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Spending bill has $639 million for DOE cleanup in Oak Ridge

Posted at 5:30 pm March 29, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Biology Complex aerial

An aerial view of the Biology Complex at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Plans call for eventually demolishing the complex. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The federal spending bill approved last week includes $639 million for the federal government’s cleanup program in Oak Ridge, including what could be full funding for a top priority deactivation and demolition project at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The $639 million for the current fiscal year is an increase of $141 million or more, compared to recent fiscal years, and it’s the most money appropriated in a while.

Besides Y-12, the fiscal year 2018 funding will be used for U.S. Department of Energy cleanup projects at East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“It’s very positive for us,” said Jay Mullis, manager of the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM. Mullis gave a brief update at a meeting of the Oak Ridge Reservation Communities Alliance on Monday.

In addition to $125 million to deactivate and demolish the Biology Complex at Y-12, the fiscal year 2018 spending bill includes $17.1 million in funding for the planned Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12, about $200 million for continued cleanup work at ETTP, and a total of roughly $12 million for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, or EMDF. That’s a proposed landfill that could be west of Y-12 and accept waste from future cleanup work at Y-12 and ORNL, possibly early in the 2020s. The project plan for EMDF is expected to be open to public comment later this summer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 4, Barack Obama, Biology Complex, Bob Corker, Building 7500, Chuck Fleischmann, cleanup funding, cleanup program, cleanup work, COLEX, DOE, DOE cleanup, Donald Trump, East Tennessee Technology Park, EM, EMDF, environmental management, Environmental Management Disposal Facility, ETTP, Excess Contaminated Facilities, excess facilities, federal spending bill, Homogenous Reactor Experiment, Jay Mullis, Lamar Alexander, mercury abatement, Mercury Treatment Facility, Mike Koentop, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation Communities Alliance, OREM, ORNL, risk reduction, spending bill, Trump administration, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, uranium processing facility, uranium-233, Y-12 National Security Complex

Two higher-risk buildings torn down at Y-12 Biology Complex

Posted at 11:25 pm March 13, 2018
By U.S. Department of Energy Leave a Comment

Crews take down Building 9743-2 at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management)

Crews tear down Building 9743-2 at the Biology Complex at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management)

 

By U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management

Oak Ridge is home to more higher-risk excess contaminated facilities than any other U.S. Department of Energy site in the nation, but recent demolition projects are helping change that. This month, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM, eliminated two buildings from the higher-risk list.

The projects were part of DOE’s Excess Contaminated Facilities Initiative, an effort to stabilize facilities, reduce risks, and in some cases accelerate demolition schedules. Oak Ridge is of particular interest since the site houses 297 “excess” facilities—facilities that are no longer operational or serving DOE’s missions. As of December 2016, Oak Ridge contained 60 of DOE’s inventory of 203 higher-risk excess facilities.

“These projects are highlighting EM’s value as crews are removing risks and clearing land for DOE’s important ongoing missions,” said OREM Federal Project Director Brian Henry. “Tearing down these high-risk facilities is a first step with many more planned in the years ahead.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Ben Williams, Biology Complex, Brian Henry, DOE, DOE Office of Science, Excess Contaminated Facilities, Excess Contaminated Facilities Initiative, higher-risk excess facilities, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, OREM, Radiation Source Building, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management

DOE: Oak Ridge cleanup prevents large mercury release into environment

Posted at 5:03 pm May 19, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Workers pour mercury from COLEX equipment into a container designed to hold 1,000 pounds of the element. (Photo by U.S. Department of Energy)

Workers pour mercury from COLEX equipment into a container designed to hold 1,000 pounds of the element. (Photo by U.S. Department of Energy)

 

This story and photos were published in the May 17 edition of the EM Update newsletter by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management.

Oak Ridge’s environmental management, or EM, program and contractor URS | CH2M Oak Ridge have prevented more than 1,000 pounds of mercury from entering the environment at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

This work, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Excess Contaminated Facilities initiative, enables demolition and disposal of massive mercury-contaminated equipment to begin this month.

Workers are inspecting and cleaning the pipes and column exchange (COLEX) equipment on the west side of Alpha-4 at Y-12. They have tapped and drained approximately 2,100 feet of the 5,700 feet of piping so far, retrieving large amounts of mercury, and more is expected as work continues. EM will address and remove the remaining portions on the facility’s east and south sides in the future.

“This project has proven to be a very successful investment for our program,” said Oak Ridge Office of EM Acting Manager Jay Mullis. “We set out to remove risks and enhance safety through the Excess Contaminated Facilities initiative, and our efforts at Alpha-4 will prevent thousands of pounds of mercury from leaking into the environment.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 4, Ben Williams, COLEX equipment, demolition, DOE, EM Update, Excess Contaminated Facilities, Jay Mullis, lithium separation, mercury, mercury release, Oak Ridge cleanup, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, uranium separation, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge, Wayne McKinney, Y-12 National Security Complex

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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