The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM) directs the massive cleanup of more than 100 sites that were involved in the production of nuclear weapons materials during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. This report offers suggestions for more effectively characterizing and treating the orphan and special-case wastes that are part of EM's accelerated cleanup program. It identifies technical opportunities for EM to improve the program that will save time and money without compromising health and ...
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The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM) directs the massive cleanup of more than 100 sites that were involved in the production of nuclear weapons materials during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. This report offers suggestions for more effectively characterizing and treating the orphan and special-case wastes that are part of EM's accelerated cleanup program. It identifies technical opportunities for EM to improve the program that will save time and money without compromising health and safety. The opportunities identified include: making more effective use of existing facilities and capabilities for waste characterization, treatment, or disposal; eliminating self-imposed requirements that have no clear technical or safety basis; and investing in new technologies to improve existing treatment and characterization capabilities. For example, the report suggests that EM work with DOE classification officers to declassify, to the extent possible, classified materials declared as wastes. The report also suggests a new approach for treating the wastes that EM will leave in place after cleanup.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. xii, 72 pages. Illustrations. References. Appendices (includes Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Acronyms. To manage the massive cleanup of sites involved in the production of nuclear weapons materials throughout the Manhattan Project and the Cold War, the Department of Energy (DOE) established in 1989 its Office of Environmental Remediation and Waste Management, renamed the Office of Environmental Management (EM) in 1994. Because of the complexity of cleaning up this legacy of waste and contamination, limited experience, and changing requirements, identifying actual costs and time required to complete the cleanup was a challenge from the beginning. In June 1998, EM issued its first comprehensive plan Paths to Closure (DOE, 1998a) for accelerating the cleanup and reducing costs. Currently, according to EM's plan for accelerated cleanup, the total life cycle cost is estimated to be about $142 billion, with completion in 2035. EM is considering how the schedule and costs might be reduced further, without compromising its commitments to health and safety. EM commissioned this study by the National Academies' Board on Radioactive Waste Management (BRWM) to provide technical advice for EM's accelerated cleanup program, specifically by identifying opportunities for EM to improve its capabilities for characterizing and treating the legacy wastes and contamination that are within the scope of the accelerated cleanup program. While acknowledging that site cleanup is a multifaceted challenge, including establishing cleanup goals, legal and regulatory compliance, and public confidence, the committee confined its study to the technical issues set forth in its Study Prospectus and Statement of Task. EM's technical capability to manage its wastes and environmental contamination is essential for accomplishing the cleanup regardless of how non-technical issues surrounding site cleanup may change over the time.