The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) performs maintenance and management activities as part of long-term stewardship responsibilities at more than 100 sites across the country to protect human health and the environment. While the work varies at the different sites, its impact and achievement is constantly planned for and in motion. One such factor is updating some of the vehicles in LM’s fleet to zero emission, electric vehicles.
Office of Legacy Management Director Carmelo Melendez, right, and LM Asset Management Supervisor Bud Sokolovich get a look at the new Mach E electric vehicle (EV) at LM’s business office in Morgantown, West Virginia. The new zero-emission EV is one of three LM recently added to its fleet.
In early 2022, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced a new electric vehicle (EV) program within DOE that aims to replace traditional gas-powered vehicles with EVs. Budimir “Bud” Sokolovich, asset management supervisor at LM, jumped on the opportunity.
“We've been looking at transitioning to electric vehicles for a while,” Sokolovich said. “I told my program manager to put in a request right away, and we were very lucky.”
LM was one of the first DOE organizations to get a delivery of three electric fleet vehicles. This makes sense with LM’s goal of increasing energy efficiency in the construction of new buildings and facilities, and by installing EV charging stations at remote sites, it makes it easier for site managers who need to use the vehicles to travel to inspect the sites they oversee to ensure remedies in place stay protective. To Sokolovich, switching to EVs to minimize environmental impacts was an obvious choice.
“As the government moves toward doing as much as it can to get to net zero on carbon emissions, this is our contribution,” Sokolovich said.
Next steps include prioritizing charging stations at the three field sites: Westminster, Colorado; Fernald Preserve Site near Cincinnati, Ohio; and Morgantown, West Virginia.