Longtime Energy Department hand Jim Owendoff has left his job as the No. 2 official in the Office of Environmental Management (EM) to become a special adviser on nuclear cleanup issues at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Mark Gilbertson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for EM’s Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs, will do double duty as acting principal deputy assistant secretary.

Owendoff became principal deputy assistant secretary for environmental management in June 2017, after having served as a special adviser in the office since 2010. In his new role at Savannah River, he will focus on closer collaboration between DOE’s nuclear cleanup office and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management Anne Marie White announced the moves Aug. 17 in a widely circulated email obtained by Weapons Complex Monitor.

“Over the past year, Jim Owendoff has been able to utilize his vast experience and knowledge of the EM program as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary to help us realize continued progress,” White wrote.

Angela Watmore, a senior adviser and acting chief of staff at the Environmental Management office, will handle procurement issues previously under Owendoff. Gilbertson will manage the rest of the job, serving as the right hand of the assistant secretary, until a permanent appointment is made.

Gilbertson has held roles with DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for more than 35 years. One source described him as “a solid guy” but doubted he will become the permanent No. 2 at EM. White has been in the top cleanup job for months and could have by now moved Gilbertson into the slot on a permanent basis if she wanted.

It was unclear if Owendoff will work from South Carolina. Although the same source said he understands Owendoff will remain based out of DOE’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

A retired Air Force officer, Owendoff has served in management roles at DOE and its cleanup office since the 1990s. A second industry source lauded his work at the department — “He’s done every job there.” At the same time, “putting your own team on the field” is important for White, who took over as “EM-1” at the end of March.

Owendoff also served as acting assistant secretary for environmental management for a few months starting in June 2017, replacing Susan Cange. When his tenure as acting EM-1 expired, he remained principal deputy and essentially ran the office until White arrived.

While he was the ranking senior person at Environmental Management, Owendoff instituted a 45-day review of priorities for the Cold War cleanup office. The list was never made public but Owendoff said it provided a planning tool for the incoming EM-1. Owendoff also created a special projects office, which is still listed on the organizational chart. Dae Chung heads the office, meant to put focus on major projects such as the Hanford Site’s Waste Immobilization and Treatment Plant.

Sources Ponder Owendoff’s Role at SRS

The adviser role for SRS is a step down for Owendoff, the first industry source said. But White handled Owendoff’s transfer with more tact than has sometimes been the case in high-profile moves at Environmental Management, the second source said, citing Cange as an example.

Cange was replaced by Owendoff as the temporary leader at Environmental Management in June 2017, then moved to a visiting scholar position at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

The second source also believes Owendoff’s skill can be useful during a time of great flux at SRS. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, who heads the National Nuclear Security Administration, has called for a study into the agency’s future role at SRS, and there has been talk of the NNSA even taking over as landlord from Environmental Management.

The NNSA oversees tritium production at SRS, along with construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility that would convert nuclear-weapon usable plutonium into commercial reactor fuel. The Office of Environmental Management is charged with cleanup-related work including management of the site’s liquid radioactive waste.

Owendoff could offer a long-term DOE perspective to any discussions, the second source said. He called Owendoff a guy who “breaks down barriers and jumps over speed bumps” and generally challenges the conventional wisdom.

SRS Community Reuse Organization President and CEO Rick McLeod said by telephone Friday that Owendoff is well acquainted with SRS issues. While McLeod said he hadn’t seen anything official yet on Owendoff’s new assignment, he expects the longtime DOE manager will have input into the goings on at SRS.

There is a lot going on, between the study group and recent issuance of a draft solicitation for management of SRS, McLeod noted. So, it might be a good time for an experienced hand like Owendoff to be available. “He definitely comes with a lot of institutional knowledge,” and that’s always welcome, he added.

As for Gilbertson, he’s going to have a full plate between his current duties and acting as the No. 2, McLeod said.

“While I don’t think the appointment will have much impact on the management of liquid high-level waste at SRS, this looks to me to be another indicator that there is an active effort to transition overall management at SRS from EM to NNSA,” said Tom Clements, a longtime nuclear critic in South Carolina and director of SRS Watch.