ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Expressing pride for EM progress, Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette told participants in this year's National Cleanup Workshop held here earlier this month he is committed to completing cleanup more quickly and safely at less cost to taxpayers.
Brouillette, who served as DOE assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs from 2001 to 2003, was confirmed to his new post in August. He said EM accomplishments quickly became evident during a recent return trip to the Hanford Site.
“I have to say I am very proud of the progress the program has made since I last served in DOE," he said. “Honestly, I didn’t recognize a lot of Hanford when I drove through the facility."
Among Brouillette’s observations at Hanford: All 20 tons of plutonium have been removed from the site; demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant is in the final stages; significant progress has been made at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant; the 200 West Pump and Treat facility was built and now filters groundwater; and the historic B Reactor is now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
“To those of you who played such a vital role in these successes as well as EM’s other achievements in recent years, let me say on behalf of the Secretary: Thank you. Thank you," Brouillette said.
But at Hanford and other EM sites, “there is much more work to be done, and I am aware of that as well," Brouillette said. The cleanup “has to be on a final path that is sooner, safer, and at less cost to the taxpayers. It requires a sustainable approach that minimizes risk while maximizing opportunities to shorten schedules and life-cycle baselines."
While discussing Department priorities with Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Brouillette mentioned that some cleanup projects carry completion dates stretching to 2060.
“His immediate reaction to me was, ‘Dan, I’m not going to be here then. Move it up. Get it done faster. Move it up. Move it up.’ And that is my responsibility and my charge and my priority," he said.
Brouillette served as keynote speaker at the third-annual workshop, which brought together more than 600 EM stakeholders. The workshop was organized by the Energy Communities Alliance, which represents local communities near DOE sites, with EM and the Energy Facility Contractors Group as cooperating organizations in the event.
Brouillette said DOE cleanup enjoys support from many members of Congress, which he saw firsthand as staff director of the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 2003 to 2004.
EM work has “caught the eye of people in the highest places," Brouillette said, pointing to the Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2018 budget containing $6.5 billion for EM - the highest requested amount in a decade.
“This clear White House vote of confidence in EM’s progress sends a positive, positive signal to the entire EM workforce, to the local communities, and the Tribal nations near our sites, and to all our stakeholders," he said.
Brouillette ticked off commitments for EM:
* Increase shipments of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ;
* Complete design and initiate construction of the Oak Ridge Mercury Treatment Facility;
* Press forward to tackle aging and excess facilities;
* Continue deactivation and decommissioning activities at the Portsmouth Site;
* Complete deactivation and begin demolition of the C-400 Building at the Paducah Site; and
* Demolish remaining facilities at the Oak Ridge East Tennessee Technology Park.
“That’s a lot of work to be sure," Brouillette said. “That is a lot of work but we are committed to getting this done."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
