The U.S. Energy Department signed off Wednesday on a long-term plan to tear down more than 400 aging buildings and decontaminate groundwater at a Tennessee nuclear weapons plant and an adjacent government laboratory, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Nov. 10).
The modernization effort, set to take no less than 20 years to complete, would involve demolishing more than 5 million square feet of facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The program is expected to cost between $9.4 billion and $14.5 billion, Energy Department spokesman John Shewairy said.
"Funding is always a concern," he said. "But we know the work has to be done and the need for the work has been recognized. We will deal with the funding issue when we get to that point."
Assistant Energy Secretary James Rispoli provided "Critical Decision 1" backing for the project, acknowledging its necessity and establishing a basic approach to the effort.
The project faces additional regulatory obstacles before the department begins allocating funding, but Shewairy said work could begin as soon as September 2010. The project would wrap up between 2036 and 2039, he said.
Y-12 and Oak Ridge would continue to conduct research and nuclear weapons production during the cleanup efforts, AP reported (Duncan Mansfield, Associated Press/Oak Ridger, Nov. 20).