U.S, U.K. Cleanup Organizations Build Collaboration

EM senior representatives recently met with officials from United Kingdom cleanup organizations for an annual meeting where they focused on the U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) approach to sustainability and working with DOE to develop critical metrics to demonstrate success.

“EM highly values international cooperation and we are eager to work with organizations in the U.K. to share information and lessons learned from an environmental program comparable in size and complexity to our own,” said Mary Kruger, EM’s director for regulatory, intergovernmental, and stakeholder engagement. “I look forward to many more opportunities to further our cooperation in addressing common cleanup challenges.”

EM hosted the 18th Annual Standing Committee Meeting with colleagues from the NDA and National Nuclear Laboratory. The standing committee reviews accomplishments from the past year and identifies areas of focus and new priorities to help address challenges in the U.S. and U.K. cleanup programs.

The meeting provided an opportunity for Acting EM Assistant Secretary William “Ike” White to meet with NDA CEO David Peattie. White and Peattie shared updates from both countries’ cleanup programs.

Meeting participants confirmed that an area of keen interest is project peer reviews to enable the transfer of knowledge and lessons learned between the organizations, and help develop professional relationships that will endure into the future.

They also identified topics to consider for future discussion, including cybersecurity, risk-based decision-making, stakeholder engagement, near-surface disposal facility planning and operation, knowledge transfer and workforce development, and artificial intelligence and machine learning.