Energy Technology Engineering Center

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The Energy Technology Engineering Center occupies 36 hectares (90 acres) within the 1,080-hectare (2,700-acre) Santa Susana Field Laboratory located in the Simi Hills of Ventura County, approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Rockwell International owns the land.

Estimated Site Total

(Thousands of Current Year Dollars)
	FY 1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization	9,844	10,139	10,443	10,756	11,079	Grey shaded area reflects annual cost estimates for the first five years of the site BEMR Base Case (as of October 1995) and includes 3% annual inflation, see Readers' Guide.
Environmental Restoration	4,635	7,170	9,774	11,781	9,885
Waste Management	2,408	2,480	2,727	2,365	2,436
Total	16,887	19,789	22,944	24,902	23,400
1996 Appropriation	9,863			These levels reflect the current estimates for compliance with applicable statutes and agreements (as of March 1996), see Readers' Guide.
1997 Congressional Request		23,449
(Five-Year Averages, Thousands of Constant 1996 Dollars)
	FY 1996-2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025	2030	Life Cycle*
Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization	9,844	14,265	12,704	804				188,081
Environmental Restoration	8,075	6,312	4,275	3,255	4,282			130,994
Waste Management	2,343	1,467	1,293	1,293				31,975
Total	20,261	22,044	18,271	5,352	4,282			351,050
* Total Life Cycle is the sum of the annual costs in constant FY 1996 dollars.

FACILITY MISSION

Part of Area IV at Santa Susana Field Laboratory was set aside in the mid-1950s for nuclear reactor development and testing. Research was primarily related to the development of sodium-cooled nuclear power plants and space power systems, using sodium and potassium as coolants. The Energy Technology Engineering Center is within Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The Center was established in the mid-1960s as a Department of Energy laboratory for the development of liquid metal heat transfer systems to support the Office of Nuclear Energy's Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor program. Operations at Building 20, the Rockwell International Hot Laboratory, were conducted to support the Office of Defense Programs, while other facilities at the Energy Technology Engineering Center supported other Department research programs, including the Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power program. Operations in all nuclear reactors and some other facilities in Area IV ended by the mid­1970s.

Office of Nuclear Energy activities at the Energy Technology Engineering Center were terminated at the end of 1995. Currently, the Energy Technology Engineering Center's primary mission is applied engineering development of emerging energy technologies, including energy conservation, solar, geothermal, and fossil energy.

Environmental restoration and decommissioning activities began at this site in the early 1970s. In 1976, the Department of Energy began a systematic decontamination of remaining excess facilities formerly used for reactor development. As decommissioning activities are completed and buildings are certified for release without radiological restrictions, they will be transferred to Rockwell International.

The Environmental Management program mission at the Energy Technology Engineering Center includes stabilizing and decommissioning facilities and remediating contaminated ground water and soils. Current activities include air monitoring for radionuclide contaminants and ground-water monitoring. During FY 1995, interim pump-and-treat tests demonstrated that ground-water contamination could be reduced. The site is currently waiting for regulator approval to continue these interim actions until the permanent ground-water cleanup strategy is selected. The Sodium Disposal Facility is undergoing a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act closure. The need for further remediation will be determined by sampling and a health­based risk assessment. When the Department of Toxic Substances Control verifies that the site is clean, the pit will be backfilled and revegetated. Current decontamination and decommissioning activity involves the Hot Laboratory, which is scheduled for completion in FY 1997.

This baseline report assumes that facility landlord responsibilities, including infrastructure management and surveillance and maintenance of current Office of Energy Efficiency facilities, will be the responsibility of the Environmental Management program beginning in FY 1996.

FUTURE USE

The future of the center has been discussed with the local communities, regulators, interested stakeholders and the top levels of Department of Energy management. The present plan is to continue decommissioning program buildings for transfer back to Rockwell for its use. However, Rockwell is currently discussing transfer terms with the Community Reuse Organization. This organization would spearhead a privatization effort that would bring industry to the site and reduce the Department's obligation to remove the buildings. Therefore, this estimate assumes that the facility will continue to be used for Industrial purposes.

NUCLEAR MATERIAL AND FACILITY STABILIZATION

The Energy Technology Engineering Center has not yet entered the Environmental Management Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization program. The 44 facilities at the Energy Technology Engineering Center that are anticipated to enter the program include a sodium laboratory, a liquid metals chemical lab, and hazardous materials storage facilities. The resulting waste types will include transuranic, low-level, low-level mixed, and hazardous. See the Site Map for the location of Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization activities.

This report assumes that these facilities will incrementally begin stabilization in FY 1996. Surveillance and maintenance will be performed to ensure that any existing contamination remains contained within the facility and the facility will not deteriorate prior to decommissioning and restoration activities. Repairs will be made when necessary to maintain the Federal Government's investment in the facility. This report also assumes the nuclear material and facility stabilization activities at the Energy Technology Engineering Center will be completed by 2015.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

Research and development activities, past disposal and handling practices, and solvent use and disposal at the Energy Technology Engineering Center resulted in contamination of former research buildings, several existing and former waste management facilities, and site soil and ground water. Because environmental restoration activities have been conducted at the site since the early 1970s, many of the initially contaminated facilities have already been remediated. See the Site Map for the location of Environmental Restoration program activities.

Radionuclide contamination resulted from research and development activities performed primarily in the 1960s. These activities included the operation of ten reactors and seven criticality test facilities, fuel fabrication, reactor and used fuel disassembly, small scale laboratory work, and onsite storage of nuclear material. Over the period of 1974 to 1989, a decommissioning activities program at the Energy Technology Engineering Center removed in excess of 99 percent of the manmade radioactivity generated at the site. The remaining unconfined radioactivity has been measured at less than 0.1 curie, which is much less than the radioactivity in the natural environment at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Confined radioactivity is estimated to be less than 10 curies and is controlled in activated or contaminated structures that are locked, fenced, and within a guarded perimeter.

The site is not currently, nor is it expected to be placed, on the National Priorities List. Therefore, the lead regulatory agency in charge of the cleanup efforts at the Center is the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Remedial activities are completed in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations and requirements and with the approval of the Department of Toxic Substances Control and other appropriate regulatory agencies.

Collection of waste data and reporting will be coordinated with the Waste Management program. However, the Environmental Restoration program will manage and pay for treatment, storage and disposal of waste generated by Hot Laboratory and Sodium Disposal Facility cleanup activities. Remedial action and decommissioning activities include costs for treatment, storage and disposal of this waste. The Waste Management program bears all other costs for treatment, storage and disposal.

ASSESSMENT

The characterization of the perimeter of Area IV was initiated and completed during FY 1995. Energy Technology Engineering Center solid waste management units, identified by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Assessment, will also be remediated. These include the Building 056 Landfill, which is scheduled to begin the closure process in FY 1996 and complete in FY 1998. The Building 056 Landfill will be part of a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Investigation for all of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The Facility Investigation work plan was submitted to the Department of Toxic Substances Control in March 1995. Although approval was expected in September 1995, the Department of Toxic Substances Control is still reviewing the work plan. When the Department of Toxic Substances Control approves the plan, it will also be approving a decision that No Further Action is required on the Building 100 trench, one of the solid waste management units. See the Site Map for the location of Environmental Restoration program activities.

The release of unknown quantities of cleaning solvents and other volatile organic compounds in the mid-1960s, presumably in connection with rocket tests conducted outside of Area IV, contaminated ground water beneath the site. Tritium, gross alpha and beta radioactivity, and radium-226 and -228 have also contaminated ground water in certain areas. Ground water characterization is under way, and remediation is scheduled to begin in FY 1998.

Another assessment activity currently underway involves characterization of ground-water hydrology at the site. The Chatsworth Formation, the primary geologic constituent, is a sandstone formation. A stable isotope study is under way to help map the way in which ground water flows. The stable isotope study involves injecting isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen into the ground and a systematic sampling of the wells involved in the study, mapping the ground-water flow.

REMEDIAL ACTION

Past radioactive and hazardous material handling and disposal practices resulted in contamination at several existing or former disposal units. Facilities undergoing environmental restoration include the Sodium Disposal Facility (Building 886), the Building 056 Landfill, and the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility (Buildings 021, 022, and 075). Previous operations at some of these facilities also resulted in the contamination of adjacent soils. The Sodium Disposal Facility recently completed post-remediation independent verification as part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act closure.

The Sodium Disposal Facility was contaminated as a result of storage of radioactive materials, sodium, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls. The Sodium Disposal Facility has undergone extensive remedial operations over the last few years. During FY 1994, about 344 cubic meters (450 cubic yards) of mixed waste was shipped to the Envirocare facility (Clive, Utah). During FY 1995, about 763 cubic meters (1,000 cubic yards) of low-level waste was shipped to Envirocare. During the winter months, the Department of Toxic Substances Control requires the Center to cover the pit with a tarp and collect and sample the rain water. To date, all of the rain water has been clean and was subsequently released to the sewer system.

The Sodium Disposal Facility resulted in some offsite contamination, including tritium (below drinking-level standards) and other radionuclides (at or below background levels). Currently, a health-based risk assessment is being performed as part of the site cleanliness verification activity. If the Department of Toxic Substances Control agrees that No Further Action is necessary, then after the rainy season is over in the spring, the pit will be backfilled with clean soil and revegetated.

The Building 056 Landfill contains contamination from past disposal activities. The landfill is currently part of a Remedial Facility Investigation that encompasses all of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory and not just the Department of Energy portion. Details of the required remedial action will not be known until the Facility Investigation is completed. Estimated costs are limited to characterization activities, which will involve a geophysical survey, sampling, and analysis. This report assumes that all remedial action at the Energy Technology Engineering Center will be completed by FY 2010.

DECOMMISSIONING

Decommissioning activities involve decommissioning of Department of Energy-owned surplus facilities and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act closure of the Sodium Disposal Facility and the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. All cleanup is being conducted in a manner that allows a Residential land-use scenario, although it is anticipated that the future use will continue to be Industrial. Decommissioning activities also include the surveillance and maintenance of facilities prior to beginning decontamination. Additional work includes the packaging, shipping, and disposal of both hazardous and nonhazardous waste generated by decommissioning activities.

Building 012, the System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power Critical Facility contains structural material contaminated by low-level radioactivity. Decommissioning of this facility was completed during FY 1995. Final closeout documentation for release will be completed during FY 1996. The Rockwell International Hot Laboratory (Building 020), which was contaminated as a result of storage of radioactive and other material used for research, has been undergoing decontamination since 1985 and is expected to be complete by FY 1997.

Decommissioning activities have been completed at many of the former nuclear research sites and are under way at others. Building 012, the System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power Critical Facility, which was a small decommissioning project consisting of three rooms, contains structural material contaminated by low-level radioactivity. The amount of contamination in the fuel storage tubes was the principal uncertainty and proved to be only on the surface level and was easily removed. This project was completed in FY 1995 ahead of schedule due to the decision to delay the decommissioning of the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. The decommissioning of the moderator cask (a former onsite transport cask) was completed in FY 1995.

Buildings 021, 022, and 075, which make up the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility, contain radioactivity from waste storage activities. This facility was scheduled to begin decommissioning in FY 1995. However, the project was delayed until FY 1997 and is expected to be completed in FY 2001. This will be the last radioactively contaminated facility to undergo decommissioning. It is the largest decommissioning project at this site and is estimated to cost between $10 million to $12 million. The Radioactive Materials Handling Facility is used to support decommissioning activities and contains a decontamination facility and temporary storage area for radioactive and mixed waste prior to offsite disposal. A small amount of transuranic waste from previous decommissioning activities is temporarily stored at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility.

Decommissioning of Building 020, the Hot Laboratory, was started in the mid-1980s. The project is currently about 85 percent complete. During FY 1996, the hot cells, basement and attic (principally the heating ventilation air conditioning and filtration system), will be decontaminated. One FY 1996 activity will be the characterization of the drain line sludge. This is significant because it is the last possible source of mixed waste for this activity. The last phase of the project will involve conventional demolition of the structure. The Hot Laboratory will be remediated to a level allowing use without radiological restriction. This report assumes the Hot Laboratory will receive funds from the Small Sites Initiative for FY 1997 and the project will be completed that year.

Building 059, a System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power Reactor Test Facility, has a radioactively contaminated subsurface vault area, approximately 50 feet below-grade. The scope of the project has been refocused to include complete removal of the subsurface contamination, with the result that the project will not be restarted until FY 1998.

Building 059, the Radiation Decontamination and Decommissioning Project, has recently undergone a change in scope. Originally, this was a system for Nuclear Auxiliary Power Project facility. The change results from a decision to remove the activated concrete because of the privatization effort at the Center. It will be easier to attract industry to the site if the contamination is removed. The change in scope necessitates increased funding and delays the scheduled completion until at least FY 1998. Decommissioning activities are scheduled to begin at the Large Leak Test Rig in FY 1996. The Rig is the above grade portion of the Building 059 facility. It is the first of the inactive sodium facilities to undergo decommissioning. The juxtaposition of these two facilities has necessitated a coordinated approach to decommissioning. The Decontamination and Decommissioning Plan for the Rig is due in mid-FY 1996.

All the waste, aside from the one possible source of mixed waste at the Hot Laboratory, will be low-level radioactive waste consisting of concrete rubble and scrap metal. The Large Leak Test Rig will produce hazardous material containing sodium.

Direct Program Management/Support

Program management represents crosscutting activities associated with environmental restoration and does not directly support specific operations or projects.

In addition to program management (that is, the planning and management of resources and information to accomplish project goals, budgets and schedules) and facility management (the care, maintenance and replacement of existing facilities and facility-related equipment), it includes activities like personnel management and training, administrative support, document development and control, data base management, liaison activities with the Department of Energy and external regulatory agencies, and quality assurance and records/data management.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Waste Management program mission at the Energy Technology Engineering Center is to ensure continued compliance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permitting requirements. Activities include waste characterization and certification, waste treatment and storage, waste minimization, facility maintenance, and waste packaging and offsite disposal to support continuing operations. These activities are performed at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility for radioactive and mixed waste and at the Hazardous Waste Management Facility for alkali metal waste. Each of these facilities operates under two separate Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permits.

The Waste Management program manages and funds the operation of two facilities at the Energy Technology Engineering Center. These facilities and their associated activities include: (1) storage and treatment of alkali metal waste at the Hazardous Waste Management Facility; and (2) handling, storage and disposal of radioactive and mixed waste at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility.

The Hazardous Waste Management Facility is dedicated to the storage and treatment of nonradioactive alkali metal waste and currently operates under a Part B permit from the State of California. The Hazardous Waste Management Facility consists of two geographically separated buildings: Building 029 and Building 133. Building 029 is designed for the storage of sodium-contaminated parts and components, while Building 133 is designed for treating these components. Environmental restoration cleanup activities on facility systems generate the parts and components treated at the facility. Treating the sodium-contaminated components results in the generation of a dilute sodium hydroxide solution that must be handled as hazardous waste. The cleaned parts and components are dispositioned as scrap metal. When storage activities at Building 029 and treatment activities at Building 133 are complete, cleanup activities will begin.

The Radioactive Materials Handling Facility is currently operating under interim status. Operations that are covered under this facility are: (1) the repackaging of radioactive waste, (2) the limited treatment of mixed waste, and (3) the storage of radioactive and mixed waste. Environmental restoration activities generate the waste handled and stored at this facility. Low-level mixed waste managed at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility falls under the auspices of the Federal Facility Compliance Act.

The Federal Facility Compliance Act states that the Department will not be subject to fines and penalties for mixed low-level waste storage prohibition violations provided it is in compliance with an approved Site Treatment Plan. In October 1995, the Site Treatment Plan for the Energy Technology Engineering Center was signed by the Department's Oakland Office and the State of California.

Transuranic Waste

GENERATION AND HANDLING

The source of most of the transuranic waste generated at the Center has been decontamination and decommissioning activities at the Rockwell International Hot Laboratory (Building 020). The remaining transuranic waste was generated through the decontamination and decommissioning of Building 055, which housed a fuel fabrication development facility. The Environmental Restoration program conducted both of these activities.

The Energy Technology Engineering Center expects to generate three more 0.2-cubic meter (55-gallon) drums of transuranic waste, potentially mixed, which will result from size reduction of a "hold­up" tank from the Hot Laboratory (Building 020). This tank is currently stored at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility.

There are no treatment facilities for transuranic waste at the Energy Technology Engineering Center. There are no plans to treat any transuranic or transuranic mixed waste onsite.

STORAGE

The Center currently has a total of 34 0.2 cubic meter (55-gallon) drums of transuranic waste (approximately 7.1 cubic meters [9.2 cubic yards]), some of which is potentially mixed, stored in below­grade storage vaults in Building 022 at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. Current plans are to have all the transuranic and suspected transuranic mixed waste shipped offsite for disposal by FY 2001.

DISPOSAL

This report assumes that all transuranic waste (12 cubic meters [16 cubic yards]) from Environmental Management program activities and two cubic meters (2.6 cubic yards) from Defense Program activities will be shipped to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for treatment and disposal at WIPP. All transuranic mixed waste (five cubic meters [seven cubic yards]) from environmental restoration activities will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (Carlsbad, New Mexico) for disposal.

All disposal costs for transuranic waste are included in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant program estimate. The costs included in this estimate are for managing transuranic waste and include retrieval, characterization, treatment, and packaging to meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant waste acceptance criteria.

Low-Level Mixed Waste

GENERATION AND HANDLING

Ongoing environmental restoration activities are not expected to generate significant additional quantities of mixed waste because of the nature of the work and the express prohibition on allowing hazardous materials into radioactive areas. The current inventory of low-level mixed waste constitutes waste generated through past environmental restoration work and is stored at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. The most recent forecast is that an additional three cubic meters (3.9 cubic yards) will be generated in FY 1996. This report expects that no additional low-level mixed waste will be generated after FY 1996.

TREATMENT

Limited treatment was conducted on one low-level mixed waste stream (0.13 cubic meters [0.17 cubic yards] of electropolish solution) at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility in FY 1994. A treatability study was conducted on the electropolish solution in which it was neutralized with sodium hydroxide. This eliminated the corrosive (hazardous) property of the waste. No low-level mixed waste treatment activities have been planned in FY 1996 or in the outyears.

STORAGE

All low-level mixed waste that environmental restoration activities generate is stored at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. At the end of FY 1995, there were approximately 47 cubic meters (62 cubic yards) of low-level mixed waste stored at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. Some of the low-level mixed waste streams specifically listed in the Energy Technology Engineering Center Site Treatment Plan include: leaded paint chips, high-efficiency particulate air filters and crushed fluorescent tubes containing mercury.

DISPOSAL

Low-level mixed waste that the Energy Technology Engineering Center generates will be shipped to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for treatment and disposal, as stated in the Site Treatment Plan. However, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory will not begin accepting waste until FY 1997 at the earliest. Since commercial disposal might prove to be more cost-effective, the Department's Oakland Office is exploring commercial options for the disposal of low-level mixed waste. The Energy Technology Engineering Center does not dispose of any radioactive or mixed waste onsite.

The Energy Technology Engineering Center Site Treatment Plan includes enforceable milestones and schedules, which the Oakland Operations Office is now committed to meeting. These milestones include characterization of specifically listed low-level mixed waste streams in FY 1996 and selection of treatment options for these waste streams in FY 1997.

The Rocketdyne Transportation Department handles all transportation of waste, including low-level mixed waste. All low-level mixed waste shipments meet Department of Transportation and Department of Energy requirements for transporting waste.

Low-Level Waste

GENERATION AND HANDLING

Environmental restoration activities at Building 020 generate the bulk of low-level waste presently and in the future. This waste is identified, characterized, sampled and packaged in accordance with Department of Transportation and disposal site criteria. These activities take place at the point of generation or at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility. This report anticipates that an additional 2,100 cubic meters (2,751 cubic yards) of low-level waste will be generated from continuing decontamination and decommissioning activities through FY 2000.

TREATMENT

No treatment activities are conducted on low-level waste at the Energy Technology Engineering Center. The low-level waste being generated from environmental restoration activities at Building 020 contains no hazardous constituents and will require no treatment prior to its disposal at the Nevada Test Site.

STORAGE

All low-level waste is stored at the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility in Department of Transportation- and disposal site-approved containers. The Radioactive Materials Handling Facility currently has approximately 430 cubic meters (560 cubic yards) of low-level waste in storage.

DISPOSAL

This report assumes that 2,540 cubic meters (3,327 cubic yards) of low-level waste, which the Energy Technology Engineering Center generated, will be disposed of at the Nevada Test Site. Low-level waste generated during decommissioning of the Hot Laboratory (Building 020) will be shipped to the Nevada Test Site by FY 1998. The remaining low-level waste expected to be generated from planned decontamination and decommissioning of the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility should be shipped offsite by FY 2000. This completion date of FY 2000 depends on progress made in cleaning up the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility.

In FY 1995, the Oakland Operations Office shipped approximately 300 cubic meters (393 cubic yards) of low-level waste from the cleanup of Building 886 (Sodium Burn Pit) to a Department of Energy­approved commercial disposal facility located in Utah. The Energy Technology Engineering Center does not dispose of low-level waste onsite.

The Rocketdyne Transportation Department handles all transportation of waste, including low-level waste. All waste shipments from the Energy Technology Engineering Center meet the Department of Transportation and Department of Energy requirements for transporting waste.

Hazardous Waste

GENERATION AND HANDLING

Most of the hazardous waste that the Energy Technology Engineering Center generates results from the treatment of sodium-contaminated piping and equipment, which environmental restoration cleanup on facility systems generates. This piping and equipment is removed from facilities undergoing decontamination and decommissioning and sent to Building 029 of the Hazardous Waste Management Facility. From there, the piping and equipment is sent to Building 133 of the Hazardous Waste Management Facility for treatment.

Some additional hazardous waste is generated through routine maintenance work and cleanout of various facility inventories. This waste is sent to a 90-day storage facility (the Hazardous Waste Collection Area), which the Rocketdyne Environmental Department operates and the Waste Management program partially funds. This report anticipates that a large influx of chemicals will be sent to the Hazardous Waste Collection Area in FY 1996 because of the expiration of the contract and subsequent closure of the Energy Technology Engineering Center laboratories and buildings.

TREATMENT

Building 133 is designed for treatment of alkali metal waste (that is, sodium-contaminated parts and components) and operates under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Part B Permit from the State of California. Treatment operations at Building 133 result in the generation of a dilute sodium hydroxide solution that must generally be handled as hazardous waste. Treatment operations also generate some small amounts of other hazardous waste that is sent to the 90-day Hazardous Waste Collection Area. The cleaned parts and components are dispositioned as scrap metal.

Treatment operations at Building 133 generate approximately 58 cubic meters (76 cubic yards) on average of dilute sodium hydroxide that needs to be disposed of as hazardous waste. This baseline estimate anticipates that the Hazardous Waste Management Facility will continue operating until FY 2015 because of the large number of facilities that contain sodium.

STORAGE

Building 029 of the Hazardous Waste Management Facility is dedicated to the storage of alkali metal waste.

DISPOSAL

All hazardous waste generated at the Hazardous Waste Management Facility and sent to the 90-day Hazardous Waste Collection Area is manifested and sent to a permitted commercial facility for treatment, disposal or recycling. No hazardous waste is disposed of onsite.

The Rocketdyne Transportation Department handles all transportation of waste, including hazardous waste. All low-level mixed waste shipments meet the Department of Transportation and Department of Energy requirements for transporting waste.

Direct Program Management/Support

Program management represents activities associated with all waste types and does not directly support specific operations or projects. It provides overall support and direction for ongoing Waste Management programs, including storage and treatment activities for the Hazardous Waste Management Facility and storage, handling and offsite disposal activities at the Radioactive Materials Disposal Facility. In addition to program management (that is, the planning and management of resources and information to accomplish project goals, budgets and schedules) and facility management (the care, maintenance and replacement of existing facilities and facility-related equipment), activities like personnel management and training, administrative support, document development and control, data base management, liaison activities with the Department of Energy and external regulatory agencies, and quality assurance and records/data management are included.

LANDLORD ACTIVITIES

The Office of Nuclear Energy is currently the landlord for the Energy Technology Engineering Center. This estimate anticipates that the facility landlord responsibilities, including infrastructure management and surveillance and maintenance of current Office of Nuclear Energy facilities, will be the responsibility of the Environmental Management program beginning in FY 1997. During FY 1996, the Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization program will become responsible for surveillance and maintenance of the inactive sodium facilities. The Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization program will be the funding source but will not take ownership of the buildings. The maintenance and operating contract for the Energy Technology Engineering Center facility expired at the end of FY 1995. The environmental cleanup is proceeding under the closeout provisions of the contract. There are also ongoing discussions regarding a possible privatization effort at the site. The details of any arrangement are not known at this time. The landlord costs are about $3 million to $4 million per year. The nuclear material and facility stabilization and surveillance and maintenance costs will be about $550,000. The exact amount of the landlord costs and its distribution cannot be settled until the privatization issue is resolved.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Current Composition

The table below presents the current Full-Time Equivalents needed to conduct the environmental management activities at the site. The work force comprises federal and contractor personnel and includes program managers, administrative support professionals, scientists, engineers, and technicians.

* The Projections for Full-Time Equivalent employees are based on FY 1996 planning baselines (see Reader's Guide).

Site Management Structure

The Department of Energy's Oakland Operations Office is the field organization responsible for implementing management plans at the Energy Technology Engineering Center. Rocketdyne, a division of Rockwell International, operates the Center for the Department of Energy. Rocketdyne serves as the management and operating contractor and is responsible for environmental restoration and waste management activities at the Center. The Center officially is an Office of Nuclear Energy facility although there is no ongoing Nuclear Energy research. The Oakland Office maintains a site office at the Center to perform basic management functions.

The Center is currently operating under the closeout provisions of the maintenance and operating contract (DE-AC03-77SF00700), which expired at the end of FY 1995. This results in a very favorable overhead rate structure for environmental cleanup activities. Should a decision to contract out the cleanup be made, that effort will be conducted under the current contract reform requirements regarding performance-based contracting.

Future Full-Time Equivalent Needs

There are no additional Full-Time Equivalent needs. After departing from the site, the federal personnel will return to the Oakland Operations Office, and the contractor personnel will no longer be needed.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following tables present estimated funding information for the Energy Technology Engineering Center.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

The 1996 life-cycle estimate for the Energy Technology Engineering Center of $351 million represents an eight percent increase over the 1995 life-cycle estimate of $334 million, after taking the 1995 expenditure into account. The life-cycle estimate for the Environmental Restoration program ($131 million) is 126 percent higher than the 1995 estimate ($62 million), after taking the 1995 expenditure into account. This can be attributed to an increase in decommissioning costs. New facilities, which increase decommissioning costs at this site from one million dollars to $95 million and which lengthen the decommissioning life-cycle duration by four years, are being transitioned into the Environmental Restoration program. These facilities also impact the duration of the assessment life cycle, which is 13 years longer in the 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report, and increase program management costs and duration.

Estimated costs for Waste Management program activities are 48 percent lower than last year ($32 million in 1996 and $66 million in 1995). This is due to a variety of factors, including improved cost estimation practices for Activity Data Sheet validation efforts, a shorter low-level waste program duration, and low-level mixed waste inventories that remain at current levels because of waste minimization efforts and better information about the remaining waste streams.

Landlord costs were incorrectly reported last year. The Office of Nuclear Energy is the Landlord for this facility and the Office of Environmental Management does not receive direct appropriations for landlord activities at this site. The costs have been reapportioned as indirects to the applicable programs in the FY 1996 Baseline Report.