Former LMS contractor reflects on his time with LM and his passion for helping people
February 7, 2024
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As part of LM’s 20-year anniversary celebration, this profile is part of a series of current and former LM employee profiles of people involved in different areas of the LM mission.
Office of Legacy Management Defense-Related Uranium Mines (DRUM) Technical Lead William Burns’ passion for environmental health led him to his career with LM. Burns earned his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Tennessee in 2001.
He worked as a geologist for many years before becoming an LM contractor in 2018, starting as the DRUM technical manager. The DRUM program is a partnership between DOE, federal land management agencies, state abandoned mine lands programs, and tribal governments to verify and validate (V&V) conditions at a unique set of abandoned uranium mines. These mines provided uranium ore to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission for defense-related activities.
“I started with LM after being an LM contractor for four years. In both capacities I have worked on the DRUM program,” Burns said. “This is a very dynamic program that mimicked some of the work I did as a (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) contractor a few years ago.”
After starting as a contractor, Burns quickly found he enjoyed making a difference in the communities that contributed to the nation’s defense. In 2022, Burns moved to the federal side of LM as the DRUM technical lead and as the Uranium Leasing Program (ULP) manager.
“As I started becoming more immersed in the work, it became apparent how important it was and that it was affecting land users in a positive way,” Burns said. “The ultimate goal of this program is to identify physical hazards and get those hazards mitigated. Most of these hazards are on public land with unrestricted access for the public.”
As a technical lead, Burns has a long list of responsibilities, including:
- Establishing, building, and maintaining relationships with federal and state agency contacts.
- Arranging collaborations between LM, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and state and tribal governments.
- Providing technical support to DRUM project managers in their efforts to:
- Complete DRUM field verification and validation for Campaign 1 (public lands).
- Complete at least 75 (35%) field V&Vs for Campaign 2 (tribal lands).
- Develop and issue the DRUM work plan for Campaign 3 (private lands).
In addition to feeding his love of helping the environment, Burns has found in LM a great community he enjoys being a part of.
“My favorite thing about working for LM is the people – from leadership on down. Everyone seems to truly care about the work and each other. I have made a lot of good friends working for LM and have the utmost respect for our leadership team,” Burns said.
Even though Burns has only worked for LM for five years, he has made a lasting impression on his colleagues and leadership.
“I’ve known Wil since the beginnings of the DRUM program, and he has been with me through many professional challenges and has supported me in my growth as a manager,” said DRUM Project Manager and geologist Ian Shafer. “Working with Wil brings a certain freshness to the federal disposition that I don’t get to experience very often. His stoic stature betrays his underlying demeanor of lightheartedness and a passion for his career and colleagues. In other words, he’s a good dude.”
Since the DRUM program began in 2017, Burns’ hard work and dedication has helped the program accomplish many goals.
In 2020, the DRUM program reached a major milestone by finishing the 1,000th V&V field visit at the Mineral Channel 3 mine on Outlaw Mesa on land managed by Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Grand Junction, Colorado, Field Office. Later that same year, LM published its 1,000th mine-specific V&V report, aptly named the Blue Ribbon 3 Mine in the Gateway Mining District, also on land managed by BLM’s Grand Junction Field Office. Then, in 2023, the DRUM program received the Secretary of Energy Achievement Award for its outstanding efforts in locating and assessing more than 1,500 mines and working with federal and state partners to safeguard nearly 400 mines that posed a risk to human health and the environment.
“Currently our DRUM teams have visited 2,256 mines on public lands and 63 on tribal lands. I’d like to think my contributions have aided some in reaching that goal and ultimately safeguarding the hazards at some of these mines,” Burns said.
While the DRUM program has made significant strides, Burns said he is excited for the future and is ready for any challenges it brings.
“I am looking forward to seeing how our team comes together to manage the new challenges we will be presented with,” Burns said. “Additionally, on ULP, we could see active mining become a reality. This will drastically change the day-to-day activities of the program.”
Burns also expressed his thoughts about LM’s future. “I hope over the next 20 years we continue the mission safely and grow our portfolio and staff,” he said. “This will allow my colleagues and me to diversify our work and continue to build relationships.”