Rachelle Hubler has made a career supporting EM’s cleanup contractors at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP), where she has been a driving force behind the facility’s success for 22 years.
Office of Environmental Management
March 5, 2024
minute read time
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project Transportation Manager Rachelle Hubler has supported Idaho Cleanup Project contractors for 22 years and helps ensure transuranic waste shipments safely depart Idaho.
Manager reflects on 22-year career at site, including variety of roles and commitment to regulatory compliance, environmental safety
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Rachelle Hubler has made a career supporting EM’s cleanup contractors at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP), where she has been a driving force behind the facility’s success for 22 years.
Hubler started at AMWTP in 2002, a year before operations began at the facility, and her career is marked by diverse roles and a dedication to ensuring regulatory compliance and environmental safety.
“I have had the opportunity for multiple job assignments on this project, from working in environmental, safety and health, to packaging and transportation operations,” Hubler said.
Each of those functions plays an integral part in the mission at AMWTP. The focus of work at the facility is to characterize, treat, package and ship transuranic (TRU) waste that was sent to and stored on the INL Site during the Cold War. AMWTP’s mission ensures long term protection of the Snake River Plain Aquifer.
In her current role as AMWTP transportation manager, Hubler orchestrates the shipment of TRU waste by navigating a complex web of regulations, a role she has held for 12 years and describes as both challenging and fulfilling.
“I manage a team that is responsible for packaging and transportation regulatory compliance in accordance with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the DOE, Environmental Protection Agency regulations and Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements for all shipments that leave our facility,” Hubler said.
Rachelle Hubler and other members of the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project Packaging and Transportation team pose with Idaho State Police officers in front of a transuranic waste shipment before it departs for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Meticulous attention to detail ensures each shipment is executed compliantly as employees move through dozens of steps. Hubler says that efficiency is refined by a dedicated team and years of experience.
“I have seen a huge reduction in our waste footprint during the last 22 years because we continuously look for opportunities to improve,” Hubler says. “I am proud to be part of a team of highly qualified and dedicated people who work together to solve challenges.”
These efforts are being rewarded by results, as more than half of all the waste emplaced at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico originated from AMWTP. In addition, more than 7,000 TRU waste shipments have left AMWTP since operations began there in 2003, traveling a collective 10 million miles between eastern Idaho and New Mexico. Recently, AMWTP completed the largest annual waste reduction in a decade.
Hubler emphasizes that continued AMWTP success relies on the strength of EM’s collaborative partnerships at the state and federal levels.
“Regulated shipments require a large support group. I work closely with many different organizations, including WIPP transportation personnel and the Idaho State Police,” she says. “These partnerships are critical to keeping a steady backlog of shippable inventory, ensuring our shipping equipment is safe and meeting WIPP’s shipping schedule.”
Much work remains, but Hubler is undaunted.
“I look forward to continuing successful shipments to WIPP, meeting our commitment to the people of Idaho and seeing that last TRU waste shipment depart Idaho for WIPP.”
-Contributor: Carter Harrison
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