Fluor Fernald Workers are Expected to Finish Pneumatically Removing Thorium-Bearing Waste from Silo 3 in November 2005. More Than 1,400 Containers (3-cubic yards each) Have Been Filled Since March. Fernald Closure Project, Fernald, OH

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The Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for the risk reduction and cleanup of the environmental legacy of the Nation's nuclear weapons program, one of the largest, most diverse, and technically complex environmental programs in the world. EM will successfully achieve this strategic goal by ensuring the safety of DOE employees and U.S. citizens, acquiring the best resources to complete the complex tasks, and by managing projects throughout the United States in the most efficient and effective manner. EM has made significant progress in the last four years in shifting away from risk management to embracing a mission completion philosophy based on cleanup and reducing risk. EM continues to demonstrate the importance of remaining steadfast to operating principles while staying focused on the mission. EM has made progress in recent years in cleanup and/or closure of sites. In addition to its emphasis on site cleanup and closures, EM is also focusing on longer-term activities required for the completion of the cleanup program. These include:

• Constructing and operating facilities to treat radioactive liquid tank waste into a safe, stable form to enable ultimate disposition.
• Securing and storing nuclear material in a stable, safe configuration in secure locations to protect national security.
• Transporting and disposing of transuranic and low-level wastes in a safe and cost-effective manner to reduce risk.