Mission
Our mission is to complete the safe cleanup of environmental legacies on the Oak Ridge Reservation resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. Our projects are protecting the region's health and environment by removing risks, enabling modernization at national security and science sites, and transferring cleaned land to the community to boost new economic growth.
10-Year Plan
Read about our vision, goals, and strategy that will direct our operations from 2022-2032.
News
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The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has made significant headway deactivating the Oak Ridge Research Reactor since crews successfully removed its reactor vessel two years ago. August 18, 2026August 18, 2026
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As 1,200 government and industry leaders from 35 states and four countries discussed advances in the nuclear industry and what’s needed to maintain momentum during a conference here, Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh made his message clear: The Office of Environmental Management is creating opportunities for the private industry and paving the way for big things. August 11, 2026August 11, 2026
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Sustainable purchasing of electronics helps reduce waste and conserve natural resources, lowering the impact of technology. August 11, 2026August 11, 2026
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The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has completed a two-year data collection campaign measuring groundwater elevation levels, a crucial component to inform its Environmental Management Disposal Facility project. August 4, 2026August 4, 2026
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management recently highlighted its American Energy Hubs, an initiative that is transforming former Manhattan Project and Cold War sites into engines for innovation, affordable energy production, advanced manufacturing, and economic growth.August 4, 2026
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Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Erik Olds and Savannah River Operations Office Manager Edwin Deshong joined U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil for a U.S. House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus event. July 28, 2026July 28, 2026
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Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge recently honored six small businesses whose work has advanced key cleanup projects this year. July 28, 2026July 28, 2026
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An innovative workaround enables the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management to advance its highest priority cleanup project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and save taxpayers $175 million. July 21, 2026July 21, 2026
Areas of Focus
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex are home to more than 300 excess, contaminated facilities, including DOE's largest inventory of high-risk structures. OREM is responsible for stabilizing and preparing these facilities for demolition. This complex and challenging process is eliminating hazards and laying the groundwork for major transformation at those sites.
OREM is tasked with tearing down hundreds of facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex over the next two decades. Those projects are removing contaminated reactor facilities, labs, and enrichment facilities and opening space DOE and NNSA can reuse to advance research and national security missions.
Once old, contaminated buildings are cleared away, the final phase of cleanup involves addressing the soil and groundwater beneath them. OREM performs this work to enhance safety, minimize impacts to the environment, and enable land to be reused in the future.
Cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation generates considerable amounts of waste in many different forms. Highly radioactive and hazardous waste is shipped out of state for permanent disposal, while low-level waste, such as building debris and soil, is disposed of in an engineered facility located on site.
OREM is part of a tri-party agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation that establishes guidelines and milestones for cleanup. The collaboration between these organizations has positioned Oak Ridge as the national pacesetter for cleanup within the federal government.
Upcoming Events
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Contact Us
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management
Joe L. Evins Federal Building
200 Administration Road
Oak Ridge, TN 37830