EM Leaders Hear Feedback From Advisory Board Chairs

Members of eight local advisory boards across the cleanup complex gathered virtually last week for the biannual Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) National Chairs meeting, where they discussed EM’s COVID-19 response, cleanup progress and accomplishments, regulatory and policy priorities, technology development efforts, the status of EM’s budget, and board membership.

EM leadership from both headquarters and the field sites attended the two-day meeting to provide program updates and hear directly from local advisory board members regarding EM activities.

“It is imperative that we have open communication and transparency with members of the community who live and work near our sites where cleanup is taking place,” EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Todd Shrader said.

Mark Gilbertson, EM’s Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, provided insight on the alignment between EM and the Administration’s goals. He highlighted ongoing efforts to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas impacts from EM facilities and activities. He also discussed some of EM’s climate action initiatives that will prepare the complex for the effects of extreme weather events.

The majority of the second day of the meeting focused on EM SSAB members developing cross-cutting recommendations for EM related to community outreach and communication. Members have been preparing for these discussions over the last year by conducting research to understand each EM site’s public communications and outreach. Committees made up of board members from each site were formed to analyze this research and draft recommendations. The final recommendations will be sent to EM headquarters after they are approved by each local board.

The next EM SSAB National Chairs meeting is planned for April 2022.