DOE Initiatives

New Knowledge To Improve the Effectiveness and Lower the Costs and Risks of Cleanup

James M. Owendof

The Office of Environmental Man- agement (EM) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) faces the daunting task of cleaning up the legacy of cold war chemical and radioactive waste, making it the largest cleanup effort in the world. The life-cycle cost for the program is estimated to be about $147 billion between 1997 and 2070, with about $90 billion of the cost being ex- pended from 2007 to 2070. In 1996, the National Research Council of the Na- tional Academy of Sciences wrote: ”The DOE-EM cleanup mission has been called the world’s largest civil works project and is in many ways more demanding scientifically and technically than the effort to develop nuclear weapons, which began with the Manhattan Project.” In this col- umn I will describe a targeted research program that has recently beenrecog- nized by the Vice President’s Office with a ”Hammer Award” for the inno- vative management approaches we are using.

Beginning of a Targeted Basic Research Program

The Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) was started in response to the Galvin Report, “Alter- native Futures for the Department of Energy National Laboratories,” when Congress requested that the DOE mount an effort in longer term basic science research to seek new and innovative cleanup methods to replace current con- ventional approaches, which are often costly and ineffective on the DOE’S unique environmental challenges.

In 1996, the EM, in partnership with the Office of Energy Research, de- signed, developed, and implemented the EMSP as a targeted basic research effort to establish the scientific and engineering understanding required to solve the challenging technical prob- lems of the cleanup program. Specific objectives of the EMSP are to:

Provide scientific know- ledge that will revolutionize

James M. Owendoff was named Acting Assistant Secreta y for the Environmental Management program in Januay 1998. Upon arriving at the Department of Energy in 1995, he was the Deputy Assistant Secreta y for Environmental Restoration, and in 1997, was named the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secreta y. Prior to joining the Department, he sewed in the Office of the Deputy Undersecreta y of Defense for Environmentual Security and Chief ofthe Air Force Environmental Restoration Division.

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James M . Owendoff

technologies and cleanup approaches to significantly reduce future costs, schedules and risks. ”BridgetheGap”betweenbroad fundamental research that has wide-ranging applications (such as that performed in the Department’s Office of Energy Research) and needs-driven applied technology develop- ment (conducted in Environ- mental Management’s Office of Science and Technology). Focus the nation’s science infrastructure on critical DOE environmental problems.

Quality Science to Address Cleanup Needs

Research applications of the EMSP are solicited on the basis of an exten- sive site-specific needs identification process conducted by the Environmen- tal Management Program. Linkages between environmental challenges faced by the Environmental Manage- ment Program and the EMSP basic research efforts are guaranteed by the relevance component of the selection process. Preapplications for financial assistance are submitted by potential applicants and screened for scientific content and relevance to Environmental Management’s environmental mandate.

Successful preapplications result in requests for formal applications to per- form fundamental research in specific environmental science program areas. This process provides interested scien- tific investigators with early input and is conducted to save time and costs for both investigators and DOE staff.

Formal application review and se- lection is a two-phase process. A peer review conducted by panels of exter- nal scientific experts evaluates the ap- plications for scientific excellence. In

addition, panels of scientists and engi- neers from DOE sites, who will be the end-users of research results, evaluate applications for their relevance to iden- tified Environmental Management problems. Funding is recommended only for those applications that are successful in both reviews.

Success of the Program to Date Over the past two years, the DOE

has established and implemented the EMSP to sponsor basic research with potential to address environmental cleanup problems requiring feasible or more cost-effective solutions. The EMSP is also working to reduce the time required to move results from basic research to new technology de- velopment and the deployment of so- lutions. EMSP research results will aid decision makers in selecting effective solutions for problems. To date, the EMSP has identified and funded 235 research awards to quality scientific resources both in the United States and internationally. These scientists are currently conducting research at 89 universities, 13 DOE laboratories, and 21 other governmental and private laboratories located in 37 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Austra- lia, Russia and the Czech republic. Of the 235 research awards, 126 are col- laborative efforts involving funding at two or more institutions.

Researchers funded through the EMSP are working to help the DOE develop new ways to:

effectively clean up subsurface contamination for less cost than baseline pump-and-treat methods; safely handle, separate, and treat high-level and mixed wastes to reduce volumes and risks;

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DOE Initiatives

securely stabilize or dispose of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear materials used in weapons production; efficiently decontaminate and decommission nuclear facil- ities; and accurately assess the health and ecological risks associated with options and activities in waste management and environ- mental restoration.

In addition to the funding of the re- search awards, the EMSP can point to success in a number of its other activities:

Establishment of the successful management partnership between the Offices of Environ- mental Management and Energy Research ensures that quality research focused on the DOE cleanup mission is supported and that research progress is closely monitored. Establishment of a process for ongoing consultation with environmental management problem-holders aids the program in clearly under- standingproblems, focusingthe solicitation and research award selection on identified needs. Rigorous and focused research project selection processes ensure that the research selected/funded is both scien- tifically meritorious and relevant to environmental cleanup problems. Researchers have access to the information they need to understand and address the environmental cleanup problems. Plans for ensuring prompt dissemination and use of

research results will aid the DOE in more effectively accom- plishing its cleanup mission.

The first phase of the plan to dis- seminate results was implemented in July 1998, when a workshop was held at which both researchers and site problem holders presented research results, research needs, and site problems.

Conclusion The EMSP is taking the steps neces-

sary to capitalize on the DOE’S scien- tific research investments. Its role in support of the Office of Environmen- tal Management mission is to serve as a catalyst for scientific discoveries that lead to cost, schedule, and risk reduc- tions for the Environmental Manage- ment Program. It is fulfilling this role by maximizing research output and the use of the resulting information. This is accomplished by closely monitoring the research progress, establishing an effective information network, encouraging scientific and technological collaboration, providing for data analysis and integration, and managing information.

The EMSP has a number of sys- tems in place to facilitate communica- tion and collaboration. These include: the Internet (the Environmental Man- agement Science Program web site is http: / /www.em.doe.gov/science/), meetings and workshops with advi- sory boards and stakeholders, pro- gram need updates, reports on the progress and results of research, so- licitations for additional research, and lessons learned. These systems, coupled with the research results, will maximize the science return in the form of new and improved knowl- edge that can be used to reduce program life-cycle costs and risk. 0

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