In recognition of their service to a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex-wide assessment team, two experts associated with the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program were recently honored as recipients of the Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award, a subset of the annual Secretary’s Honor Awards. The prestigious honor was awarded to Marilew Bartling, Radioactive Waste Acceptance Program (RWAP) manager for Navarro Research and Engineering, the Environmental Program Services contractor to EM Nevada, as well as Andrew Worker, a general engineer specializing in waste disposition, who recently joined the EM Nevada Program.
The Secretary’s Honor Awards recognize DOE employees and contractors for their service and contributions to the Department’s mission and the benefit of the nation. These awards represent some of the highest internal, non-monetary recognitions that DOE employees and contractors can receive.
Bartling and Worker were specifically recognized for their contributions to a 36-person assessment team, formed at the direction of the Deputy Secretary of Energy, which extensively investigated and analyzed radioactive waste packaging and shipping practices across the DOE complex. Combined, Bartling and Worker possess nearly 50 years of experience in radioactive waste management.
In an explanation of the basis for the award, the Secretary of Energy emphasized that Bartling and Worker had “applied their extensive technical expertise and knowledge of DOE policies, procedures, and practices toward independently assessing a critical system within the Department, thereby enhancing the confidence of senior DOE leadership in the safe conduct of radioactive waste packaging and shipping operations.”
With Bartling and Worker’s support, the work of the assessment team ultimately led to the issuance of a DOE report titled theEnterprise-wide Assessment of the Department of Energy’s Packaging and Shipping of Radioactive Waste. The Secretary further recognized that this report had succeeded in “extensively documenting recommendations and best practices found across the Department” and provided “a road map to further strengthen the management of radioactive waste packaging and shipping operations.”
Notably, the final Enterprise Assessment report found that, overall, DOE site contractors have developed and implemented effective procedures and practices for the proper characterization, waste stream control, packaging, and shipping of radioactive waste for disposal.
For more information on EM Nevada’s safe, secure, and successful radioactive waste management program, please visit: https://nnss.gov/programs/rwm/radioactive-waste-management/.