Thousands of workers show up each day to advance the environmental cleanup mission at DOE sites around the country. They are talented and dedicated but for the most part their work goes unheralded without awards or accolades. In this week’s Gone Fission Nuclear Report host Michael Butler talks with a DOE official who has been singled out by the Sec…

The Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories conduct research and development on some of the world’s most vexing challenges—from climate change to the origins of the universe. Most recently, six labs have turned their attention to speeding cleanup of underground tank waste at DOE’s Hanford site in Washington State. The labs are using $27 mil…

The Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program is boosting a resurgence in the growth of nuclear energy. Cleaning up formerly contaminated land has created a new home for advanced reactor concepts that have become the centerpiece of the nuclear renaissance. In this week’s episode, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report examines how environmental…

This month, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico celebrates its 25th Anniversary. Located in Southeast New Mexico about 26 miles east of Carlsbad, WIPP was constructed for disposal of defense-generated transuranic--or TRU-- waste. WIPP is the nation’s only repository for the permanent disposal of TRU waste. In this week’s episode, Host Mic…

As we near the end of Black History Month, in this week’s podcast host Michael Butler features the story of the Scarboro 85. In August 1955, 85 young African American students entered all-white classrooms in the Oak Ridge High School and the Robertsville Junior High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This desegregation stands as an important milestone…

Consistent, reliable Congressional funding is an essential element of success in the Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program. In this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, host Michael Butler interviews two former members of Congress who were instrumental in creation of the Nuclear Cleanup Caucus in the mid-1990s. …

The Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program is now focused on 15 remaining sites around the country, down from 107 at the start of the program three decades ago. It is a multi-million dollar, multi-decade effort that depends on qualified contractors to get the job done. DOE is the largest civilian contracting agency in the federal gove…

Every DOE community has local leaders who step up to advocate for funding and new missions and to hold the Department of Energy accountable for its cleanup obligations. These leaders take the time to educate themselves on site issues, get to know DOE leaders and members of Congress, and use their voices and influence to represent their communities.…

In 2015, the United States welcomed its 409th National Park. Known as the Manhattan Project National Historic Park, it tells the story of the men and women who developed the atomic bomb that ended World War II. The Park features three key locations across the U.S.—Oak Ridge TN, Los Alamos NM, and Hanford WA. National Park Service Superintendent Wen…

In our last episode, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast examined the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee’s decision to close in two years. This week, Department of Energy officials at Headquarters and two sites discuss the continuing need for CROs and the importance of community support in the success of DOE’s cleanup mission. Hear …

The Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET) recently announced its plans to close after three decades of successfully representing the Oak Ridge community with the Department of Energy. Why now? And what does this decision mean for the CROs that continue to operate in other DOE communities? Learn the answers in this week’s episode of…

If you want job security and the feeling of doing something meaningful, the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program is the place to be. That was the message of top government and industry leaders—and young professionals themselves—at the 2023 National Cleanup Workshop in Washington, DC. EM Senior Advisor Ike White says about half th…

Cleanup is essential. Budgets are tight. Partnership is imperative. That was the message delivered by two members of Congress at the National Cleanup Workshop in Washington, DC, last week. Hear Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) assess the current status of the Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program in this w…

This week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast features an in-depth interview with Stuart MacVean, recently retired President and CEO of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, DOE's lead environmental cleanup contractor at the Savannah River Site. MacVean looks back on his four decades in the nuclear industry and discusses the challenges…

The Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast celebrates the American worker on Labor Day 2023. Our skilled crafts work daily in hazardous environments and all kinds of weather to carry out the EM cleanup mission. Sean McGarvey, president and CEO of North America’s Building Trades Unions, joins us on this week’s episode to thank these workers for all the…

The Department of Energy's Environmental Management office spends a lot of time remediating the problems of the past. But that doesn't mean they don't have an eye on the future. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in EM's current push to electrify it's gasoline-powered vehicle fleet. In this week’s episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report, …

Environmental cleanup at Department of Energy sites is a family affair. Each day, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, uncles and nephews show up together to perform the hazardous tasks and myriad support services necessary to carry out one of the world’s largest environmental cleanup missions. In this week’s episode of th…

A controversial figure to this day, J. Robert Oppenheimer led the development and construction of the world's first atomic bomb. After World War II, his past communist leanings came to a head when his government security clearance was revoked after several contentious hearings at the height of the "Red Scare". In this week’s episode of the Gone Fis…

The Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program is complex, expensive and long-term. It requires federal oversight, experienced contractor management, a skilled workforce, continual funding from Congress, negotiations with regulators, buy-in and support from communities and stakeholders, and lots of careful planing. That planning is convey…

Officials have taken another step forward in preserving the history of the K-25 site in Oak Ridge, breaking ground for a new viewing platform that will provide a bird’s eye view of the former gaseous diffusion plant’s footprint. A nearby K-25 History Center focuses on the men and women who built and operated the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant du…

Ensuring an adequate workforce for the Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup program is a continuing concern and a high priority. There are decades of cleanup work left to do, and much of the current workforce is approaching retirement age. EM is now engaged in an aggressive program to hire more professionals. In this week's episode, we exam…

This week, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report celebrates with employees of Idaho National Laboratory, INL management, the Department of Energy and state leaders. Crews have completed transfer of Experimental Breeder Reactor-2 spent fuel from wet to the dry storage, meeting a key milestone in a settlement agreement between the Department of Energy and …

Every Department of Energy field site has a landlord—a DOE programmatic office that oversees the real estate, utilities, security and other day-to-day operations. Every now and then a new landlord is installed to reflect the site’s changing missions and programmatic responsibilities. It’s happening now at Savannah River as NNSA prepares to take ove…

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site is engaged in a comprehensive cleanup program for liquid radioactive waste. 51 underground carbon-steel tanks were built to hold radioactive liquid waste from Cold War-era nuclear weapons production. Eight of the tanks have been emptied and closed. The remaining 43 tanks contain about 34 million gallon…

In observance of Women's History Month, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report this week features Carolyn Leach Huntoon, the first woman Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management at the Department of Energy. She was the first of six women to hold this important DOE post. Dr. Huntoon had a distinguished federal career, having also served as the first…

In support of its Department of Energy client, United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) has entered the next chapter of environmental cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee. With the historic Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant fully demolished and significant portions of land turned over to the community for economic development, UCOR is now f…

The Department of Energy’s Hanford site in Washington State is engaged in one of the largest and most complex environmental cleanup challenges on the planet. Multiple contractors are performing various parts of a decades-long mission that will ultimately result in 56 million gallons of radioactive waste being converted to a solid glass form for ult…

The longest serving Community Reuse Organization (CRO) leader in the Department of Energy complex has retired. He is Rick McLeod, president and CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization. Rick held the post for 15 years, nearly half of the CRO's existence. Since he took the job in 2008, Rick has worked with DOE and the community in…

Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023, is an aspiring nuclear engineer preparing to graduate from the University of Wisconsin. She is a smart, articulate advocate of nuclear energy, who believes this safe and reliable energy source should grow from its current 20 percent of U.S. electrical energy supply to as much as 60 percent. She also wants to use her…

Department of Energy cleanup sites across the country depend on on-site disposal facilities to handle contaminated waste and debris from demolished buildings and soil remediation. At one site--Oak Ridge, where a massive gaseous diffusion complex was completely demolished for the first time ever--more disposal capacity is needed to finish cleanup wo…

The Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast launches its third season this week with a look back at the major milestones and achievements in the Department of Energy's environmental cleanup program during 2022. From New Mexico to Washington State, Tennessee, South Carolina and beyond, the achievements were many and consequential. Then we look ahead -- …

56 million gallons of liquid radioactive waste are stored in 177 underground tanks at the Department of Energy's Hanford site in Washington state. One of the Department's highest priorities is to treat this waste and convert it into a solid glass form for permanent disposal. But a local citizens group in Richland, WA, says an alternative method--kn…

Community involvement is a central element in the success of the Department of Energy's environmental cleanup program. Local community leaders, elected officials and the public at-large are encouraged to take a seat at the table to provide input and participate in discussions about cleanup priorities. The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) in Washin…

The Department of Energy's Environmental Management office has opened a new exhibit at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. The museum recounts the history of U.S. nuclear weapons testing in the Nevada desert. The new EM exhibit tells the story of environmental cleanup in Nevada and at other DOE sites around the nation. In this episode,…

Potential leaks in underground radioactive tanks is a priority concern with the Department of Energy's Environmental Management office. Many of these tanks are single-shell containment and were constructed during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Today, they are aging and subject to leaks, more so than the double-shell tanks also now in use. …

This week, the nation observes Veterans Day, celebrating those that worn the uniform in service of our country. In this week's episode sponsored by Fluor, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report visits DOE Headquarters in Washington where we talk with three EM managers about what EM is doing to add more veterans to the workforce. Hear this interview with J…

Who may take over from EM as landlord at SRS? What was the Big News in Waste Treatment at Hanford last week? What did Ike White see when he visited Oak Ridge? And what was on the Senior EM Advisor's mind at the Nuclear Cleanup Workshop recently? Get the answers to these questions and more in this week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report po…

The potential for leaks in aging underground radioactive waste tanks is a constant concern for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management program. After more than a year of negotiation, DOE and the Washington State Department of Ecology have reached an accord on handling waste from two leaking underground tanks at the Hanford site. In this…

Ask any DOE environmental cleanup contractor what their top priority is, and you will undoubtedly get the same answer: SAFETY. It's written into procedures; It's preached; It's practiced, and for most workers it becomes second nature--a natural part of the way they perform at work. One key component of every safety culture is Personal Protective Eq…

In observance of Labor Day 2022, Gone Fission Nuclear Report is pleased to present an in-depth interview with Sean McGarvey, President, North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) in Washington, DC. The Department of Energy is NABTU's largest client. NABTU's unions provide the lion's share of skilled craft workers for the ongoing environmental c…

When iconic Hollywood director Oliver Stone decided to make an unapologetically pro-nuclear documentary, he traveled around the world interviewing experts. One stop was at the Idaho National Laboratory where he was impressed with the breadth of knowledge and passion of the scientists he met. Rae Moss, INL Communications Director, talks about what i…

EM Senior Advisor Ike White recently appeared before the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. He discussed DOE Environmental Management's current R&D efforts and updated the subcommittee on the status of EM cleanup projects. This episode features White's opening statement and Q&A from committee members. Visit th…

This week's episode is the fourth and final episode in a four-part series on Wildlife on EM Sites. In previous episodes, we visited the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, Hanford in Washington State and the Fernald Preserve in Ohio. This week we talk to Sue Vilord, Senior Wildlife Biologist and Wildlife Task Lead at Idaho National Laboratory. L…

This week, the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast presents Part 3 of its four-part series on Wildlife at DOE Environmental Management sites. This episode features an interview with Angela Marczi, an Interpretive Specialist, who describes the popularity of public tours at the Fernald Preserve in Ohio. Now under the stewardship of DOE Legacy Managem…

This is Part 2 of a 4-Part series on wildlife at the Department of Energy's Environmental Management sites. This week we feature an interview with Justin Wilde, a wildlife biologist at the Hanford site in Washington state. Wildlife abounds on DOE Environmental Management sites currently undergoing cleanup. Most of these sites are situated on huge u…

Wildlife abounds on DOE Environmental Management sites currently undergoing cleanup. Most of these sites are situated on huge undeveloped parcels of land, only a fraction of which is used for nuclear operations. That makes these sites a welcome home for wildlife. From wild turkeys to alligators, elk, rare owls and more, today's environmental cleanu…

Podcast host Michael Butler interviews Stephanie Jacobs, Director of the new Regulatory Center of Excellence established recently at Savannah River National Laboratory. The Center provides expert resources charged with helping the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and others manage complex issues involving science, government …

Ask most in the know, and they will tell you vitrification into glass is the preferred way to prepare nuclear waste for permanent disposal. But an advocacy group in Richland, Washington, begs to differ. They are making the case that grouting is the faster, less expensive alternative for mixed low level waste which comprises 90% of the tank's conten…

In its most recent review of the DOE Environmental Management (EM) office, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended significant changes in the way the senior management oversight of the cleanup program is structured. These changes would address what GAO calls "frequent turnover" in the EM-1 position and creation of a new Under Sec…

Congress is considering the Department of Energy's FY2023 Budget Request. DOE Environmental Management is seeking $7.64 billion for cleanup of its former nuclear production and government research sites dating back to the Manhattan Project. More than half of that funding would be allocated to EM's Liquid Waste cleanup mission at Hanford, Savannah R…