Contract management and technical expertise are the major reasons the Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) will now report to DOE’s Office of Science, officials said Tuesday during a congressional hearing.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced the new home for EM on Dec. 15 as part of a larger DOE reorganization. EM had been within the Office of Management and Performance.
The House Energy and Commerce energy subcommittee discussed the restructuring during an extensive hearing on all-things DOE.
The Office of Science stands “head and shoulders” above other federal entities on its ability to carry out contract management, Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said in response to a question from Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). The Office of Environmental Management oversees an annual $6.5 billion program for cleanup of Cold War-era nuclear sites within DOE.
Paul Dabbar, DOE undersecretary for science, said the technical expertise at the Office of Science is a natural fit for the complex issues that EM faces in remediation of radiologically contaminated sites. He specifically cited his office’s expertise in areas such as radiation and computer modeling.
Dabbar also told Walden that progress is occurring on major projects at the Hanford Site in Washington state, which he recently visited. “Finally, we are moving down the road on making glass,” Dabbar said, with key milestones being reached on construction of facilities for vitrification of low-activity waste stored at Hanford.
Also during the hearing, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) urged Brouillette to continue efforts started during the Obama administration to increase minority hiring and promotion at the department, as well as use of minority-owned contractors.
Brouillette said that these programs are continuing under Energy Secretary Perry. Rush said many minorities have a tough time breaking into an “onerous good old boys network” when it comes to contracts and DOE leadership.
