WWW.ID.DOE.GOV

DOE-ID – Just the Facts

The Idaho National Laboratory Site mission is to operate a multiprogram 

national research and development laboratory, and to complete environmental cleanup 

project activities stemming 

from the Site’s cold-war legacy. 

The U.S. Department of Energy retains responsibility for 

overall program and project 

management, and ultimately is 

responsible for security, health 

and safety and the proper use 

of public funds at the INL Site. 

Contractors are hired to manage 

and are accountable to the DOE 

for conducting safe, reliable and 

efficient operations. 

DOE-ID federal work-force 

responsibilities are closely 

aligned with DOE headquarters 

and fall broadly into three main 

categories:

1. Contract Management – DOEID has a lead role in setting 

and communicating expectations in INL Site contracts, 

authorizing and funding contracted work, approving compliance documentation, and 

assessing performance against 

contract requirements.

2. Headquarters Support – DOEID provides direct support to 

DOE headquarters customers 

in managing and overseeing 

DOE mission-related work 

performed at other DOE sites, 

and for administering other 

DOE financial arrangements 

with the private sector, academia, local governmental 

entities, and international 

partnerships.

3. Stewardship – DOE-ID is responsible for maintaining and 

protecting federal assets and 

for being responsive to INL 

Site stakeholder interests and 

concerns. Where appropriate, 

DOE-ID will leverage the 

existing federal investment 

in INL Site infrastructure to 

further advance and develop 

state-of-the-art energy and 

national security technologies 

in support of DOE strategic 

goals.

U.S. Department of EnergyIdaho Operations Office

The U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Idaho Operations 

Office is headquartered in 

the Willow Creek Building 

in Idaho Falls. DOE-ID’s 

responsibilities include contract 

management, DOE headquarters 

support, and stewardship.
WWW.ID.DOE.GOV

08-GA50050-04

Richard Provencher is the 

Deputy Manager for the Idaho 

Cleanup Project. In this capacity, he is responsible for all of 

the EM work performed by the 

office. This includes management of spent fuel, high-level 

waste, low-level waste, transuranic waste and mixed waste, 

as well as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and 

Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation and 

Liability Act programs. He is 

charged with carrying out all 

work in accordance with applicable safety requirements. Prior to 

coming to Idaho, Mr. Provencher 

was director of the Miamisburg 

Closure Project in Ohio. Mr. 

Provencher has a Masters of Science Degree in health physics 

from Colorado State University 

and a bachelor of arts degree in 

biology from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

Raymond Furstenau is the 

Deputy Manager for Research and 

Development. He has been with 

the Idaho Operations Office for 

over 19 years, providing oversight 

of nuclear programs and operations at the site. In 2003-4, he 

was the Source Evaluation Board 

Chairman for selection of the current Idaho National Laboratory 

contractor, and recently served as 

team leader for the DOE Office 

of Nuclear Energy, Science & 

Technology during the stand-up 

phase of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. He earned his 

bachelor’s degree from the U.S. 

Military Academy, and a master’s 

degree in Nuclear Science and 

Engineering from Idaho State 

University. He is a registered professional engineer in Idaho.

Merrie Christine (Chris) Ott 

is the Deputy Manager for Operations Support. In this capacity 

she manages the financial, budget, 

information technology, human 

resource and procurement functions of the Idaho Operations 

Office and oversees comparable 

functions for the contractor-operated INL. Prior to coming to the 

Idaho Operations Office, she held 

several management positions in 

the U.S. Department of Defense. 

Ms. Ott’s performance awards 

include the Defense Meritorious 

Civilian Service Award and the 

Defense Superior Civilian Service 

Award. Ms. Ott received a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages 

and Literature from Washington 

State University in 1975 and a 

Master of Arts in Public Administration from Harvard University in 

1989. Ms. Ott is a graduate of the 

Defense Leadership and Management Program, the Federal Executive Institute, and attended the 

Defense Resource Management 

Institute at the Naval Postgraduate 

School.

Elizabeth Sellers is the Manager of the U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Idaho Operations Office in Idaho Falls, a position she 

has held since April 2003. She 

manages 274 federal employees, 

oversees the work of approximately 6,300 contractor employees and oversees programs with 

an annual budget of approximately $1.1 billion. From May 

1999 until accepting this position 

she served as the manager of the 

U.S. Department of Energy’s 

National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Kansas 

City Site Office. Ms. Sellers 

joined the Department of Energy 

in 1983 as a program engineer 

for nuclear materials production 

in Albuquerque, NM. Within 

two years she was responsible 

for all nuclear material requirements within the DOE complex. 

In 1986, she served as a program 

engineer in the Weapon Programs 

Division where she worked on 

privatizing parachute production 

and the B90 research and development program. Ms. Sellers holds 

a Bachelor of Science degree in 

chemical engineering from the 

University of New Mexico and a 

Bachelor of Arts degree in English 

from the University of Alabama. 

She has served on the board of 

directors and as president of the 

New Mexico Network of Women 

in Science and Engineering. She 

completed a three-year Leadership 

in Training curriculum through the 

Department of Energy. 

Most of the DOE-ID federal 

employees work in the Willow 

Creek Building, 1955 Fremont 

Avenue, Idaho Falls. Functions 

that are inherent to DOE-ID include: media relations, contract 

management, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), congressional/intergovernmental relations, 

legal and tribal relations.

For additional information, the 

DOE-ID Web page can be accessed at: http://www.id.doe.gov