The Idaho Cleanup Project Citizens Advisory Board will meet Thursday, April 17 for the board’s Spring meeting.
Idaho Cleanup Project Citizens Advisory Board
April 17, 2025
minute read time
Idaho CAB to Meet in Idaho Falls
The Idaho Cleanup Project Citizens Advisory Board will meet Thursday, April 17 for the board’s Spring meeting. The all-day meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Residence Inn, 635 W. Broadway, Idaho Falls, and will be available for in-person attendance or can be joined virtually via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to participate virtually, email IdahoCAB@icp.doe.gov no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 15 for meeting details. Topics to be discussed during the meeting include: • Recent Public Outreach • ICP overview • End State Contract Ten-year plan and 2024 Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR) • Budget Update and CAB Recommendation Discussion and decision • Supplemental Environmental Projects Update • Solid waste certification process and considerations for remaining waste options Public comment will also be accepted during the meeting at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To sign up to offer comments, email IdahoCAB@icp.doe.gov, no later than 5 p.m. Monday, April 15
Four Cab Members’ Terms Are Expiring
This is the final Citizens Advisory Board meeting for four long-term board members.
The terms of Jackie Agenbroad, Talia Martin, and Teri Ehresman are completing three two-year terms on the board and Roger Hernandez is completing two two-year terms on the board. The appointments expire this month. Jackie and Teri wanted to express thanks for the opportunity to serve on the board.
Jackie Agenbroad, Boise
This will be my last meeting with the ICP-CAB, and it has been a wonderful experience. I didn’t even know what it was or what kind of role I could play on a board like this. I knew little about the cleanup project at INL when I answered an ad in the Idaho Statesman. I had just returned to the state after serving in the Air Force and working in Arizona.
My first meeting was in Idaho Falls and I had an earful at that first meeting. I received a large notebook full of information and was told it would be helpful to read a book, “Proving the Principle.” I listened to experts talking about the site, the work going on and the many issues being dealt with in getting this site cleaned up.
It has been a very meaningful time on the board, and I have met some incredible people who are dedicated to the mission of the cleanup project. My only experience with nuclear issues involved practicing getting under my desk in grade school in case of nuclear attack. My Dad was a nuclear welder but I had no idea what that meant.
My second to last meeting was in beautiful Sun Valley which is a magical place and even more so in autumn, my favorite time of year. I have learned more than I ever thought I needed to know about nuclear issues and acronyms that filled three pages. For instance, CAB isn’t just a means of transportation and BORAX isn’t just a laundry enhancer but Boiling Water Reactor Experiment.
At our meeting last summer we got to take a “cultural tour” which involved driving out to the site in two vans and seeing the grounds where there is an effort to leave the area as close to nature intended as can be done after so many decades of use by those focused on their mission and not in what the land meant for centuries to the people and animals who first inhabited the area. Needless to say, it was a hot day and that area is desert. There were huge trucks carrying soil to help cover the reclamation area. We were lucky enough to hear and see a coyote on a distant hill, plants living in the middle of the desert, native birds and bugs. Up close that “deserted” land is full of life. It is a marvel to behold, and we are so lucky to have this in our lives. We were treated to our lunch at EBR 1, which is now a historical site and museum anyone can visit, and I encourage you to do that.
Teri Ehresman, Island Park
This is my last meeting as a member of the Idaho Cleanup Project’s Citizens Advisory Board. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to listen to the US Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office and Idaho Environmental Coalition leadership. Our questions and concerns have been answered and addressed. I believe the CAB is a necessary program to help answer community questions relating to cleanup efforts. Government transparency is important. It was my honor to serve as CAB chair and vice chair during my term on the CAB. I believe we had a great group of appointed members who learned a great deal about the cleanup operations and shared questions and possible concerns with the group. Thank you for the opportunity to serve on the board and best wishes to the board in future years.
With One Mission Complete, Idaho Crew Pivots to Support Other Cleanup Work
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — After successfully completing their mission in one of the largest demolition projects in Idaho National Laboratory Site history, members of the Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) workforce are being trained for other cleanup work at the site.
Last year, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management crews with contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) removed the three remaining enclosures at the Accelerated Retrieval Project (ARP) several months ahead of schedule. The large tent-like enclosures, which supported exhumation of buried waste at the Subsurface Disposal Area, totaled more than 520,000 square feet of space. This project was completed as part of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act activities in Idaho and in accordance with federal code regulating government property removal.
Nearly two dozen employees transitioned from the ARP decontamination and demolition (D&D) project to other D&D and waste management projects, including the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) D&D project.
Shawna Burtenshaw, IEC’s senior manager over D&D operations projects, recognizes the impact of the additional workers to that project’s mission. “Those who joined our team were already trained as D&D skilled workers and transitioned seamlessly with minimal additional training,” Burtenshaw said. “Their impact was felt immediately as we have been able to more effectively distribute the available work among our teams.”
The NRF D&D project is decommissioning and demolishing three legacy naval reactor prototype vessels: the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse (S1W), the Aircraft Carrier 1st Generation Westinghouse (A1W) and the Submarine 5th Generation General Electric (S5G).
D&D of the S1W is on track for completion this year. A1W and S5G were transferred to IEC ahead of schedule and are in the early stages of D&D.
Former ARP D&D employees are also using remote-handling capabilities to treat and repackage transuranic waste inside two hot cells at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The hot cells — large concrete enclosures with shielded glass and mechanical manipulators that allow operators to safely handle highly radioactive or hazardous materials — were constructed to assist in the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing mission at INTEC until 1992.
The D&D workers are receiving qualifications to perform work as operators and waste handlers and will support efforts to prepare waste packages for eventual shipment for offsite disposal. Their work helps ICP meet an important commitment to the state of Idaho.
Other former ARP D&D employees are supporting maintenance crews at INTEC, where their efforts ensure safety for employees who work at the facility.
IEC President and Program Manager Dan Coyne recognizes the impact of these employees and the importance of maintaining an experienced, skilled workforce.
“There is no doubt that our workforce is our greatest asset, and the success of our cleanup efforts is directly reflected in their commitment to safely and effectively completing our mission each day,” said Coyne. “Idahoans can be proud of the work our employees perform.”
Read the article here.
Idaho Contractor’s Grants Encourage Students to Pursue Careers Essential to EM
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — An Idaho Cleanup Project contractor has provided funding to 15 classrooms in southeastern Idaho to support local educators and encourage the next generation of workers to pursue technical careers.
Through its Full STEAM Ahead in the Classroom grant program, Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC), the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) cleanup contractor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site, empowers teachers by providing funds to supplement lesson plans and employ innovative approaches to teach science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) in classrooms.
As technical industries work to overcome the challenges of an aging workforce, inspiring the next generation of workers to pursue technical careers is essential to the success of the EM mission across the country. STEAM learning engages young minds in ways that facilitate technical understanding and is critical to the nation’s ability to meet its workforce development needs.
Taylor Permann teaches art at Rigby High School, in Rigby, Idaho. Permann received a Full STEAM Ahead grant to purchase more adequate tools and materials to enhance art education for her students.
“Here at the high school, I must find ways to fund my program,” Permann said. “With this grant, I was able to get items that students for years have asked to have, but that I could not provide with my limited budget.”
IEC funding allowed Permann’s students to receive items such as art and pottery glazes, they requested. The students are now learning new techniques and processes that help challenge their critical thinking skills and encourage them to be innovative in their designs, Permann said.
Cole Hebdon teaches 3D modeling and robotics at Sandcreek Middle School in Ammon, Idaho. He used IEC’s grant funds to advance his students’ understanding of robotics and engineering.
“I have created a class that teaches students how to use an engineering program, Fusion 360, to design and build robots that are meant to battle one another. It is just like the television show 'BattleBots,' but on a much smaller scale,” Hebdon said. “Without these grants, I would not be able to introduce students to the exciting world of engineering, with hands-on experiences. It also makes it more exciting and gets the attention of more students.”
Read the article here.