About the Office of Environmental Management

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) mission is to address the nation’s Cold War environmental legacy resulting from decades of nuclear weapons production and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. This legacy includes some of the world’s most dangerous radioactive sites with large amounts of radioactive wastes, spent nuclear fuel, excess plutonium and uranium, thousands of contaminated facilities, and contaminated soil and groundwater. Created in 1989, EM has the responsibility for completing the cleanup of this Cold War legacy and managing the remaining nuclear materials. 

As the largest environmental cleanup program in the world, EM has been charged with the responsibility of cleaning up 107 sites across the country whose area is equal to the combined area of Rhode Island and Delaware. EM has made substantial progress in nearly every area of nuclear waste cleanup and has completed cleanup at 92 of these sites. There are 15 sites where cleanup work is currently ongoing.

• EM addresses the legacy of the past while contributing to a golden era of American energy dominance, strong national security and DOE efforts to lead the world in innovation.
• EM transforms liabilities into opportunities to unleash American energy and innovation, fuel the global AI race, support national security and enable American jobs.  
• EM leverages the best of American industry to run the largest environmental cleanup program in the world - safely meeting DOE’s legal cleanup responsibilities to ensure American communities are safe and prosperous.  
• EM drives innovation and efficiency, focusing on priorities and reining in costs without sacrificing safety or effectiveness.  In running the program more like a business, EM is working smarter, driving efficiency, implementing common sense solutions and maximizing opportunities to deliver more for American taxpayers.  
• EM empowers the American people by strengthening partnerships and ensuring they have a voice in cleanup and in the future of their communities.