Statement of David Huizenga Senior Advisor for Environmental Management United States Department of Energy

Before the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Committee on Armed Services United States House of Representatives April 17, 2012
http://www.em.doe.gov/pdfs/4-17-12%20Final%20HASC%20Strategic%20Forces%20Written%20Testimony.pdf

US House spending bill would cut DOE renewables, boost nuclear

Washington (Platts)--25Apr2012/429 pm EDT/2029 GMT

The US House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday passed on to the full chamber a Department of Energy spending bill that would cut $345 million from the agency's fiscal 2013 budget, providing it with $26.1 billion, and would shift emphasis from renewable energy and energy efficiency to fossil fuels and nuclear power. "While the decisions involved were difficult ... I am proud that this committee will be the tip of the spear in helping to restore sustainability to the agency budgets within this bill," said Representative Hal Rogers, the committee chairman and a Kentucky Republican. The committee passed the energy and water appropriations bill in a voice vote. The bill must still be taken up by the full House. No votes in the full chamber are planned, but few in Washington believe Congress will pass any annual appropriations bills before the presidential election in November. In his budget request to Congress in February, Obama moved to cut about $88 million from spending on nuclear power research and development, a 10% cut, and about $105 million from the fossil energy R&D, primarily from coal-related research. But the House Appropriations committee aims to make up for those declines by refusing the Obama request and funding nuclear power at 2012 levels, instead providing flat funding for DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy at $765 million. Republicans on the committee also said the bill would help bring down gasoline prices in the long run and that they have devoted $1.1 billion in their proposal for the effort. Among other things, this includes $25 million for a new shale oil research program, $34 million for other fossil energy research aimed at increasing domestic oil supplies, $500 million for applied advanced biofuels research and $195 million for electric vehicle research. While these total about $36 million above what Congress gave DOE in 2012, they are about $92 million less than what Obama requested.

SCHEDULES OF KEY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS

This document graphically displays the milestone dates and projected schedules of key Environmental Impact Statements (updated monthly). This chart represents anticipated activity and is not a commitment for documentation or date. Last Revised: 4/13/12  KeyEISSchedule_April2012.pdf 

• Tank Closure and Waste Management for the Hanford Site, Richland, WA (DOE/EIS-0391)
• Disposal of Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste (DOE/EIS-0375)
• Storage and Management of Elemental Mercury (DOE/EIS-0423)

EM Technology Program Update: New Approach to Assess Volatile Contamination in Vadose Zone Provides Path Forward for Site Closure

April 24, 2012 RICHLAND, Wash. and LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – Through the Deep Vadose Zone-Applied Field Research Initiative (DVZ-AFRI), scientists and engineers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, federal agencies, and the scientific community are collaborating to develop effective, science-based solutions for remediating, characterizing, monitoring, and predicting the behavior and fate of deep vadose zone contamination. DVZ-AFRI is supported through a memorandum of understanding with EM’s Office of Soil and Groundwater Remediation and the Richland Operations Office. This partnership is maximizing resources to facilitate development of the scientific and technical foundation and technologies needed to make sound and defensible remedial decisions that will successfully meet target cleanup goals. Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is a baseline remediation approach applied at many sites to remove volatile contaminants from the vadose zone. While SVE generally removes contaminants from most parts of the vadose zone, many sites have low-permeability heterogeneities that limit the ability of SVE remediation and leave residual, persistent zones of contamination. Under these conditions, a risk informed evaluation of SVE performance should determine if the system needs to be optimized, terminated, or transitioned to another approach.

Green: A Very Long Road for Military Nuclear Waste

SCIENCE New York Times

By By MATTHEW L. WALD

Published: March 29, 2012

The Department of Energy says it has mostly emptied and closed two more of the 51 underground tanks containing liquid nuclear waste from cold-war weapons production at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Yet tens of thousands of gallons still potentially remain in those two tanks. See link http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/a-very-long-road-for-military-nuclear-waste/

Senate Panel Advances Bill for Temporary Nuclear Storage Sites

By Jim Snyder on April 24, 2012 (Bloomberg News)

A Senate committee proposed letting U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu begin the process to build temporary storage sites for nuclear waste in communities that seek such a facility. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said the provision in the legislation adopted the “consent-based” recommendation of a presidential commission that studied the disposal of used fuel rods now stored at 104 U.S. nuclear plants. The measure is “one small step forward,” she said. “It’s imperative to begin to address the issue of spent nuclear fuel,” Feinstein said today at a hearing on energy and water development spending starting Oct. 1. The measure approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee panel on energy creates a program to license, build and operate one or more “consolidated storage facilities,” Feinstein said.

Why is DOE collecting fees for 'program that isn't doing very much'? -- judge

Lawrence Hurley and Hannah Northey, E&E reporters

Greenwire: Friday, April 20, 2012

A federal appeals court today raised serious questions about whether the Department of Energy should continue to collect fees for its nuclear waste fund despite the fact that there is still no national repository in place.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the Nuclear Energy Institute and various energy companies want the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to put an end to the payments.

During today's arguments in NARUC v. DOE, two of the three judges seemed sympathetic to the petitioners, although it seems most likely that the court would remand the case to DOE in the first instance before potentially taking the more dramatic step of terminating the fees altogether.

On remand, Energy Secretary Steven Chu would likely have to explain why DOE thinks it can continue to collect the fees despite no national waste program being in place. The fund could surpass $26 billion this year.

Blue Ribbon Commission Final Reports

The final reports of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future can be found online at http://brc.gov/

Final Updated Report of the Disposal Subcommittee to the Full...

Final Updated Report of the Reactor & Fuel Cycle Technology...

Final Updated Report of the Transportation & Storage...

BRC Report to the Secretary of Energy - January 2012

BRC Letter to President Barack Obama - December 12, 2011

Hanford Youtube Channel

This is the official YouTube Channel of the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office. For more information go to: www.hanford.gov http://www.youtube.com/user/HanfordSite
Some examples of stories available:

The Hanford Story: Overview

The Hanford Story: Tank Waste Cleanup

The Hanford Story: Groundwater

The Hanford Story: Recovery Act

Hanford Public Involvement Plan

DOERiverProtection@RiverProtection Department of Energy's Office of River Protection at Hanford. Richland, WA - See DOE's Twitter feed

Major Cold War Cleanup Milestone Reached at the Savannah River Site

March 29, 2012 - 10:37am

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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Energy Department announced it has reached a major milestone in the Department’s efforts to clean up the Cold War legacy at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, laying the groundwork for closing two underground storage tanks that previously held radioactive liquid waste from nuclear weapons production at SRS.  The determination signed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu paves the way for SRS to begin closing the massive tanks that make up the F Tank Farm.  The site will start this year by closing two tanks that pose the greatest risk to the environment - Tanks 18 and 19.  These tank closures will be the first DOE tanks closed nationwide since 2007, the first closed at SRS in 15 years, and some of the largest underground storage tanks closed by the Department to date. Under Secretary for Nuclear Security at the Department of Energy Thomas D’Agostino made the announcement on a press conference call today with Karen Patterson, Chair of the South Carolina Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council. “Today, we are able to announce a major milestone as we continue to clean up the legacy of the Cold War at the Savannah River Site and work to meet our responsibility to the citizens of South Carolina,” said Secretary Chu. “The Department of Energy, federal and state regulators, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the local community all played a key role in arriving at this important decision. As a result of these efforts and significant collaboration over many years, we are now able to move forward to safely, effectively and efficiently clean up and close these massive tanks.” “South Carolina has looked forward to this day for a long time. We appreciate the dedication of everyone involved with the project, and the positive working relationships among all the entities – without genuine dedication and a positive approach, success would have been much more difficult. We also greatly appreciate that South Carolina and local stakeholders were included in all aspects of the process. The result is a good decision that we hope means many more successful tank closures in the near future,” said Chairwoman Patterson. About 70 SRS, contractor, and construction employees are working on the final closing of Tanks 18 and 19, which is expected to take about five months. The work will include up to six cement trucks an hour, working eight hours a day, five days a week, pouring more than 3 million gallons of grout to fill the waste tanks.  Each tank originally held about 1.3 million gallons of radioactive hazardous waste, or enough to fill nearly two Olympic-sized swimming pools.  Workers have removed more than 99 percent of the liquid waste in the tanks.  Tanks 18 and 19 will now be grouted, or filled with a cement-like material, to ensure the remaining residual waste film is immobilized and poses little to no future risk to the environment or the public. SRS was constructed in the early 1950s to produce basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons in support of our nation's defense programs.  Tanks 18 and 19, two of the many nuclear facilities constructed at the site to support the United States Cold War effort, were built in the late 1950s to store radioactive liquid waste generated through the site’s nuclear weapons material processing. The determination announced today allows SRS to complete cleanup and closure of Tanks 18 and 19 by the end of this year and the remaining 18 tanks in the F Tank Farm over the next several years as they are emptied and cleaned.  Prior to the decision, the Department and SRS conducted extensive technical environmental analysis, public review and comment, and consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The state of South Carolina and the Environmental Protection Agency were also included in and supportive of the decision to close the tanks. The SRS FTF 3116 Waste Determination, its Basis, and the Supplement Analysis can be viewedHERE.

Hanford workers still fear reprisal for safety complaints: DOE official 

News; Environmental Management | Derek Sands | 706 words | 26 March 2012 | Inside Energy

Workers at the site of the biggest nuclear-waste cleanup in the US still cannot report safety risks to their managers without fear of reprisal, despite recent attempts by the Energy Department to give them that assurance, the head of DOE's health and safety office said last week. Glenn Podonski told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development that Energy Secretary Steven Chu and his senior management have taken a number of steps to address the problem at the Hanford Site in Washington State. "But the proof is in the pudding," Podonsky said. "The workers have to believe that they can raise issues without concern of reprisal, without fear of retaliation, and that is a tall order for this department." Concerns over the safety culture at Hanford became clearer than ever to top DOE management last year, when the independent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board released a scathing report regarding the site's $12.3 billion Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. The report said DOE and its contractors for the project lacked an effective process for workers to raise safety issues.

ARCHIVED STORIES BEGIN HERE

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EM Recovery News - September 2010 - Issue 16
September 03, 2010 - Environmental Management Recovery Act
EM Recovery News - September 2010 - Issue 16
View File: EM Recovery News - September 2010 - Issue 16
This 16th issue of Recovery News focuses on the Office of Environmental Management American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Program’s benefits to stakeholders such as community groups, as well as Tribal Nations and regulators. We highlight Savannah River Site’s (SRS) work with community groups such as the Citizens Advisory Board, which provides advice to SRS on its cleanup. In another article, we provide a perspective on the Recovery Act’s impact in West Valley, N.Y. In Washington state, we show how Recovery Act dollars are cleaning up a large stretch of land of historical significance to regional Tribal Nations. We also focus on the Oak Ridge Office in Tennessee, and its work with regulators.

BRC July 14-15, 2010 Meeting Information, Documents & Presentations

July 14-15, 2010 Meeting Information, Documents & Presentations

Updated 07/13/2010

DOE Meets TPA Milestone in the 300 Area

DOE News ReleaseMedia Contact: Cameron Hardy, DOE For Immediate Release:
(509) 376-5365, Cameron.Hardy@rl.doe.gov July 13, 2010Five Waste Sites, One Burial Ground Completed Ahead of Deadline

RICHLAND, WASH. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) met a Tri-Party Agreement Milestone three months early when contractors completed remediation of five waste sites and one burial ground recently in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State.

The active remediation of these waste sites helps Hanford get rid of sources of contamination to area groundwater, which can migrate to the Columbia River.

Report on Office of Technology Innovation and Development Program Plan

Friday, June 18, 2010
The Department is responding to House Conference Report 111-203, Energy and Water
Development Appropriations Bill, Fiscal Year 2010, which directs the Department to update and
submit Appendices A and B of the Status of Environmental Management Initiatives to
Accelerate the Reduction of Environmental Risks and Challenges Posed by the Legacy of the Cold
War (Status Report). The original Status Report, provided to Congress in January 2009,
responded to a requirement in the National Defense Authorization Act Fiscal Year 2008,
Section 3130.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Update Appendices to the Status of EM Initiatives to Accelerate the Reduction of Environmental Risk and Challenges Posed by the Legacy of the Cold War Updated Appendices A and B containing the requested information are enclosed. The Office ofEnvironmental Management (EM) has had great success in meeting the terms of its regulatorycommitments, as shown in the update to Appendix A. EM'S overall record of meeting regulatory milestones exceeds 90 percent. EM has also had great success in containing lifecycle cost growth, as shown in the update to Appendix B. Despite baseline changes and the acceptance of nearly $600 million of new scope not contained in the January 2009 Status Report, EM has reduced its life-cycle costs from a range between $274 and $329 billion in 2008
to $273 to $327 billion today. In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds
have helped EM avoid another $3.2 billion in life-cycle costs.

Analysis Triples U.S. Plutonium Waste Figures

July 10, 2010 New York Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD

WASHINGTON — The amount of plutonium buried at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State is nearly three times what the federal government previously reported, a new analysis indicates, suggesting that a cleanup to protect future generations will be far more challenging than planners had assumed.

Plutonium waste is much more prevalent around nuclear weapons sites nationwide than the Energy Department’s official accounting indicates, said Robert Alvarez, a former department official who in recent months reanalyzed studies conducted by the department in the last 15 years for Hanford; the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory; the Savannah River Site, near Aiken, S.C.; and elsewhere.

NEW RICHLAND OPERATIONS MANAGER ANNOUNCED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media Contact: July 9, 2010 Colleen French, 509-539-0210
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today named Matthew S. McCormick Manager of the Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. In this role, he will continue the momentum of cleanup along the Columbia River, further implement the Department’s strategy for shrinking the footprint of active cleanup operations from 586 square miles to 10 square miles in ten years, oversee groundwater protection remedies that will stop the migration of contaminants into the Columbia River, and dispose of hazardous waste and facilities across the Hanford Site.

“Matt's extensive experience in nuclear project management will be critical in continuing the success of the cleanup along the Columbia River and across the Hanford Site. Matt’s strength is his breadth of project management experience – reducing risk at some of DOE’s highest-hazard facilities – combined with his drive to push for better and smarter approaches to complex cleanup challenges,” said Dr. Ines Triay, DOE’s Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. “He has been a leader not only in helping shape and implement footprint reduction at the Hanford Site, but also in putting together the strategy and regulatory support for how to complete cleanup of the Central Plateau. He has worked alongside Dave Brockman for years at DOE’s Hanford and Rocky Flats sites, and is uniquely qualified to continue Richland’s momentum and successes.”