Over the next 10 years, the Department of Energy’s $7.6-billion Office of Environmental Management hopes to realize several of its long-desired objectives around the nuclear weapons cleanup complex.
According to its Strategic Vision 2022-2032, published Tuesday by the Environmental Management (EM) branch, the feds expect to start converting low-level radioactive tank waste into glass at the Hanford Site in Washington state, begin operating a Mercury Treatment Facility at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, finish treating sodium-bearing waste at the Idaho National Laboratory and conclude remediation of a uranium mill tailings site in Utah. Legacy cleanup at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site should also be completed in the next 10 years.
“The Strategic Vision is our blueprint to EM’s anticipated cleanup achievements over the next decade, and it outlines goals for 2022-2032 focused on safety, environmental cleanup priorities, innovation, and improved performance,” William (Ike) White, DOE’s senior adviser and top manager for the nuclear cleanup office.
