Oak Ridge Hosts EM Site Specific Advisory Board Spring Chairs Meeting

Oak Ridge, Tenn. – More than 60 participants from across the country traveled to Oak Ridge this month to attend the EM Site Specific Advisory Board’s (SSAB) 2016 Spring Chairs Meeting. The event was hosted by the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB).

   The ORSSAB is a federally chartered citizens’ panel that provides recommendations to Oak Ridge’s EM program regarding cleanup activities locally. The EM SSAB, however, is comprised of representatives from each of the eight advisory boards located throughout DOE’s EM enterprise nationwide.

   The EM SSAB gathers twice a year for its Chairs Meeting, which brings together leadership from each board and officials from DOE to discuss program-wide cleanup activities. Since the location rotates between headquarters and eight sites across the country, multiple years will pass before a site has the opportunity to host again.

   “Oak Ridge last hosted the event in 2010, so the 2016 meeting is a big deal for us,” ORSSAB Chair Belinda Price explained. “It represents an amazing educational opportunity for us as board members to learn about what is happening at the other sites and gives us the opportunity to directly interact with DOE decision-makers.”

   The 2016 Spring Chairs Meeting featured two of EM’s top officials, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Whitney and Site Restoration Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Gilbertson. The agenda included tours of the Oak Ridge Reservation, an EM program update, news on recovery efforts at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, and discussions centered on issues in site restoration, reindustrialization, and land use.

   Additionally, local board representatives from the ORSAAB provided updates on recent board activities and accomplishments during the three-day event. They shared news about recent recommendations, public outreach efforts, and progress toward EM milestones, such as Vision 2016 — the demolition and cleanup of all five gaseous diffusion buildings at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

   “We are excited to welcome citizen advisors from all regions of the country to Oak Ridge,” said Sue Cange, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of EM. “This meeting provides a great forum to share our strategies and successes and to gather perspective and community engagement ideas from people living near DOE’s largest cleanup sites.”

   The EM SSAB was created under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or FACA, charter, which provides an avenue for public involvement regarding EM’s cleanup activities. Eight local boards exist under this parent charter at waste management sites that are tied to the nation’s nuclear past and are working toward environmental restoration, long-term stewardship, and future land use. They include the Hanford Advisory Board, Idaho National Laboratory Citizens Advisory Board, Nevada SSAB, Northern New Mexico Citizens’ Advisory Board, Oak Ridge SSAB, Paducah Citizens Advisory Board, Portsmouth SSAB, and the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board. 

   Each board is comprised of a federally-appointed panel of citizens, who are unpaid for their time, and who reflect the diverse culture and views of the communities and regions affected by nuclear waste. The boards meet regularly to ensure public access to information on federal cleanup projects is available and to help facilitate opportunities for public involvement in discussions and decision-making on key issues. These boards provide valuable input to DOE through a formal recommendation process on cleanup priorities and projects.