It’s official: Brian Vance is the sole manager of both the Richland Operations Office and the Office of River Protection at the U.S. Energy Department’s sprawling Hanford Site in Washington state.
The longtime manager and U.S. Navy veteran had filled this dual role in an acting capacity since February. Energy Secretary Rick Perry informed Congress in a letter this week the Hanford assignment is being made permanent.
Preparation to begin vitrification of low-activity radioactive waste by Dec. 31, 2023, at the nearly complete Waste Treatment Plant requires increased cooperation between the two offices, Perry said in the letter. “The success of the tank waste treatment effort requires many services and facilities managed by [the Richland Operations Office] such as electricity, water, sewer, and roads,” he wrote.
The Richland Operations Office and the Office of River Protection will remain two separate entities for federal budget and planning purposes.
“Appointing a single manager for both Hanford offices establishes the most effective leadership structure for success in managing both RL and ORP during a period of transition and opportunity at the Hanford Site,” wrote Perry, who on Thursday announced his resignation before the end of the year.
Vance took over management responsibility for both offices after the retirement of Richland Operations Office Manager Doug Shoop.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue to work with each of you as the manager for both offices,” Vance said in a Tuesday email to Hanford employees.
Deputy Managers Joe Franco (Richland) and Ben Harp (ORP) will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of their respective offices, Vance noted in the email.
Vance was named manager of the Office of River Protection in October 2017. He has amassed more than 30 years of leadership experience in the military, private sector, and federal government. Before coming to the Energy Department in 2017, Vance worked in management positions at Westinghouse Electric for almost three years and at AREVA for four years. Prior to that he spent 25 years in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer and program manager, along with experience in Department of Defense acquisition programs.
During a presentation last month at the Energy Department’s National Cleanup Workshop in Alexandria, Va., Vance said he favors having a single manager at Hanford, even if he was not the person in charge. it is more efficient than having two site bosses, Vance said.
Employees at the entire Hanford Site must realize they have a stake in helping smooth the path of the vitrification plant, which will operate around the clock, Vance said.
“I’m not an empire builder,” Vance told the gathering, drawing laughs by adding if he did want an empire, he wouldn’t build it at Hanford.
Hanford Ops Divided in 1998
Congress established two offices at Hanford in 1998 via language inserted into the National Defense Authorization Act by then-Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), whose congressional district covered the site. The new Office of River Protection was intended to focus on management of 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste held in underground tanks.
The Richland Operations Office manages Hanford infrastructure and remediation tasks such as demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant.
In 2018, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who succeeded Hastings in representing the 4th Congressional District, successfully placed an amendment in the NDAA for fiscal 2019 to keep the two offices separate until at least 2024.
Two sources said Wednesday the sole manager setup could be a step back toward eventual consolidation of the Hanford campus.
An industry source said Thursday he is an advocate of consolidation. “Right now, everything is so stove-piped” in the weapons complex, and it is too easy to staffers to dwell on their own silo rather than looking at the big picture, he said. Often problems at portion of a DOE site are connected to issues at another area, and it is best for team members to be aware of this, he added.
The Richland Office was funded at $865.2 million during fiscal 2019, while ORP received $1.57 billion. The government is operating under a short-term budget for nearly the first two months of fiscal 2020, to Nov. 21, that keeps agencies funded at prior-year numbers.
For fiscal 2020, the Energy Department proposed $628.8 million for Richland and almost $1.4 billion for ORP. The House of Representatives approved $845.7 million for Richland and about $1.55 billion for ORP in fiscal 2020. The Senate Appropriations Committee last month advanced a spending plan, yet to be voted on by the full chamber, which includes more than $900 million for Richland and more than $1.6 billion for the Office of River Protection.
