Oak Ridge Cleanup Could Take 20 Years Longer than Expected

Recent Energy Department budget projections have suggested that cleanup for the Oak Ridge reservation may take 20 years longer than expected, according to Chris Thompson, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC’s) key overseer of DOE activities at Oak Ridge. The completion date that’s set forth in the Federal Facilities Agreement, negotiated by DOE, the EPA and TDEC, has been set at 2046 or thereabouts for several years. “The current FFA Appendix J schedule (based on federal budget projections) shows the overall cleanup effort complete by 2047,” Thompson said in an email response to questions. “However, DOE’s Dynamic Planning Model from March (which is based on a reduced annual budget) proposes overall cleanup complete in the 2066/2067 timeframe.”

 

Thompson noted that the end date for cleanup actions can “change significantly” based on the different budget scenarios. “At this point, TDEC still expects DOE to maintain the current FFA Appendix J completion schedule of 2047,” she said. “Regardless, our office will continue to work with DOE and EPA to develop cleanup priorities on the Oak Ridge Reservation to ensure the protection of the environment until CERCLA remediation is complete in Oak Ridge.”