Deactivation & Decommissioning Process Overview
The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management completes the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from decades of nuclear weapons development and government sponsored nuclear energy research. The program is one of the largest and most diverse and technically complex environmental cleanup programs in the world and includes responsibility for the cleanup of contaminated nuclear weapons manufacturing and testing sites across the United States, management of the transfer of excess contaminated facilities and materials from National Nuclear Security Agency, Office of Science, and the Office of Nuclear Energy, and support to field offices by enabling the effective execution of the mission.
EM exclusively performs deactivation and decommissioning on excess facilities containing process contamination, which is contamination (radioactive and/or chemical) originating from mission operations, not construction materials like asbestos or lead paint. An excess facility is one no longer needed for DOE's mission.
After shutdown, facilities typically undergo deactivation to achieve a safe, economical shutdown condition for extended monitoring and maintenance, minimizing risks and surveillance needs. Deactivation stabilizes a contaminated, excess facility to protect workers, the public, and the environment. Following deactivation, decommissioning brings the facility to its ultimate end state through decontamination, dismantlement, demolition, or entombment. Decommissioning is the final process of closing and securing the facility to meet established end states, ensuring protection from radiation and isolation from the environment.
The site may then require continued DOE control or environmental remediation. The entire transition and disposition process emphasizes seamless integration of deactivation, decommissioning, and surveillance and maintenance. The D&D process involves removing hazardous and radioactive materials, stabilizing facilities to lower long-term costs, and then proceeding with demolition or disposition.
For additional information about the D&D program, please visit the following related DOE directive documents:
Infrastructure and Real Property Management
Facility and infrastructure within EM encompasses real property asset management across the complex as well as the transfers of real property that is not needed or excessed for DOE mission to community reuse organizations and other entities for asset revitalization and/or economic development reuse.
EM carries out stewardship responsibilities and ensures that facilities and infrastructure are properly sized and in a condition to meet EM mission requirements. Real property including land parcels, which are not needed for DOE’s mission, are transferred, where applicable (varies by site), to the private sector including community reuse organizations and local government for asset revitalization, economic development reuse or conservation purpose, pursuant to Atomic Energy Act, as amended, 10 CFR 770 and Hall Amendment.
Any non-transferable EM real property is placed in long-term surveillance and monitoring under the DOE Office of Legacy Management. EM also disposes of excess uncontaminated facilities and excess land parcels through transfer out of DOE real estate portfolio by sale across the DOE sites.
DOE O 430.1C, establishes an integrated Secretarial-Site-Contractor’s level, performance-based approach to the life-cycle management of real property assets. It links real property asset planning, programming, budgeting and evaluation to the Department's multi-faceted missions.
Personal Property
EM is tasked with the radiological release of real and personal property. This critical function involves applying DOE Order 458.1 rigorously to evaluate and, if necessary, decontaminate properties. The goal is to ensure that all properties are released from radiological control only when they meet dose and release limits, thereby protecting public health and the environment during property transfers or disposition.
In working with site offices, the DOE Office of Asset Management, and the General Service Administration, EM efficiently and effectively manages its federal fleet to meet the requirements of 41 CFR 109 DOE Property Management Regulations, specifically 41 CFR 109-38 Motor Equipment. Additionally, the DOE Handbook on Fleet Management is available on the DOE Technical Standards Program website. The purpose of this Handbook is to provide information, procedures, methods and practices that may be used in the life -cycle management of motor vehicles, motor equipment and watercraft assigned to the DOE’s Fleet.