A perfect fit for this year’s Waste Management Symposia theme, “Proud of our Past, Poised for the Future,” this panel focused on the past 50 years of environmental remediation and engaged with the audience on challenges and opportunities as cleanup progress continues.
Office of Environmental Management
March 19, 2024
minute read time
Rodrigo Rimando, far right, acting director for the EM Office of Technology Development, introduces members of the panel titled, "A 50-Year DOE Retrospective and the Future of Environmental Remediation," as he kicks off the discussion as session co-chair. Also pictured, from left, Rodney Lehman, EM Office of Project Management director; Brian Vance, Hanford Site manager; Stanley Pyram, Savannah River Site chief engineer; Mark Brown, Idaho Cleanup Project manager; James Blankenhorn, senior vice president for Amentum; Inés Triay, interim dean, College of Engineering and Computing Applied Research Center, Florida International University; and Jean P. Pabón, program manager, EM Office of Technology Development.
Cleanup leaders reflect on past, discuss future challenges, opportunities
A perfect fit for this year’s Waste Management Symposia theme, “Proud of our Past, Poised for the Future,” this panel focused on the past 50 years of environmental remediation and engaged with the audience on challenges and opportunities as cleanup progress continues. Panelists provided historical overviews of EM’s Hanford, Idaho National Laboratory and Savannah River sites. They also cited some of the most significant successes while also highlighting critical lessons learned to be carried forward as EM continues to improve processes to best serve impacted communities. The collective knowledge of this panel made for a powerful discussion around future opportunities, with topics including incorporation of artificial intelligence to optimize infrastructure needs, increased use of clean energy alternatives to drive efficiencies and sustainability, and development of new technologies to tackle specific contaminants.
-Contributors: Kyle Hendrix, Matt Roberts
Wendy Berhman, superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, speaks during a panel discussion on DOE’s Atomic Legacy Preservation Network. Also pictured from left are Josh Silverman, director, Office of Environmental Protection and Environment, Safety and Health Reporting; Padraic Benson, program analyst, DOE Office of Legacy Management; Joseph Kent, deputy director and curator, Atomic Museum; Anita Iacaruso, director of EM Communication Services; and Sommer Porter, public affairs specialist, EM Communication Services.
DOE's Atomic Legacy Preservation Network
EM is building the Atomic Legacy Preservation Network (ALPN), an interconnected network of institutions, linking the DOE Office of Legacy Management, National Nuclear Security Administration, museums, interpretive centers, national parks and other organizations to tell the story of EM’s history and progress.
“We’re casting a wide net and bringing together institutions that didn’t know that other ones like them exist,” EM Communication Services Director Anita Iacaruso said.
In April, EM will hold an introductory webinar hosted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for institutions across the country to learn more about ALPN and how they can participate. Also in the works is an ALPN webpage as part of EM’s website.
-Contributors: Kim Kweder, Matt Roberts
Panelist Rob Seifert, center, director of the EM Office of Infrastructure Management and Disposition Policy, panelist Seth Kirshenberg, at right, executive director, Energy Communities Alliance, and session co-chair Misty Mayes, CEO, Management Solutions, led a discussion at the 2024 Waste Management Symposia on the new DOE initiative "Cleanup to Clean Energy," an innovative effort to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands for clean energy generation.
DOE highlights its Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative at conference
A new DOE initiative known as “Cleanup to Clean Energy” is working to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands — portions of which were previously used in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex — for clean energy generation. Working with a diverse range of stakeholders, including industry, federal entities, tribes, and state and local officials, DOE will explore opportunities to lease federal land for the buildout of utility-scale clean energy projects. Panelists Rob Seifert, director of the EM Office of Infrastructure Management and Disposition Policy, and Seth Kirshenberg, executive director, Energy Communities Alliance, discussed the opportunities the initiative presents to specific locations during the 2024 Waste Management Symposia. Cleanup to Clean Energy is an innovative effort helping to achieve President Joe Biden’s climate goals and the directive in Executive Order 14057 for agencies to use their properties for the development of new clean electricity generation.
-Contributors: Eleanor Prater, Matt Roberts
Pictured from left are panel session co-chair Martin Schneider, president, Longenecker & Associates; panelist Kristen Ellis, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for EM’s Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs and EM acting director of regulatory, intergovernmental, and stakeholder engagement; panelist Jeff Avery, EM principal deputy assistant secretary; panelist Greg Sosson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for EM's Office of Field Operations; panelist Angela Watmore, EM deputy assistance secretary for acquisition and project management; and panel session co-chair Dorothy Davidson, president and CEO, Orano Federal Services. (Photo: Matt Roberts)
EM leaders turn focus to EM’s hot topics at Waste Management
Members of the EM leadership team joined EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Avery as panelists at the 2024 Waste Management Symposia to focus on hot topics within the cleanup program. There was standing room only for one of the first panels at this year’s conference, and the panelists highlighted EM priorities and focus areas for the coming years. Avery and members of the EM leadership team talked about various topics, from the importance of workforce staffing, to future missions, to the vital role technology development and deployment play within the EM program. Avery emphasized that EM needs to “continue making steady and deliberate progress” in coming years.
Carlsbad Field Office IT Division Director Joe Lopez speaks during a 2024 Waste Management Symposia panel session focused on the EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s 25th anniversary. Also pictured from left are Gregory Roselle, senior manager, Defense Waste Management Programs, Sandia National Laboratories; Inés Triay, executive director, Applied Research Center, Florida International University; Jeff Stevens, executive officer, Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos; Thomas Peake, director, Center for Waste Management and Regulations, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Jack Volpato, chair, Mayor’s Nuclear Task Force of Carlsbad; and Mark Bollinger, manager, Carlsbad Field Office.
WIPP: Celebrating 25 years of cleanup history
As EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) celebrates 25 years of operation, panelists shared personal stories of how they got their start there and how it changed the community for the better throughout the years.
“My WIPP journey has been memorable, and I would do it all over again,” said Joe Lopez, IT division director, Carlsbad Field Office, as he reflected on 39 years of WIPP service.
WIPP is the nation’s only geological repository for defense related nuclear waste. The site has around 1,500 federal and contractor employees. The first transuranic waste shipment arrived March 26, 1999.
The panel session also covered topics on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its technical reviews at WIPP, accomplishments with shipments from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and WIPP’s construction journey.
-Contributors: Kim Kweder, Matt Roberts
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