DOE-EM awards cleanup grants and cooperative agreements
October 2, 2023, 9:30AMRadwaste Solutions
Workers remove contaminated sediment from the SRS in South Carolina. A $19 million DOE grant will support state monitoring of the site. (Photo: DOE)
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has awarded nearly $54 million in noncompetitive financial assistance grants and cooperative agreements to help support the office’s cleanup program. DOE-EM is responsible for environmental legacy cleanup of the effects of decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.
The awards cover a broad range of DOE-EM activities, from emergency response and regulatory oversight to lessons learned and stakeholder engagement.
The awards: Awarded on September 28, the grants and agreements include the following:
- South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Agency (SCDHEC), of Columbia, S.C., has been awarded a financial assistance grant estimated at $19 million to provide financial support for environmental monitoring and emergency response oversight activities for the DOE’s Savannah River Site. The grant will also support the oversight and implementation of the SRS Federal Facility Agreement; and to evaluate the DOE’s plans for developing treatment capacities and technologies to treat mixed waste in accordance with an agreed treatment plan for the SRS. The grant has a period of performance of five years, from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2028.
- New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), of Sante Fe, N.M., has been awarded a noncompetitive financial assistance grant estimated at about $10.8 million to continue to provide monitoring, oversight, technical reviews, public outreach, and general administration including developing work plans, budgets, and training requirements at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In addition, NMED was awarded a financial assistance grant estimated at about $5.7 million to continue to provide monitoring, oversight, technical reviews, public outreach, and general administration including developing work plans, budgets, and training requirements at the Sandia National Laboratory. Both grants have a five-year performance period that began October 1.
- California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), of Sacramento, Calif., has been awarded a noncompetitive financial assistance grant worth nearly $10 million to fund regulatory oversight activities in the state as it pertains to the cleanup of the 90-acre Energy Technology Engineering Center in Simi Valley, outside of Los Angeles. Through the grant, DTSC will continue to provide regulatory oversight of DOE cleanup activities at the site in accordance with two state-issued consent orders, as well as applicable California laws and statutes. The grant’s five-year performance period began on October 1.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), of Denver, Colo., has been awarded a noncompetitive financial assistance cooperative agreement estimated at about $3.6 million to work collaboratively with state governors to address challenges posed by waste management and cleanup at DOE sites by improving the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures; fostering interstate communication and cooperation; and ensuring that state legislatures have a strong, cohesive voice in DOE actions and decisions. Through the agreement, NCSL will continue to provide a forum for states to work with the DOE on an array of subjects, including budget and regulatory issues, waste treatment and disposal options, and equitable decisions on waste management. The agreement’s five-year performance period began on September 17.
- NuVision Engineering Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pa., has been awarded a noncompetitive financial assistance cooperative agreement worth an estimated $3.5 million to complete an independent comparison of the DOE-EM cleanup program with the programs of the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries of interest. In doing so, NuVision will assist in identifying key lessons learned, best practices, as well as evaluating and demonstrating innovative technologies and approaches that have the potential to reduce costs, accelerate cleanup activities, and improve the effectiveness of the DOE-EM program. The agreement has a period of performance of three years, from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2026.
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, of Atlanta, Ga., has been awarded a noncompetitive financial assistance grant estimated at $1.2 million for support services to maintain the emergency planning and response capabilities to assure Georgia citizens that their health and safety are being protected through existing DOE programs and independent monitoring and oversight by Georgia officials. The grant’s five-year period of performance began on October 1.
