Advice on the Department of Energy's Cleanup Technology Roadmap Gaps and Bridges (2009) / Chapter Skim
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EM has also completed other significant site cleanups. Nonetheless, the scope of EM's remaining future cleanup work is enormous. DOE's fiscal year 2009 budget request put the potential cost of removing or remediating radioactive waste and other contamination at the sites between $265 billion and $305 billion over the next approximately 30 years. DOE has stated that the EM cleanup represents one of the most technically challenging and complex cleanup efforts in the world, and furthermore that the future course of the Department's environmental cleanup See http://www.em.doe.gov/Pages/BudgetPerformance.aspx.
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infrastructure at national laboratories and EM sites that should be maintained to support research, development, and demonstrations of cleanup technologies. The committee was asked to focus on the DOE's four major cleanup sites -- the Hanford Reservation, Washington; the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
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Observation 2: By identifying the highest cost and/or risk aspects of the site cleanup program, the EM roadmap can be an important tool for guiding DOE headquarters investments in longer-term R&D to support efficient and safe cleanup. Observation 3: The national laboratories at each site have special capabilities and infrastructure in science and technology that are needed to address EM's longer-term site cleanup needs.
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. • The baseline tank waste vitrification process significantly increases the volume of high-level waste to be disposed (Medium)
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. EXPERTISE AND INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE NATIONAL LABORATORIES AND EM SITES After reviewing the science and technology gaps identified in Chapter 2, the committee determined that in order to conduct R&D toward bridging these gaps the sites and national laboratories will need to maintain the expertise and infrastructure for: • Handling radioactive materials, • Conducting engineering and pilot-scale tests, • Determining contaminant behavior in the environment, and • Utilizing state-of-the-art science to develop advanced technologies.
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Furthermore, it is clear that the state-of-the-art science and technology relevant to EM's cleanup task will advance over the next 30 years of the EM cleanup in ways that can only be imagined today. While EM would not be expected to be a primary user or primary financial supporter of advanced scientific facilities, it is essential that EM and the Office of Science continue close cooperation and coordination to ensure that EM is able to utilize state-of-the-art science and that the national laboratories put effort into solving EM's unique problems.
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, the committee wishes to reemphasize the necessary quid pro quo nature of these partnerships and the need to ensure that EM is fully vested to enter into such relationships as an equal partner. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The statement of task directed the committee to provide findings and recommendations, as appropriate, to EM on maintenance of core capabilities and infrastructure at national laboratories and EM sites to address its long-term, high-risk cleanup challenges.
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EM cannot complete its mission without the active cooperation of other DOE offices and federal agencies. The Roadmap can be improved by specifying opportunities for cooperative work with the national laboratories and other DOE and federal agencies.
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Bridging EM's Science and Technology Gaps FINDING: The unique chemical, physical, and radiological properties of waste and contamination at the EM cleanup sites and the unique subsurface characteristics of the sites themselves require special capabilities of the sites and their associated national laboratories to sustain long-term R&D for EM's 30-year cleanup program. These special capabilities include qualified, experienced personnel and facilities for radiochemical, engineering, and field experiments.
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Each of these recommended programs is described in Chapter 5. CONCLUSION At the beginning of the study the committee understood that the Roadmap would be a living document to help plan, justify, and increase the effectiveness of EM's R&D program in support of its site cleanup mission.
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