PADUCAH, Ky. - The Paducah Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) hosted EM officials from DOE headquarters and local representatives from a set of cleanup sites last week for the semiannual meeting of the EM Site-Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) Chairs.
The SSAB was created to involve stakeholders more directly in EM’s cleanup decisions, providing advice and recommendations on the cleanup and environmental management activities.
Robert Edwards, manager of the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO), opened the two-day meeting by welcoming the group to Paducah, and shared his appreciation for the Paducah CAB.
“Our CAB plays an important role as we frame cleanup decisions at the site," he said. “(CAB Chair) Renie Barger and (Vice-Chair) Mike Kemp’s leadership contributed to our most recent recommendations to move forward with the C-400 strategy that will address the main contamination source at the Paducah Site."
Acting EM Assistant Secretary Sue Cange gave an update on recent progress in the field; funding and the budget request for fiscal year 2017; and new initiatives the program is undertaking.
As she reflected on her past experience as a deputy designated federal officer for the Oak Ridge SSAB, Cange noted it can be a challenge to understand how individual site priorities can balance with the goals of the overall EM cleanup mission to find synchronicity and efficiency. She asked the SSAB Chairs to consider this integration while working on overarching recommendations focusing on performance metrics and communications.
"Listening to your recommendations, and factoring your perspective into decision-making was of the utmost importance to me when I was manager of the EM program in Oak Ridge," Cange said. "I brought these values with me to EM Headquarters, and plan to continue making partnering with all parties a focus for the program."
EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Stacy Charboneau, Budget and Planning Director Steve Trischman, Acting Communications Director Kristen Ellis, and Waste Disposal Director Doug Tonkay also provided updates.
The SSAB Chairs presented top priorities at each site from the stakeholder perspective to EM headquarters management. They also held a working session to finalize existing recommendations and to set a path forward for the charges laid out by Cange.
“We were honored to host this year’s meeting for DOE’s advisory board chairs," said Barger. “The exchange among the Board Chairs enables us to share valuable information because each site is in a different stage of cleanup. It also allowed us an opportunity to show off the charm, character and economic potential of Paducah."
The SSAB Chairs meet twice a year, rotating from Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho; Nevada National Security Site, Nevada; Hanford, Washington; Portsmouth (Piketon), Ohio; Savannah River, South Carolina; Los Alamos in northern New Mexico; and Paducah, Kentucky.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
