PNNL

Abstract

In November 2000, the Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office (RL) initiated an effort to produce a single, strategic perspective of RL Site closure challenges and potential Science and Technology (S&T) opportunities. This assessment was requested by DOE Headquarters (HQ), EM-50, as a means to provide a site-level perspective on S&T priorities in the context of the Hanford 2012 Vision. The objectives were to evaluate the entire cleanup lifecycle (estimated at over $24 billion through 2046) to identify where the greatest uncertainties exist and where investments in S&T can provide the maximum benefit. The assessment identified and described the eleven strategic closure challenges associated with the cleanup of the Hanford Site.