**Environmental Management**

**Committee Meeting Minutes**

**Wednesday, January 21, 5:30 p.m.**

**DOE Information Center**

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+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **[Committee Members             | **[Others Present]{.underline}**  |
| Present]{.underline}**           |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Claire Campbell                  | Dave Adler, Department of Energy  |
|                                  | (DOE)                             |
| Miranda Clower                   |                                   |
|                                  | Wendy Cain, DOE                   |
| John Coffman                     |                                   |
|                                  | Chris Dollman, Project Time &     |
| Bob Hatcher                      | Cost (PT&C)                       |
|                                  |                                   |
| Charles Jensen                   | Spencer Gross, Spectrum           |
|                                  |                                   |
| Betty Jones                      | Steve Kenworthy, Local Oversight  |
|                                  | Committee -- Citizens Advisory    |
| Lance Mezga                      | Panel                             |
|                                  |                                   |
| Norman Mulvenon                  | John Kubarewicz, Bechtel Jacobs,  |
|                                  | Co. and Restoration Services,     |
| Ron Murphree, Chair              | Inc.                              |
|                                  |                                   |
| Tim Myrick, Vice-chair           | Gary Riner, DOE                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### Bob Olson                  | Chip Slate, PT&C                  |
|                                  |                                   |
| Maggie Owen                      |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Kerry Trammell                   |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### [Absent]{.underline}       |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Rhonda Bogard                    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Darryl Bonner                    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Susan Gawarecki                  |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Luther Gibson                    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| John Kennerly                    |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Gloria Mei                       |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

> **[Building 3019 Update]{.underline}**
>
> Mr. Riner provided an update on activities to process and dispose
> uranium-233 (U-233) stored at Building 3019 at Oak Ridge National
> Laboratory.
>
> He took over the project in March 2008. He said a number changes have
> been made in the project, one of which is the development of a mission
> statement (Attachment 1, page 1).
>
> One of the stacks near the building will be demolished because it is
> in the fall radius of the building. He said the estimate was less to
> take it down completely than to remove the top of the stack. The stack
> would have had to come down eventually under the Integrated Facility
> Disposition Project (IFDP), but in the meantime an 80-foot replacement
> stack will have to be built for the U-233 downblending. Mr. Riner said
> taking the stack down will be a significant undertaking for safety
> reasons because the stack was unfiltered when it was in use and is
> itself heavily contaminated.
>
> Mr. Riner reviewed the process overview (Attachment 1, page 4). He
> said about 1,000 cans of material are stored in vaults. They will be
> removed from the vaults one at a time, handled remotely, and placed in
> a hot cell. The cans will be cut open and the U-233 will go into
> dissolution tanks. From there the material will go into accountability
> tanks where accurate measurements of the amount of uranium will be
> made. The U-233 will be mixed with depleted uranium from the Savannah
> River Site, by way of processing at Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin,
> Tenn. When the downblending is complete, the uranium enrichment will
> be less than 1%.
>
> The first half of the downblending will take place in 3019. An annex
> will be built nearby for drying and packaging of the downblended
> material. A small percentage of the material will likely go to the
> Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico with the majority planned
> for low-level waste disposal.
>
> Mr. Riner said there are about 50 sodium fluoride traps from the
> Molten Salt Reactor Experiment containing U-233 that will be processed
> the same way. He said there will be some secondary waste that will be
> processed as well.
>
> Mr. Riner said the hot cell will be located in the 3019 Building, but
> it will be tested off-site, then disassembled into three sections,
> lowered through the roof of 3019, and reassembled.
>
> He reviewed the work breakdown structure (Attachment 1, page 12). He
> said fees will be negotiated for five options. The approved baseline
> cost of the project is \$384 million. Any variation of more the 25
> percent requires an external independent project review. The project
> is scheduled for completion by July 2015, several years ahead of an
> earlier forecast of 2021. He said when the project is completed the
> equipment will be deactivated. The annex might support the work of
> IFDP. Building 3019 will be handed over to the IFDP project team for
> eventual demolition. He said finishing the U-233 downblending process
> and deactivating the building will result in big security\
> cost savings.
>
> Mr. Murphree asked if there had been any other discussion about
> extracting thorium from the U-233 for medical purposes. Mr. Riner said
> Congress had directed DOE to dispose the uranium. Unless Congress
> changes its position there are no plans to extract thorium.
>
> **[Discussion of possible recommendation or comments on the
> presentation]{.underline}**
>
> The committee determined no action was needed.
>
> **[Committee input on next month's program: Groundwater Exit
> Pathways]{.underline}**
>
> The February 17 meeting will be a combined meeting with the
> Stewardship Committee on groundwater exit pathways from the Oak Ridge
> Reservation, with likely emphasis on groundwater leaving the
> reservation from Melton Valley.
>
> Mr. Murphree asked the committee for specific issues to be addressed
> at the meeting.
>
> Suggested points were:

-   How is deep water being captured

-   Discuss water moving through hydrofractures related to Melton Valley

-   Discuss presence of ph anomalies in some wells.

> Mr. Murphree asked that John Owsley, director of the Tennessee
> Department of Environment and Conservation, DOE Oversight Division be
> invited to the meeting.
>
> **[K-25/K-27 Decontamination and Decommissioning Cost
> Information]{.underline}**
>
> At the December meeting there was some discussion that cost
> information related to the K-25/K-27 decontamination and
> decommissioning project was not adequate. Mr. Adler was asked to
> provide more detailed information at this meeting.
>
> Mr. Adler said he reviewed the minutes of the July meeting where cost
> information was discussed and those figures are still accurate.
>
> "Current estimated cost for demolition of K-25 and K27 is
> approximately \$827 million (approximately \$644 million for K-25,
> \$124 million for K-27 and the balance is for surveillance and
> maintenance."
>
> He noted that in all previous presentations cost information was not
> part of the printed material but was provided orally. He said, though,
> in future updates on the project cost information will be part of the
> printed material.
>
> **[Travel Request for John Coffman to Waste Management
> Symposium]{.underline}**
>
> The committee approved the travel request (Attachment 2) for Mr.
> Coffman to attend the Waste Management Symposium in March in Phoenix,
> Ariz.
>
> **[New Business]{.underline}**

-   Date for joint meeting with Stewardship Committee in February\
    The Stewardship Committee suggested having the meeting on Tuesday,
    February 17. The committee agreed with the date.

-   Date for joint meeting with Stewardship Committee on Bear Creek
    Burial Ground Focused Feasibility Study and Proposed Plan\
    The Stewardship Committee suggested having the meeting on Wednesday,
    May 20. The committee agreed with the date.

-   Ms. Owen said tours of the DSSI facility and M&EC facility in Roane
    County are available if any members would like to participate. She
    said she would check available warm-weather dates when tours could
    be conducted.

> **[Action Items]{.underline}**
>
> *Open*

1.  Jeff Crane will provide a letter detailing his explanation as to why
    the state's water classifications have not been approved by EPA.
    *Carryover from the November meeting.*

2.  John Owsley will be invited to the February meeting.

3.  Ms. Owen will check on available dates for tours of DSSI and M&EC
    facilities in Roane County.

> *Closed*

1.  Mr. Adler will bring more detailed cost information on K-25/K-27 D&D
    to the January 2009 committee meeting.

2.  A technical advisor scope of work will be completed by Mr. Olson,
    Ms. Jones, and Mr. Bonner by the end of October. **Status.** A
    revised scope of work has been developed and resubmitted to the
    Board Finance & Process Committee

    The meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.

    Attachments (2) are available on request from the ORSSAB support
    office.

    rsg