DOE Official Happy With Community Outreach on Cleanup Priorities
WC Monitor
7/3/2014
Sue Cange, the Department of Energy’s acting cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, said the federal team was “extremely pleased” with the feedback the agency received from last week’s community workshop addressing cleanup priorities and possible partnerships for future projects. “We are fortunate to have a community that supports our cleanup program, and we know they have the knowledge and insight that can help us balance our priorities and successfully accomplish our mission,” Cange said following the June 24 workshop. “We are evaluating the input we received at the workshop, and will find opportunities where we can work together to continue the tremendous momentum we have created to advance the environmental cleanup program in Oak Ridge.”
The current timetable calls for DOE to complete its Oak Ridge cleanup goals around 2046. That, however, will require billions of appropriated dollars, and so the actual dates are subject to change. In her remarks, Cange addressed near-term and longer-term goals in Oak Ridge. One big change in the lineup has been the completion of the K-25 demolition project, which she called a “monumental job.” Finishing that will enable DOE to devote its efforts to deactivating and preparing for demolition K-27, a sister facility to K-25 and the last big processing building that still houses its uranium-enrichment equipment.
Cange also said DOE wants to get busy on mercury cleanup, which she said was the top environmental priority in Oak Ridge. The mercury contamination at Y-12 is a legacy of Cold War operations there. Other near-term goals will be to dispose of the uranium-233 stockpile at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and continue the processing of transuranic waste at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center.
Longer-Term Priorities
Longer-term Oak Ridge goals cited by Cange included:
- Complete transuranic debris processing (2018);
- Complete construction of mercury treatment facility at Y-12 (2020);
- Complete cleanup of ETTP (2022);
- Begin operation of a new disposal facility (2024);
- Complete transuranic sludge processing (2026); and
- Begin demolition of Central Campus buildings at ORNL (2027).
The DOE official said there are three big capital projects coming up. Those are the Sludge Processing Facility for transuranic sludge (expected to cost $100 million or more); the mercury treatment facility at Y-12 (about $125 million); and the next CERCLA landfill (which has a total project cost estimated of more than $800 million).
