Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
6/20/2014
The Obama Administration’s next choice to head the Department of Energy’s cleanup program, Monica Regalbuto, breezed through a hearing the Senate Armed Services Committee held on her nomination this week, and she has so far not indicated any big changes are in store for the structure of the DOE Office of Environmental Management if she is confirmed. At the hearing, members of the panel did not ask Regalbuto any notable questions regarding the cleanup program, but she shared her views on a broad range of topics in responses to the committee’s advance policy questions. In a written response to a question on EM’s organizational structure, she said: “I believe the organizational structure supports its goals by establishing clear lines of responsibility and accountability to improve overall program performance. I also believe that organization and management systems need to be designed in ways that are mutually supportive and should provide structure flexibility to address new challenges as they evolve.”
The Obama Administration nominated Regalbuto in March to fill the vacancy left when Ines Triay stepped down as Assistant EM Secretary in July 2011. Dave Huizenga has filled the role in an acting basis since then. While there has been no apparent opposition to Regalbuto’s nomination from lawmakers, her confirmation is not expected to come anytime soon given the large number of pending Administration nominees. At the time of her nomination, Regalbuto had been serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fuel Cycle Technologies in DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. However, this week she moved into a new role in senior management at EM as Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, replacing Jack Craig, who had held the position in an acting capacity and is now set to stay at EM headquarters for the foreseeable future. Also this week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee favorably reported her nomination.
Regalbuto: Field Offices Currently Have Enough Autonomy
Among the questions the Senate panel asked Regalbuto in its questionnaire is whether she believes that field offices across the complex have enough flexibility and autonomy to finish cleanup in a safe and efficient manner. She responded that there is enough flexibility and autonomy. “I do believe that it is important to delegate as much authority as possible and appropriate to the field offices and their managers, as they are responsible for day to day operations. However, the additional authority comes with the responsibility to deliver on performance goals and learn from the experience and implement best practices from other field offices,” Regalbuto said in her written response, adding, “If confirmed, I will ensure the EM program aligns authority with performance at each site to deliver on its goals and requirements.”
EM Should Reconsider Rocky Flats Approach
Additionally, the panel noted the major successes EM has marked with the accelerated approach at Rocky Flats and other sites, a tactic that was later “abandoned,” according to the panel’s questionnaire. Regalbuto responded: “Based on my understanding of the successes of Rocky Flats, Fernald and Mound, I would be willing to consider this approach, particularly if it accomplishes site cleanup in a safe, compliant and more cost-effective manner. I also understand that EM was able to accelerate certain work with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and accelerate footprint reduction significantly. However, given the current fiscal constraints, it may be difficult to balance competing risk-based priorities across the EM complex.”
‘Room For Improvement’ On Contracting Methods
When asked about contracting approaches for EM, Regalbuto also noted that while DOE is pushing for more fixed price contracts, not all cleanup projects lend themselves to that structure. “I believe that EM should be driving to get as close to possible to a fixed price contracts portfolio. However, it is my understanding that the current difficulty of the mission, including cleaning up waste streams that are not completely documented, requires EM to use a variety of contract types and even hybrids of those types to fairly allocate risk, provide an opportunity for reasonable profit rates, cover a wide range of technical difficulty and performance risk and to continue to attract contractors,” Regalbuto said in her questionnaire response. “I also recognized that current contracting methods have room for improvement and that better characterization of clean up waste streams and process technology maturity will facilitate this effort.”
