Major themes of growing partnerships and continued progress came into focus during a visit to Oak Ridge by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Senior Advisor Candice Robertson — her first trip to the site since becoming head of the cleanup program in June.
Office of Environmental Management
August 6, 2024
minute read time
U.S Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Senior Advisor Candice Robertson addresses employees and answers questions at Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s all-hands meeting. It was her first trip to the site since being named head of the cleanup program in June.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Major themes of growing partnerships and continued progress came into focus during a visit to Oak Ridge by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Senior Advisor Candice Robertson — her first trip to the site since becoming head of the cleanup program in June.
Roberston’s brimming agenda included visiting teams from DOE programs, contractors, stakeholders, higher education institutions and others supporting and benefiting from the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s (OREM) cleanup mission.
She kicked off the visit with remarks at the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop in Knoxville, Tennessee, where hundreds of attendees gathered to hear about industry developments, business opportunities and advancements in research and technologies.
Excitement and optimism were on display at the event with a growing number of companies in the nuclear industry expressing interest and locating on land OREM has cleaned and transferred to the community for economic development.
More than 600 attendees gathered at this year’s Nuclear Opportunities Workshop to hear news and perspective from top leaders in the nuclear field, including U.S Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Senior Advisor Candice Robertson.
On the following day, Robertson made multiple stops at major cleanup projects across the Oak Ridge Reservation.
At the Y-12 National Security Complex, EM’s top official observed construction underway on the Mercury Treatment Facility and the final stages of deactivation at Alpha-2. Demolition of the 325,000-square-foot former Manhattan Project enrichment facility, an EM 2024 priority, is scheduled to begin this fall.
She also viewed OREM’s current and future disposal sites. The EM Waste Management Facility is nearing full capacity, and fieldwork is underway on a new facility that provides the capacity needed to complete future cleanup.
Robertson also traveled to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where she got a firsthand look at ongoing deactivation projects at former reactors and isotope labs. These projects are paving the way for demolitions that will transform the central campus and support future modernization at the site.
She also visited the Uranium-233 Disposition Project at ORNL, where employees have already surpassed a processing goal among EM’s 2024 priorities.
The final day of her trip began with a message to community and business leaders at the East Tennessee Economic Council.
Robertson discussed how progress in Oak Ridge would not be possible without partnerships with the community and business leaders in the room as well as the workforce, labor organizations, regulators and Congress.
In her remarks, the head of EM also discussed factors critical to future success.
“One of my top priorities is maintaining a world-class workforce here in Tennessee, and across what is the world’s largest environmental cleanup program,” said Robertson. “We can’t do anything without the right people and without the next generation of leaders. And with over 90% of cleanup work executed by contractors, having the best of private industry on the job, at the right time and at a fair price, is critical.”
That focus was evident in her final meeting of the trip with leadership from the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Tech University, Roane State Community College, Pellissippi State Community College and the Oak Ridge school district.
Together, they discussed how their schools are launching and expanding programs that are helping train and educate the future federal and contractor workforce that will push the EM mission forward.
For more about Robertson’s visit and an exclusive full one-on-one interview, watch the next episode of Energycast that airs on OREM’s YouTube channel on Aug. 28.
-Contributor: Ben Williams
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environmental Management, submit your e-mail address.