA board meeting will take place in-person on December 7 at the National Cleanup Workshop, December 7-9. ECA board elections will occur at this meeting; if you are interested, please contact a member of the nominating committee – Amy Fitzgerald, Rick McLeod, and David Reeploeg.
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ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP
Significant cleanup milestone to be reached at ETEC
Department of Energy | 9/30/2021
The Department of Energy in the next several days will complete demolition of the remaining DOE-owned buildings at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) in Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, California. This significant milestone reflects the Department’s strong and continuing commitment to site cleanup.
In accordance with agreements made with the State of California in 2020, DOE has demolished 18 DOE-owned buildings that remained in Area IV, and overall has demolished more than 270 structures at ETEC since work began at the site. DOE worked cooperatively with the State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), on completion of this important phase of cleanup at ETEC, which was accomplished safely while in compliance with health and
safety guidelines during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The work was performed in consultation with state, Tribal, and local agencies and under the observation of the DTSC. The building debris disposition will continue through early 2022 at a licensed facility outside of the state.
The Department remains committed to completing the safe cleanup of Area IV and the Northern Buffer Zone of the SSFL in a manner that protects the public and the environment. DOE will continue to work with the state, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and key stakeholders towards completion of site cleanup including remediation of soils and groundwater.
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Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
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Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments.
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