ECA LEADS A CALL TO DOE ASKING FOR CLEAR EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROTOCOL AT FORMER DEFENSE SITES
ECA Staff | 01/24/2024
On Monday, ECA led a call on DOE to establish clear protocols or policy for responding to site emergencies and incidents at former defense nuclear facilities.
For the protection of public health and our communities, DOE needs to establish clear protocols or policy for responding to site emergencies/incidents at former Defense Nuclear Facilities.
For decades the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) and the local governments hosting or adjacent to DOE’s federal nuclear facilities have supported DOE’s cleanup work. Many of our members grew up in the communities around DOE sites, worked themselves or had family that worked on the sites, and they celebrated when cleanup was completed, and property conveyed out of federal ownership with opportunities for reuse. However, recent incidents at the former Mound Site in Ohio and Weldon Springs Site in Missouri demonstrate that unexpected events can and will occur post conveyance, and DOE currently lacks a clear process to respond – especially in emergency situations.
While the federal government may or may not have legal responsibility for these unexpected events, the response of DOE to any incident resulting from former defense activities at a former defense site is critical for the protection of public and environmental health, safety and trust – not just around sites that are closed but also to communities where cleanup is ongoing and conveyance back to the community in the future expected.
Hence, ECA is calling on DOE to create clear protocols or to formally establish a policy for responding to site emergencies/incidents at former defense nuclear facilities. The current policy DOE order 151.1d is not sufficient for the issues that are arising
ECA recognizes and appreciates that there are many examples where DOE has responded quickly and diligently when emergency incidents occurred across the weapons complex - most often where DOE or NNSA have ongoing operations. However, at former federal nuclear facilities that no longer have an active DOE or defense mission, it can be unclear whether DOE’s Office of Legacy Management or the Army Corps of Engineers, as partners in stewardship with specific expertise, should be responding to hazardous environmental issues, events, and concerns.
ECA also shared the letter with DOE's Office of Legacy Management and Environmental Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other DOE stakeholders.